Many teachers from my childhood (yes, I had television “back then”, and no, I didn’t walk ten miles in the snow to get to school), made me work for such privileged information about themselves. They doled out small tidbits about their pet peeves, expectations, likes/dislikes, etc. over time like the way a child rations out Halloween candy: hiding it in sock drawers and slowly making it last until April. I remember finally learning one cold and dreadfully long winter day in January that my sixth grade teacher had a son who was my age. I was astounded! Mrs. Jones was a mother of all things! It seemed inconceivable to me at the time and then made me view her slightly differently once I got over the shock. I gave her a little more credit I think. She had one of us at home: she got it...or at least she probably understood us a little more than I had given her credit for previously. The point is, I think it’s important to know certain qualities about your teachers in advance and not have to try to read between the lines or learn through trial by fire throughout the year.
First things first, it’s always helpful to know the basics. My husband, son, and I live in Attleboro. I moved here just over a year ago though, so I'm still learning the town. My oldest son, Tristan, will be five years old soon and is the cutest, smartest four year old in existence. I’m certain I have no biases! (If you aren’t sure what “bias” is, don’t worry, you’ll learn all about it during our argumentative writing unit this year.) Our youngest is Cayden, and he turned one this past July. Cayden, knock on wood, rarely cries and loves to laugh. Next, for a mysterious reason that has yet to be solved, students are always curious about how old their teachers are, so I’m willing to clear it up before any guessing games with complicated rules are created: I'm 31, and my birthday always falls conveniently during February break, so I have never been to school/work on my birthday.
This is my tenth year teaching English Language Arts. I’ve taught sixth grade English, Humanities, and World Geography, as well as year-round seventh grade English. I also taught English as a Second Language in grades five through 12. I teach English primarily because I love writing, especially fiction, and because getting drawn into the fictional world of a great book is always better if you have someone else to discuss it with you. There is also a part of me that will be a middle school kid no matter how old I get. For that reason, I find it is a perfect fit for me to work as a middle school teacher.
The qualities that I value most in the world are honesty, respect, and selflessness. Obviously, there are other valuable qualities that I have left out, but I think it tells you quite a bit about a person to know his or her “top three”. From that list, it’s easy to see that honesty is the best policy in my class- don’t lie about doing your homework but leaving it at home or tell me that you told your parents about a grade but they forgot to sign it. I would rather you tell me the truth and have us work out a solution together than to find out later (which always happens- remember, this is my tenth year- I’ve seen it all before!). The next quality on the list is respect. I want to clarify this one. Often students assume that means respect the teacher. While that is true, it is not all I value. I’ll expect that you show your classmates, our classroom property, and our lesson the same respect you show me. You can expect to see that same respect given back to you from me. We’ll go over more about what this looks like as the year goes on. The last quality on my top three countdown is selflessness. This isn't one that people talk about often. Selflessness is the antonym (opposite word) for selfishness. You can probably tell then that I expect you to put others first when you are conducting yourself in our classroom. Putting others first affects many choices we make on a daily basis, including even the volume at which we speak when in a classroom. This is something that we’ll talk about more though as the year goes on too, so don’t worry if this term is still new to you.
This last section is one that I like to call “the inside scoop”. In this paragraph, I’ll tell you about feedback that most students have given me over the past nine years. I’ll trust that those kids are correct and pass their knowledge onto you. Here it goes: I am very patient. It is my strength. Therefore, if you don’t understand something, please ask. I will never be annoyed about going back or starting over to make sure that you comprehend what we’re learning. Also, don’t wait for me to shout as your signal that the class has done something wrong. It won’t happen. I’m not a shouter. You will know when behavior is not what is expected, because I will tell you. It keeps things simple. Next, I don’t lend pencils. This seems like a simple thing, and you’re probably wondering why I've bothered to include it. The reason is this: if you respect learning, you come prepared to learn. If you are prepared to learn about writing, you have something to write with. Lastly, I like silly jokes and corny cartoons. There will probably be a cartoon on materials you receive from me: there is no obligation to laugh, but do see if you can figure out how it connects to what we’re studying!
Take this information and use it to help you be the most successful student you can be in our classroom. I’ll be here with you this year trying to help you accomplish that goal: it’s our number one priority!
First things first, it’s always helpful to know the basics. My husband, son, and I live in Attleboro. I moved here just over a year ago though, so I'm still learning the town. My oldest son, Tristan, will be five years old soon and is the cutest, smartest four year old in existence. I’m certain I have no biases! (If you aren’t sure what “bias” is, don’t worry, you’ll learn all about it during our argumentative writing unit this year.) Our youngest is Cayden, and he turned one this past July. Cayden, knock on wood, rarely cries and loves to laugh. Next, for a mysterious reason that has yet to be solved, students are always curious about how old their teachers are, so I’m willing to clear it up before any guessing games with complicated rules are created: I'm 31, and my birthday always falls conveniently during February break, so I have never been to school/work on my birthday.
This is my tenth year teaching English Language Arts. I’ve taught sixth grade English, Humanities, and World Geography, as well as year-round seventh grade English. I also taught English as a Second Language in grades five through 12. I teach English primarily because I love writing, especially fiction, and because getting drawn into the fictional world of a great book is always better if you have someone else to discuss it with you. There is also a part of me that will be a middle school kid no matter how old I get. For that reason, I find it is a perfect fit for me to work as a middle school teacher.
The qualities that I value most in the world are honesty, respect, and selflessness. Obviously, there are other valuable qualities that I have left out, but I think it tells you quite a bit about a person to know his or her “top three”. From that list, it’s easy to see that honesty is the best policy in my class- don’t lie about doing your homework but leaving it at home or tell me that you told your parents about a grade but they forgot to sign it. I would rather you tell me the truth and have us work out a solution together than to find out later (which always happens- remember, this is my tenth year- I’ve seen it all before!). The next quality on the list is respect. I want to clarify this one. Often students assume that means respect the teacher. While that is true, it is not all I value. I’ll expect that you show your classmates, our classroom property, and our lesson the same respect you show me. You can expect to see that same respect given back to you from me. We’ll go over more about what this looks like as the year goes on. The last quality on my top three countdown is selflessness. This isn't one that people talk about often. Selflessness is the antonym (opposite word) for selfishness. You can probably tell then that I expect you to put others first when you are conducting yourself in our classroom. Putting others first affects many choices we make on a daily basis, including even the volume at which we speak when in a classroom. This is something that we’ll talk about more though as the year goes on too, so don’t worry if this term is still new to you.
This last section is one that I like to call “the inside scoop”. In this paragraph, I’ll tell you about feedback that most students have given me over the past nine years. I’ll trust that those kids are correct and pass their knowledge onto you. Here it goes: I am very patient. It is my strength. Therefore, if you don’t understand something, please ask. I will never be annoyed about going back or starting over to make sure that you comprehend what we’re learning. Also, don’t wait for me to shout as your signal that the class has done something wrong. It won’t happen. I’m not a shouter. You will know when behavior is not what is expected, because I will tell you. It keeps things simple. Next, I don’t lend pencils. This seems like a simple thing, and you’re probably wondering why I've bothered to include it. The reason is this: if you respect learning, you come prepared to learn. If you are prepared to learn about writing, you have something to write with. Lastly, I like silly jokes and corny cartoons. There will probably be a cartoon on materials you receive from me: there is no obligation to laugh, but do see if you can figure out how it connects to what we’re studying!
Take this information and use it to help you be the most successful student you can be in our classroom. I’ll be here with you this year trying to help you accomplish that goal: it’s our number one priority!