Over the past month I have been talking on the phone with my parents, venting to my husband, brainstorming with my PLN and doing a lot of worrying about where my career path was heading. The night before an interview I called my mom (who is a 6th grade teacher) to get advice and just share my thoughts/emotions/worries and she cut me off and said...


I was absolutely shocked. My mother The Queen of Worrying told her little Worrying Mentee to pull it together and stop worrying. From that moment on I have changed my mindset.


As this year closes out I just can't seem to find a clear ending as being a 5th grade classroom teacher and a clear start for my new position (Elementary Technology Coach). But honestly I am okay with it, the last thing I want is crying in front of my students on the last day of school and then walking into a new position on the following Monday. I am in a transition period and I am trying my hardest to do it gracefully (which if you know me... that's a difficult task).

My three years in the classroom have been incredible. I have had an amazing team with me and I have built relationships and friendships that are one of a kind. I have learned more about math and science than I did in all my years of school. I found out that I adore watching a student laugh, I love to hear them sing, I loathe to hear them complain or say "I don't get it" and I am envious of a 5th graders fearlessness. I wish I would have used more technology in my first 2 years and I also wish I would have let my students take more control. I will always be an educator and a learner.

I want to share my passion for learning with my peers and help them see the benefits of technology. Technology allows teachers and students to dig deeper into their learning process. My goal for myself and my district is that teachers and students become independent thinkers and problem solvers but also rely on their peers to support them.

I have recently accepted the position of Elementary Technology Coach in my district. I am extremely excited but also overcome with a plethora of emotions about leaving the classroom. I have slowly started to pack up (and give away) items in my classroom but I wanted to document what has worked for me as a 21st Century Teacher.

Towards the end of the school year I always see my students emerge as independent learners. I still have teaching/learning moments with my students but I love that my students are able to search for their own answers and learn from others too. As a reward for STAAR being over I created a few math lessons that works like a WebQuest. Below is an example of what I posted on my classroom website for students to complete.

Each one of my students have a pocket they use it for a couple of things: a. Store their headphones b. Keep their class shirt in safe place so it is not lost at home c. This where they put their phones on BYOD days