-
The Benefits of PE
I slipped on my dress clothes including heels and drove four miles to the middle school that’s invited me to speak as an author for the past two years. This time I went in disguise, not as K.D. Rausin, but as Mrs. Rausin substitute teacher. Too many quiet days working on my novel can make me long for the energy of young voices even if those voices are saying, “Yeah! We have a sub!”
-
Life Lessons From Students
Cheers and jeers erupted throughout the classroom as I read the last two pages of MYSTIC. My emotions were running deep. It had been a long time since I read the ending of my own book. Surprised at my reaction and theirs, happy they were emotionally invested in the story and had opinions on the ending, and teary because the ending…the theme…is about self acceptance and the story hits close to home. I opened up a discussion on why MYSTIC ends as it does, trying to get them to see deeper into the story. This particular class was a high energy class. A mixture of 6th through eighth graders; the most challenging class…
-
Saying Goodbye to Teaching
My time teaching is coming to an end. One more week and then my mornings will be spent editing my YA (Young Adult) novel, getting it ready for an editor’s eye. How lucky was I to get to read Mystic to 6th graders for the past seven weeks? Little did I know how much stress it would cause. Every time one of the students asked, “Are we reading Mystic today?” I would hold my breath and hope for a positive response. So far so good. I haven’t received any sighs or jeers. Perhaps they’re savvy enough not to hurt my feelings. I will miss all the, “Hi, Ms. Rausin’s” and even the hugs. I’m more…
-
Bad Teacher or Bad Parent
I was perusing Facebook when I found this post: 6 Telling Signs Your Child Has a Bad Teacher I became immediately annoyed. Really? If your child’s bored or disinterested with school, let’s blame it on the teacher? No. That’s not taking responsibility for your child’s education. That’s a blame game. Imagine spending hours on the weekend preparing lessons you’re excited to share in the classroom. You’re standing in front of the room, ready to teach your incredible lesson, and eighty percent of the class is sitting, listening, ready to begin. Just as the other twenty percent settle down, a student lets one rip, sending the class into hysterics and four of his teammates up…
-
Classroom Catharsis
I stood in front of the first class of the day, a student’s journal in hand. Since I began teaching 6th grade, I’ve had the students write for ten minutes on any subject they want. Some write stories, others write about what’s happening in their life. Some enjoy getting up in front of class and reading and others ask me to read for them. Sharing is completely optional. I read the first line of her journal out loud. I stopped. I read the rest silently making sure it was appropriate to share with the class. It was…but how was I going to get through it? Exhaustion had caught up to me, knocking down…
-
Why I teach
“…until one sees with one’s own eyes and comes to feel with one’s own heart, one will never understand other people.” Eleanor Roosevelt “When you cease to make a contribution, you begin to die.” Eleanor Roosevelt I’ve been watching, The Roosevelts, a Ken Burns documentary on PBS. Several years ago, I spent time in Hyde Park New York and toured their houses. In fact while we ventured the grounds of Val-Kill, we were asked to keep silent because Ken Burns was filming. I learned of Eleanor Roosevelt’s commitment to helping others. I brought home a book of Eleanor’s quotes and a bookmark. Both sit on my desk as reminders that as I go through daily life I must be conscious of my responsibility…
