November Days of Gratitude: My kids, because where would a teacher be without a classroom full of children? I have to admit, this year I have particularly charming classes and, as every teacher can tell you, that isn’t always the case. Classes of children take on personalities and this year, I have an incredibly sweet…
Tag: Education
We all need a village: November Days of Gratitude
November Days of Gratitude: My colleagues. In education, that is a combination of scores of teachers, supportive administration, and indispensable support staff. Without all of them, I don’t know where I’d be. I’m sure I wouldn’t be the teacher I am. From my first year teaching in 1990, when I would unabashedly arrive in the…
Six degrees and volcanic activity in Santa Fe, New Mexico
Seems like I’ve been gone from my blog for forever. Sometimes you need to step off, regroup. I can’t believe I’m about to say this, but sometimes, you just have nothing to say. Better to remain silent. I went back to work full-time in January, adopting a 7th grade class whose teacher resigned over the…
WordPress Delivered My First Gift of Christmas
After Thanksgiving, I went into a bit of hibernation. Work and responsibilities at home don’t stop when I need downtime, so I’ve backed off in other areas where I have more control — which is why I’ve been a bit quiet for a week. My poor little blog hasn’t gotten much attention at all. But…
November Days of Gratitude: When autumn colors remind us to slow down
I stood by our mailbox, in the rain, yesterday and as I gathered all the flyers, bills, and catalogs in my arms, I noticed for a minute how beautiful and quiet our street was. The day’s light was waning even while the pavement glistened. The trees are full of color, finally. In the Bay Area,…
November Days of Gratitude: When one day rolls into the next
My days of gratitude, in and of themselves, have been something to give thanks for. They have centered me, grounded me to the blessings in my life. It has been a slowing down of the crazy pace we’ve accepted as “normal” and given me time to reflect. Mostly. Except yesterday — when I had to…
A Photo a Day: The Day when Grades are Due
Report cards are done for the quarter. All afternoon, I wrestled with grades, reflecting on my role in how well or not well my kids performed, reflecting on lessons won and lessons less than. Hitting the submit button isn’t as much the end of the quarter as it is the set of directions on a…
An Insomniac’s Inventory (aka: My distracted mind)
I’m a worrier by nature — or maybe by nurture since I’m the oldest of my siblings and things when I was growing up weren’t always calm and idyllic. It doesn’t really matter why — only that I worry so others don’t have to. You’re welcome. But I worry over really stupid things (like did…
Dealing with the overwhelm: What choice do we have?
I spent the day yesterday in an all-day training for our newly adopted curriculum and my brain is still tired. I don’t think it’s from the training (which is huge and overwhelming and exciting all at once). I think it’s just more of a world that’s gotten so small that everything lands at my back…
When the Moon Blocks Out the Sun: through the eyes of 7th graders
Looking at my blog over the last month, you can tell EXACTLY when school started. My daily posts have come to a stop. My middle school life has taken over, and there isn’t much room for anything else. In the language of high tech, I don’t have enough bandwidth. Suddenly my lazy mornings are squeezed…
How do we best help our kids navigate their world of smartphones and social media?
Have Smartphones Destroyed a Generation? This article, appearing in THE ATLANTIC, is one of the most disturbing articles I’ve read lately. It’s not that I didn’t know (or at least suspect) most of what the author presents about the amount of time kids spend on their smart phones and social media. And it’s not like…
To reach every student, every day; Breaking for AVID so I can fill up my tool kit.
I am very excited that over the next three days I will be at the AVID Summer Institute in Sacramento. While I’ve used AVID strategies and have been part of my school’s AVID team of educators, this is my first “official” AVID conference. I’ll be taking the strand for Cultural Relevance to Transform Teachers. The…
Barbara Ganias Comstock 