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teaching, leading, learning
“Ms. H., that test was easy.” Music to my ears, this was what several of my best students told after the state algebra 1 test yesterday. I hope that this confidence is not misplaced. Scores should be back to us in the next two weeks, and I am eager to see how my students performed.
I’ve felt a lot of personal pressure to do better than I did last year, but there are many different ways to measure “better.” If this year’s students average a lower score than last year’s, but their growth is higher, that could be “better.” If this year’s students average higher, with a higher baseline, that could still be considered “better.” It’s probably unfair to make these kinds of comparisons because last year, I had 35 students (in two classes) for twice the amount of time I have my 21 students this year. This year’s sample size, just…
One of my students from last year, B., came to visit a few weeks ago. B. was a beautiful girl, frequently smiling, and maybe this is one year’s detachment talking, but I don’t remember her giving me much trouble. She had also transferred in to my relatively calm algebra class late in the year, so…
read more »I have often thought that Teach For America should require a longer commitment. Would this result in fewer applications or higher attrition? Perhaps. Would this result in more effective teachers and leaders? Probably. Is this feasible at this point? I don’t think so – at least not nationwide. The idea of year 3 has been…
read more »7/8 of my teaching commitment is almost over. I knew the time would fly (it always does…), but it’s still hard to believe that it’s been two years since I came down to Memphis that first time with my family the winter after I got in to Teach For America. It will be very hard to leave…
read more »Yesterday, I was sitting in the bleachers at my team’s last regular swim meet when I overheard two teachers from another school talking about Teach For America. Ears perked, I listened to one criticize a corps member at her school and say that anyone could get good results as a teacher if he or she…
read more »Tennessee – and Memphis specifically – is at the heart of a lot of potentially powerful change in terms of education reform. Big names in Teach For America history – Kevin Huffman and Chris Barbic – have taken positions in state education leadership; there is a city-county system merger set for 2013; the Teacher Effectiveness…
read more »Just about nine weeks into my second year, I had to have my first-ever substitute today. (Really thought I could make it two years without one…) I can’t explain why I was so anxious about it… perhaps the horror stories I’d heard from other teachers, perhaps the fact that my 7th period misbehaves chronically even…
read more »When I think about why I decided to join Teach For America, lots of cliches come to mind: I wanted to make a difference; I wanted to be the kind of teacher I had growing up; I wanted to pay it forward after being given so much by my adopted country and its education system.…
read more »It’s a new [school] year, and I am hopeful. I am looking forward, but also giving great consideration to the past year and all my flaws and failures, both personal and professional. Was I the best teacher I could’ve been last year? I don’t think so. Was I the best friend? Probably not. The best…
read more »I’ve been referring to this year as my “redemption year,” because my schedule is now geometry-heavy, and I know I did not do my best with my two geometry classes last year. Now, with tentative class rosters available, I find that pretty much all of my algebra 1 students from last year are in my…
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