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
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