My day started quite unexpectedly at 1 a.m., as my little bear growled for the better part of an hour and a half. I had already planned a morning run with a new friend at 5:30 a.m., so this particular post is fueled by very little sleep, a fair amount of caffeine, and an early morning runner's high. Normally, my new friend and I chat about long runs, life with a baby (and all that entails), Continue Reading
To the opponents of common core standards…
Election day is upon us...and primetime TV has been invaded by political ads, rife with hyperbole and loose rhetoric. Every time I watch advertisements from both sides of the political circus, I wonder if people are actually buying any bit of what these rhetoricians are selling. Each of the political parties are selling snake oil; playing dangerously with semantics and on the overwhelming Continue Reading
A teacher walks into a bar, asks ‘can I have a beer,’ bartender says, ‘IDK, CAN you?’ (Two-cent Teacher Tuesday)
It's no secret that teachers get into education because they want to make a difference. Or at least, that's why I decided I wanted to become a teacher. It was the beginning of 2009 (perhaps my defining year) and I accepted a position as a secretary for an Atlanta real estate company. I remember the interview vividly as the president furrowed his brow and said, "Are you sure you'd be ok Continue Reading
Post Grammatic Stress Disorder (Finding Work in Education Part V)THE INTERVIEW
So, you've followed my four step program and you've landed an interview...or you landed an interview on your own. Congratulations! You are well on your way to finding a job. Here are a few pointers for the interview. I've had quite a few, so I'm basically an expert. 1. Don't read into your interviewers' body language. I'm not kidding when I tell you that during about eighty percent Continue Reading
Post grammatic stress disorder (finding work in education after student-teaching) part III (TTT)
If you missed part I or part II of post-grammatic stress disorder (finding work in education after student-teaching) you can find all parts of this series here. Have you ever attempted to run as fast as you can in a set of four-inch heels? I have; a gal will do anything for a job. No, no, no. Not that kind of job. I'm talking about a job in education. So there I was, in the dead Continue Reading
Sorry Michael, it does matter if you’re black or white (TTT)
I am taking a break this week from my six-week series "how to find a job in education," in order to address something that has been weighing heavily on my heart. This past Friday, the high school in which I was previously employed played their heated rival under the Friday night lights. I always enjoy going to this particular match-up as it brings out pageantry and pride as both teams fight Continue Reading
Post-grammatic stress disorder (Finding work in education after student-teaching) Part II (TTT)
If you missed part I of finding work in education after student teaching, you can find that post here. Part II: Look good on paper. I was in the throws of my graduate program: drowning in reading assignments, neck-deep in papers to grade, and attempting to write my own papers. I was really looking forward to a day of meeting professionals in the field. My graduate program had arranged for Continue Reading
Post-grammatic stress disorder (Finding work in education after student-teaching) (TTT)
So, you've just been placed in your fall internship. If you're like me, you're hovering somewhere between excitement and "oh-my-gosh-what-did-I-get-myself-into?" I remember walking into McNair High School that September morning, my stomach vibrating with nerves. I saw some students walking swiftly through the hallway to class and I marched right into the front office. I smiled at them Continue Reading
I stared at some OJ this morning because it said ‘concentrate’
One day when I was a good bit younger, I went out shopping with my mom and my oldest sister. It should be noted that I love my sister very much, but, like me, she has a tough time concentrating on the task at hand. We went into Old Navy for a pair of pants and about an hour and a half later, we somehow managed to find our way into the kids section...and this was pre-kids for both of Continue Reading
Teachers don’t want your baked goods.
As a new member of the "mommy blogosphere," I've seen a lot of chatter about what teachers may like as a "back to school" gift. The threads go something like this: "Anyone have any ideas about what would be a good "back to school" gift for Johnny/Susie's teacher? -Last year, I made cookies! -what kind? -chocolate chip! She loved them!" Just this morning, I noticed a thread in one Continue Reading