Introduction

Here marks my first post. Let me start with an introduction. From 2000 to 2014 I was a middle school teacher, changing from 8th grade math to 8th grade social studies (U.S. history) to 6th grade social studies. I've taken this year off to write teacher resources and plan to go back next fall.

So why start a blog now? To be honest, the initial impetus is financial, sort of. I want a central place to post the teacher resources and lessons I've written (assuming I can figure out how to link them). But although I might post about the occasional assignment/book I've produced, I plan to mostly use this blog as a place to reflect on education and, hopefully, hear others' thoughts. More than any other year in my life, I feel like I'm on both sides of the mirror in so many ways: as a parent and an educator, as a teacher and a producer of curriculum, and as the parent of two children who I anticipate having very different educational experiences. Hopefully this can result in posts other educators and parents can relate to.

Another goal I have is that the discussion here can be more positive and constructive than the ones I usually see on education. Spending more time at my kids' schools this year, I have been surprised by all the negative comments I have heard about public schools from parents. I guess it's not surprising that people have strong convictions about how their child spends most of their time. Still, I would like for people to be able to give their opinions, while still keeping in mind the many different learners in a classroom. That does not mean I'm hoping for a lightweight conversation. Actually, I find most educational comments extremely light weight, particularly in terms of considering the unintended consequences of a proposed solution. They often seem both shallow and strongly opinionated, an unfruitful combination. Maybe we can do something better here.

That's it for now. I plan to post 1 to 2 times a week and we'll see where it goes!