I have been working in at the Josiah Quincy Upper School (in Boston Public Schools) since 2008. Ten years of teaching comprises most of my adult working life, but it’s barely a blip in the 107 year history of our school building. JQUS when it was the Abraham Lincoln School (source: City of Boston Archives) Over the years, I’ve made some changes to my classroom (which still has many original fixtures). After Math in 2018 is no longer just about solving problems on individual worksheets. Students in my classroom are working to build their teamwork and communication skills as they work to solve open-ended problems like building Barbie ziplines, designing…
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2016 Blogging Initiative, Week 1
Option 1: We rarely take the time to stop and smell the roses. Even on the most disastrous of days, good things happen. And these good things, when you’re on the lookout for them, pop up. All. The. Time. So for one day (heck, do it for many days), keep a lookout for the small good moments during your day and blog about them. We bet that by keeping an eye out for the good, your whole day will be even better! My one good thing! He’s overseeing my blogging from his “office.” I’m in the home stretch of maternity leave with my son Parker, so as much as I…
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one reason to stay on Facebook: the *good* posts
I made a big deal of removing the Facebook app from my phone, thinking that removing the impetus to check my newsfeed on the T, in line, or when bored would make me more productive. For the most part, this lifestyle change has helped me. I don’t get frustrated by reading the umpteenth Buzzfeed listicle, quiz, Upworthy post, or political rants from friends and acquaintance. However, I am glad that I haven’t deactivated completely, because there is still a lot of thought-provoking, share-worthy stuff out there. My friend Jon shared this amazing post by Sarah Blaine of Parenting the Core. I’ve already posted it on Facebook and tweeted it, but…
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what’s in a name?
Personalized “Mrs.” Mug by CJayne Teach My students like consistency, whether it be the same seat in math class or the same Starbucks drink every morning. Some have even protested my upcoming post-marriage name change. I’m not alone; our former music teacher still got called her maiden name two years later and our awesome student support/advisory teacher/family outreach/generally wonderful person still gets called by hers twelve years later. The varied name nomenclature in schools interests me. In other Boston Public Schools, teachers are universally referred to by “miss” or “mister.” My elementary teacher friends in Virginia go by “Mrs. [Last Name]” whereas married female teachers in my current school go…
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the best part of waking up
…is a message on your cup. Not just your name scrawled in black Sharpie by a Starbucks barista (though the name mistakes can be funny) or America Runs on Dunkin, but a reminder to set a positive tone for the day. When I saw this cute mug on Etsy, memories of signing library book cards with a freshly sharpened number 2 pencil and pecking out “The quick brown fox jumps over the lazy dog” on a typewriter popped into my head. I thought, “this would make a great gift for teacher friends!” Mug by CJayneTeach After I read the message inscribed on the index card lines, I thought “yup, cute gift…and powerful message.”…
