This is my third weekend of the 2013-2014 school year and I
am using my two days away from the building to start this blog. I started
teaching 6 years ago and have told myself every year that I would write a blog
that is both a reflection of my classroom and my teaching, as well as a place
to engage others in the most relevant topics in education. Perhaps it took 5
years for me to find the time to start such a project or perhaps it took such a
school year to find the inspiration to open the dialogue here in New York City.
For
those of you unfamiliar with New York City’s education system, this year marks
the start of the full implementation of the Common Core State Standards and the
testing based on them, as well as a brand new teacher evaluation system,
Advance, which heavily relies on student assessments to rate teachers. Additionally,
New Yorkers will be heading to the polls in November to elect a new mayor after
12 years with Michael Bloomberg as the head of the education system. There are
a lot of changes being made at once and the stakes are high for teachers.
Please
stop by Hey, Teach! to learn more about those changes and to hear how one
Brooklyn teacher is adjusting to all of it.
-Teach
