Where have I been? Nowhere new.  I have so many mini stories, heartbreaking stories, funny stories about the things kids say and the way they think and I honestly wish I had been keeping up with this blog so I could share them with all of you, instead of just my parents..though sometimes I’m pretty…

This week had been one of those weeks. Amidst the Chicago Public Schools strike, hearing about thousands of teachers fighting for their rights, it was business as usual at my charter school. I found myself waking up at the crack of dawn, dreading what was to come. The weather dropped arguably 20 degrees overnight, it…

I’m from a small county in Virginia and that’s where I went for the holidays this year. Despite it’s size, it’s one of the wealthiest counties for it’s size in the nation and the public schools are amazing. I think I’ve mentioned before how lucky I am to have lived where I lived, and attended…

I’ve been ignoring this blog for awhile, for no other reason than I’ve been up to my eyeballs in red tape and assessments and long-term plans, short term plans, visions, and observations. Is that a good enough excuse? Anyways, I’m not doing well, in fact I’m doing pretty shitty. I’m  sure sometimes everyone feels like…

My corps experience pretty much goes like this: work around the clock while eating, sleeping, and breathing teaching, then have a break and recollect my thoughts. Right now I’m on fall break so my thoughts seem clear and I finally have a chance to think. In doing so I have been thinking about my opinions…

When I was young, I spent most of my childhood playing school. I would make up worksheets, have fake parent-teacher conferences, grade fake papers. I went above and beyond as a ten year old, literally  completing a test for each imaginary kid. But that’s how I’ve always been: I didn’t do things the way people…

Wow. I can hardly catch my breath. How does any human accomplish all of the things that I’m expected to accomplish right now? I have officially left the “honeymoon” phase; the kids are showing some dark sides, and mine is starting to come out.  I don’t know how many times I told myself before the…

I’m having trouble motivating my kids. I’m getting so exhausted repeating myself all the time. Repeating instructions, repeating rules, repeating expectations and constantly expecting a different result…isn’t that the definition of insanity?   I guess it’s only the 2nd week…

A scrambled and somewhat incomplete recap of observations and thoughts coming from a first-year CM/CPS teacher on the first (last?) day of the CTU strike in Chicago. My school is very pro-Union. During my first union meeting this summer, before a strike date had even been set, teachers were talking angrily in the meetings and…

So I got a job, finally. And it’s a job that isn’t affected by the teacher’s strike which will start on Monday. I’m teaching 10 (though I have yet to have all 10 show up for school) 3-5 year olds in a community based organization (CBO) for half day pre-k. They’re pretty adorable kids and…