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!