Wednesday, August 26, 2009

She's baaaaack!.........Back to the Future!

"If you promise not to believe everything your child says happens at school, I'll promise not to believe everything he says happens at home!" - Anonymous Teacher

Andie is going "Back to School" ...yep, all the way back to Middle School! This time around she'll be Teaching at Fisher in Los Gatos; finishing up her Masters credential from Santa Clara University. Andie will be great with the 6th through 8th graders. She happened to have 2 extreme experiences during her own middle school years.

For 6th and 7th grade, Andie was at a large public middle school in Seattle, (actually Redmond) Washington. Those years are awkward anyway and big classrooms don't help. Nothing disastrous took place but overall they weren't stellar years in Andie's education either academically or socially! But by 8th grade we'd moved back to California (northern versus southern this time) and Andie had the good fortune to experience a small private school, Almaden Country School. She was embraced, loved, nurtured, and ACS left an indelible mark (for the better) on her psyche. Andie went from feeling like a "nobody" to someone who was every bit as "gifted" as the next guy. She developed a new sense of self; she was liked by her peers, encouraged by her teachers, and applauded by the cohesive staff generally. It was a healthy environment and we were impressed enough to keep Webb and Paige at the K thru 8th until they were off to high school!

While every school has challenges (class size, resources, funding, school politics, etc.); teachers do make a huge difference! They can cultivate a love of learning and inspire students to be their best!

Andie will be a great addition to the Special Ed. staff at Fisher. She'll be working hard for no pay (just like her Mom teaching Seminary! ha!) but the experience should be invaluable (again, just like her Moms)! But unlike her Mom, her apprenticeship should lead to "A Real Job" (with $$$, benefits, et.al.) So, here's to a great semester for Andie as she goes Back to School! Hope she sees some of her friends there (Justin, Natasha, Christina N., Christina L., Kaden, Eric, Hannah, Clayton, etc.). Happy 1st Day!

1 comment:

  1. It was a great first day as teacher- Ms. Knudsen (still getting used to that part), but I love the kids already- middle school awkwardness and all. and Yes! let's hope this lands me a great teaching job to come... here's to a great school year :) I've gotta get my "treat stash" up and running for my friends to come take advantage of soon too- all our favorite LG friends will have a special spot at Fisher w/ me!
    thanks for the blog shout out Mom. always enjoy a little recognition once in a while ;)

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