A Teacher's Ruminations

at the end of the school day I pack my school and computer bags stuff books and papers in both bags  and make a mental list of all the things I'm going to accomplish tonight I get home at 5:00 pm and head for my bedroom and a hot shower the water is not hot, but it will do my husband and son go for a walk meanwhile I grab my computer,  determined to clear the tabs from my browser 30 minutes later, I've bookmarked a few, and left others to review tomorrow I still haven't gotten through my to do list from two days ago I carry the weight of all the things I haven't done I want to empty my bag at school only a notebook left there at the end of the day  to plan, reflect or for reading I am forever fighting this feeling of coming from behind never catching up always more to do I struggle with being kind to myself so, it's time to pick up a book  read myself to sleep tomorrow  an empty school bag only a...

On April 16th, a deadly 7.8 earthquake shocked the coastal towns of Ecuador. Six provinces in all. Although people felt the earthquake in Quito, where I live, no one could have predicted its impact on those living in the hardest hit areas. I am saddened by the loss of life and the injured; the trauma that comes with having lived this experience is unimaginable. I am uplifted by the outpouring of support from all corners of the country and all over the world. I am saddened by reports of those still missing and the newly orphaned. I am uplifted by the brave work of relief workers who continue to pull out live victims from the rubble. I am saddened that some people have used this tragedy for their own political convenience. I am uplifted by the organization and dedication demonstrated by public and private institutions leading the relief efforts. I am saddened that it's going to take years to rebuild this region of the country, small towns whose livelihood depends on fis...

It was one of those moments when I wished I could have recorded the discussion. But I couldn't have anticipated the depth of or interest in the conversation. In fact, I couldn't have planned the conversation even if I'd wanted to. We had just finished a chapter in our current read aloud,  Pax by Sara Pennypacker . It was suggested by one of my students and since it was a book that I hadn't read, but wanted to read, I said, "Sure!" I had planned on spending a couple of weeks reading the book to the class, but this is such a rich book that it will probably take twice as long to finish it. The kids don't seem to mind and neither do I, though they want me to read at least two chapters or more every day because they want to know what happens next. At the end of the read aloud yesterday I asked a question about the characters: What do we now know about each of the characters and how do we know that? They humored me for a few minutes until someone change...

What a day! I had absolutely no breaks all day long. The two prep periods I had were devoted to meetings - one with a parent and another one to discuss our next PYP unit - the Exhibition of Learning! And, as if that weren't enough, I had recess and lunch supervision. Finally, there was a leadership meeting after school. Phew! Despite the fact that it was an action-packed day, with no breaks for me, I loved the energy that my students and I created throughout the day. We laughed and were serious. We were loud and quiet all at once. Each part of our day today could be a separate blog post. I'm going to write about the conversation we had about our morning routines. At a later time, I plan to write about other things we're doing in the classroom. Every morning my students have 15 minutes for morning tasks which include checking email and Edmodo, as well as finishing assignments. They can also read, write, work on a project, or do a classroom job. It has been...