8:27 a.m. Mrs. Gawlowski enters an empty classroom, frantically running to her computer. Her mask is falling off her face, and her glasses are foggy. Her hands are full of junk she insists on bringing with her every day, although
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Back to School 2020–It’s a Hot Mess
I love the anticipation of a new school year! It’s like preparing for a big holiday gathering. I get to see and visit with students and colleagues I haven’t seen in a few months. There’s new hair cuts, new clothes,
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Simply Put: This is Hard
For the last three years, I have had the honor of blogging for the AZK12 Center’s Stories from Schools AZ. Each month I love having an outlet to pour my thoughts and ideas into. Each month it was easy to
Read More“We Are All First-Year Teachers Again”
When I reflect on my first year of teaching, I often joke that I wish I could go back to those students and apologize to them. Looking back, I didn’t know what I was doing. I probably used many instructional
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Unfinished Business
For months I knew what the topic of my May blog would be. When I left my school for spring break, I left a pile of student work on my desk and an open Google doc of qualitative and quantitative
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To Nationals and Beyond, Part 2
Last month, we heard from National Spelling Bee hopeful Xharia W. on how she prepared herself and rose through the ranks. Today, we will take a different angle and hear from her parents on how they support their children to
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What Teachers Need
As we wrap up this crazy school year and I end my 17th and possibly my final year of teaching, I’d like to address some needs I have seen throughout this pandemic. What teachers need: Professional development opportunities that are
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To Plan or Not to Plan?
Today is my student’s last day of school, and what a year it was. It started a cyber- attack, ended with a pandemic, and exhausted me to no end. It is the end of my 8th year of teaching, and
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The Letter of Resignation I Wanted to Write
It’s hard for me to believe, but after twenty years of teaching, this is my last week as a teacher. I wrote my letter of resignation a few months ago. It was a short, simple statement beginning with my intention
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Last Man Standing: The Gradual Withdrawal from Online Preschool
In a bitter twist of fate two months ago, all my worst fears came true: COVID19 school closures forced my thriving preschool classroom into a virtual learning environment. It felt a bit ironic considering I wrote a piece last year
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