The last few weeks have been an absolute whirlwind. I finished the class requirements for my CLAD credential. I finished my spring semester for my graduate classes. I ended the school year with my students, including all the grading and cleaning and whatnot. I put together purchase proposals for classes next year. I started my Read More
So, if you’ve played Battlefield Vietnam, then you totally know what I’m talking about. While you’re running around in destroyed buildings and swampy areas, there are these annoying speakers that chant over and over and over in a vietnamese accent, “American soldier, you government has betray you…” It was supposedly a tactic to play mind Read More
Man, I’ve been really sad at blogging this year. I’ve had lots of things going on including the much awaited visit by my parents in February. My mom and dad finally made it out to see sunny California and I showed them everything I could from Monterey to San Francisco. It was so good to Read More
I made some obscure World of Warcraft reference while teaching a few weeks ago and one of my students totaly freaked out and told the whole school that I knew about World of Warcraft. That little spark has unleashed itself in my classroom in ways I never thought possible. Today, for the third consecutive week, Read More
I just can’t stop thinking about volleyball and surfing. It’s like, every warm ray of sunshine, every drop of sweat on my forehead, every step I take… it’s all somehow connected to volleyball and surfing. It’s the smells and sounds of summer that lure me on to the activities and friends of summer. To the Read More
Despite being insanely busy with nine-kajillion homework assignments lately, I have found some time to do the things I love. I play volleyball every Saturday morning at De Anza College, a community college just down the street from me. I’ll be starting my Wednesday night outdoor games in two weeks as well. That’s the best Read More
Well, just a couple of days after winning Teacher or the Year, I was told that I need to get another credential to be able to have English language learners in my classroom. The one I got in Minnesota doesn’t count for beans. I need a new one and they could suspend my pay if Read More
I just found out on Friday that I am Teacher of the Year. I’ve been nominated the last several years, but this is the first time I’ve won. It’s kind of nice given how hard I work and how I’m constantly doing something related to teaching or improving my school or professional development or whatnot. Read More
In my classroom, I have these pink papers in a folder & kids fill them out if they have any issues or concerns about projects or life etc. It’s great, because I don’t have groups of students whining or telling me things I’ll forget anyway. So, if a kid has an issue, I tell them Read More
Today was the first time in my entire teaching career when I collected an assignment, started grading it, and went, “Oh my gosh… these are terrible.” I mean, usually I’ll have at least a few that stand out. This one… zippo. So, I had to reel back and ask myself some important questions. What did Read More