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Thank You for 20 Years.

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After 20 years of teaching at Brookfield Central, I am saying goodbye. Although I spent the majority of that time in the physics classroom alongside my learners. That changed for my last 18 weeks. I ended up in a place similar to where I started, teaching chemistry and biology. So, rather than dealing with juniors and seniors at the end of their high school careers, I was in classrooms with freshmen and sophomores still trying to find their place. At the same time, I was learning and teaching a set curriculum I hadn't taught in over a decade. So, we were learning. But, of course, I already knew the content.  The point of this post is to take a step back, take in, and share the gratitude from the last students I had in my 20 years at Brookfield Central High School through the cards and notes they made for me on my last day with them.  I don't take many yay me moments. But after 20 years, I think I'll soak this one in.
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Waves of Innovation in Elmbrook Part 2

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As I continue interviews for my graduate school project involving innovation in learning environments within my school district (find part 1 here), I was able to talk with three amazing educators at Brookfield East High School.  Again, I'll be short on the introductions to the videos because I want you to watch them.

Bill Kujawa was one of the first teachers in Elmbrook Schools to begin using technology as a lever for personalizing learning in the classroom. In this interview learn how he is able to personalize instruction in his classroom and the importance of skills based instruction for students.  Bill also speaks to how he can have students meet all the same learning targets as a traditional course but provide more context and deeper understanding.  



Molly Mathia and Lindsay Sayles embarked on a unique journey 2 years ago when they decided to merge their English 9 and World History courses into a single year-long cohort. In this interview, they explain why they undertook this challenge, how they were able to merge their curriculums, challenges they faced, and student successes. 




I'll be interviewing my last group of educators tomorrow. In addition, I'm excited to know that our district is recruiting a new cohort of educators to begin their journey into innovative practices this February.  I look forward to attend that meeting and see what is in store for Elmbrook Schools.

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