I realized I haven’t posted in awhile, but with the Spring semester being the busiest semester, wedding planning starting to kick into full gear, and taking a break from school after it ended, I couldn’t muster the motivation to spend time to make another post.

However, things have with the end of 2 weeks of vacation. I plan on developing course curriculum starting next week. To make sure I am well prepared, I am going through the EdX Inclusive STEM Teaching Project course as well as the Learning by Doing: A Handbook for Professional Learning Communities at Work. I want to make sure my curriculum has a strong foundation in being equitable, scaffolded, and relevant for all Grades 9-12 Learners. This is a huge dream and will probably take more than just one year, but you have to start somewhere!

Here’s more on my summative conference with my principal. I jotted down some notes following our meeting.

  • My online remote students overall did worse (though a few students excelled)
  • Balance of safety + a student need for interaction -> in front of a computer all day w/ no interaction opportunities, and probably not ergonomic either (I was all for remote schooling earlier)
  • I thought of teaching remote (new online school opening if Texas Legislature provides funding) but after consideration… I couldn’t - the interactions w/ students are what I love about this job and you just lose that. I don’t want to stare at a screen all day either.
  • Gave a 2026 timeline -> I want to build up the program to make myself replacable -> the CS program is so strong + has such a good culture that it will last even w/o me. Speaking of myaking myself replaceable, first year teaching CS was just 5 classes (about 80 students total) -> now projected for 2021-2022 is 12 classes, 2 teachers, and about 200 students. 2021-2022 will be my 5th year of teaching CS.
  • 1+1=4 PLC, only CS teacher teaching my subjects on my campus. Excited for next year-> another teacher teaching 1 CSP period. Also asked other CS teachers in district if there was interest in meeting occasionally to plan for units and discuss formative assessment results.
  • Humility
  • Every kid is my kid mentality + summer camp CS counselor
  • Don’t tell people what to do. Ask them qwuestions to help them to get to the conclusion.
  • Unique personalities among teachers.
  • I want every teacher I work with to be “It would break my heart if [insert here] left the campus”