Collaboration is a key factor in the success of any group. I had been hired to teach first and second grade at Montview. This was a team that was connected and worked well together. We had our official leader. Cheryl did a nice job of keeping us focused and providing quality instruction for our students.
Category Archives: Retirement Journal
Day 12 – August 24, 2022 National Conferences
The previous two stories had a serious tone so it is time to return to the fun. When I was teaching at Montview I had the good fortune to help write the science curriculum for the district. I was a part of the first and second-grade team.
Day 11 – August 23, 2022 Discovery Day
Competition by kids is a subject that is loaded with strong opinions on all sides. Competition has gotten a bad reputation because of external forces. You currently see games canceled because there are no referees or umpires. This is impacting the youngest kids all the way to high school.…
Week 2 – Musical Interlude
This was one of my favorite bands in College. I saw them once over at CSU in Moby Gym.
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Day 10 – August 22, 2022 Holidays
There are things that young teachers learn the easy way and some are learned the hard way. The difference is often dependent upon if the teacher listens to the parent, students, or colleagues. One of the hallmarks of a new teacher is the confidence that come from teacher training and a controlled student teacher setting.…
Day 9 – August 19, 2022 Alarm Clock
I hear from students that they will change their habits when they get into the “real world” but school isn’t as important. I always try to have a discussion with them that they are better off establishing good habits now when it is easier. …
Day 8 – August 18, 2022 Technology Wave
The story for today is a celebration and post-mortem of introducing students to technology. In the early 1990s, I was lucky enough to transition to the Technology Special at Montview. One of the first things we decided on was the skills that students needed.…
Day 7 – August 17, 2022 Laptops
Schools are always in search of trends and community needs. Our job is to provide an educated and prepared workforce. We spend a lot of time preparing students for careers that don’t even exist and it is sometimes a guessing game.…
Week 1 – Musical Interlude
As a part of the retirement blog, I will be posting a video/song a week that really speaks to my beliefs and hopes about teaching for 30 years.
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Day 6 – August 16, 2022 Clifford
One of the distinct joys of teaching is the opportunity to watch students learn new skills that will carry them throughout their lifetimes. Reading instruction is the best example I can think of. It is how kids start to build an understanding of the written word and an opportunity to interact with ideas, beliefs, and experiences that are beyond themselves.…
Day 5 – August 15, 2022 Jose Rivera
The greats have debated the importance of a name for centuries. Shakespeare in Romeo and Juliet asked about if it really matters: “What’s in a name? That which we call a rose by any other name would smell just as sweet.”…
Day 4 – August 12, 2022 Where’s Elliot
Today’s story starts with an interesting twist. Yesterday was our first snow day of the year. I know what you are thinking and in fact it was 96 degrees outside. Our HVAC chiller was down and so it was sweltering the day before and would have been worse yesterday.…
Day 3 – August 11, 2022 The Cleansing
Sharing rooms with others is sometimes challenging. It requires patience, compassion, and consideration. When I started I was in a year-round school and so 4 of us shared three rooms. You were on track for 9 and off for three. It was even better for us because we were in rooms 1, 3, & 5 so we just moved down the hall over the course of the year.…
Day 2 – August 10, 2022 Clothes Optional
I taught in a year-round school so we started in the middle of July. As you might expect the temperature was in the upper 90s for a lot of the first month of school. We had a protocol for students that may get hot.…
Day 1 – August 9, 2022 First Day
A hot day in July 1993 was my first day as a teacher in my own classroom. I was teaching at Montview Elementary in Aurora, Colorado. It was a year-round school in the northern part of the city. It was the oldest portion of the city and had a high transiency rate. …