Teacher Blog Challenge: Attemp 2

Day 11
What is your favorite part of the school day?

            My favorite part of the school year is 3rd quarter when teachers and students alike have mastered the routine and feel like family.  Learning has become automatic, for the most part, and things are the most consistent. It seems like this time during the year there are the fewest interruptions in the schedule. Spring break is far enough away to not distract us (again, for the most part).  What is my favorite part of the school day?  I'm naturally a morning person, but I think one of the best parts of teaching is you don't know what the best part of each day will be. It's always a surprise who surprises you. One of my favorite "holidays' is taking the students for book talks in the library where they hear from the librarian, the reading specialist, and whoever else happens to traipse in with a book recommendation. In this past week I've gotten students excited about reading S. A. Bodeen's Compound (she's visiting our school in October!) and Unbroken, both of which are titles that don't really need that much talking up!  So excited to see my freshpeople excited about reading.

Day 12
How do you envision your teaching changing over the next five years?
     The pendulum will probably swing back in terms of mandates and initiative, technology to student will be 1:1, and I hope there's a lot more flipped and student centered instruction.  Overall, good things!  Do students change? I don't know yet.  I hope the politics cools down. I hope I stick around.

Day 13
Name the top edtech tools that you use on a consistent basis in the classroom, and rank them in terms of their perceived (by you) effectiveness.
          1. Google Drive
          2.  All things TED
          3. Youtube
          4. Audacity
          5. Glogster

Day 15
Name three strengths you have as an educator.
         1. Patience
         2. Approachability
         3. Enthusiasm