Author Archives: grrowingideas

It is the beginning of Thanksgiving Week. I was sent home from work this past Friday evening with the mandate from my school administrator to “rest, relax, and come back refreshed.” This week is our first break from pandemic instruction — a fever of another sort instigated by the coronavirus. For the first time sinceContinue reading “A Working Holiday”

Dictionary.com defines “crunch time” as “a period when the pressure to succeed is great, often toward the end of an undertaking.”  For my instructional design project, the arrival of November signals that the end is in sight. I am therefore officially in crunch time. Believe me when I say that the pressure is great. MyContinue reading “Crunch Time”

Right before I chose to pursue my master’s degree in Instructional Design, I played around with the idea of becoming a Certified Public Accountant. With no business-related coursework recorded on my undergraduate transcript, I undertook the necessary prerequisite classes in financial and managerial accounting and economics. I greatly enjoyed that pursuit for about one yearContinue reading “Accounting for WIP”

As I survey my current situation in life, I feel renewed hope. I am still here, and I have actually accomplished a few things. These past eight weeks have generated a constant supply of memes – – – those poignantly humorous visual snippets of popular culture. As a teacher in the COVID-19 era, I haveContinue reading “Fluid and Flexible”

Is it already October? Yes, it is! September swirled me away with an instructional pandemic of sorts – – – attempting to synchronously teach high school science to face-to-face and remote students on a cobbled-together, glitchy platform. Remote students have laptops and Chromebooks; face-to-face students have tiny cell phones screens and paper. Hours and daysContinue reading “Grrowth Spurts”

Up until this point, my instructional design courses have emphasized the use of the ADDIE instructional model when constructing projects — Analyze, Design, Develop, Implement, and Evaluate. ADDIE holds the title of either gold standard or common currency, depending upon who you listen to. But now that my course work has progressed into the lastContinue reading “Another Way of Looking At Things”

One of the most beautiful aspects of my graduate education is gathering feedback from my classmates. I find this fact a revelation to me, because my past work experiences have almost always gravitated toward stand-alone assignments. Over time, I have become known as a professional hermit of sorts. I really like working by myself andContinue reading “Revision”

As a high school science teacher, I love the opportunity to reinvent myself every August. My annual ritual involves thoroughly assessing my classroom procedures, my lesson plans, my technological and digital resources, my physical desktop, and even my professional wardrobe. Nothing is immune from the chopping block if it is deemed inefficient, ineffective, or outdated.Continue reading “Thoughts Before I Begin”

I am not a runner. I have run a few races, however. In fact, I signed up again this year for my employer’s fundraising 5K that had been scheduled for late March. I’m usually the one who shifts to a walk halfway along the course. I’ve either been that pale, non-muscular girl or, as ofContinue reading “That End of the Race Feeling”

We are at the end of our course. After viewing my peers video presentations of their projects, I look back in awe. We are ALL so different. We all constructed our own learning. I see that as evidence of a class well-taught. The hand was offered if we needed holding, but it wasn’t being shovedContinue reading “My peers”