Tonight, after opening my classroom, hereafter known as Room 303, to 16 of my boisterous 8th graders finishing their novels for NaNoWriMo, I decided it was time to quit playing around with the thought of blogging and get down to business recording the amazing antics of the "animals" of Room 303.
When 16 students show up on a Thursday night to write, one has to stop and take stock of what is happening to make this occur. Because I'm exhausted and have to chaperone the annual Valentine's Dance tomorrow night, I'm going to make this quick:
1. I work hard to make my classroom a "Cheers" classroom. You know the one... "Where everybody knows your name. And they're always glad you came."
2. Because I'm elementary-trained (that sounds so circus-like), I see the big picture. I don't focus exclusively on ELA, but I try to pull all of the learning together in a way that impacts my students in their world.
3. I love what I do, even after 25 years, and I believe the students know this even on my most exasperated days. (I teach walking hormone machines---those days happen!)
I want this blog to record my successes and my failures. My memories of students and their lasting impact on my life. The strategies, research, and theories that I follow which keep me hungering for more.
