I find myself reflecting on the beginning of the school year and wanting to share what stands out to me with you.

Since pushing into multiple classrooms this year to co-teach with my colleagues, the number of people that I work with has increased dramatically.  I am beyond grateful to have the opportunity to work with so many inspiring people.  

One of the reasons I became a teacher is because I love people, so to have the opportunity to work directly with more people makes my life more full of love.  

The opportunity to collaborate with teachers, parents, and my students fills my heart, increases my connections, and helps me  become a better teacher and person.  

The past nine weeks when pushing into classrooms, I concentrated on writing instruction.  I introduced narrative writing and opinion writing to several classes.  Reading the texts that were written and seeing my students' self concepts grow to include the title, "author" fills me with joy.  

I get goose bumps as I realize that I am living my life's purpose here at East Pike and Horace Mann.  I look forward to the rest of the year, when I will be teaching informational writing and how to make and support claims by quoting evidence from texts.   

Another aspect of this school year that I am so thankful for is the opportunity to increase my use of Google apps and tools.  This year, I added the Google Classroom to my toolkit.  I also continue to practice and improve my skills using WeVideo.  

WeVideo provides an incredible platform for documentation, as does Blogger.  These tools transform my teaching, enabling me to teach engaging lessons that speak to the present moment, what is and what will be relevant in my students' lives now and in the future. 

I embark on the second nine weeks of my thirteenth year of teaching with total happiness and full of gratitude because I co-create curriculum with my colleagues and students.  

 

we work, write, learn, and grow together.