Teach 365: The School Year
During the School Year
Coaching
For five years I coached our middle school track team. When my oldest started high school, this one was on the things that came off my plate because I was spending countless hours at practices and meets with kids that weren’t my own. Every day after school from March until June, and 1-3 late night meets a week meant many hours away from my family. It was a fun and rewarding experience, and something I believe you should try whether you are a teacher or not.
Advising
Since 2009 I have been the National Honors Society advisor. This means I get to work with the most talented and brightest upper classmen at our school. It also means a lot of extra work; because many of my students are involved in athletics, I hold as many of our meetings during my lunch hour, which means I am eating on-the-go.. We run four blood drives a year, and that truck arrives at 6 AM. I don’t know about you, but I am NOT a morning person, so being at the school to unload that truck is as much of a challenge for me as it is for my NHS members. We also volunteer at many school and community functions; in fact, I am the go-to person when an organization needs volunteers because they know I have access to 20+ students who need to log volunteer hours. This means fielding emails, sharing information, managing paperwork, and documenting hours and finances. We also participate in our holiday Adopt-a-Family program every year, which takes time and organization. Each spring we hold an induction ceremony as part of our Honors Night celebration. If you have ever planned a induction or ceremony of any kind, you understand the time and stress involved so that the entire event is seamless and perfected for public presentation.
Committees
Oh the committees! District Improvement, Technology, and School Improvement are just a few of the committees that I work with during the school year. Each of these committees is responsible for a different aspects of education and are necessary for state reporting and smooth functioning of the school and district. District Improvement meets one afternoon a month while the technology team meets when necessary to brainstorm and problem-solve. The school improvement team usually meets during the school day, which results in sub plan writing and grading happening after school hours.
Grading
(insert dance grading photo)
Professional Development
Planning
(insert dance planning photo)
