Big Dirty Secrets

Can't sleep.
I've been brainstorming, researching, taking notes and (theoretically) improving my practice all week. I am an Ideator. I'm just not always an Implementer. This is my big dirty teacher secret. If I implemented a fraction of my kick-ass ideas, I would be Queen of the World.

When the teachers from SPPS came back from Winter Break, we were greeted with a letter from the Superintendent. In it, she said that since this was the midway point in the year, it was time for us to make course corrections if we weren't getting the results we wanted and it was time to re-frame obstacles into opportunities. This really spoke to me. I decided to get out of the self-feeding spiral of whining-wishing-lamenting and get on with getting on. I gave my co-worker a silver bar at Christmas with the following message inscribed on it: Change your attitude and you change your world. I decided I needed an attitude change. And ever since that day, I have been happier at work. It's funny how the job is no different today than it was 2 months ago--absolutely nothing has changed but my attitude---and I feel the difference every day. It's not the "ahhhhh, I'm HOME" feeling of my old school, but it IS less hectic than my old school.

Getting back to my sleeplessness:
I am SO EXCITED to use both differentiation and UDL/technology in my teaching but I need a consistent place in which to do it. This means that I need to glom onto some nice teacher who has a room and access to technology (because we all know that this isn't going to happen for me). This also means that, since I'm a bit of a control freak, that I need a team teacher who will kind of let me do whatever I want. I am already planning who. And I am already planning when (starting in the fall when we go to a 7-period day instead of a 4-period day). I know it will be hard. But I can't wait to see some of my kids more engaged in their learning. I also am thinking about writing my IEPs so that I see kids each day in a class or 2, but only for 1 or 2 quarters a year. Although that doesn't seem "right" at first blush, it will actually be WAAAAY more therapy time for them. And I can check for carryover of strategies. And I can bring more differentiation and technology in if I am there each day. These ideas mean that I also will have to get my way with scheduling, but I think I can do it.....

Reframing obstacles into opportunities. Thanks, VS. I needed that.