YEEP.

So it's been an exciting few days, schoolwise. I'll write more about some of the rest of it tomorrow (I hope) but last night I posted over on the EC Ning asking if anybody else was interested in a book discussion of Notice & Note, by Kylene Beers and Robert Probst. And by the time I went to bed there were five people who'd already replied and said yes!

This will be the first time I've facilitated such a discussion. I'm kind of nervous (see photo!) because I'm not entirely sure what to expect. I don't know what problems might come up. Well, except for one - I'm kind of afraid that I'll start things off... and get crickets!

I just (like 45 seconds ago!) put a notice up on twitter, which I haven't been on, like, all summer. I'll probably retweet it a few times over the next couple of days, see if it gets any traction. I really hope to get a nice-sized crowd and some good conversation and idea-sharing back and forth. The lasting connections that you can form with people who share your purpose and your passion... that, to me, is the best part of the internet.

Then again, I feel like I've kind of neglected those connections this summer - at least professionally. I've been away a lot, for one thing, and for another I've really tried to focus on my writing and along that line been much more active on tumblr as a new platform.

So once again I find myself reaffirming my commitment to Epic Adventures here. I feel like I'm at some kind of professional turning point; I've developed confidence in what I'm doing as a teacher but at the same time -- or perhaps as a result? -- I feel like it's time for me to develop My Thing, to craft some sort of niche for myself that can be my area of expertise. It's a very nebulous, uncertain sort of feeling, though, and I'm not at all sure that I'm up to the task.

But oh well! I suppose the fact that it's "uncomfortable" just means it fits in completely with my "professional theme" as it were, haha... because it's definitely going to be an adventure!

 Stock image

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Facilitating a Habit

I love this post by author Justine Larbalestier. In the post, she's talking about how some people would say you "have to" make time for writing, and that if your writing really matters to you, you won't sacrifice that time, even if it's "just" half an hour a day.

Those people are full of it.

Sometimes, yanno, life gets in the way. You do what you gotta. Writing should come first? Really? What about family? What about your health?

It's very reassuring to see that I'm not the only one who struggles with this - not so much as a writer, but as a teacher. I care about what I do. Really! And it is so easy to get caught up in shoulda-woulda-coulda. But that way lies madness, my friends.

Oo, boy, this may get lame. It is almost 11:30 at night and I am going to finish this because I decided last week that Saturdays would be one of my updates. No time for revision, Doctah Jones!

So, this year, our district asked teachers who have the same classes to create common "benchmark tests." The idea is that this way, it's more consistent. Students who have different teachers can still help each other out. It's a more reliable way to measure student progress (though I'm not sure why, since students don't teacher-hop after the first week or so). Whatever.

I don't really see the benefit to this, to be honest, but I really do enjoy sharing instructional plans and batting ideas around and being challenged by other professionals. So I'm in.

The problem is that we weren't given the same period for planning, so getting together to create these benchmarks is ... problematic at best. We do have our after-school time, sort of. (Teachers are required to stay for about half an hour after students leave.) However, that's also time that we're supposed to use for giving make-up tests and other help to students who request it. Fortunately none of us is a coach!

And I have to draw the line somewhere. I take papers home to grade all the time - in fact, right now there's a box of research papers behind me. I do unit planning mostly outside of school time. My prep period is usually taken up with publications and/or what grading I can crunch in and any parent calling that needs to be done.

I feel like Captain Picard in... was it Generations? The one where he's talking about the Borg: "The line MUST be drawn HEAH. This fah, NO fahthah!" He was so adorably emphatic.

I don't want to be assimilated, even if it's by something I love.

Bill Ferriter of The Tempered Radical hosted a Voicethread discussion about PLCs. I think this is what our administration is going for... sort of. And I like the idea. That makes it even more frustrating not to have the support we need to make it feasible.

(Anybody able to help me understand what possible use there is for common assessment?)

Image thanks to danzel27.xanga.com

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