Are we there yet?
"No, doc, we got a while," says dad.
We are on our way to Florida to visit my grandparents. It's a trip that seems interminable. There weren't any siblings to tease or play with, and there was always what seemed like a vast expanse of velour seat in the back - at once too big and way too small for my comfort as a kid.
I look outside to see the dangling light posts over 75 as we approach Statesboro. Then King Frog rest stop. Then, anticlimactically, Welcome to Florida. "Mom, I felt the bump when we went over the line!"
"Uh-huh," she says.
"How much longer?" I pester. I lie down across the backseat and decide to see if I can count the perforations in the headliner. I fall asleep, likely out of exasperation.
Finally, I feel the exit from 75 onto Fletcher road, a suburban main drag outside of Tampa. My dad lowers the windows now that we are off the interstate. When the car stops in the driveway, grandma is standing at the back gate, grandpa comes out of the screen door with Rusty, the German shepherd. Grandma swings the gate open for me right away, and I dash past her to the lake. Rusty gallops with me, hard as he can, grabbing a stick and tossing his body in front of me as we run. The moss, the floating lily pads, the frogs, the jumping fish, the smell of brackish water all welcome me back, a place of pure joy against the long winter and the day-long travel in an '81 Honda Civic. We are here. I throw Rusty's stick. He hurls himself into the water after that stick, all four legs stretched out with the effort, muzzle held up to the sky.
We are on our way to Florida to visit my grandparents. It's a trip that seems interminable. There weren't any siblings to tease or play with, and there was always what seemed like a vast expanse of velour seat in the back - at once too big and way too small for my comfort as a kid.
I look outside to see the dangling light posts over 75 as we approach Statesboro. Then King Frog rest stop. Then, anticlimactically, Welcome to Florida. "Mom, I felt the bump when we went over the line!"
"Uh-huh," she says.
"How much longer?" I pester. I lie down across the backseat and decide to see if I can count the perforations in the headliner. I fall asleep, likely out of exasperation.
Finally, I feel the exit from 75 onto Fletcher road, a suburban main drag outside of Tampa. My dad lowers the windows now that we are off the interstate. When the car stops in the driveway, grandma is standing at the back gate, grandpa comes out of the screen door with Rusty, the German shepherd. Grandma swings the gate open for me right away, and I dash past her to the lake. Rusty gallops with me, hard as he can, grabbing a stick and tossing his body in front of me as we run. The moss, the floating lily pads, the frogs, the jumping fish, the smell of brackish water all welcome me back, a place of pure joy against the long winter and the day-long travel in an '81 Honda Civic. We are here. I throw Rusty's stick. He hurls himself into the water after that stick, all four legs stretched out with the effort, muzzle held up to the sky.
Let's do this!
Here we are. Ready to do this?
This semester, I have helped my hallway neighbor to design her teacher webpage. She now posts pictures for her students and has included interactive games and lessons to help themselves know her Economics content.
I have suggested to a colleague the concept of a backchannel to log questions for those who just can't seem to stop talking in his class and to start conversations among those who just can't seem to find their voice. He reports that the classroom management boost has been a game-changer.
We noticed that our students were not meeting goals for two specific skills on the District Assessment. At a department meeting, someone asked, "does anyone know of an online tool we could use to help?" I admit I had to gather a little confidence before I spoke. When I did, what came out was "I think I have some ideas. How about a module built on our LMS that has several tools and differentiates for levels?" Then, I had to race back to my classroom and get started. Nervous? Yes. Intimidated? Thankfully, no.
Just this past week, I led a group of teachers through an enormous curriculum redesign for IB English. One of the sticking points was a Learner Portfolio which students have to maintain over two years and submit to an external moderation process before they can receive their IB Diplomas. It felt like my ITEC 7430 Final Exam : Which tool will provide us the mixed media capabilities and personal interaction and record-keeping functions the students need? What is the right intersection of this tool and instruction to promote motivation for maintaining it? What is the right way to collaborate? To increase productivity and creativity?
There would have been a time that I would have felt underpowered and unconfident as a curriculum leader for my team. But the practice of recommending and implementing tools that keep kids learning and engaged has enabled me to at least feel like I can answer basic questions for my department and colleagues. I don't have the only answers or the best ones, of course. But I've noticed that my research-based opinions do help my teams walk forward into territory they aren't quite sure of. I work with some awesome teachers who are amazing practitioners. So, I become a part of a team with a special tool belt, and at least this semester, my colleagues have leaned on me a little. I'm just getting used to that feeling. Honestly, it's good to give back, especially because I've learned so much from these professionals during my teaching career.
So, everybody through that gate! Jump in! We are here. Now, let's do this.
This semester, I have helped my hallway neighbor to design her teacher webpage. She now posts pictures for her students and has included interactive games and lessons to help themselves know her Economics content.
I have suggested to a colleague the concept of a backchannel to log questions for those who just can't seem to stop talking in his class and to start conversations among those who just can't seem to find their voice. He reports that the classroom management boost has been a game-changer.
We noticed that our students were not meeting goals for two specific skills on the District Assessment. At a department meeting, someone asked, "does anyone know of an online tool we could use to help?" I admit I had to gather a little confidence before I spoke. When I did, what came out was "I think I have some ideas. How about a module built on our LMS that has several tools and differentiates for levels?" Then, I had to race back to my classroom and get started. Nervous? Yes. Intimidated? Thankfully, no.
Just this past week, I led a group of teachers through an enormous curriculum redesign for IB English. One of the sticking points was a Learner Portfolio which students have to maintain over two years and submit to an external moderation process before they can receive their IB Diplomas. It felt like my ITEC 7430 Final Exam : Which tool will provide us the mixed media capabilities and personal interaction and record-keeping functions the students need? What is the right intersection of this tool and instruction to promote motivation for maintaining it? What is the right way to collaborate? To increase productivity and creativity?
There would have been a time that I would have felt underpowered and unconfident as a curriculum leader for my team. But the practice of recommending and implementing tools that keep kids learning and engaged has enabled me to at least feel like I can answer basic questions for my department and colleagues. I don't have the only answers or the best ones, of course. But I've noticed that my research-based opinions do help my teams walk forward into territory they aren't quite sure of. I work with some awesome teachers who are amazing practitioners. So, I become a part of a team with a special tool belt, and at least this semester, my colleagues have leaned on me a little. I'm just getting used to that feeling. Honestly, it's good to give back, especially because I've learned so much from these professionals during my teaching career.
So, everybody through that gate! Jump in! We are here. Now, let's do this.