Resurrection

(of the blog, that is...)

My last post announced that I had officially gone off the deep end and applied for graduate school.  And it was pretty deep.  I jumped right into grad school at the end of my first full year of teaching, continued through my second year of teaching, and finished during the beginning of my third year.

It seems only fitting that this post should announce that I FINISHED graduate school!  I earned a M.Ed. in Curriculum and Instruction with a focus on reading.  I enjoyed my courses and feel like I learned a lot, but I keep wondering when I'll start to magically feel like an expert.  LOL!  I guess my perfectionism won't allow that to ever happen.  I have learned that I will almost always second-guess myself, and if I fail to do that, I will certainly be very critical of my abilities.

This blog was originally started as a way to share my jewelry making pursuits.  That was many, many years ago.  And while I still own all of my tools and most of the supplies I had on hand when I stopped making jewelry, that's just not who I am any more.  I finally listened to that inner small voice that has always told me I am a teacher, and I have fully embraced my profession... my true calling.  Because this blog chronicles so much of the journey that got me here, I didn't want to start a new blog and leave all this behind.  It just seemed more genuine to revamp this one. 

So here's my philosophy:  I work to make my classroom a welcoming, inspiring place for both my students and other teachers.  I think we work best together, and I often gain inspiration from other teachers and students.  Guided by this philosophy, I have renamed my blog "The Inspiring Classroom."  I hope that by sharing my trials, successes, and struggles, others will laugh with me, rejoice with me, and learn with me.  Learning is a lifelong pursuit, and we are immensely enriched by a diverse community.  I look forward to sharing and learning with you!