Phew. Week 1 is done. I’ve been thinking about writing something all week, but I didn’t want to write a post that was only ranting about how difficult my kids are, which is pretty much how I was feeling by evening every day, so I held off. Today, for the first time all week, I’m…

We had our first day of official school meetings today. First of all, I’m a big fan of my new principal because, unlike last year’s first-meetings, we did NOT sit there as someone read the staff manual to us. We did NOT have unimportant meetings until 3pm and we did NOT get told that all…

I’m back! After a month traveling, I’m officially back in New Mexico. I actually missed this place terribly. My roommate and I drove back from Albuquerque and went into raptures over things like far-off mesas, red-brown rocks as far as the eye can see, and the stunning colors in the sunset-smeared sky. I took a…

I have been back in Chicago, visiting friends and enjoying being in a city, for a week now. It’s been a bit of a culture shock, particularly as my eyes adjust to the color green again (and Chicago isn’t even all that green!). In some ways, everything is the same as the city I spent…

When you’re a young white lady teacher in a town that is used to young white lady teachers coming and going, there are days where you do not feel like a part of things. Days when kids are obnoxious, parents can’t remember who you are, and people look at you with a look that says,…

The title of this post is a quote from an Education Trust report on why talented teachers leave low-performing schools and how some school districts have tried to change that. (Read the report here.) I found this report really interesting, firstly because it articulated beautifully what my roommate and I could only say in crude…