First...
I wasn't laid off for the first time in 8 years; two retirements in science have made this possible. This means that I will be able to focus on delivering a solid science education to my middle school students, instead of wondering what I will be teaching. Woo Hoo! Over the past 8 years, I have taught high school health, a 7/8 combination class, 5th grade, middle school science, and middle school intervention classes. I guess you could say that I am a well rounded teacher, and as annoying as it was to be bounced around so much, I feel that I have a pretty good perspective on where our students are coming from (educationally and developmentally) as well as where they are going and how to make sure all kids are learning. That is the silver lining to the past 8 years of unpredictability.
And second...
I got to present my students' interactive notebooks at the California Science Project Northern Inland Summer Symposium. It was my first time presenting and I really enjoyed myself. Not only did I learn some valuable lessons in presenting, but I walked away with a plethora of ideas that I am going to implement this coming year. I already excited for school to start, that's good, right?
One of the reasons I am starting this blog is to document the use of my interactive notebooks as well as the hands-on activities that the kids participate in, and determine the value behind each in terms of student learning. I'm a science teacher after all, and documentation of data and observations is a big part of being one.
I always appreciate feedback, so feel free to chime in when the feeling strikes you!
Cheers!
