Not Everything Is An Assignment

Evaluating visual literacy and presentation styles and/or effectiveness is a little bit different for me as a teacher. I am the "weird" science teacher according to my colleagues. I often get the remark, "How are you a science teacher?" due to my extrovert tendencies and involvement in the arts. I am a rarity for sure - An academic "nerd" who digs math and science who also thrives in visual and performing arts. In my "other life", I am the co-director for the drama program at the high school and have been involved in acting, directing, scenic, costume, and prop design for the last 20+ years. So, I have a different lens when it comes to presentation styles. I also can't escape evaluating ANY type of presentation. It is difficult for me to see a presentation and not critique the format - it can make focusing on the topic nearly impossible at times. We were challenged to find a TEDed and evaluate it and how we could incorporate in...

I am lost in the woods. Or wandering, maybe? I haven't decided. I think I WANT to be wandering, but I'm really lost. I let life get the best of me. With holidays, and "breaks", and kids' recitals, I forgot to pay attention to trying to grow. All of the cool things I've started because of this journey, sort of began to float off into space. It's time to refocus, prioritize, simplify, and then implement. Gah! Where to start?! It's like leaving the dishes so you can play Uno with your kids, but every time you turn around there are TWICE as many dishes as the last time you looked. Focus. Prioritize. Anatomy - What do I want them to know? I'm planning to give them the last 3-6 weeks to do an individual project. I need to develop a reference page for them, a way to set short-term goals and reflect. Biology - This new curriculum is still awesome - but still emotional. I truly feel like I'm on a journey through the woods where I thin...