Year 19!

Today was the first day of school for my 19th year teaching! When did I become one of the old teachers on staff??? I'm mentoring two new teachers this year so it is always fun to see their fresh look at things.

 

Masks aren't required at my school (yet?) this year but as you can see I opted to wear one. I'm vaccinated, and because of the meds I'm on for my rheumatoid arthritis, I actually have already gotten the 3rd "booster" shot too. I'd still rather be extra cautious though, especially with cases in the county now rating as Extreme. Delta is scary. School just started today and our COVID dashboard already shows 14 active cases and more quarantines. :( I just hope my students can stay healthy and we can stay in person for learning this year.

Other exciting news is that this is the first year my students are 1:1, each having their own Chromebook! I think this will make life so much easier. We're also using GoGuardian this year so today was my first time trying that out. It will definitely keep students on their best behavior this year.

My first day of school seating tip. I always make seating charts in advance and do everything I can to help me learn names faster, for example if I have a Britney in 1st and another in 3rd period, I put them in the same seat each period. It becomes the 'Britney seat' and I learn their names much faster. If I had a Britney last year I may even put them in that same seat! Also, if I have the same student in study hall and biology, I give them the same assigned seat for both. I also print student names on colored paper. Pink paper for 1st period, Orange for 2nd, Yellow for 3rd... following the rainbow through the day, then I take the papers on the desks so students can quickly enter and find their seats. I keep them there a few days as I'm learning names too and ask students to make any corrections to the labels if they prefer to be called something else. Anyways, it works for me so maybe it will work for you too.

Well, there is no tired like first day of school teacher tired so I'm going to go rest up for another busy day tomorrow! Have a great school year and stay healthy!

2020-2021 Wrap Up

Year 18 of my teaching career is all wrapped up. You know it was a busy school year when I didn't find time to post even once. Eek! It was that kind of year.

Hybrid instruction was something I will never forget, it really forced me to step outside of my comfort zone and create a lot of new materials. Our school set up hybrid with half of the students at home M-W and in person Th/F, the other half in person M/T, and at home W-F. Teachers came in-person every day. It was difficult teaching while wearing a mask behind big sheets of plexiglass (especially on warm days when my classroom was 86 degrees and I had 5 fans going), but I did it! Never have my teacher tees been more accurate!

I kicked off this school year by receiving several awards from last school year, including Teacher of the Year again. Gosh, my coworkers are so kind to vote for me to win this several times during my career! I was also recognized for funding many Donors Choose projects and for that I have to thank my supportive friends and family, as well as many kind strangers, for supporting my students! 

Outside of all COVID-related challenges, this year was also eye-opening for me as I had a student in class with severe visual impairments. I am such a visual learner myself and I teach in so many visual and hands-on ways. It really made me think outside of the box on how I could teach Biology to someone who could not see. I spent a long time thinking about my lessons and modifying things, but in the end it made me a much better teacher! Eventually we learned that Zoom and Google Meet could solve a lot of our challenges; as I displayed things on my smart tv for other students to see, it allowed her to see it on her own technology and zoom in on it to make it a size she could see. My student was so appreciative too and really excelled in class! For our microscope unit, I wrote a DonorsChoose project that allowed me to purchase a microscope with a screen in place of the normal eyepiece. While the screen was even too small for her to see well, we could hook it up to her laptop and again she was able to zoom in. Imagine never being able to see normal-sized things, to now being able to see some of the tiniest creatures that exist and watch their heartbeat! It was pretty cool to witness. :)  

The last bit of excitement from this school year is that they broke ground on our new building. I cannot wait to finally teach in a building with air conditioning and other luxuries! It will take two more years to finish though... but it definitely something I'm looking forward to! Here is my best teacher-friend Jen and I on a tour of the construction site on teacher check-out day last week.

So far my summer is off to a PD-filled start. I learned how to make Boom Cards and posted my first set. I'm excited to create more this summer as I have so many ideas!

I also have been posting more materials to TeachersPayTeachers and I finally created a bundle to include my entire curriculum for Forensic Science and Zoology!

 

Well, I think that is all of my updates for now. To my teacher friends, CONGRATS ON SURVIVING ONE OF THE MOST DIFFICULT YEARS OF TEACHING! Rest, relax, and recharge this summer because back-to-school will be here again before we know it. Take care <3 

COVID Summer

Normally June and July are pretty relaxing months for teachers. School is out and we can unwind. I try to take a vacation and not think about anything school related for at least a month before I start back to planning again. This year is very different.

We ended the school year online due to COVID-19 closing Ohio schools for much of March through the remainder of the year. Our students missed out on spring sports, prom, awards assemblies, etc. Our seniors ended up having a socially distanced graduation that I decided to watch online instead of attending due to the risks of COVID.

Because I have decided not to travel due to the risks of COVID and I'm keeping my distance from friends and family, I've used my free time in June for a lot of online classes. It has been neat taking classes online through ZOOM. I've finished 17 hours so far and earned one graduate credit. I have at least 7 more hours of classes coming up so I'm making a dent in the hours for my IPDP. The classes have also helped give me some new ideas for if and when we do go online again.

Meetings! This is the big difference this summer. Instead of teachers and administrators relaxing and resting up we are now having to hold meetings and plan what the upcoming year may look like. Our Governor still has not put out guidelines for schools so we're just waiting to see what gets announced. In the meantime we have to develop several plans. Plan A is how to return to school safely if we're allowed. There are so many things to consider... wearing masks, hot classrooms with no windows, how to limit class sizes, how to keep students apart, what to do for students who need to stay at home, etc. The logistics of it seem impossible! Plan B is for 100% online instruction. In March we found out on a Friday that starting Monday everything would be online. It was a challenge but we did it. We knew our students though and they knew us and how our class operated. While we have some time to prepare now, we don't know our students yet, we don't have any relationships or routines established with them. We also don't know when or if an outbreak will happen in our community. It is hard to plan without knowing the details. And finally, there is also a Plan C needing developed for hybrid instruction. There are so many possibilities of what that could look like it that I have no idea where to begin. We're all looking for guidance in coming up with plans, but no one has the answers. It is going to be an interesting year!

Are you a teacher? I'd love to know what your school district is planning for fall or what you are doing to prepare for your classes.

In thinking about how I can start to get ready for the year, I realized labs will be challenging this year. Is it safe for students to share lab supplies, microscopes, etc.? I haven't found that answer yet so I've looked to Donors Choose and created a project to get some additional online learning tools.

My last challenge I should mention that I'm dealing with this summer is the escape of one of my classroom pets. As schools closed for COVID, I had a parent volunteer to take home my crayfish, hissing cockroaches, and millipedes. I brought home my fish and turtles. My classroom turtle tank at school was too heavy to easily transport home, so my two little turtles have been in a much smaller temporary tank. Well, this weekend when I went to visit my dad for Father's day, one escaped! My boyfriend and I have looked everywhere and cannot find it! This happened with my former turtles several years ago, one escaped while I was on a vacation. I couldn't find it and thought for sure it must have somehow escaped my apartment. After 10 days it decided to come out of hiding! So, knowing this happened once before I'm trying not to panic yet. While I have looked everywhere, like I did back then, I realize it could just be hiding really well. Last night I decided to build a ramp to try to lure it out of hiding while we slept. No luck. Anyways, I hope my turtle decides to come out of hiding soon and does not die!

Well, that is it for this update. Stay healthy this summer! Don't forget to wear your masks and sunscreen :)

Virtual Dissections

We've all had that student that has no interest in dissecting, or the one that just sits back and lets the group do his or her work. Absences can also be a problem. A few years ago I wrote a DonorsChoose project for digital dissection software and it turned out to be the solution to many of my dissection problems.

Dissections- Why go digital?

There are times during traditional dissections when students become more preoccupied with the cuts and guts, instead of actually learning the anatomy of the animal. Students often make incorrect cuts, get a bad specimen, are absent on critical lab days, or let their partner or group do the work for them. This assignment will solve a lot of these issues and help squeamish students dissect in a less intimidating way. While there is still a place for hands-on dissections in science, I think it is beneficial for students to experience alternatives as well or pair these with pre-lab activities so students come in to lab ready and better prepared. This computer program ensures students obtain the critical knowledge intended by dissection labs, without the smell or cost of preserved specimens. Students will have a chance to go at their own pace, repeat any areas in which they struggle, and hopefully gain a better understanding for and appreciation of animal anatomy.

So have I convinced you to go digital? I've posted a few digital dissection worksheets on TeachersPayTeachers. Please Check them out!

Virtual Frog Dissection

 Virtual Sea Star Dissection

There are MANY virtual dissection options for FREE online, like the Froguts program I used to make the above TPT worksheets. 

However, I really like the programs I purchased from Carolina Biological (they are expensive so I also did Donors Choose Projects and grants for some of them). Here are a few of my favorites. I do have worksheets to go with these as well so please reach out if you decide to purchase the programs. *I was NOT paid by Carolina Biological to promote these products in any way.

Carolina Bio Lab: Invertebrates (earthworm, crayfish, starfish, and squid)

https://www.carolina.com/preserved-organisms-classroom-resources/carolina-bio-lab-invertebrates/FAM_399011.pr

Carolina Bio Lab: Fish (perch, shark, and lamprey)

https://www.carolina.com/preserved-organisms-classroom-resources/carolina-bio-lab-fish/FAM_399013.pr?question=Bio+Lab

Carolina Bio Lab: Pig

https://www.carolina.com/preserved-organisms-classroom-resources/carolina-bio-lab-pig/FAM_399014.pr?question=Bio+Lab

Carolina Bio Lab: Frog

https://www.carolina.com/preserved-organisms-classroom-resources/carolina-bio-lab-frog/FAM_399009.pr?question=Bio+Lab

I have not yet tried their Cat or fruit fly genetics labs but I hope to soon:

Carolina Bio Lab: Cat

https://www.carolina.com/preserved-organisms-classroom-resources/carolina-bio-lab-cat/FAM_399012.pr?question=Bio+Lab

Carolina Bio Lab: Fly

https://www.carolina.com/preserved-organisms-classroom-resources/carolina-bio-lab-fly/FAM_399008.pr?question=Bio+Lab

2020, what a year!

So it is my 17th year teaching and it is one unlike any other.

With the COVID-19 global pandemic schools are shut down all over the world. Governor DeWine shut down Ohio schools starting March 16th and we jumped right into online instruction as best we could. Thank goodness my students and I were already familiar with and using Google Classroom; we have all been able to manage pretty well since going to 100% online instruction. I enjoy creating new materials and using technology so while the change has been stressful, in some ways I'm really enjoying it.

I miss my students and the normalcy of a school day though but I know I'm very fortunate to be healthy and still have my job. Many people got laid off when non-essential businesses were told to shut down. My mother is in a high risk group, and I worry about her if she catches this. Since I have an autoimmune disease I too am more at risk than others. I leave the house only to walk the dog or go to the doctor or pharmacy. We order groceries online and get them delivered to avoid stores. The world is so different right now. I haven't seen friends or family in weeks and have no idea when I will be able to see them again. A coworker made masks for my boyfriend and I this week to wear when we do finally go out in public. 

We're all just putting our faith in scientists and hoping they are successful in a vaccine as soon as possible. Health care workers are rock stars right now as they battle this war and the devastation it has created. Truck drivers, grocery store workers, all other essential employees are heroes in this.

I tune in daily to the Governor's 2pm updates. We're up to 11,602 cases in Ohio, at least that is the number we know about. So many people that are sick aren't able to get tested, and many others are infected and don't even know it.. Ohio has 471 deaths so far, which is relatively low to other states that had first cases around the same time as us. I'm glad Governor DeWine was proactive early on as these numbers could be even worse. I'm wondering what he will announce this week though about the status of schools. Ohio schools were scheduled to open back up May 4th, but I don't see that happening now. I imagine we'll continue with online instruction for the remainder of the year. What to expect for next year though is the really big question for teachers and students. I can't imagine starting out a school year this way, but I may have to start thinking about it and preparing in case.

Well, in this world of virtual learning teachers have started to use Bitmojis to create their virtual classroom. So tonight I will end my post with my virtual classroom. Stay safe & healthy!

Goodbye Summer

Wow, one week left until school starts- how did that happen so fast?!?!

I just had my post-op appointment on Wednesday and got the approval to resume normal activities. I feel like that student that procrastinated and now it is cram time. I have so many things to get done and still need to head to school and set up my classroom! Yikes!

I've spent the last week of my down time trying to fundraise to get my projects funded on DonorsChoose. I still have a ways to go but I'm hoping with back to school some generous individuals will donate to my projects:

• Forensic Science Goes Virtual: My students need two Forensic Science Activity CD-ROM licenses to complete virtual lab activities.
• Science Detectives Investigate DNA Profiling: My students need a class set of gel electrophoresis equipment and a DNA Electrophoresis Lab kit to explore DNA fingerprinting and other biotechnology topics.

So, what do you do for back-to-school? Are you feeling prepared? Here is my go-to back to school activity:

Until next time. Happy Teaching!!

Hello again!

Wow, it has been way too long since I've updated this page!


This past school year was crazy! I stayed very busy with teaching but also battled a lot of medical issues and had several surgeries. Now that I'm finally getting back on my feet again I wanted to update!


First to share some good news... my coworkers elected me as Teacher of the Year again <3 It is nice to know that they recognize how hard I work.

This past school year I also got laptops for my classroom! It was awesome not to use textbooks anymore! Everything my students did was either online or printed out on paper for them. I was able to use a lot of fun online tools, and have been taking a lot of technology classes to learn more ways to integrate technology into my classroom this upcoming school year.


Here are a few of the fun things we did this year with technology:

Virtual Dissections

Skype with Scientists

Online Games and Study Tools

I've had a lot of requests from my TeachersPayTeachers friends for more materials, I just haven't found time to post them all yet. However, today I added Forensic Science Flashcards and Online Study Tools so I wanted you to be the first to know. Check them out!

Well, that is all for now. I hope you are enjoying summer!