-
The Formative Years
Elementary student in rural AK, Eagle and Nanwalek back in the day. Had my parents as teachers. Became a third generation teacher! Now onward to the job fairs! -
Fall 1993 Last minute long term sub Noorvik
3 interview question, the last one being, "How soon can you be here?" Threw some clothes and food in a bag and took off. -
Kivalina
whew.. 28 year old trailer that had been on the Arctic coast for 28 years. Windows so scoured you couldn't see out of them, Crazy roomie. two beautiful little first graders in fist fight at the end of the first day.... BIG learning curve. Weathered in on the May flight home, got to help pull a whale in... BEST cultural moment ever. Who knew fresh muktuk tastes like mushrooms? -
Point Hope
another crazy roomie, who later imported her stalker boyfriend. This translates into spending my evening and weekend hours in my classroom working on preparation and planning. I'll never forget the abrupt ending to our class field trip to go sledding on the snowfence..... "Polar bear!!!! -
Period: to
Fairbanks
My most multicultural teaching experience, and a chance to teach 1st grade where I attended 1st grade! Four wonderful years of focusing on research based practices and refining my craft. -
Period: to
Moose Pass, Multiage Queen
K-2, then K-3 and eventually K-4. Magical times! Became a multiage master, embraced a very involved parental community, and enjoyed fabulous project based learning. Growing as a teacher leader, administrative experience of a sort -
My data love affair begins
Hello AIMSweb... failed PD leads me on a road to discovery. Took teacher leader role a bit further..... Also transfered into Seward. Less commute, more colleagues to learn from! -
Transitions....
Ahhhhh motherhood, good bye for now classroom. Look at me, I'm a consultant. I roam around rural AK torturing people with AIMSweb. Learned more about data on the fly than an entire college stats class! -
SSOS coach... My first day... meeting my colleagues.
I can't believe I got the job! Excitement mixed with a morning mocha, A resurrected "professional wardrobe", a room full of veteran coaches and alpha (I mean that as a compliment!) females, and people with WAY more experience than myself.... and a GIANT blue binder..... My head begins to spin, are they sure they hired the right person??? -
4 days of CC
GREAT stuff, but SO not me, very grueling, made me question and rethink many of my longstanding habits of mind, then made me question whether or not I even HAD habits of mind. Here is where I sort of begin to lose my sense of self. I focued TOO much on the set-asides. Autobiographical, Inquisitive & Solution thinking while listening detract from the role of coach. I was determined not to let any of the above interefere with my ability to coach using my new default. -
EED Training... now go be a coach.
So now that my brain is smooshy and I am really questioning my place in all this, Lexie gives us some useable takeaways and we talk logistics. Grasping the few tangible tools (Entry Conversation, Cycle of work and other TA goodies) I have the mental capacity left to understand, I head home to begin my new career... -
Entry Conversation Attempts
After a few days of mental recovery I attempt to connect with IL and do an entry conversation. After 7 unanswered email attempts and unanswered calls, we finally get to have a conversation on the phone, two minutes after my 4 and 6 year olds and I were seated at a restaurant for dinner. He flipped the conversation on my and proceded to do the entry conversation on me. It felt like an interview!!! -
I arrive for my first site visit.....
beautiful commute, repeated calls to site.... radio silence. My prearranged transportation to the school is a no show. Plane flies off and I'm alone on the strip. Just me and the bugs. Fourth call to school...success! Turns out I interrupted Fantasy Football Draft. Not a point in my favor.... -
Plan of Service Goals...a race around the room
So after ineffectually stalking him all week, I corner the IL so that we can collaborate on our plan of service goals. His type A personality manifests itself in physical activity. He began to pace around the room, weaving in and out of desks. Fresh from my Cognitive Coaching training, I attempt to mirror his movments to build rapport, which means we are soon wearing holes in the carpet as we carreen around the room together. -
Awkward Rollercoaster. site visit #2
lots of hand wringing and gnashing of teeth. Not really sure how to jump into this work. It's a bit like a sock-hop in JR High. Everyone eyeing each other, with no clear path of how to get this party started. I alternate between lurking and lingering, trying to establish rapport and work on goals. Lots of time on the balcony again this week, challenges: doors are closed (some locked), no PLC time, and staff seem to magically appear at exactly 8:50 and vanish at 3:30, IL continues to evade -
Site Visit #3 .....Don't tell anyone I'm wearing the consultant hat....
The third site visit is RTI implementation week. Progress Monitor here we go! A paraprofessional and I SLA nearly every kid in the entire school for R-CBM. At night I consume reams of paper as I prep probes for teachers to administer in class. Utter exhaustion, but certainly tangible progress. Capacity building yes, super sustainable... not so much. I feel guilt-ridden that Cognitive Coaching is not my default this week. SAI percolates as I return to skills and dabble in different roles -
The Barstool
RTI Conference with IL and AIL and a few adult beverages... discovered that the IL really appreciates me as a coach. The ellusiveness and one or two word email responses are just how he rolls. Much easier to mirror on a barstool, who knew?! We hold reflecting and planning conversations while pub crawling without the constant distraction knocking on the principals door. Cheers! -
Data... my comfort food
Kudos from the EED staff on Kotlik's data briefing, Data is the driver..... Tangible data displays (thanks Amy for the terminology!) really cause people to get their hands dirty and jump into the data! -
SOSS Coach year 2
What a difference a year makes. About half new staff, half returning. The opportunity to pick up where we left off and forge ahead... well maybe not totally. New accountability, new district initiative, new opportunities, new challenges. Kotlik flooded a day after I left, but 7 days later the Fabulous Falcon staff and students we back at it! -
A real Cognitive Coaching conversation! Unicorns do exist!!!
Using data and mediative questions, conducted an honest-to-goodness coaching converation, and it was magical. Data is so honest, comfortable and compelling. During my last site visit, the IL introduced me to the ASB as a "Bastion of Knowledge!" I'm googling for a T-Shirt! As my journey continues I'll internalize these wise words: "Already you know, that which you need." -Yoda "Look inside yourself Simba. You are more than what you've become." -Mufasa
You are not authorized to access this page.
