I haven't written much on this blog in the past few years. Of course, part of that is the pandemic, sucking a lot of the energy out of me after I spent most of it trying to educate young adults. But another part is maybe a lack of desire or seeing a benefit of what I write, for me or for the world around me. I would like to change that mindset and get back into reading and writing about education policy.
I am not sure how much longer I will stay in the classroom. Certainly, the past two years of pandemic teaching have not been the best for me (nor many other teachers out there). But I still try to do my best every day. I think I am realizing the gap between what I am able to do and what needs to be done is widening. Even with the extra money coming in from the state and federal government to try to assuage the issues of 'learning loss' or whatever you want to call it, it is not enough. Or, maybe it is not being used in the correct way.
In any case, I am getting less joy and meaning out of working in the classroom than I used to. And before I become that jaded old white teacher who is only in the room for the paycheck, I want to reinvigorate myself.
When I began teaching 13 years ago I said that I did it because I wanted to make a difference in the lives of young adults. I still feel that to be true but maybe the time has come for me to shift where I do so. A lot of the gripes I have about what happens in my classroom come from higher than I can influence in my current position. It is people making education policy, negotiating budgets, and generally making decisions without teachers present to offer our critique. It might be time for me to enter into those ranks and influence things in a positive way.
One of the first things I want to do is begin writing on this blog again. I want to read about education policy, the history of math teaching, current trends in computer science pedagogy, and more. My plan is to get back into the swing of writing about what I am passionate about and maybe that will get my engine revving again. We shall see.
I am not sure how much longer I will stay in the classroom. Certainly, the past two years of pandemic teaching have not been the best for me (nor many other teachers out there). But I still try to do my best every day. I think I am realizing the gap between what I am able to do and what needs to be done is widening. Even with the extra money coming in from the state and federal government to try to assuage the issues of 'learning loss' or whatever you want to call it, it is not enough. Or, maybe it is not being used in the correct way.
In any case, I am getting less joy and meaning out of working in the classroom than I used to. And before I become that jaded old white teacher who is only in the room for the paycheck, I want to reinvigorate myself.
When I began teaching 13 years ago I said that I did it because I wanted to make a difference in the lives of young adults. I still feel that to be true but maybe the time has come for me to shift where I do so. A lot of the gripes I have about what happens in my classroom come from higher than I can influence in my current position. It is people making education policy, negotiating budgets, and generally making decisions without teachers present to offer our critique. It might be time for me to enter into those ranks and influence things in a positive way.
One of the first things I want to do is begin writing on this blog again. I want to read about education policy, the history of math teaching, current trends in computer science pedagogy, and more. My plan is to get back into the swing of writing about what I am passionate about and maybe that will get my engine revving again. We shall see.
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