Escape?

Last week was a really rough one for me professionally and personally! I wanted to take a photo that reflected that, but struggled all week. As I was leaving on Friday, I stopped to capture the exit sign at the end of my hallway at school. This exit sign leads to the stairs that will get me the closest to where my car is parked. Sometimes I didn't know if I wanted to run towards it or away from it. As rough as school was, it seemed a whole lot easier than the outside world.

Let the Adventure Begin

Aren't they beautiful? Like a little gadget army ready to change the way I teach and the way the students learn. These cameras weren't easy to get, but I never gave up. Right now my eighth grade students are using them for their first challenge of the AFI curriculum: the Door Scene. 

The students are excited and frustrated at the same time as they work in teams to create their short work of art. I am facing new challenges with the adults in the building like, "Why are they out of your classroom?" and, "You trust THOSE students with that camera?" I am still not giving up!

What happened?

Life happened. I got so wrapped up in life that I was taking photos, but not adding them to my blog. The first photo is from Feb.4 when an unexpected snow storm blew in. I had a meeting in a place that normally takes me less than 30 minutes to get to took 3 hours on that day. It didn't help that I kept trying to take alternative routes that were worse than the one I was on when I took the picture. The second photo marks my first cold of the year. As bad as I felt during this almost two week period, I never took a day off from school. Does that make me dedicated or just dumb?

Technology is Messy

These headsets with mics are new this year after complaints from my students that they couldn't add their voice to the projects and my begging to the principal. I don't know how many times I have straightened up this bin, but it always gets messy because the headsets are used so often. Before I cleaned the bin AGAIN, I snapped this picture. I like it because it reminds me that technology is messy. Especially when you are playing with new tools. The computers may crash using MovieMaker, I may have to wait for another Animoto Education link, and I may even have to beg to get Flash updated on the computer lab's desktops, but I will keep moving forward. I know the mess is worth it.

Week Two

I took this photo from outside the classroom. To protect the computer lab, there is this metal grate covering the window. My school is the largest middle school in the district, but there is only one computer lab and it is dedicated to the class that I teach. When I look at this picture I wonder if the students feel trapped in my class or the metal grate keeps too many students out?

Week One

While I admire the 365 group Foto 52 seems more my pace. If I step outside my classroom there is a set of windows where you can look out on the courtyard. This book must have been thrown out one of these windows a couple of years ago and it is too far to rescue. I look at this book on my rough days because despite being left out in the cold it still holds on.