Direction: Write a six-word sentence, a mini-memoir, of your teacher life. Response: I'm always learning, can't help it. Teacher Magazine is asking teachers to participate in this project. If you haven't read the responses yet, you should. Read "The Short Happy Lives of Teachers", then add your own sentence. I think we're writing a poem of the teacher experience. It's an epic poem. This is my week of professional development for the summer. I'm attending the Maryland Artist/Teacher Institute (MATI). This week I have created a puppet and an artist book and several poems and a dance and a ...

I spent a year with middle school students. I taught an 8th grade science and social studies class first quarter then moved to a 7th grade language arts class. I also led a 6th grade advisory class all year. So I directly interacted with all three classes. Sixth grade entered in August like the elementary students they knew how to be. Excited about school, eager to begin, and respectful of teachers. The students came in wearing curiosity on their faces. Curiosity is a blessing for teachers. Eighth graders entered with the cockiness of upperclassmen. They knew the ropes, the administration's ...