I taught a U.S. History II class this morning on the Progressive era. And I loved it.
There’s so much that is good about my current position in the district as a peer assistant, particularly in getting a sense of what teacher support, professional development and accountability can look like. I tell you–there seems to be a lot written about what can and should be done to improve the teacher corp as a whole, in tones ranging from the aspirational to the incendiary. There seems to be much less, however, in terms of specific ways to actually work with teachers collegially, directly and professionally–in real time and in real classrooms–to improve teaching and learning. These are delicate worlds, our classrooms. I’m getting a much better sense of how challenging this work is and in a complimentary sense, how much is possible.
I do miss having my own students and the daily teaching though. (Okay, well, sometimes… 
) Moments like this morning, with the satisfaction of researching, planning and then moving through a lesson with a group of 10th graders? Necessary to remind me how important and satisfying this business of public education can be. Every day.
Teaching about the Progressive Era
I taught a U.S. History II class this morning on the Progressive era. And I loved it.
There’s so much that is good about my current position in the district as a peer assistant, particularly in getting a sense of what teacher support, professional development and accountability can look like. I tell you–there seems to be a lot written about what can and should be done to improve the teacher corp as a whole, in tones ranging from the aspirational to the incendiary. There seems to be much less, however, in terms of specific ways to actually work with teachers collegially, directly and professionally–in real time and in real classrooms–to improve teaching and learning. These are delicate worlds, our classrooms. I’m getting a much better sense of how challenging this work is and in a complimentary sense, how much is possible.
I do miss having my own students and the daily teaching though. (Okay, well, sometimes…
) Moments like this morning, with the satisfaction of researching, planning and then moving through a lesson with a group of 10th graders? Necessary to remind me how important and satisfying this business of public education can be. Every day.