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Showing posts from June, 2015

The end of a year and now, the next beginning

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This has been a crazy year...A year that has been both awesome and insane. When I started this year I was excited for the new challenge...I was essentially starting multiple "news." I had moved to the High School, was starting at the Community College, going back to some of my "old" students. I was excited for the new beginning. It didn't start on the greatest of notes...I irritated my BFF with my selfish insensitivities, I riled against change, while also cherishing the newness of my new job. It was a beautiful disaster. This year will forever be known as the Year of the Car Accident, the Year of Javad's "Episode," the year my world was simultaneously turned upside down and come full circle. I have become a better teacher, better person, better mentor. I am more self-aware, more driven, more focused. I am ready for a new and better year. It starts with the restructuring of my curriculum, the focus being writing in math. My teaching schedule

The joy of two...

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Today my niece turned two. I had the privilege of being present at her birth, handing her to her mother moments after she was born. It was an amazing moment, considering both of my natural born children were both born by c-section. I did not actually witness their birth, having been numbed before and then given large doses of pain killers afterward. I am not saying that a c-section is an easier route, with weeks of muscle weakness following the birth, but having never actually witnessed birth, watching my niece was indeed an amazing experience for me. I feel grateful to have an opportunity to be a part of her daily life since she and her parents live with us. Being greeted each morning by her smiley voice brings joy to my heart. Watching her grow and explore is a bit of revitalization since I never got to witness these natural milestones in the littlest due to his medical issues. Knowing how precious these moments really are, it makes me cherish them even more with her. In life, we

Seniors last day...another step in their journey...

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Today was the Reynolds High School Class of 2015's last day of school. This group of students is a special one to me. When these students were in the 7th grade, Reynolds had a massive layoff which left our middle school short almost one-fourth of our staff. As a result, many teachers taught multiple preps (the number of different subject/classes they teach) and teams of teachers that shared common students was lost. The following year I had the opportunity to loop up with this group, meaning that I had quite a few of them for a second consecutive year. It was also the year that I took very capable AVID students into Algebra 1. That year became one of the most amazing years of my teaching career...I believe it was the beginning of the teacher I am still becoming. The addition of AVID students meant that some students needed extra support in Algebra 1, thus the idea of College Bound Math Club was born. We stayed once a week after school until 7:00 pm doing math, eating dinner toget

The final countdown...

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I am ending my first year at the high school and, although I have enjoyed it immensely, I will be glad that it is over. It has been a crazy year...my car accident in the fall, Javad's "incident" this Spring. I felt like the year was a perpetual wait for the other shoe to drop. There have been many moments where this year has been filled with joy. The after school program  that two co-workers and I began was amazing...each and every day an incredible experience of success and improvement. It was an opportunity to build something...something that I hope grows year after year. The roller coaster of emotions that I have experienced this year have been deep. They have been difficult to manage at times but I have been grateful for those who have held me in their hearts. Sometimes it is hard to see what you have, when you are focusing on the things you have lost. In eight school days the year will be done. I will celebrate with a special group of students that I carried fo