A NEW BEGINNING

Life is all about changes and new beginnings, at least that is what I have always been taught. This year it has been no different. I am about to embark on a something new. I am excited and yet the change is somewhat sad and scary. As I emptied my classroom out I began to question myself. Am I doing the right thing? Will this be the challenge and change that I am looking for? Only time will tell.

My new position is as a co-teaching coach. The title in and of itself is confusing to many people, so I have simply started calling myself and instructional coach. My job is to work with two educators in one classroom, one being special-education certified and the other general education. Teachers have always used or had inclusive classrooms, but Knox County is trying to move beyond that and utilize co-teaching strategies. This is where both teachers assume the same roles and responsibilities for ALL children in the classroom. It is a new approach for most of the teachers in our district, so eleven coaches have been hired to assist in easing the transition.

I have two years to decide if this is right for me. The position is funded through the stimulus funds provided by the Obama administration. After two years the county may or may not decide to fund the positions again. If they do and I like it I am all set. If I decide to go back to the classroom I can do that as well. Now, only time will tell!

DEN LC SYMPOSIUM 2009

I know, I know--I need to post to my blog on a much more frequent basis.  It has been quite awhile since I last posted and much has happened since then as well.  To break back into the habit I created an Animoto of "Rubber Ducky."  Remember him?  If you were at the DEN LC Symposium I'm sure you do.  He had many great adventures and caught up with a lot of my friends while there.  Check out what he did--what do you remember fondly about our adventure?  I look forward to seeing many of my DEN friends throughout the year.  I hope I don't have to wait until DEN LC 2010 to catch up again.  See you soon!

WORLD MATHS DAY 2009

For the past two years my students have participated in World Maths Day and they have enjoyed each and every moment.  For two weeks prior to the event my students "practiced" what they would see on March 4th.  They competed against students from around the world via sixty- second math fact quizzes.  The more answers they got right the better, but they had to be careful and not "strike out!"  I was impressed with how excited my students were with the competition date drawing nearer and nearer.  

Then, the day arrived!  We booked the computer lab for two hours and off they went.  My plan was to map each country as they came in, but there was NO way I could do it!  The new countries were coming in faster than I could locate them on GoogleMaps and record them.  I resorted to the old fashioned white board and Expo marker!  I later transferred the information and this map is what we ended up with.

Our plan is now to complete the map throughout the rest of the year.  We are going to research each of the countries that were represented.  Are you from one of them?  Do you know someone who is?  We would love to interview you via skype!  Please fill out this form if you are interested in helping.  I can't wait to share the final product.

BECOME A DEN STAR

What does being a DEN STAR mean to you? My PLN started with Discovery and has grown tremendously over the past two years. I would have never thought I would communicating with educators from across the "pond" or even across the country. The walls of the classroom have definitely grown for me thanks in huge part to the relationships that I have developed as a STAR Discovery Educator.

Conversations in Twitter and Plurk have led me to this post. Just how do you become a STAR and why would I want to do it? Well, it really is fairly simple. You need to have an account with DE Streaming first and foremost. After that it really is easy. Just follow the directions on the website "Be a STAR Discovery Educator." Watch the movie, take a quiz, and host two events. It is that simple!

So, what do you get out of it? Why would any educator want to be a STAR? Why wouldn't you? Here are just a few reason to become one: exclusive promotions and contests, special events exclusively for STARS, personal blogs, access to field managers, training toolboxes, and a fabulous PLN! I hope to see you soon as a STAR.

7 THINGS MEME

Well, I am finally getting around to posting 7 things you might not know about me.  I have been tagged twice that I know of, originally by Patti Harju and then by Mark Dunk.  The idea of the meme is to post 7 things that people may not know about you.  Here are the rules:

• Link your original tagger (s) and list these rules on your blog.
• Share seven facts about yourself in the post.
• Tag seven people at the end of your post by leaving their names and links to their blogs.
• Let them know they've been tagged by leaving a comment on Twitter or Plurk.

I should say that I have been thinking hard about the seven things I want to post about myself and let you all know about me, but alas I would by lying.  I am finding it difficult to decide, so hear it goes!

• I was married at the young age of 20, okay, I was almost 21.  That was the second time.  My husband and I ran away to Vegas when I was only 19, and we didn't tell anyone.  My mom who recently got into researching her family tree (thank you internet) found our marriage license on the internet--whoops!  Our secret is out.
• I originally went to school to become a civil engineer.  Plans were to go work with my dad and join the family construction and design business.  Over 200 college credits later I got my BS in History with an elementary education minor.
• There were two schools that I attended in my K-12 education.  I guess I can find myself lucky on that one!  I went to Justice Street Elementary K-6 and Chaminade College Preparatory 7-12.
• Suspense movies are my favorite!  I usually can't stand "chick flicks."  Any occasional one will tear me up, but not many.  All time favorite movie--Silence of the Lambs!
• I am a MMA fan.  I'm not sure that is much of a secret, but I LOVE it!  My husband says he is one lucky man--he has a woman who loves football and MMA.
• Changing gears with this one--none of my grandparents ever met my children.  My maternal grandmother died when my 13 year-old was only 3 months from birth.  I still have the blanket that she started knitting, and I don't think I will ever be able to bring myself to have my mom finish it.  It is special just how it is.
• Last but not least--a quirky tidit--the closest I get to Hollywood is Paige from Extreme Home Makeover.  She was a high school friend, but we haven't talked since our sophomore year in college.  I wish her all the best, but it looks like she is doing just fine!

Okay, so now for the really hard part.  I am so late to this post that I am afraid that I will be unable to tag anyone--but have they posted yet?  So here it goes!  I tag, in no particular order:

1. Lee Kolbert
2. Ken Shelton
3. Tom Turner
4. Hall Davidson
5. Bridget Belardi
6. Chad Lehman
7. Tim Childers

BARBARA'S FUND

Barbara Berreda lost her home and nearly all of her possessions in the fires in California this weekend.  Please consider helping by donating to a Paypal fund set that was set up by Jen Wagner and Clarence Fisher.  Visit the site here to donate and find out more.  

ALAN NOVEMBER IN KNOXVILLE!

I am sitting in our professional development and technology center in Knoxville, TN, and Alan November is here!  I am impressed to see how many educators have given up their Friday evening to hear him speak and see what he has to say.  Not only that, but they (we) will be giving up their Saturday, too!

Right now he is discussing the power of Skype and iTunes.  I am amazed that very few of the teachers in this room, almost 300, have heard of or used Skype.  There is promise though!  They are excited about it and are willing to learn.  That is the most important thing about being a teacher...promise to be a lifelong learner.  More to come later!