One can see my yellow sneaker which was dressed early in anticipation of getting to the gym as a mid-day break into the monotony of grading. That never happened, however, because I was in a groove and I realized that feedback is a location for the real learning for the semester. I even adopted a rubric format to help assess what the course was after, but knowing my graduate students are going to be future teachers, I realize my patience and care with them will pay off with the 100s if not 1000s of students they teach. I also know that what they accomplish in this course will set them up for the work they will develop into next as they begin unit plans and step into student teaching.
Yesterday was a wash. It wasn't a wash with the grading, because I chiseled away at the task at hand, but it was a swamp as far as weather. It rained all day and the few times I let Glamis outside she came back inside drenched. I don't feel guilty about plopping on a couch all day, but around 3 I though I could use a long nap. Luckily, I overcame that feeling and kept on chugging along.
I thought a lot about Kelly Chandler-Olcott, however, as I was assessing these projects, because as a chair to my dissertation, she oversaw a project that once was 600 pages and she talked me down to a less severe document. I am amazed in retrospect that she had time for my writing, even as she oversaw a department as chair, kept up with her own research and publications, worked with other doctoral students, and TAUGHT. I'm in awe with any and all who can take on that responsibility in addition to the work I've grown to know in the academy. Although she was tough, she always offered me feedback with integrity and grace. I used that all day yesterday as I thought about the graduate students in my care.
Midway through the day, too, I reached out to colleagues simply to ask, "What if we all bring in one product from our end of the semester requirements, and talked with one another about what we're seeing, the objectives we aimed for, and ways we might adapt the assessment to meet incoming edTPA requirements?" Stressed, I'm sure they hated that request, but I was thinking it might benefit us all to reflect on our teaching and to think ahead to teaching next year (it's the Critical Friends Coach thing in me).And speaking of coaches...HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY. Teachers come and go in our worlds, but our mommy's are there through it all. They guide the entire path. Although I can't be in Central New York for a hug, a kiss, and a pat on the poo poo, I've been thinking about her all the time. Her love made my love for what I do possible. I am grateful.
Here she is doing a professional smile shot (trying to teach Dylan, the prom boy, how it is done). Classic shot. Classic love. Classic traditions. And such joy in watching her oversee a 2nd generation of proms. Where does the time go?
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