What I'm keeping from my previous classroom

In my last blog post, I listed three actions I will implement when I reenter the classroom in just a couple weeks. In a nod to one of my favorite structures for reflection - the good ol’ Add, Keep, Stop analysis - here are three actions I plan to keep from my 23 years as a teacher:

1. Call Backs - The easiest, quickest no-dollar, high-impact tool I ever used. It’s so simple: “I say ‘welcome’ and you say ‘back!’” Then add words, phrases, claps, etc. throughout the year, following the students’ lead. Here’s why call backs are so powerful:

1. It’s a team effort. Everyone joins in and helps create the daily call back.

2. As the teacher, I’m saying it’s OK to be loud and use your voice in here.

3. Most importantly, it’s joyful. It creates a warm, inviting slice of the day. Love it!

2. Daily Exit Tickets -  These are just little scraps of paper I collect each day as students exit the room. Students respond to a question from me, based on the day’s lesson or perhaps it’s a preview for the next day’s learning, and sometimes it’s just a silly question that helps me learn more about my students. 

3. Learning Zone/Performance Zone - Inspired by the TED Talk video How to Get Better at the Things You Care About, I tried to be super open with students about what each assignment was intended to provide for them: practice or performance. It’s sometimes a hard sell to convince students that the goal of each class isn’t to get the most points, but this idea helps them change a game-the-system mindset and inspire them to seek learning and improvement. 

I’m heading to New Teacher Training next week - so amped! - and will share the three actions I’m leaving in my previous classroom, with no plans of looking back.

What's giving me energy right now

 The last time I was a teacher, there was no Covid and no AI. I used an iPod to play music in my classroom. Suffice it to say, things have changed. However, regardless of these uncertain times, there are plans I’m very much looking forward to as I relaunch my teaching career.

Here are three things that have me energized and excited for the coming school year:

1. Station Rotation: A good decade or so before I left the classroom for an admin job, I went all-in on collaborative groups, and I was getting really good at intentional grouping and differentiating instruction for students. Then, I went to Lindsay High School and learned a ton about Station Rotation models. My plan? There will be stations. There will be rotations. Laughter, good times, and on-time learning. Can’t wait!

2. The positive potential of AI: Technology has changed so much since I was a teacher. I want to use it effectively and wisely, and I want to ensure students use it effectively and wisely. I’ve virtually connected with a few educators who are on the forefront of this effort, and a few who are sounding alarms about AI in education. I’m learning from them and hope to share that learning as a teacher.

3. Being a marigold: It’s been more than a decade since “Find Your Marigold: The One Essential Rule for New Teachers” was published on Cult of Pedagogy. (https://www.cultofpedagogy.com/marigolds/) With 30 years of education under my belt, and the perspective of site and district administration, I hope to serve as a source of compassionate support for new and newish educators in my new district. At this point, many new teachers are younger than my daughter, and might I say, what a great group of young adults they tend to be. So much to learn from them, and a bit of old lady wisdom for me to share. 

So many reasons for hopeful anticipation of the new school year! If you, dear reader, have tips, hints, ideas to share, please do so! All will be much appreciated!

Join me in the adventure of My Big Promotion!

So, my former district no longer has a Director of Career Technical Education. That position was eliminated, and those responsibilities were spread across other positions. And I’m guessing you don’t care, and you really shouldn’t. Problem is - I was the Director of Career Technical Education.

I was given this news on December 17, 2024, in the afternoon. I came back to my office, looked around at the giant sticky notes that outlined my department’s plans for the coming school year, and considered my options. Some vague list of possible admin positions. Interviews. Second interviews. Shuffling responsibilities, teams, bosses.

And it hit me: No. Absolutely not.

I’m 59 years old and entering my 30th year in education. In the grand scheme, I don’t have a lot of time left, in my career or on this earth. By 5 p.m. on December 17th, I had asked myself the only question that matters: How can I have the greatest impact with my remaining years?

And there’s only one right answer.

So, welcome to My Big Promotion, where I will share my journey back to the classroom, my joyful, intentional, and much anticipated launch to where I can have the greatest impact, with students and teachers and site folks who do the work that moves the needle.

I think it’s going to be fun, challenging, a little scary, and quite different from the traditional teacher-site admin-district admin journey of decades-long educators.

I hope you’ll join me, share your insights, and help me make a difference as I lean into my big promotion!