Spiral Notebook Blogs
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Why Do You Teach?: What Sustains Us in Our Work
by Elena Aguilar
9/4/08In my previous post, I discussed how important it is for me to connect with my students, and how one way I do so is by eliciting their stories.
I also need to make connections with other teachers. So I ask, why do you teach? Most teachers get a dreamy look on their faces when I ask them this question. Most haven't thought about it in a while.
Recalling the reasons why we teach -- keeping them fresh and foremost in our minds -- is, I believe, the key to sustaining ourselves during the long and challenging school year.
Making Our Nation Great: Teaching Is a Special Calling
by Ben Johnson
9/2/08This is an exciting time of year -- brand-new classes and brand-new students. When I was a teacher, I didn't realize that I had an advantage over every other profession. Each year, I got a fresh start, a clean slate, a tabula rasa. I had all summer to reflect on how I did and to prepare to make the next year even better.
Yet I wonder what the result would have been had I done just a bit more, or taken more notice of that one student. I wonder about how many educational opportunities I missed because I was so wrapped up in me, especially in the first few years.
The Classroom Booster Club, Part Two: Connecting with the Community
by Jim Moulton
8/26/08This is the second part of a two-part entry. Read part one.
Sports teams have booster clubs -- people who straddle the formally regulated school funding arena and private enterprise. This means they are able to act like entrepreneurs -- go for what they want or need, rather than having to convince somebody else (like a principal, a technology director, or a school board) of the worthiness of their idea.
Stressing Support, Not Stress: Easing the Anxieties of Being a Novice Teacher
by Elena Aguilar
8/21/08For the first few years that I taught, my stomach hurt constantly in the weeks before school started. The anxiety was a mixture of dread and excitement and anticipation. Every year, I mourned the end of summer, but I'd also get revved up, ready to start and get my hands messy with learning.
The Classroom Booster Club, Part One: Recruiting Academic Supporters
by Jim Moulton
8/19/08I'm heading home from Columbus, Ohio, on a fine, clear summer morning. I am in a window seat on the plane, as always, and on takeoff we fly right past downtown, en route to Cincinnati. On this flight path I get a wonderful view down into the Ohio State football stadium, where the word Buckeyes is emblazoned across the end zone, bold white text on a crimson background.
Improving the Training: Educators Evaluate the Program That Teaches Them STEM Skills
by Katie Klinger
8/15/08This is the third part of a three-part entry. Read part one.
As a professional-development incentive, teachers who participate in the eighty hours of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) institutes aligned to the Hawaii Content and Performance Standards will receive a letter of completion. To receive the letter, teachers will have to submit for review an e-portfolio with their STEM projects.
Global Connections: Storytelling Builds Bridges Between Cultures
by Suzie Boss
8/13/08I first met Greg Tuke a decade ago when he was running a program called Powerful Schools. The nonprofit organization was working to strengthen schools serving some of the lowest-income and most culturally diverse neighborhoods in Seattle.
"Have You Seen This Web Site?": The Value of Exchanging Tips About Online Resources
by Jim Moulton
8/11/08I love working with teachers. Part of it is the importance of the work they do and the sense of satisfaction, both professional and personal, I feel when I am able to make them more powerful and effective. But another reason is that teachers are people who feel compelled to share their best ideas. And because of this trait, it is not unusual for a teacher, generally during a break, to come up to me and say, "Have you seen this Web site, Jim?" And then they give me a URL, and very often the site they pass along is great.
Make Like a Goat: The Art of Distracting Unruly Students
by Ben Johnson
8/5/08I have 17 acres in south Texas, and half of the acreage is wooded. Particularly in the northern part of my property, there is an obnoxious vine in the lily family, called greenbrier, that grows everywhere.
Telling Our Stories: Students Recount Personal Tales
by Stephen Hurley
8/4/08The theme for this first year of our arts@newman program could best be expressed with the statement "We live storied lives." Throughout the year, we have been exploring how the arts can help us both understand our stories more deeply and express those stories to others.
