So, um, I haven’t been blogging much lately. I’m teaching three classes (two preps) this summer as well as working on some curriculum projects, so I have fodder for ideas, but each time I’ve started an entry, I’ve decided against posting it. See, I’ve been..ahem…a little cranky about my students lately. I decided I wanted to blog about the process of teaching, about solving problems, and the past few weeks, I’ve been swallowing irritation more than inspiration.
It happens. Teachers get cranky. I know how to keep it out of my classroom and my interactions with students, but it is more difficult to keep crankiness from coloring self-reflective writing. While I don’t want to write a complaining blog, I also don’t want to represent myself as a teaching Pollyanna. Therefore, I thought I’d share the titles of my rejected blog postings with everyone, and let readers’ imaginations fill in the blanks. Frankly, anyone who has taught for a while knows how these entries go:
- Seriously? Seriously? No Book Again?
- I’m Rubber; They’re Glue: How to Keep Students from Bouncing All the Thinking Back on the Teacher
- Summer Students: A Breed all Their Own
- Yes, Virginia, When You Repeat a Class, the Content is the Same
I’ll get over it; certainly, it’s not as if I just met these education problems! Sometimes, thinking about teaching yields the results I need, and sometimes, a cognitive break is in order. To everything there is a season, and frankly, June may be the season for a break whether we stop teaching or not…
co-posted on Between Classes: Living a Balanced Life as a Quality Teacher
2 comments:
That's exactly why I don't teach summer school or do anything teaching-related over the summer. (Other than with my own two sons, of course!) I need a BREAK if I'm going to return in the fall (ha! if end of July counts as fall...) with my patience and good humor firmly intact. I want to return for a new school year excited about interacting with the students again... not dreading it. By the end of May each year my stores are depleted and I'm inches from biting off heads. Thank God for summer break!
Good for you, Shannon! I think summer break is key, and I look forward to the three weeks I'll be getting soon...
Take care,
Kate
Post a Comment