bogartscience

I have been told by a past Superintendent that I tend to "go rogue" and not follow by "the rules". In my own opinion I would say that I tend to push boundaries that need to be pushed (maybe also set those boundaries on fire and dance through them). I was recently selected as a finalist for Kern County Teacher of the Year, which means that I have the opportunity to apply to be the California Teacher of the Year, and if selected, could even be considered to be the National Teacher of the Year. It would be an absolute lie to say that I am not interested, invested, and hopeful of a win, but I may have just ruined my chance. I just can't help it. One of the essay questions asks about a "platform" that you would champion if selected as the National Teacher of the Year. Here is what I wrote: National Teacher of the Year The term “platform” can be construed as a directive, and I refuse to contribute to any directives towards teachers. We are already i

How to Get Away With Murder: Group Projects In Forensic Science I teach two class periods of a STEM based elective using curriculum from a national company and program. This program has become very popular and supported financially in my district, and it has a great reputation of being hands-on and activity, project, and problem-based. It truly is fun to teach.  I have found that some of the units in this curriculum rely on students completing worksheets, or following directions to perform a lab and filling in answers either on paper or electronically. I have made it my mission to be a worksheet-free classroom, so I have had to alter many lessons, while keeping true to the content, concepts, and major learning goals. I have also found, and my students have too, that all of the answers to the curriculum that this program provides is available if you Google it. Yes, well meaning teachers and students have created projects and presentations and plastered them online where they ar

The Grand Canyon - A Science Teacher's Perspective This Christmas vacation my husband, son, and I went on a camping trip into Arizona. Obviously, we had to go see the Grand Canyon, and were very excited to show our 9 year old son such an amazing place. My first (and last) trip to the Grand Canyon was as a college graduation gift from my husband when we were dating, in 2002. I remember thinking that the word "Grand" didn't convey the enormity of the space. My son and I were trying to invent new names for it, and could not think of any word that could quite capture the size. Ginormous....? I teach 8th grade Physical Science, and have, in the past, taught 7th grade Life Science, but I have not once taught 6th grade Earth Science. My school district has decided to keep the middle school science curriculum subject specific as we transition into NGSS, so I continue to teach Physical Science and not an integrated course. I tell you this because I do not have

I have been participating in the #oneword movement for the past three years. Focusing solely on one major theme has helped me to eliminate the clutter of new years resolutions, eliminate the stress of trying to redefine myself (New Year - New You!), and allows me to distill my my intentions into one category. It has done me well. In 2016 my word was BOLD, and I was. I was bold enough to leave my job at a school setting that was not right for me, and bold enough to ask for a transfer into a school that I love so much and is so professionally satisfying to me that it nullifies the commute. I was bold in my opinions, goals, outfits, and even lipstick choices. Yes, if there was a bold move to make, I made it. I think that by choosing the word BOLD, I was giving myself permission to be my bold self. In 2017 my word was LEAP, and I leaped into all sorts of things. I became a school board trustee for my local school district. I ran for and won a position on the board of directors for t