I’ve been teaching GRE preparation classes off and on for the last year or so, and my students are usually really tense and unhappy about taking the test. I spend a lot of time trying to reframe the significance of the test for them–it’s nice to do well, but it’s not a particularly fair/accurate test,…
read more »I’ve received my Praxis middle school science prep book (thank you, free Amazon Prime trial) and it is…chock full of the science. Not super well-written, unfortunately–there are a few definitions that are sort of circular and un-illuminating, including an entire paragraph that boils down to “a substance is a material” and is done in such…
read more »So last week I received my new TFA assignment. Last year it was elementary ed in South Louisiana, which I had to work pretty hard to convince myself was going to be okay. This year (post-deferral), it’s (get ready for it)….middle school science. I’m actually really excited about this, although I have almost no science…
read more »So, Last Friday was a whirlwind full of frustration. A neighborhood related fight broke out and involved some of my special education kids.Their behavior has alot to do with their disability. Some of my kids are ED (Emotionally Disturbed). Its sad how many of these students have a horrible home environment and a lack of…
read more »Okay, so. I have been teaching Middle School students for the past 3 weeks. I’ve had a majority good time doing it. #LoveMyJob. To give you all a quick update, I’d been hired to teach 6,7,and 8th grade ELA and Math Special Education as an Inclusion teacher. However, for the past 2 weeks, I have…
read more »The past two months have been a blur. Moving to Louisiana from New York to become a teacher was one of the hardest decisions I’ve ever had to make, but as I’ve discovered one of the best. My five weeks this summer teaching summer school in the Mississippi Delta taught me about a way of…
read more »My apologies for the long absence here –though in my heart of hearts I knew it would probably happen. I ended up deferring my acceptance to the 2010 corps, so–much like last summer–I’m living Institute vicariously through all the TeachForUs blogs. They make me excited for my own Institute experience, which is good because… …right…
read more »I experienced one of the requisite TFA rites of passage last night: the INSTITUTE MELTDOWN. I cried last night. Yup, it was a lesson planning night. Lesson plans are due twice a week here, on Tuesday & Thursday mornings, so Monday & Wednesday nights are just all sorts of stress. Annnnd Tues/Thurs are just all…
read more »The Delta is a different kind of place and I really agree that it is the most Southern place on earth. At least, it’s the most Southern place I’ve ever been. It’s a surprising place too, full of history and idiosyncrasy. While I don’t think I could serve here for two years, I’m very happy…
read more »For the kids. Over the next 5 weeks, I’m gonna learn a lot, For the kids. Over the next five weeks, I’m going to stay up late: creating lessons, management plans and assessments, For the kids. Over the next five weeks, I’m going to set my alarm at 4:45am and walk through pre-dawn light so…
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