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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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A Night for Passions

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We had our Personal Learning Project Expo last night.  It was a wonderful way to celebrate all of the learning students did this past term related to their personal passions, many of which tied into the physics concepts we covered in class. Below is a Thinklink with some of the projects from the term. Take a peek at some of the highlights.








There's a lot to think about for next year.  I think still finding new ways to touch base with students during the process is key.  So, formalizing these conversations even more would be beneficial. I really liked incorporating Google Sites as a place for students to collect all of their materials. On their project page, they documented the entire process including:

  • Driving question
  • Pitch Video
  • Process Outline
  • Research with Sources
  • Project Log
  • Final Project
  • Reflections
The sites were not all well organized and this is something I need to model more. Also, I need to put a bit more thought into what is most informative and beneficial for the logging process. I want to make it informative but also reflective. In addition, I would like it each entry to help guide the next step(s) in the process rather than logging just being more of an afterthought. 

My co-teacher Andelee Espinosa is hoping to help make next year bigger and better.

In short, a great way to celebrate the year as a learning community of peers sharing our learning with each other and the community.

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