Thursday, August 26, 2021

A New School Year

 My granddaughter is so excited about her new job of teaching 2ndgrade, after high school SPED for two years.  She’s been posting pictures of her classroom and recently shared about meeting most of her students. I also have a grandson teaching in the middle school. This fall he will be teaching in-person and is looking forward to the new school year, but doesn’t know how many students will choose that option. I just worry with the continued Covid concern that it will be another very difficult year for teachers.  

 

Their anticipation reminded me how much I enjoyed my teaching career.  Having the opportunity to help shape the learning of young adults was extremely fulfilling for me. The majority of my career (32 years) was at Burnsville High School.  I was so fortunate to be part of a vibrant department, one that continually strove to improve education.  In addition, my work with the Minnesota Writing Project provided unexpected learning experiences.  I became involved with staff development for various MN schools, even traveled to Norway for work.  I also attended and presented at several National Writing Project conventions and international workshops (Bordeaux, Netherlands).  These opportunities occurred because staff development was supported by district, state, and federal funds.  Unfortunately, it seems that much of that support has dried up.  With the loss of this funding, teachers are often left to work isolated in their own classrooms. 

 

Recently Micki and I participated in a virtual writing conference that included educators from the Midwest.  One of the sessions was an opportunity for participants to share concerns about teaching writing.  The concerns expressed were the same ones that have existed since we began our careers.  By creating our earlier podcast (Breaking the Barriers of the 5 Paragraph Essay) and this blog, we hoped that we might provide helpful resources for teachers.  

 

We welcome your comments, ideas, etc. Let us know what are you struggling with this year.  Perhaps from our years of teaching and staff development, we can offer some support.

 

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