So here we are at the start of another summer....

.... and that brings so many thoughts back. Something about the last day of school/first day of vacation simply stirs memories. The summers of my childhood were so simple and so long. The neighborhood was filled with kids and we were allowed out all day and into early evening. Pleasures were simple: backyard pools; bike riding; trips to nearby playgrounds; catching lightning bugs.

As we got older, the games changed a bit but the fun remained. And many of the families took time away to go to the shore or the mountains. Luckily for me, my parents were seashore folks. A lifetime love with the ocean started early.

It took all day on a rainy Saturday to add a Prendie touch to the Bonner hallways.

What a surprise that not only did a forecast for a hurricane come true, it turned out to be a super storm! Many areas were without power for weeks. Our own neighborhood suffered in sections: part for the entire week; half for few days; then the part that kept power was out for a few days.

Our beloved shore took a lot of damage. South Jersey didn't do so badly compared to the shore towns farther north.

Coming back to this blog after a year's absence makes me feel that I haven't made much progress at all! Yet the year was certainly busy.

The school year started in less order than I prefer but we overcame: an messy move; crowded hallways; large classes; more demands; fewer resources.

Everyone talks about education and there are certainly enough experts around to offer opinions. But the lowly classroom teacher barely has time to sit and think and plan, let along fine time to evaluate and experiment. Too many bosses. Too many directives.

So why do I still love the job?

This picture doesn't have much to do with the topic, but it is related to work since I found it when I went to Panera's to ask for free food for the students. That Panera's in in a new shopping center and the Wiernermobile was there! What a laugh! I was actually laughing out loud. Guess that is one reason I do love the job - unexpected surprises that make you laugh!+

One of the best things about summer is time to explore. When we were kids, that meant lots of outside play time, inventing new games and playing old favorites. It meant time for reading the books we loved and there were plenty of series then. We grew up with Bobbsey Twins, Nancy Drew, Hardy Boys, Cherry Ames and Trixie Belden. (Does anyone remember that?). We stayed up a little later, as late as our parents allowed. We caught lightning bugs and put them in jars where the lids had had air holes punched out.

Some of us were able to talk to our friends from across a driveway or alley. We thought our parents didn't know, but they did; they just didn't mind. It was all so innocent.

Time for bike riding, maybe traveling a little farther than we were allowed. Such daring!

Exploring means different things now. New games to find online. New websites to explore. New ways to communicate with friends.

Better than the old days? Well, before too long these days will be the old days. Makes me smile.

I would write more but I have to go play Solitaire Blitz; catch up on Facebook; try a new game to see if I really want it; and check out the latest Tweets.

Happy summertime, no matter what you're doing with your time!

Teacher summers

One thing about most teachers: summers do not mean sitting on the napping and reading all day long. Many people still have the image of teachers working September through June and having weekend, night-times and "all summer" off. But the truth is far different. Ask any teacher of their family members.

Summer for me has meant taking more courses, finishing a degree, studying new fields, updating skilsl, teaching summer classes,  and, really - don't laugh - straightening out the mounds of paper from the year just finished (or just as often now - cleaning up computer files!). It has also meant scrambling to find a job that you have to leave on Labor Day - and those jobs are hard to find unless you are in a tourist destination.

Summer does bring a different pace, that's for sure. And there is some time to refresh. But there is also a lot of time spent on school work.

So this summer one project is beginning a new blog and figuring out how to best use it. Shall I make it my own and share with colleagues?

Or open this to my classes and invite their contributions.

Right now I am leaning towards keeping this for my own reflections and starting a new blog for each class. We'll use it for some class assignments, and there will be some required work. But after I am confident the students respect the blog format, I will open it for their original contributions: not just responding to my posts, but creating an original post and open to the comments of their classmates.

I did it for freshman theology classes and it worked out all right, although I always wanted to improve.  Next fall I should be teaching English again and I think blogging will easily lend itself to sharing ideas about what we are discussing, reading, working on in class. I also want to be brave enough to ask the students to evaluate our work when we reach the conclusion of a unit.

I know there are terrific possibilities. If anyone has any good ideas, please let me know.

BTW, if you have ever seen the poster that says "The three best reasons to teach - June, July, August!" remember that it's a joke, not a truth.

And thanks!

This summer I am taking another course and, as always happens, I find it is interesting to see that the latest thinking is  on education information, methods and materials. Right now I am reading a book called  Whole New Mind by Dan Pink and it summarized and explains in a very clear way the thoughts on Right brain thinking and Left brain thinking. As science discovers more information on how the brain works, the information will be used by educators to see if we are doing the best job we can for our students (and ourselves!).

The book also does a terrific job on summarizing how we used to teach and the purposes we were trying to achieve to what we need to accept as our goals now and, correspondingly, accept changes in our methods. No one recommends throwing out everything we did in the past, but we do need to rethink what and how we want out kids to learn if we intend to help them be successful in the century in which we live now.

Summer reflections

One of the things I love about the Internet world is how many new ideas and services are available. When I remember how things were in my own school days, how they were in my early teaching days, and how they are now, I am amazed at the pace of the changes. Three years ago I thought I was pretty savvy to start a blog for each of my classes and we did enjoy it. But it was lacking, I think, in what I really wanted to create. Now I am ready to try out the new look and invite the classes I will have this year to participate. As usual, we will learn together.