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