So I've been teacher-blogging for a few months, but as some new followers might be stopping by, a biographical introduction is certainly in order!
My name is Lesley and I live outside of Pittsburgh, my favorite city in the entire world, with Brussels, Paris, and San Diego all tying for second place. It was a rough roller-coaster of a year for my Steelers....sigh...pause for moment of silence... Now I'm happily cheering for anyone but the Patriots until the NFL closes out for the year and I gear up for the draft and training camp. I'll probably watch a few hockey games in the interim, as well, but I have horrible vision so it's a struggle to keep my eyes on the puck. #annoying.
Oh, and I also speak "hashtag." Sorry in advance!
Right now I am working to complete my MEd. after earning an English 7-12 teaching certificate at Pitt in 2009. I have taught in several districts since then, starting in 7th grade language arts, then up to 8th grade, and now I'm teaching 9th-12th graders in Argumentation and Debate as well as four sections of seniors in College Writing, which they take for college credit.
I really found myself able to finish the MEd. when I discovered the entire coursework would be online. I coach boys' high school soccer in the fall, which makes anything "extra" a little challenging, but being able to flexibly manage the work to fit my time schedule was what made it all possible.
That being said, I thrive upon the thrill of being busy. I have a journalism degree (in addition to my English degree), so I thoroughly enjoy working spontaneously and to deadline. (which tends to tie in nicely with the requirements of being a teacher!) Some other things that keep me busy are playing (not just coaching!) soccer, taking ballet classes, and running running running in preparation for the Pittsburgh half marathon in May. (Gah! Thirteen miles?!) Guilty pleasures include celebrity gossip, jetting off to Miami once a year with the girls, and this little Mexican joint in my hometown where the queso is to DIE for. Like seriously I'd request it as my last meal. Just the queso. In a bowl. Nothing thrills me more than hitting a clearance rack that's an additional 50% off (any store will do), and I can often be found on Twitter, Pinterest, and/or Facebook. But you will almost never find me in the kitchen, as I detest cooking, which is weird because I REALLY love food and eating.
Also, nerd alert, I really like going to work every day. Right now I teach mostly seniors, and even though it's a major switch from middle schoolers, which is all I knew from student teaching until this year, I enjoy them and the class so very much. In fact, seniors are why I went back to school for teaching to begin with, as I started my grown up life as a college recruiter for the Art Institute of Pittsburgh, working with seniors from high schools all over the PA, OH, WV, VA, MA... it was very rewarding but I was looking for more "face time" with the kids rather than just a few moments before moving on to the next school. I have finally stumbled upon my niche: working to help students polish their writing and language arts skills as they prepare to enter college and begin molding their adult lives. Plus, I am VERY luck to have an awesome group of students who love to learn and almost always do their homework. (That's a noticeable difference from middle school!)
I'm excited to start on a new course at Pitt, as colleagues and I often discuss our methods of assessment and the reasoning behind them. I am intrigued at the idea of formative versus summative assessment, and I'm constantly trying to revamp my skills and efforts to help students get the most out of their short semester with me. I know this class will greatly expand upon my knowledge and help me understand more about these ideas and concepts.
Thanks for reading! Looking forward to a fun and rewarding semester!
I like the Pittsburgh pride! And I think it's funny that you list Brussels, too. I always tell everyone that Brussels is the Pittsburgh of Europe: big enough to have everything, small enough to be manageable, full of nice people who love their beer, affordable, and totally underrated. Thanks for the thorough intro - glad you are here!
ReplyDeleteUnlike you, I do not enjoy being busy. Not entirely true, I do enjoy business with activities others may find too... unstructured(?); hiking, listening, staring at trees. Though I find myself constantly doing the opposite. I don't have a journalism degree but I do love writing. I think we'll be learning some critical strategies in the coming months.
ReplyDeleteI'd love to hear more about how you managed to coach, teach, and pursue online education. Fortunately for me we had our annual drama production in the fall, so I won't have to worry about play rehearsals this spring. But come August, I'm going to need some major help juggling my responsibilities!
ReplyDeleteHi there! While you did not direct that question to me, I have experience a similar situation for which you will be encountering soon. I, too, have co-directed my district's high school plays (I and another fellow English teacher). It was super tough. Notice I'm using the past tense. I did it for two years and had to resign from directing the plays. HOWEVER, please do not let that scare you (although I probably already did; I should have put a disclaimer first, huh?). In addition to teaching and directing the school plays, I also lived an hour away from my school district. So considering teaching until 2:24, having play practice from 3-6 or 4-7 or 4-9 (as it got closer to opening day) AND then driving an hour home. YIKES. It is so much easier to participate in school activities when you live in the same town as your school. But, I digress...to effectively use my time, I realized that not everything has to be graded, and if I did grade an assignment, I couldn't grade it for everything. I had to prioritize. Since it is early in the morning for me (well not really, but I didn't get much sleep last night, because I was, well, grading!), I can't put to words what else I did, but I know I used more strategies. We'll be in touch, though, and I can share then! Best :)
DeleteHey Les! Wow! While I've known you since 2008, I still learned some new things about you, like the face you were also a journalism major and you dance ballet! HOW COOL! I often wondered if I should have studied journalism, too, because I really love writing. Perhaps a second Masters is in my future. I also attempted to dance ballet and jazz and tap, and I failed at all of it....most because I was very young and super shy....but as I've grown older, I probably also failed at it because I'm not very coordinated or flexible. Such is life. Ha...ya'll should have seen me as a wannabe gymnast, too! I was the tallest girl in the class (which made all tricks a lot more challenging) and my back would not bend like the other girls. Sorry for the mini-rant...it was nice to learn something new about you!
ReplyDeleteHi Lesley- I was also a Journalism and Writing minor in college and advise my school's student newspaper and teach an elective Journalism class- I love, love, love it! I can appreciate working well under deadlines, sometimes even better than when I have a lot of time to spare. I can see you are super busy, so I am sure you have learned to keep everything balanced!
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