Days 1 & 2

Humanities 9

Preparing to teach a new curriculum has been challenging yet enjoyable. This year, for the first time, I am collaborating with two other 9th grade Humanities teachers, which makes my work all the more interesting. I am held accountable to a greater degree, which pushes me to work out the details of my lessons ahead of time. This leads to greater professionalism and at the end of the day, better classroom experiences.

Resting over the summer has allowed me to regain perspective and confidence; that, coupled with three years of experience under my belt and a co-teaching stint with LaurieAnn during VBS, I felt a marked difference in my personal attitude and ability to garner students' attention and impart upon them the urgency of education. On my first day, I was no longer nervous and unsure of myself. Rather, I commanded their respect for me and for their own learning. It helps that I have a good group of ninth graders, with whom I can establish a new relationship.

After teaching my first 100 minute block yesterday, I was extremely pleased with the ways in which students were interacting with me, with the text, and with one another. They were eager to learn and to do well in high school, and I was ready to make sure that they have these goals in mind. We began the discussion with elements of success. Many of them listed "hard work," "never giving up," "finding support," etc. as important qualities to possess in a successful person. We looked at a story of a 400 pound man who walked across the country in order to lose weight as well as to regain his sense of self. We looked at the map of the world and made connections between ourselves and our history. We looked at the human condition -- our ability to create and to destroy, to reproduce, to tell stories.

"Conscience and Perspective" is the theme for this first term. What shapes our "inner sense of right or wrong?" What would motivate a person to act out or reject his moral conscience? How would seeing things from different perspectives alter our conscience and actions? These are difficult questions, but I'm looking forward to exploring them this year!