I know I want to stay “in education” for as far out in my future as I can reliably commit to. To this end, I’ve chosen to go to law school this fall. Of course, curious people continue to ask, “If you’re interested in education, why are you going to law school?” Though I may…
read more »Are you singing the Aladdin song in your head too? I had to title this post “A Whole New World,” because my life has dramatically changed since my last post in January. Here are some of the recent updates… 1. I got married March 19th, 2011 to my bestfriend & greatest love! I am now…
read more »Teacher: “Good morning, [custodian's name]! Sorry to bother you, but I have a request. Is there any toilet paper? The staff bathroom is out.” Custodian: “You know what? We’re actually really low on toilet paper right now. Like really low.” (awkward pause) Teacher: “And…?” Custodian: “And… Uhh, okay, let me go check the first floor…
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A few days ago, I got an email from Adam Geller, who is apparently the founder of Teach for Us. He directed me to Kerry Folan, who recently created a site called teacherlove.org for people to post stories about their favorite teachers. I was told I would have $100 donated to me through Donors Choose…
read more »Alumni Induction is a milestone for most CMs, symbolizing two years of hard work, much of it thankless, some of it agonizing, and all of it memorable, and ushering in the opportunities, whatever and wherever they may be, to once more branch out into the world and use the lessons of one’s TFA experience to…
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10 days. That’s it. That’s all I’ve got left. Ten days are the only things standing between me and freedom. Between me and summer, and relief, and new beginnings. I have been holding my breath for months now, waiting for these ten days to be gone. Waiting to say goodbye to my school forever, put…
read more »From the card my kids gave me on the my last day: You are awesome, Mr. G! Thank you 4 being here. Sad to see you go but hope to see you again! PS You will be missed. I will miss you pleas [sic] come and visit us. We’ll miss you! Come back soon! Thanks…
read more »The grass always seems to be greener on the other side. Here in the United States, we like to put the education systems of countries like Finland and South Korea on a pedestal. Finland is a phenomenon of sorts, after all. And South Korea tests really well on an international setting yet spends 30% less…
read more »This time last year, I entertained this fantasy that, on the final day of school, I’d give an inspiring speech to my students about everything that they’d learned and how I wished them all the best in the future. That never happened; it won’t happen this year either. The school year, contrary to popular belief,…
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“Why do we value people who can shoot a ball through a hoop, or hit a baseball with a bat, or kick a soccer ball, but we don’t value our classroom educators?” Education Secretary Duncan posed this question before a screening of American Teacher, a new documentary that attempts to present, to the public, the…
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