The excitement of the New

It is almost that time of year again. School will soon begin. Yes, I'm a nerd but I love it. I am so excited to move into my new classroom, meet my new students and work hard to earn their trust. I desperately want to push them, and myself, harder than I ever have before to ensure that real learning is going on each and every day.

Last year was as bit of a learning year for me. I religiously followed a rather uninspiring book in order to be on the same page as the other teachers in the department. As such, I let my students down. I did not adhere to pushing them to learn all the extra standards that go along with the Tech Ed standards. By this, I mean that I didn't really push them to do all the content standards that presents valid opportunities to truly think and not just merely click. I guess my main thing is that this year I want to push them at least to do the English content standards that the state has decided to include as a part of the CTE standards for Information Technology. Considering my background, I don't really have any valid reason why not to do this.

I also really look forward to meeting the other members of my department, and working together with them to make the department strong. I know that they have far more experience than I do in this area and I hope that they will share successful strategies and projects with me. I also hope to quickly learn the new culture of Colony High and to positively add to it in any way that I can.

Well, it is getting late and I stayed up ridiculously late last night starting with all this blogging stuff, so I suppose I really should try to get some rest. Tomorrow, we are going to visit Bonnie's Grandpa George in Sacramento. It should be a fun week away.

It's all about purpose.

I firmly believe that "men are that they might have joy." What then gives us joy? That is the ultimate question to each person must ask himself. It is as crucial to know the answer to this question as it is to keep on breathing. Otherwise we find ourselves lost, adrift, alone within the walls of our own mind. We wander, flitting from one occupation to another, never finding the solace that we seek.

Lately, I have found myself at a crossroads. When the school year is in motion, I am happy. I am focused on doing my task as a teacher. Interacting with the students gives me a great deal of joy. However, this summer as we have struggled financially to make ends meet, as we have tried desperately to find additional work to bring in additional income, as I have found myself repeatedly wondering how much value do I have, it has been hard.

So, it is with renewed vigor that I attempt to leap back into my real calling. I am a teacher. I must do a better job, in order to not only provide a better education for the students, but in order to enlighten my own mind. I have gone back to standards and spent a great deal of time looking at what the state requires for information technology. The CTE standards are demanding. They involve huge section of economic standards, some mass, so science, some history, and a huge section of English.

As an English teacher. I am obviously excited about the latter standards. It includes a lot of writing, reading, and oral presentations. I guess my only real concern, is working effectively with the new members of my department. I dearly hope that they will find me agreeable and we can share ideas so that there is some degree of standardization with our efforts.

Well, it is rather late. I guess I should call it a night. I do hope that I can find some solace and meaning in this blog and it is not a complete waste of time.