You've Come a Long Way, Baby!

I'm a pretty reflective person. I guess that's obvious, given this blog and all, but I've been reminded again this week of the power of reflection.

I just completed two projects that required me to look at my classroom and my teaching, examining what I do and seeing how far I've come. One project looked at my teaching as a whole and one was more focused on my flipped classroom.

And I found the process...emotional. No kidding, I cried after the second project was finished.

I am NOT where I could be. There is more to learn, more to change. Way more than I care to think about.

But I am so far from where I started.

I'm thankful for all those who have contributed to and are a part of my growth. People in my building, district, community, and people all around the country. A few, even, around the world.

I ended this week with a renewed thankfulness for what I do. I love my job. It's hard, and it takes almost everything I have to give.

But it's who I am. My gift. My calling.

By the grace of God, I am thankful to be called a teacher.

Top Ten Posts - 2016

I'm not exactly sure a "Top Ten" is necessary when there are only 17 posts for the year, but I like looking back through the blog to see what people are reading.

10) Summer School Reflections - I feel called to teach summer school, but this one was pretty difficult.

9) Just Keep Swimming - A mid-grading period, mid-winter pep-talk (I have to do this on a regular basis, LOL).

8) #flipclass FlashBlog On Parents, Support, and Homework - I'm always thankful for the support I get from parents and my administration.

7) My Top Ten Posts of 2015 - Here's your opportunity to see older posts, if you're new to the blog. ;)

6) Improving the "Unit with Room for Improvement" - EVERY unit is a work in progress.

5) Trying to Find my Groove - The start of this school year was a bit challenging.

4) That's a Wrap...(but Always Planning) - A brain dump at the end of the school year.

3) End of Year Student Reflections and Evaluation - I love, love, love student reflections.

2) I Notice...I Wonder...The Pythagorean Theorem in 3D - One of my favorite lessons of the year, so far.

1) Innovation in my Classroom - It is still of goal of mine to see more innovation from myself and my students.

And I have to give a shout-out to the most popular post on the blog, to date:
Late Work - Changing my policy on late work - along with retakes/redos, and flipping my classroom - is one of the biggest and most beneficial transformations I've made in my classroom.

Here's to a blog-filled 2017!