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Back in the Saddle

Our first day back as teachers is next Monday, and as is always the case, it now feels like summer was a blur. I was busier than usual this summer, and looking back on all that I experienced, I feel the need to revisit, refresh, and reflect. 

 First of all, the Boise State Writing Project was incredible. I have a feeling that all other professional development opportunities post-BSWP will somehow be a letdown. It was an intense month of reading, writing, sharing, laughing, and crying (Crywhoopers for life!); all of which are things I have not been as in touch with as I would like to be. I like to joke and tell people that the BSWP was free therapy, but there's a lot of truth to that. The friendships made, both personal and professional, are invaluable. I learned so much about myself as a teacher and person with the help of my fellow Buzzwhoopers. I'm also really proud of the work that I produced in that month. 

 To be honest, after it was over, I immediately gave in to the exhaustion and hugged my bed and 
Netflix for a while. I totally shut down my brain, which probably wasn't the best thing to do because I lost the momentum. And here I am, on the edge of a new school year, and gearing back up has not been easy. 

 I met with two members of my writing group a few weeks ago, and that was a great help in refocusing. To help bring it back even more, I've been going through my portfolio and notes, and revisited the action steps I wrote at the end of the BSWP. They are as follows:
  1. Implementing a few BSWP routines into my ELA classes
  2. Focusing on improving and increasing the frequency of Socratic seminars in 12th ELA
  3. Moving to portfolio-based assessment in my ELA classes
  4. Incorporate more active listening practice and learning in my Speech class
  5. Working to increase the quality of my service-learning/PBL projects
  6. Continuing to read more and write more
  7. Helping spread the word about the Scholastic Writing Awards to schools in my area
  8. Being a thinking partner for the Dignity Initiative

This list still seems overwhelming when I think about the many different courses I teach. I'm always driven by the motivation to create quality content, which has proved to be no easy task with four preps on trimesters. I just have to keep repeating my mantra of "one trimester at a time", and that makes it less intimidating.

Right now, I'm reading Sir Ken Robinson's Creative Schools for our district's book study and love that the ideas are so inline with what the BSWP imprinted on me. I just hope we can find ways to navigate beyond traditional structures that are no longer working for our students. Small steps are the answer, and I need to focus on a few, effective changes to help make this year closer to our vision.

Whew! I'm back in the saddle, even if that saddle is a little more uncomfortable. Writing this helped me feel at least 10% more motivated! Here's to an energized 2015-2016 school year!

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