The school year is already well underway, and it is hard to believe we already have a whole week under our belts! My favorite part so far has been seeing the fruits of our labor from last year. Read the rest of this entry »

I am pleased to announce that my homeroom class is in the championship game for the JA kickball tournament! Read the rest of this entry »

Way back on MLK Day the kids learned about Martin Luther King Jr., his accomplishments, and studied his famous “I Have a Dream” speech. Then they made mobiles expressing their own dreams. Each mobile included students’ dreams for themselves, their school, family, and country. I recently took the mobiles off the bulletin board, but they are too interesting, inspiring, and moving to be forgotten. Their dreams for America are my favorite so I have put those first. Here are their dreams: Read the rest of this entry »

Usually the kids and I have a good time throughout the day, we smile, laugh, and for the most part enjoy a positive relationship. But, the comment of one student today made me stop in my tracks and laugh out loud. Read the rest of this entry »

Last week was a crazy week, not only because I have several projects in the works (career day, spirit week, and a week-long interdisciplinary unit) but because our lead teacher was out sick and put me in charge…YIKES! On Wednesday we took a field trip to the Indianapolis Children’s Museum without the lead teacher. Read the rest of this entry »

On Thursday and Friday I attended the NCSS Great Lakes Region Conference. It was a great experience and I learned so much; I will be sharing more of what I learned as I go through all the information and sort it out.

I attended a breakout session on the state testing and standards in Indiana. At this session, I learned that next year, 7th grade social studies will be tested on ISTEP. Now, I knew this was coming, but had been told by my principal that it was years away because of a lack of funds to create a test. My feelings about this are mixed. Read the rest of this entry »

In honor of our science fair this afternoon; check out these science fair projects!

Today was a pretty good day. For the most part, the students were kind to each other and to me; I am so proud of my homeroom class. At the beginning of the year they had been labeled the “bad class,” but in the past weeks they have really turned around. Read the rest of this entry »

After a sick day spent reading teacher blogs, I decided that should try my hand at this. Here it goes…

I teach 7th and 8th grade social studies at a charter school in Indianapolis; our mission, in a nutshell, is to provide a middle class education for underprivileged students. We have a beautiful building (air conditioning!) and many resources (my classroom has a smart board!), but we also have a lot of very needy, troubled students (87% free & reduced lunch). Everyday is truly an adventure.

My husband and I moved to the Indy area when he took a job here. I left a position teaching sophomore, junior, and senior special ed. at an inner-city public high school. It was a huge change; thankfully my student population, aside from age, is relatively the same. I love teaching inner city kids. Some days I think I want to throw in the towel and teach in the suburbs, but deep down I know I would never be happy there. My students need me, and for some of them, the other teachers and I are the only thing they can depend on.

Since this is my first year teaching in my subject area, in many ways I am a first year teacher. This is where I will share successes and failures, fun stories, and my observations of the world of education. Enjoy!