Every Disney movie seems to have one or both of these messages: be true to yourself, and follow your dreams. As with all cliches, there's a grain of truth. I've been teaching a new course this year, my first year teaching in upper school in about 8 years. It's been quite an adjustment, hence the gaps between posts.
It's taken me some time to get used to the pace, since middle school, while not a leisurely pace, is certainly more circuitous. And in getting used to this new pace, new course, new division, I felt like I was starting to lose some of myself. A very wise person (one of my daughters) told me, "i think it's important that you stand by the integrity of your teaching/style...that is after all what got you hired in the first place and made you a hit with your students for many years." Wow. So I have rededicated myself. As a teacher (and a person), I'm the sum total of all my experiences. To somehow try to ignore or reverse that is pretty foolish. Be true.
