Kohlberg's Stages of Moral Development - Model Presentation

Students were asked to present Google presentations of important theories to modern education.  This video shows the presentation Nathan Cushenbery-Andrews and I created to model the process.

Keyanna Tolon teaching about the Bill of Rights in Mr. Aguilar's class at Northwest Middle

This is one of my Teaching Academy students.  Keyanna was given some limited materials.  She was able to prepare an engaging lesson to introduce the students to the bill of rights and how it all it connect to them as adolescents.   She really did step up.  She engaged the students initially with a discussion/debate over whether or not children should have the same rights as adults.  She wrapped up the lesson about what rights they do have under the constitution.  Finally,  the students read case studies and assumed the role of judges in deciding each with their group case.    I was impressed with Keyana and several others high school students who boldly stood before classrooms full of middle schoolers in summer school.   I am impressed.  I would have struggled to do the same at 16 and 17.

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.

Still Living The Dream...but at Harmon in Year 2

Block 2 English, Harmon Year 1 

I am in my last quarter of my second year at Harmon.  At the same time, I am in my last semester of work for my Reading Specialist.  I am exhausted and overwhelmed, but happy to be in the place....near the end.

I was determined to finish my specialist (and not complete a doctorate now) because Emily is headed to high school and Sam is headed to middle school.  I am headed on the short track toward the empty nest and I don't want to miss a minute of the time I have left to be involved in their lives in a consistent meaningful way.   I am a total failure this year.  I have too many work related responsibilities, three graduate classes while serving in two ministries.  I love working, and I love serving, but I truly love parenting more than anything else.  I often forget that because I am so overwhelmed with the have-to stuff, that I neglect the, often more important, want-to stuff.  I think this may be a common problems for teachers with my obsessive personality.

So as I finish this school year, I am looking to set very different priorities for next school year.  If I narrow it down to the areas that really matter, my family and my students, then my community will benefit more form the focus.