Later, a former student came by and said, "I miss your class. So-and-so and So-and-so keep talking about how much fun they're having in here with poetry and I'm jealous."
Lots of things are really challenging right now in the world, but that made it feel alright again for a minute.
In a warm-up exercise, a student reflected that this was the first time they'd ever heard of the Harlem Renaissance or the Black Arts Movement. (Is that typical for 9th grade?) Regardless, the good news is that's the last time they'll be able to say that.
This year, our poetry unit has celebrated Black artists. We've learned about the Harlem Renaissance, the Black Arts Movement, analyzed Kendrick Lamar's halftime show as performance poetry, and looked at poetry and songs as methods of protest.
I had an excellent prof. at the @universityofga.bsky.social named Barbara McCaskill who showed me that when you teach works that you love, you're bound to do it better than teaching things that don't resonate.
I used to hate (or fear) teaching poetry because I just never felt "good" at poetry analysis and was afraid that students would find me out.
In the last few years that's changed.
Many teachers, including me, consider leaving the profession as they expand their families, in part because of the financial burden of taking family leave. The Education Leave & Support Act (LB440), if passed, would provide 6 weeks of paid FMLA for public school educators.
www.nsea.org/SixWeeksFMLA
To be clear: Even greater damage will be done by the loss of federal government productivity. The workers who are losing their jobs were worth more than they were being paid! We are all poorer when roads, planes, and food are unsafe, when parks are closed, etc.
A beloved colleague who retired early during COVID and was quickly diagnosed with cancer is nearing the end, and I am simply gutted. Please say a prayer for his family and all those who love him. An excellent mentor and friend, who has built a legacy of service and compassion.
While I do hate to say it (because I believe so much in the power of unions), I am considering cancelling my 12 yr membership to my local teachers union. Perhaps my perspective is too narrow. If you love yours, can you share what it is about it that makes you proud to be a member? #edusky #teachers
Maybe an unpopular take here, but they are just following the playbook of other #edtech companies who are influencing education. How long until we see “ChatGPT Teacher Ambassadors” or “ChatGPT Education Experts” associated with the company? Teachers need to drive education, not corporations.
If you’ve done a similar pivot, share your wisdom with me.
5. I am enjoying saying all the things I wanted to say for the past four years but felt like I couldn’t. Like, “this meeting should’ve been an email.” 🥳
4. I still love my school, but I can feel how much my walls are up this year. Most days, I feel confident I made the right choice. Some days I feel sad and like I failed at something. There were parts of admin work that I really loved, and there are parts I miss, and I’m self conscious about that.
3. It is hard to feel the shift in how (some) colleagues treat me. People I once considered friends I now realize were maybe just flocking to who they perceived to have power/influence/behind the scenes information. That stings.
2. This transition would be 10000x harder if I had truly given up my classroom. Holding onto those two classes kept my skills sharp (and helped me be a better instructional leader), and I’m glad I could feel confident about making such a big life choice.
1. Loving the classroom is easy. I enjoy my ELA content, and the relationship I get to have with students when they don’t see me as an admin is different (in a good way). I think if more administrators taught a class or two, this wouldn’t be so palpable. And I think ALL admin should teach.
This year I’ve been on a journey of pivoting.
I spent 4 years as an administrator, while continuing to teach 2 classes.
This year, I chose to move to full time teaching.
All in the same building.
There are some interesting challenges and opportunities with this if I can be vulnerable for a sec:
“bluesky is an echo chamber” the echo is sanity.
What are the most useful/creative ways you’ve used AI to help you as a teacher? #edusky
I’ve used it to help me model practice prompts after district required assessments, but I bet others are doing cooler stuff with it. Let me know!
I had such a great community of educators on that other app. If you’re a teacher, edu professional, or just love public schools, then I’d love to follow you! #edusky
There have been 1,000 things I’ve almost tweeted over the past 2 years, but I simply couldn’t. I miss the #edu committee that used to thrive over there. If you can relate, let’s follow each other! 🤍
#edutwitter