Ready or Not
Hanne Denney was a third year special education teacher at Arundel High School in Gambrills, Maryland. A career changer who entered the profession through an alternative-certification program, she’s an older “new” teacher trying to bring relevance and rigor to her classes by tirelessly seeking wisdom as an educator. Hanne shared her perspective and ideas in this opinion blog. This blog is no longer being updated, but you can continue to explore these issues on edweek.org by visiting our related topic pages: new teachers.
Education
Opinion
Community Development
Community Development
When I was a kid, I spent summer exploring my suburban neighborhood. My friends and I migrated as a herd from house to house, yard to yard, woods to river to library to pool. No matter where we went, mothers made food for us and fathers set up backyard games. In the summer I became a better bike rider, a stronger swimmer, a more creative artist, a practiced game player, a knowledgeable naturalist, and an experienced reader. That is really how it was in my neighborhood. I’m not making it up. Kids went home at the end of the day tired and eager for tomorrow. That’s community. Summer was great.
When I was a kid, I spent summer exploring my suburban neighborhood. My friends and I migrated as a herd from house to house, yard to yard, woods to river to library to pool. No matter where we went, mothers made food for us and fathers set up backyard games. In the summer I became a better bike rider, a stronger swimmer, a more creative artist, a practiced game player, a knowledgeable naturalist, and an experienced reader. That is really how it was in my neighborhood. I’m not making it up. Kids went home at the end of the day tired and eager for tomorrow. That’s community. Summer was great.
Education
Opinion
Answering the Call
I want to continue the conversation about opportunity. I’m at a point when I have to weigh opportunities carefully and consider how I want to spend the rest of my life. I am already 47. If I plan my life out, I see myself in the school setting (as a teacher or administrator) for the next 20 years. While teaching and administrating, I’ll continue to develop my abilities as an adult trainer/educator, and spend another 10 years or so at the university level giving encouragement and wisdom to hundreds of young teachers. By 77 I want to stop, take a few breaths, and finish those couples of novels I’ve got in my head while sitting in the mountain cabin I’ve finally earned enough to purchase. Thanks to my career change to education, this picture is possible, even realistic. I have this opportunity, and I am grateful.
Education
Opinion
Opportunity Calling
When an opportunity arises we have three choices: jump at the chance, delay making a decision, or saying “No thanks”. I am one of those people who tends to procrastinate when making decisions. But after two years of teaching, where there is never a moment to spare, I have learned to jump at every opportunity. There’s no time to procrastinate.
Education
Opinion
Next Up
Now I’m off to the beach for a week. I hope you are sitting on some sand somewhere, even if it’s just in your mind. Now I understand why teachers need the summer off. Until you do it, you don’t know how hard teachers work, and how teachers keep pushing and pushing beyond exhaustion. We need some beach time to recuperate. We need some sleep.
Education
Opinion
Celebrations and Sorrows
I am celebrating because I received my Master’s Degree, Leadership in Teaching, from the College of Notre Dame of Maryland. I have now been teaching for almost two years. I’ve gone from spending my days with preschoolers exploring songs and science to discussing the European Renaissance with teenagers. It has been an exhilarating, challenging, and exhausting two years. I am feeling relieved to have made it this far. I am feeling uplifted by the experience. I am feeling like a teacher.
Education
Opinion
Who's Your Mommy?
On Monday I gave the best lecture ever to my students. I’m calling it the “Mother’s Day Speech” from now on. I had them trembling, cowed, even a little afraid of me. Here’s what happened:
Education
Opinion
Play Ball
I am so happy spring is here, and I’m energetic again. So much so that I am already looking ahead to next year. After some serious thought, I decided to stay at my current school. I really like it, and I appreciate the administrative support I receive at Arundel High School. I want to stay on the team for another season. Plus by next year our air conditioning system should be functional. Why leave as soon as the construction is complete?
Education
Opinion
I am Tired
I am tired. It’s March. Students are bored and teachers can’t yet see how we’re going to reach the final goal. I’m behind on my grading, and my planning, and my meeting preparation. I’m behind on my sleep.
Education
Opinion
Interim Report
It is “interim report” time, so I have to evaluate if my students have made progress the first half of the quarter. The process lets the students (and their parents) know if they are in danger of failing, or are making satisfactory progress.
Education
Opinion
Collecting
I can’t help myself, I’m a collector. I don’t buy “collectibles”. But I am a bit of an archaeologist, always looking at the ground to see what might be lying there. I’m a collector because I like to find things.
Education
Opinion
Pacing Myself
In my last entry I wrote as an English teacher about testing. Now I’m writing as a Social Studies teacher. I am both. I’ve got to talk now about Pacing Guides. I don’t know if there are any school systems NOT using pacing guides, but let me explain just in case. A pacing guide outlines the entire curriculum on a day-by-day basis. For example, on days 3 and 4 of the US History pacing guide for second semester, for example, my class should be learning the Economic, Political and Social Impact of World War II. We (I work with a co-teacher) have two days this week to teach mobilization; rationing; civil and economic equality; the changing role of women; the impact of minority migration to cities; the US response to the Holocaust, and the forced migration of minority groups to internment camps. I’m serious. Two days on the block schedule is 172 minutes. Of course the fire drill we have scheduled for Wednesday will take 20 minutes. After we teach this information, we’ll spend three days teaching the military strategies and turning points of World War II. There are seven days’ total allotted for the World War II unit. I can do that. If I push it.
Education
Opinion
Teaching and Testing
I have tested and been tested. Last week was final exam week for the first semester, and I tested over 100 students in four different subjects. Some of the exams were specific to my students, meaning I wrote the exams. Other exams were taken by all students taking that class, with some modifications for level of ability. One test, the English 9 Assessment, was given to all ninth graders in our county. It’s that last one that troubles me. You could say I’m “testy” about it.
Education
Opinion
Preparation, Practice, Praise = Purpose
It’s almost semester exam time. Each student in each class will take a two-hour cumulative exam. This exam will weigh in at 20% of the semester grade. It counts a lot. Students are getting nervous, teachers are getting nervous, and apparently the copiers are getting very nervous because none of them are working.
Education
Opinion
Village Elders
When a new college graduate presents his credentials as a teacher, he shows a bright diploma still wet from the presses. His mind is full of education theory, teaching methodologies, and student teaching experience. All very good credentials. When a career-changer presents her diploma, it’s wrinkled and a bit faded – hard to tell what the study track was. Her experience is not in front of the classroom, but may be in front of corporate leaders, media representatives, work crews, or customers. She may not have been “in front of” anyone at all, but may have worked at home coordinating a team around the world through a networked computer, or writing freelance stories. She may have been the salesman, the professional, the reliable worker with a degree which turned out to be in a field she didn’t really want to be in.