My name is Maureen and this is my "Thought Spot." I've been trying to think about a theme for this blog all week long--and it hasn't been easy!!!. Should I write about my work in the classroom? Should I write about what I'm reading in my free time? Or should I write about my many interests? Gardening? Yoga? Family? Friends? Travel? Cooking/Baking? The possibilities are absolutely endless. So I've decided to use this blog to reflect on all of the above. I'm excited to see where this journey with blogging takes me and I'm happy to let a theme emerge as I begin to "write it out." I am especially excited that this blog will allow me the opportunity for personal reflection. I have used blogs in my classroom, but I haven't ever used a blog for my own personal writing. I'm looking forward to this.
So I guess that I should begin with an introduction of sorts, eh? I'm in my eighth year of teaching English at a mid-sized high school in southern NH. I consider myself fortunate to work with a fantastic group of colleagues and a great population of students. I suppose I should also disclose that I am also an alumnae of this high school, too! This was nothing I planned, but an appreciation for the positive school community in my hometown and sheer coincidence brought me back "home" in 2002 and I haven't left yet! If this isn't enough of a deeply personal connection to my workplace, my husband also teaches at the same school, too. Again, this was not planned and we weren't even dating when we both accepted positions at the school, but coincidence and connections brought us to the same workplace. All in all, this connection has also enriched my role as a teacher in my school. I appreciate and admire my husband as a teacher and a leader in our community. He is a great advisor, educator, mentor, and colleague. And though we do our best not to "talk shop" during our personal time together, I firmly believe that our conversations about teaching make me a more thoughtful and compassionate educator.
When I'm not teaching, I enjoy spending time at my house in small-town NH. I've lived in the Granite State all of my life, and I really do love it here. If you want to know a little bit more about NH, you might want to check out "Granite State of Mind," a parody of Jay-Z and Alicia Keys' popular hit, "Empire State of Mind." And if you do know something about NH, this is bound to give you a chuckle or two.
Check out the link here: "Granite State of Mind."
Enjoy the afternoon!
New Hampshire is a great state and has great areas of interest. I was very sad when the Old Man of the Mountain fell. We have spent a lot of time in N.H. with our grandchildren and children. I am glad you are enjoying teaching at your old High School we have two teachers were I work that went to school in Leeds and they are really enjoying it also.
ReplyDeleteP.S. I did get to see the Prom pictures today.