Here goes nothing...

My very first post. Ever.

I have always considered creating a blog. There are so many reasons for me to start.

1--I think this takes me out of my comfort zone a bit. I, of course, share frequently within my school district and with colleagues, but sharing to a broader audience seems scary...hopefully it's not!

2--I have always loved to write. Writing was something my mother thought I would do. "Become a journalist" she would say. I didn't listen. I wouldn't listen. I became a teacher. But I still love to write. So maybe this can be my writing outlet and help others along the way!

3--I wanted to try something new. I have been in education for 16 years. I read blogs often and have always thought "maybe I should try that". But then something would hold me back. Grad school, my own children, just being busy. Not that I am less busy, but I think I am ready to give it a try.

4--This is a turbulent time for public education. In the blink of an eye, instructional programming went from in-person, sure we use technology some to google meets, asynchronous learning modules, and parent-child remote learning. I will not call it homeschool...homeschool is a thing that people decide to do. There is a plan in place, there is an adult willing to facilitate instruction, there is structure. For the most part, that is NOT what is happening in homes as parents continue to work full-time jobs at home, siblings are home unable to attend daycare, people are sick, people are dying. So maybe this blog can help to open up some ideas for teachers and leaders in education.

I am a district literacy coach in Baltimore, Maryland. During my 16 years in education, I have worked as a Reading Specialist, Special Educator and STEM teacher. I also spent six year as a general educator. I just finished my second Masters degree in Administration and Special Education. I'm married and have two daughters. They normally keep me incredibly busy with sports and activities. They both play lacrosse, swim competitively and my youngest cheers for an allstar cheer program. 

I have spent much of my career investigating literacy practices because I love reading and teaching struggling readers to read. I was a struggling reader as a child.  In my position, I have learned to love coaching teachers and continually learning about reading instruction and new strategies. Do you have a literacy coach at your school? Unfortunately, there is no longer a coach for every school. In my position, I work with both reading specialists and instructional coaches, as well as teachers, to support various initiatives and goals for literacy instruction.

I hope to create a blog that inspires you to love learning, reading and creating. So that leads me to my first "official post". Our students will be finishing the 2019-2020 school year on June 19th. Since we are unsure about how school will be next year, my office will be starting to plan for instruction both remotely and in-person once the year ends. Although summer is nearly here, I think this summer will feel incredibly different than any other. I have loved my slow mornings drinking coffee in my pjs, walking down to my make-shift office in the morning and getting to help my own children with their remote learning tasks. But I will be honest...I am anxious about next year. The unknown is hard for me and I truly miss my colleagues. A team meeting is far from an actual planning session.

With that being said, I hope you are all ready to begin the summer with an open-mind and a willingness to learn. I have several books on my list to read this summer to help with just that. My very first is Stamped by Jason Reynolds and Ibram X. Kendi. Some other professional books I have on my list are The Joyful Teacher and The Essential Guide for Student Centered Coaching.