sutton007

Fisher School Reunion #2 (Dec. 2014) Another year is just about on the books, but it wouldn't have been complete without our "2nd Fisher School Reunion."   (Read about the FIRST Fisher School Reunion here !) Gathering in the auditorium of the actual school , more than 60 former classmates and teachers joined in an evening of celebration of the 'wonder years'!  The 'wonder years' could be described as the days between 1971 - 1981 when a group of talented, highly-motivated,  highly engaging, creative and caring teachers collaborated together which inevitably created long-lasting memories. Visiting their Grade 6 Classroom One of the highlights of the evening included a tour of the building.   What a sight it was to see as these long-ago students and teachers found their former classrooms.  Many more stories came spilling out as they lingered in the doorways or sat in the small classroom chairs chatting about events like how the walls between classrooms would...

We all know the first day of school is special no matter what! But this first day was extra special - for the teacher! Each year before our students return to school, the teachers and staff from our district gather one morning for a "Welcome Back" meeting .  Here, we learn about new initiatives, professional development opportunities as well as what transpired during the summer in the area of research & development. Besides catching up with fellow educators we haven't seen for a while, my favorite parts of the meeting include recognizing the New staff (who are asked to stand and be welcomed) and celebrating those educators who have been servicing students for 25 years. This year was a little more exciting than others as this year is MY twenty-fifth year of teaching (as well as about 6 other colleagues!) During the summer I received a letter from the Superintendent of Schools asking if I preferred to be recognized privately or at the meeting.  Anyone who knows me, ...

There are all kinds of opinions out there about using Social Media with your students.  The Case for Social Media in Schools is one example by someone who has outlined very valid reasons to use sites like Facebook, Edmodo & Edublogs in the classroom.  Here is a post about the recent Missouri Facebook Law which "limits teacher-student interaction online".      My post really doesn't address the above thoughts except that it IS about teachers and students interacting online via Facebook! Back in the beginning of July I received a Facebook invite from one of my 6th grade teachers ...okay, well, one of my former sixth grade teachers.  He and another one of my former 6th grade teachers, decided to start a Facebook group for those who belonged to our little neighborhood school from the years between 1971 - 1981 (I'm sure I'm dating myself NOW!). Little by little the group started growing.   In just a short month over 180 now adult, former s...