back to school, back to blogging

I have an ambitious goal this year. Okay, truth be told, I have several. I like making lists of goals at each new turning of the year, whether for my birthday (which was a week ago), New Year's Day, or the beginning of school. I have all kinds of goals for my students, goals about courtesy and academics and social development, and I have goals for myself as a teacher, partner, and soon-to-be mother.

One goal for this year is to do more posting. I'm still working on carving out the time for that, but the more active my posting, the more likely it is that people will come and join in the exchange of ideas. The ambitious part comes in here -- I want this blog to be good. I will be working on honing my writing skills and my ability to pay attention to what is happening in the classroom, and what I am doing to effect change and to foster real learning.

Our first block of the year is Botany. We'll be exploring habitats and biomes around the world, starting with a journey up mount Denali (imaginary, unfortunately) to learn how altitude, sunlight, and warmth affect the plant life in each biome. We'll consider the interconnectedness of plant and animal life, with a special focus on the honeybee. I am excited to get started and to do some research to bring to them. One place I'm starting is with Gerbert Grohmann's The Living World of the Plants. Grohmann wrote stunningly detailed studies of various plants for adult readers, and this is his offering for young readers. I love the way he uses imagery and comparison to make the inner workings of the plants familiar and easy to understand.

I'm serving as Chair of the College of Teachers until my due date. My co-chair has stepped down, so it's just me, all the time now until mid-December. The College is a governing body within the school that makes decisions on behalf of the faculty and strives to keep our work in line with the philosophy underlying Waldorf education. It's hard, exciting work, and it means lots of meetings and interaction with colleagues and board members, which I find invigorating.

More to come. School starts next Wednesday, and there is much to do.