Day 13

1) Hapara Dashboard- grading Google Docs is the greatest innovation ever
2) Gradecam
3) Google Forms
4) PollEverywhere
5) TodaysMeet
6) ESPN College Football Pick'em Contest- to maintain sanity!

Day 12

I want to use technology to make my classroom more accessible to students, whether they are in or outside of class.  Students have a lot on their plates, so I'm always looking for ways to make learning easier for them to access.

Day 11

That's easy.....when I am teaching.  Working with students is why I chose this profession, so that's the part of the day that I always enjoy the most.

Day 10

1) Born in TN
2) Can sing the lyrics to most late-90s songs
3) Favorite movie is Shawshank Redemption
4) Top of my bucket list of places to visit....Ireland
5) First "real job" was at JC Penney in the men's department during college

Bucket List
1) Visit Ireland
2) See Packers' game at Lambeau
3) Go to a Bills game
4) Extended hiking trip in the west

Hope for
1) More time with family
2) Less stress
3) More sleep

Laugh or cry
1) Laugh- any time Mr. Curry participates in a dress up day
2) Cry- see #1

One Thing I Wish More People Knew
1) I have a rough time keeping the appropriate balance between the time I devote to work and non-work parts of life.

Day 9

My most cherished not-known moment is simply the collection of all the little times a student has said thank you for doing something.  For me, there is not a higher achievement in teaching than to have a student tell you that you have made a difference in their life, so those will always remain my most cherished teaching memories.

Day 8

My desk doesn't actually come equipped with a drawer!  However, the little storage area above my desk is full of classroom supplies.....paper, pens, sticky notes, markers, etc.  It's also where I store any DVDs I use in class and some technology resources.  You can infer from my storage area that I like to shove things and items into spaces that aren't easily seen....makes me look more organized than I am!

Day 7

I can't identify a single most inspirational colleague....yup, I'm taking the cop-out route.  But the people that inspire me the most at work are those that are willing to fight for every student (like Candy Rowland, Sally Moore, Kim Bone and Dan Burk), those that never lose their sense of humor or perspective (like Rusty Curry, Preston Thorne, Tony Rakes, Patrick Hinson and Jeff Greene), those that are constantly looking for ways to improve their craft (like Jennifer Cribbs, Tara Mitchell, Abi Hendryx , Grace Ugro, and LaVonda Widemon), those that are absolute masters of their craft (like Kristin Claiborne and Margaret Roberson), those that work tirelessly (Kim Stokes, Tami Lenker, Mona Pace), those who never really stop teaching (Washington, Mizzell, Sedio and Inabinet), those that are ALWAYS willing to help regardless of what is on their plate (Meredith Ward), and those that can tackle the challenges of the first year with energy and excitement (Renbarger and Webber)!

Day 6

A good mentor is someone that is able to provide the help and support needed by some one else in their efforts to grow and achieve.  The best mentors are good listeners, patient, and willing to help share a load when someone is feeling overwhelmed.

Day 5

This is my office.....which isn't my classroom, but it's the closest I've got without trying to take credit for work someone else has done in their room.  What I would like to see is better organization.  I get too cluttered every year, so I'm trying to be more streamlined and organized this year!

Day 4

The thing I love most about teaching is the chance to help students grow into young adults.  Teaching content is fun, but teaching life skills and life lessons is even more meaningful.  I value the relationships I get to make with my students and hope that I am providing a positive influence for their future.

Day 3

I suppose an "observation" area where I would like to improve is on making classroom procedures just a bit more standard and streamlined for every period.  It can be a challenge as a floater, but I'd like to get better in those areas.

Day 2

I would like to find a way to video record my class period each day so I could post video from class online every night.  This would be a way to provide instruction to students that are out of class due to field trips, illness or any of the other reasons seniors come up with to not be in class.  I'm just not sure what the best equipment to use would be, and I'd need to figure out the logistics of how to set up and break down quickly and efficiently each day as I float into someone else's classroom.

Day 1

Goals for the year:
1) Keep things in perspective
2) Manage my time well
3) Maintain healthy work and personal life balance
4) Less worrying, more enjoying