​Dear Teacher, 

Day 1 is here! Are you as excited as I am to begin this study?  

Below are the questions for the introduction, chapter 1, and chapter 2. We begin our study with discussing the memorable and forgettable lessons we teach. How can we revamp this in our classroom so every lesson is a memory? 

Dear Teacher, 

Have you heard of the book a day challenge? I heard of this several years ago and have thought a lot about bringing it to my classroom. I have tried and failed many times.

Why can't I make this work?  My students love this and it is encouraging them to read more! 

Dear Teacher, 

The Ditch Summit has inspired me to shake the dust off of Matt Miller's books and start reading. I am hoping to discover some additional information that I can add to my growing list of tech skills that I have gained thanks to the COVID pandemic. 

The first book I grabbed was Tech like a Pirate. This is a short 124 pages that was easy to read. Ready to join me? 

Dear Teacher, 

Classroom management is hard. Let's just be real for a second. Even when we think we have  a solid plan, there is always that one thing that could be better. 

Three Before Me is that problem in my room. Why am I always answering questions for the same group of students?  Why are they wondering the room looking for answers again? 

I found a solution and you are not going to believe how simple it is!

Dear Teacher, 

We are nearing the end and I have honestly enjoyed every presentation so far. Each one has had a nugget of information that I desperately needed to hear. 

The fact that this is a free annual summit each December and that I can get PD credit for this only makes it better. Downside, Illinois teachers have to pay $36 for PD credit but it was well worth the cost. 

Dear Teacher, 

I thought finding an hour in my day would be easy. I can take the time to watch the videos but I forgot something. 

Quarter End.  Semester End.  Winter Break.  Report Cards. Holiday Baking. The list goes on and on. What was I thinking? 

​I was thinking that this is important for me and my students. I need this to be a better me. 

Dear Teacher, 

My professional goal for 2020-2021 school year, was to become better at integrating and using technology specifically in the remote/blended setting. I am pretty good with technology but it is an area that I want to improve in. 

Each month I have been taking a different class and decided this one the one for December. I am so happy and have learned so much in the first few days!  

Dear Teacher, 

Have you ever heard of Ditch Summit? Me neither. I was reading through a pile of emails today and what would appear but an invite from my district to attend this event. 

I have several of Matt Miller's books on my shelf, collecting dust and waiting to be read, but as with all things COVID, it hasn't made it to top of the list yet. I thought this would be the perfect opportunity to hear what he has to say. 

It starts tomorrow and is free! Free I can do!

Dear Teacher, 

How important is a good computer? I have an old dinosaur of a model (6 years old) and it is slow but I thought it was holding its own until Remote Learning. I quickly learned this old dinosaur wasn't enough! I don't speak computer so what do I buy? 

Dear Teacher, 

After COVID-19, everyone of the students in our classroom will have faced trauma. They will have a piece of the puzzle that makes them whole missing. There will be some students with only one missing piece while others will be missing a lot. As we look forward toward the fall, I wanted to be ready to embark upon a journey to be better prepared to meet the social-emotional needs of my students. 

My local ROE is hosting a book study over the course of the next 8 weeks where we will be digging deep into how we can better serve students with trauma in our classrooms. Each week I will add my thoughts to this post. Who is ready to join me this summer?