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Top 10 For New Teachers

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  Top 10 - For Those Just Beginning in This Most Beautiful Vocation The first day I walked into "my classroom" there was a rush of excitement and utter fear. I, at 23, was standing in a room with desks, a whiteboard, and a computer. Eleven years later, my classroom is my happy place. A room that will see all the feels and unlimited "moments".  I think all new starts are scary. I am sure all jobs are scary. But between the lack of preparation, and the intimidation of 60 eyes inherently judging you.... There really is nothing like that first year of teaching.  Perhaps resident surgeons, but still then you have someone ready to jump in if you... you know... mess up.  So, even though it is scary, you are so much more important than most people understand. Our profession needs you. It also needs you to care, to reflect, to be willing to make mistakes, and ultimately to act with love first. The "it" I am talking about. Well, it is referring to a profession on th...
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Introduction to Science Education (But...not just science)

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                                        Hot Take (as my students would say)  What should learning be? What matters most? How should we be engaging in the conversation as educators? Who says what used to be done is the 'right way'? Here are four things to consider.... 1. Relevance - kids need to find what they are learning interesting to really learn it. Teachers are often dictated by tradition - (but when I was in... back in my day...), standards, mandates, and frankly lazy curriculum. Now, of course there is value in traditions, but there should be conversations about which are the most critical things to hold on to and what can be let go. What are the trade-offs? Lose some of the 'classics' or 'original way to solve problems', and win student engagement in the topic.... Is that a net loss?  2. Flexibility - The constant battle between "cover the content" an...
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Top 10 Introduction

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  Top 10 Introduction Top 10 is one of my ideas for posing questions for those who love this most beautiful vocation... But have a lot of feelings about it as well! So this will be my first Top 10 and it will be Top 10 reasons why I love teaching.  1. The days are never the same. It is an interesting world. I have zero flexibility in my time. Both my physical presence and physical coffee need to be in a room at 8:00 every morning. Predictable. What is not predictable... pretty much everything else. This is good and bad I will say. Depending on your school, there may be more negative unpredictability than positive unpredictability. I transitioned from the former to the latter in my education experience. We can dive into that later though! 2. Nerd Alert! I LOVE science! I know 🤓 - but don't quit reading yet! At the end of the day, it is literally my job to learn about new science stuff. I get to google random science things all the time. During our Science Current Event present...
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Why it Matters?

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  Why write a blog on education post-ish COVID? Easy - I am Nicole, and I pick the most opportune times to do anything. Why not write a blog idealizing the vocation of education after: zoom teaching, mask-teaching, lock-down drills, standardized tests, lock-down drills, mental-health crises, teachers fleeing the profession... Does that not sound like an ideal time to you? - Truth is, some parts of this have been on my mind for years. But the fire, the ultimate timing of now? Because, the most beautiful vocation is in trouble. I think it is in large part because we need to rethink what it means to be in education. That is the conversation I would like to begin here. Yes, I want to share resources, and best practices, funny stories, and classroom management ideas.  I want to talk about it all. Literally nothing off-limits. You will not see me on Instagram creating some super cute classroom content. I did that once.  You will not see me idealize the profession. I did that on...
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Location: Chicago, IL, USA
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