A Powerful Three Letter Word: TRY
There is a poster hanging in my classroom with the quote, “You never know what YOU can do until you TRY.” Every accomplishment starts with the decision to try. I remind my students of this idea every day. As a child I was always referred to as a “tomboy.” This was because I could always…
Persevering Through My Journey to National Board Certification
I wanted to love teaching. I wanted to be creative and enjoy watching my students learn. I had hit mid-career burnout, and I hated it! I needed to find my purpose and passion again. Was it possible? I knew about National Board Certification. Colleagues told me how it changed their teaching and they encouraged me…
Podcast: Pushing to Succeed
Joanna Schmizzi, NBCT was inspired by other educators in her department to pursue Board certification, and now she inspires teachers and students alike. The certification process encouraged her to push herself to be a lifelong learner, but it also made her push her students to be their best and pursue their goals. Listen as she…
John Lewis – The Greatest Living American!
My Political Science class and my Philosophy class met a man who I consider to be “The Greatest Living American.” Congressman John Lewis is one of the giants of the Civil Rights era. Early on, he participated in sit-ins in Nashville and then became leader of the Student Non-Violent Coordinating Committee. It was in that…
I Can Accomplish Difficult Things, and So Can My Students
In mid-October, I opened an email containing National Board renewal scores and saw “Congratulations!” It was a high point of my day. The 129 likes and 23 congratulating comments on Facebook left me with warm fuzzies, but as I sit and reflect on the most rewarding part of this renewal journey, I have to admit…
Protecting Teacher Individuality in an Age of Standardization
Think for a moment about a particular teacher that impacted you over the course of your life. Most likely what stood out was that he or she did something different – something that other teachers before or after had not done. Whether through method or personality, this teacher was unique. It is this uniqueness, this…
How a Bad School Year Led to Renewed Certification and Dedication
A few weeks ago, I stumbled across a video interview of an amazing athlete who had broken a world record. The athlete talked about the difference between motivation and dedication. Motivation, he argued, is fleeting. Dedication is what carries us across finish lines. Experienced teachers have this encoded in our DNA. We know that dedication…
The Changing Face of STEM
The Changing Face of STEM In 2011, I was invited, along with other K-12 STEM educators, to a symposium of the Washington State Academy of Sciences (WSAS). From the mountains of data presented, two bits of information stuck with me: in the coming years, 80% of all new US jobs would be in computer science…
Fast Forward to Board Certification
Where has the time gone? It seems like yesterday that I was sitting at the computer waiting to hear the news whether or not I had become a National Board Certified Teacher. I remember that moment so vividly and how proud I felt when I saw the word “Congratulations!” appear on the screen. All of…
Move. Listen. Breathe.
On the side of my notebook where I attempt to keep my whole world organized, I have written three reminders: Move. Breathe. Listen. MOVE My 9th graders were at their computers hammering away at their literary analysis essay of bildungsroman in To Kill a Mockingbird when I started to notice that the thunder of fingers…
