August 22, 2001 sounds like it was a long time ago but, in so many ways, it feels like a super short period. Last week, I completed my 13th year teaching at Palatine High School.  I earned so much invaluable experience serving as educator to the PHS students and gained so many cherished friendships with colleagues – I would not trade one day of my tenure as a Pirate.   To broaden my professional growth, however, I am excited to write that I transferred to Palatine’s sister school on the other side of town, William Fremd High School!!  As of this week, a Viking helmet takes the place of the Pirate hat on my head.

I’ve felt connections to Fremd for quite some time.  My daughter graduated in 2010 with nothing but positive academic and extra-curricular experiences that she still talks about today.  Additionally, I’ve enjoyed working with numerous Fremd colleagues – enjoyably presenting together at NCTE, sharing and networking on our PLN, and teaming up at Institute days.  Finally, Fremd’s interview is ‘the interview that never was’ back when I was seeking my first position in the district 13 years ago:   Fremd’s (then) principal called me first but Palatine’s (then) principal interviewed me first.  Being the eagerly excited new teacher, I happily took Palatine’s offer and didn’t looked back!

Pieces of PHS Memories!

Some of the PHS memories I’ll always cherish . . .

~ Assisting in the hosting of EdCamp2014 at PHS:  This year I transformed much of my teaching to 1:1 teaching with iPads.  See my post here in regards to making that switch.  Integrating educational technology has fast become a passion of mine and attending conferences such as EdCamp continues to prove invaluable.  Moreover, assisting in organizing EdCamp 2014 at PHS this May was truly productive, memorable and fun.  If you are an educator and have not attended an EdCamp yet, you may want to check it out at some point.  They are free, informal conferences in which the participants drive the course of the day!!  Each attendee has opportunity to offer what can be presented, and each attendee has opportunity to present and/or simply drop in to each session as needed.  It’s a simple way to network and gain loads of resources in just a couple of hours.  See the PHS Technology Coordinator’s post on the latest EdCamp here.

~ Writers Day:  I was lucky to serve our school in hosting Writers Day for the past two years.  I can’t tell you how rewarding it is to see students get excited about, talk about and hear about the significance of writing in our every day world.  Modeling our purpose and format from the acclaimed Fremd High School’s Writers Week, PHS’s annual Writers Day began a few years ago as an opportunity for students to celebrate and experience writing in ways that classroom time does not allow. We have visiting authors as well as student and faculty writers share, perform and discuss their work.  Read HERE for more pictures and information about this year’s PHS Writers Day and the NCTE 2013 conference I presented with colleagues about hosting Writers Day or Week.

~ Choreographing and organizing the very first dance PHS “flash mob:”    This is an experience I will never forget!!  Stemmed from a whim idea I had one day when I saw my former French teacher’s FB post about a teacher dance at her own school, I decided to go for it!  After months of keeping the secret from students (staff did a great job with this!) with disguised emails, early morning dance sessions hidden in the wrestling room, and private YouTube how-tos for the teachers, a good majority of staff performed, shocked and wowed students!!   Feel free to check out a more detailed commentary of my experience in coordinating this right HERE. .  . .

~ Coordinating the Literacy Coaching program:  As a reading teacher, I was happy to offer my services as mentor to new teachers, offering resources and feedback on integrating best practice reading strategies within each content area.  Having the chance to mentor creative, motivated teachers outside of the English department was immensely eye-opening and educational.  I enjoyed collaborating with the Applied Technology, Art, Music, World Language, and Family & Consumer Science department during my three years as a literacy coach.  You can read more about the program in my post here.  Establishing collaborative relationships with the Applied Tech department, in particular, led to the Engineering teacher and me drafting a proposal for a district technical writing course.  Stay tuned for more information on that!

~ Designing the Freshman Study Hall program:  This goes back to my earlier years at PHS.  When we had a more traditional study hall for nearly all incoming freshmen and sophomores, I enjoyed researching and organizing study skill mini-lessons for staff throughout the building to share with the study hall students on a bi-weekly basis.  For instance, one week Media Center specialists came in to speak about research skills, another week math teachers came in to demonstrate that solving seemingly difficult math problems can be broken down into doable step-by-steps, and yet another week, our principal, talked about summer reading and what he was going to read that summer!  It was another productive way for me to get to work with many wonderful colleagues in the building.

Some things I look forward to embarking upon at Fremd . . . .

~ Assisting with the The Logue, Fremd’s school newspaper!:  This truly excites me!!  I’ve already met our student staff for the upcoming school year and canNOT wait to work with these talented souls!  These students seem earnestly eager to represent and share Viking Pride through the paper, and I’m just as earnestly eager to watch, guide, and learn as they do!  This year, District 211 is embarking on the first year of producing all-digital newspapers at all five of our schools and WORDPRESS is the platform.  With a WordPress.org, WordPress.com, and Edubogs account of my own, I can’t be more thrilled about this.  I so look forward to working with the students as they learn and refine their digital journalism skills.  One added perk for me . . . my daughter served as an editor on the paper when she was a Viking herself . . . all the more reason for me to enjoy The Logue.  🙂

~ Working with Fremd’s special education department to teach a co-taught English course!:  I am honored to utilize my reading background to serve the special needs of students at Fremd on a sophomore-level co-taught course.  I’ve already met my partnering teacher and was instantly connected.   We are in the midst of planning our curriculum and look forward to meeting our new students in August!!

~ Helping wherever I’m needed with Fremd’s fabulous Writers Week!:  I look forward to assisting my colleagues in any which way I can to promote the 21st annual Writers Week.  I’ll be honored to be teaching amongst this exciting week and serving the school during his acclaimed tradition at Fremd.  I had fine practice with coordinating Palatine’s Writers Day over the past two years and learning from Fremd’s newly retired, revered English teachers Gary Anderson and Tony Romano.

~ The countless learning and teachable moments, achievements and memories I know are yet to be made at Fremd!:  Dare I say it already feels like home?!!!!  It’s not even possible to yet write all of the experiences I have to look forward to at Fremd.   I’ll let my exclamation points speak for themselves!

“If you do not create change, change will create you.”  ~Unknown

Change is good.  Every great accomplishment and milestone – both professionally and personally – stems from conscious change.  We grow and learn from every small or more major change within our lives.  I look back fondly on the growth experiences I’ve gained in my educational career as I excitedly look forward to the new insights, perspectives, connections, experiences I will gain at my new school.  Go Pirates!  Go Vikings!