Back To the Classroom I Go!

I have been given this a lot of thought. I have gone back and forth and back and forth for about 2 years now.  Honestly, for the past eleven years it has been a battle to go or stay.  When I left the classroom to become a literacy and Science coach 11 years ago, it was something that I thought about doing, but never expected it would happen so soon.  A friend of mine, moved onto a district position and there was a position open in my school. I thought that it might have been something that I was interested in trying, but I thought I would have more time. I became a literacy/Science coach.  I worked for 4 years with teachers and students.  I put on numerous workshops, worked with teachers and students in classroom, organized and taught some very fun Saturday Science, Writing and Reading camps. I had a great crew to work along side. It was a complete blast.  Then a district position came open where I could work with both of my loves-Literacy and Science in the elementary and middle school realm.  I got to work with numerous campuses, put on district workshops, work with teachers and students in classrooms.  After a little of an adjustment period, I was thriving!  I loved it.  I had a great team to work with and I got to work with the world's best boss ever.  There were district cuts and then I moved onto a similar role where I am now.  I love working with the different campuses, my team, the teachers and students.  After attending Abydos Reading Week and becoming a Reading Week Trainer, along with attending the Abydos Literacy Institute and Grammar Week, I really had this urge to become more involved in the classroom. I also have so much to continue to try out and work on within the classroom on a day by day basis.  My heart has been torn because I absolutely love to work side by side teachers and campuses providing staff developments and any kind of support in the classroom, including planning and curriculum. I also have this gigantic desire to be more involved in the campus level and be more in the trenches. I want to be more, do more. What do I do?  How can I help teachers in staff developments, in the classroom and work with students on a daily basis?  I have decided that the classroom will be the best opportunity for me for the next school year.  I can work with my team, hold staff developments after school and possibly work on Saturdays.  At the same time, I can try out all of these wonderful strategies and get into deeper educational research. I am an avid reader of books, especially professional books. I read them with enthusiasm and sometimes I get to try things out in classrooms, but not the depth that I want to conduct my research. Now I have the opportunity to do so. I hope to be joining a fantabulous campus, team, with great leadership to boot!  I am so very excited about this decision to return and am making preparations for all the things that I want to do and accomplish with the my next class! Things are coming into focus and are clearer to me. I hope to solidify these plans in the next few months.

Books!  Books! Books!  Now I will be able to bring all of my books from home, from the trunk of my car and now into my classroom. I cannot wait!

I will continue this blog and try to post as much as possible about my work, research and reflections. In the years past, in the other blog (www.justwritebaby1.blogspot.com), most of my posts had to do with what I was researching with teachers and students in the classroom.  My reflection came directly from these experiences. That will continue, but on a more consistent basis.  I will post more later!