Evolution of a Teacher

I've been on a whirlwind the past several weeks making some REALLY hard, but REALLY exciting changes.  I have packed up my classroom at CCE, thus all of the old school pictures that never go away for teachers, and gotten ready to move to Lee Elementary opening in fall 2014.  There have been a whirlwind of emotions that have come with this move because I LOVE CCE, but after a few weeks of emotional jujitsu teamed with iDesign14 I am trying to put it into perspective.

Just as people evolve, as shown in some of these great hairstyles, teaching has too.  Packing up I was able to see that in the files I purged, the outdated teacher manuals that I tossed, the cassette tapes, chalkboards, ripped up picture books, and countless file folder games that found there way to the trash.  The boxes that made it back to my house, and not in storage in case they got lost because they are vital, included iPads, headphones, computer resource cards for kids to use, and Mr. Sketch smelly markers. (because those ALWAYS rock!)

So this evolving and moving on is great, but it is very important to remember everything that I have experienced along the way.  The relationships that I have formed, the teammates that are my closest friends, the administrators that encouraged me to try new things, the lessons that I have tried that both failed and succeeded, and of course the technology that has been invented and retired in the 22 years I've been doing this.  It's all simply mind boggling!  All of these things are at work in the evolution of a teacher.  

Now I am looking forward!  Here a few NEW things that I can't wait for this coming year…. Building Relationships, Smiling Children, iTunesU, Family Learning Houses, Challenge Based Learning, Eco Pond Science Experiences, Net Zero Education, Service Learning Opportunities, Continuing Education, and evolving even more along the way.

Here is to the next chapter….. I wonder what my hair will look like this year?  HA!

Engineers in ACTION!

Today we worked on our engineering skills and designed paper airplanes.  Some kids were able to execute their own designs while others used the oragami resource book.  We had an electric airplane launcher for testing.  The end result was a final race to see whose airplane would travel the farthest.  What a great memory!