Nov

27

My English 12 Blog Assignment

November 27, 2006 | 1 Comment

Mr. Goss, our English 12 teacher, posted an assignment on his class blog that asked each student in the class to read classmates’ posts, find a topic about which they’re interested, quote them, and write about it. Sounds like he’s teaching them how to read, reflect, and respond. Thought I’d help out by participating in the [...]

Nov

25

The Moral Imperative

November 25, 2006 | 1 Comment

Melvina Phillips also said that it’s our moral imperative to teach every student the literacy skills needed to succeed in school and beyond. The moral imperative. That makes sense to me.
Not just, “I teach, the kid either gets it or not–it’s his problem, not mine. They should have the skills they need before they get to me.”
When Melvina [...]

Nov

22

Creating a Culture of Literacy

November 22, 2006 | 2 Comments

Today was a superintendent’s conference day and our entire faculty focused on literacy. It was our privilege to welcome Melvina Phillips, who authored the book, Creating a Culture of Literacy, for the National Association of Secondary School Principals (NASSP) , as our teacher today.
We talked about literacy across the content areas and focused on literacy strategies that content [...]

Nov

22

Who keeps students safe at school?

November 22, 2006 | 2 Comments

Our superintendent’s conference days were yesterday and today. Yesterday, Superintendent Rinaldi put together a panel of law enforcement experts, along with school personnel and counselors. Our entire district staff was in attendance for discussion about keeping our students safe, what law enforcement has learned about school shootings and how to respond, and what can we [...]

Nov

22

Physical Education Teachers Get Wiki

November 22, 2006 | 2 Comments

Our physical education teachers worked with a staff development specialist from BOCES, Theresa Grey, on wikis, blogs, and YouTube today. They were excited about learning, engaged, and working together to figure out ways to use the technology. They developed a wiki together and overcame any technology snafus that came their way. I can imagine them [...]

Nov

20

Principal Disappointment

November 20, 2006 | 3 Comments

We had 89 of our seniors absent today, many for a “Senior Skip Day”. This is November. Not May or June when I might be able to look the other way. And it probably wouldn’t be as bad if report cards hadn’t just come out and 54 of them are failing one or more subjects.
Coincidentally, [...]

Nov

19

Woman to Woman

November 19, 2006 | 2 Comments

My daughter, Bryna, is nineteen years old. I’ve always been conscious of the need for positive role models in her life. I’ve encouraged her to form relationships with her grandmothers, her aunt, my very dear friend Tina, and other strong women in our lives.
The girls I know spend a lot of time imagining who they [...]

Nov

18

Agenda Item #4

November 18, 2006 | 1 Comment

At this month’s faculty meeting, I finally explained to my teachers what I’m doing with blogging. I talked about my own professional learning through reading, reflecting, and writing. I did my best to explain succinctly how it’s influencing me professionally and what I think it can do for teachers. I talked briefly about a couple [...]

Nov

17

Back to the Beginning

November 17, 2006 | 3 Comments

I’ve been playing around with the presentation of my blog, but I’m now returning to the original so that my friends on the Macs can read the posts. Hope this works better for everyone.
I usually keep the posts on this blog to G-Town, seldom mixing in much that’s personal and only when it relates to the [...]

Nov

17

Rachel’s Challenge at G-Town

November 17, 2006 | 1 Comment

We have only one or two major assemblies per year, because I really try to guard instructional time. I receive requests for assemblies and meetings and pictures–interruptions–weekly. One of our assemblies is the “G-Town Show Down”, an annual program that is the culminating event for our positive schoolwide behavior management program. We feature student and teacher [...]

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