Summer Experiences - Teachers Do Work in the Summer

Theory Presentations: LaPrincia, Me, and Destiny 

Each summer seems to offer me a new experience.  Lets see...when I came to this district in 2006, I spent the summer, before I ever started teaching here, writing benchmarks.  I had no idea what a benchmark test was really for or how they would be used in the district.  During my first year, I taught 91 benchmarks (standards) with the options of 4 tests for each standard.  So if the student didn't pass the  FOUR QUESTION benchmark test, they were to be retaught and retested up to three additional times.  Imagine what class time could turn into under that system.....not good.   We've moved on after 3 or 4 years of that.

In subsequent summers, I taught two years of summer school, I taught one summer of enrichment with 7th graders from Northwest Middle (detailed in this blog somewhere), and I spent a summer of rewriting standards and collecting resources as we transitioned to Common Core.   Last summer, I spent the summer with the Greater Kansas Writer's Project.   This summer, I fell into the opportunity to work with PrepKC and the Teaching Academy.   I never imagined the experience would be so enjoyable.  I love teaching students about teaching.   For four weeks we've taught students about the theories of development and classroom management,  the importance of our words, he issues of equity, and the challenges of the first year.   They have observed and taught in classes from preschool to middle school.   I have been impressed with many of them.  I think they have developed a strong sense of how much work it takes to be an excellent teacher.  Some will choose not to teach after this, but they will do so with awareness that good teachers offer an important contribution to society, even if teaching isn't for them.

I finished my reading specialist this past semester.  More and more I find I really want to contribute to helping others reach adolescent struggling readers.  This experience only re-enforced that desire.  I will work more with students and teachers in the coming year.  It is my sincere desire,  my prayer even, that my work will improve the lives of students who've been lost in the system for too long.  We've let too many kids down in this system.  I want to do my part to change that for the students in my little corner of the system.   I also hope to see some of these young people from the Teaching Academy come back and impact their communities with integrity and hard work.