9 years in......

So I've had a number of blogs over the years, some are still active, some are long dead, but I've never thought to keep a blog about teaching. It seems that has escaped me even though I read teacher blogs like crazy. Hmmm...weird... anyway, I've had a bit of an epiphany these last couple of months (yes, I said months) and have decided to give this a try. I think it might be good to document some of this stuff. So let's begin.... I want to include a little background, I'll fill in details in future posts, but for now here are the bare facts. I decided at 48 that I wanted to be a teacher. Actually, we were considering moving from Hawaii to the mainland and I thought a teaching job would be more portable plus I had wanted to teach for a few years. So I went into a masters program. I was lucky enough to get hired for my student teaching at a private school. That in and of itself is whole other story, but I was glad to get hired and have a job. I worked there for 5 years teaching chemistry, 7th-grade pre-algebra, and marine science. It was a fun gig while it lasted and I made some good friends. Yeah, friends at that school is a different story too, I'll get into that one day. After 5 years, I decided it was time to move on. A friend was leaving a chemistry position at another private, Catholic school, so I applied and got that job. I was there 2 years teaching chemistry, honors chemistry, and AP chemistry. That school was worlds better than my previous school and I probably would have stayed there for a long time, but life had other plans. After only 2 years, we decided it was time to make the break for the mainland. Our 27 year run in Hawaii had been good, but it was time to move on. So I began looking for jobs on the mainland. I focused mostly on Arizona because I liked it and the cost of living is so low. After a couple of months, I landed a pretty sweet gig at a charter school. Last year. 2016-2017, was my first year there and it went okay. Okay. Therein lies the crux of the problem, it only went okay. When I started teaching I loved it. I had fun in the classroom and with the students and it was fun and exciting. Yes, a lot has happened in the intervening 8 years, but I want that passion, that excitement, that fun back. In January, I joined a program for teachers that help you prioritize work and develop systems so you are not working 80 zillion hours a week. That club helped a whole lot the 2nd semester. Then last week I went to an AP biology training and the teacher sparked something inside me. He was me when I first started. His attitude, his teaching style, everything, that was me. He's been doing it for 32 years and still loves it. Watching him got me to thinking about when I really enjoyed teaching. Also, it got me to thinking about when I really enjoyed teaching and my students did well. So, the moral of the story is, I'm going back to my style. I'm going to teach the way I want to teach and not the way someone else says I should. I'm going to be passionate about the subject - I freaking love science. I'm going to do what makes me happy, and if I'm happy and excited, the kids will be happy and excited. I read an article yesterday how teachers never view themselves as experts, either in their field or their content area. So I'm changing my attitude and everything else. I am the expert in my classroom. I know how to handle students. I know how to do my job. So now I'm going to act like it. This year will be devoted to getting back to my teaching roots (so to speak) and establishing a classroom culture that works for me. That will be part of this blog. I also want to documents the things I do. I do amazing things and then forget about them. So hopefully this will help me remember. Also, if somewhere along the line I can help another teacher out like others have helped me, so be it. This will be an interesting journey.