First of all, I am full of PRIDE. I am so proud of my students and all they have accomplished. It has been a great year at Riverside! My students learned the language of chemistry with words like stoichiometry, molarity, titration, and, everyone's favorite: stopcock. Our athletics and other extra-curriculars were incredibly successful by earning trips to state competitions and many other accolades. And, work has begun for the construction of our new school!
Secondly, I am full of excitement! This summer, I will have many opportunities to learn more about science and teaching (stay tuned). One of my favorite things about teaching is the ability to start over each year and try new techniques to improve student learning. During my eight years of teaching, no two years have been the same. Some of my ideas have been less than successful but overall my methods for instruction and assessment have completely changed.
Lastly, I am curious about the future. Growing up, I knew most of my greatest teachers spent 30+ years in the profession. I love getting to teach science but listening to the retirement speeches today made me wonder if I really could survive another 25 years of teaching. I approach teaching as a perfectionist who is an analytical thinker with a soft heart. That means I work for perfection, constantly analyze what more I can do to help all students be successful, and want students to learn science without hating it (or me...). If you're a teacher, you know that means I will never be completely successful...I dream of the impossible dream. I know my work is valuable but I also know it will never be enough. However, each year I get to influence the lives of ~100 students and they deserve all I can give them. They keep me going each year and they keep me young.
Here's to a summer full of sunny days and full nights of sleep! ~hink