Friday, April 08, 2005

Learning about teaching in New Orleans

My friend Melanie left her cushy high school teaching job across the lake from New Orleans to become a New Orleans Teaching Fellow and work in a city high school. Her blog, They Have Their Own Thoughts, chronicles her experiences.

Melanie's blog is a good read. She is a great writer and a passionate teacher. She has learned a lot and experieinced a lot this year and has shared a lot of it with anyone who wants to read her blog. But she hasn't shared all of it. As horrific as some of the stories have been, she hasn't written it all. And she is struggling with that issue now on the blog. She has begun to share some of the truths that she had kept from us before.

I am amazed by how similar some of Melanie's feelings and experiences have been to those of the 2003 Teacher of the Year, Betsy Rogers's. Both went into their new situations with some misconceptions and some false expectations. Both freely admit that. They both help me to face some of my own preconceived ideas and biases. I highly recommend both blogs to you. Especially Melanie's - because she's my friend!

1 comment:

Lesley said...

Thanks for that link to Melanie's blog. She's so honest about her teaching (successes and failures) that it almost hurts to read. And, of course, you are right about writing blogs on the topics that interest and inspire us, it's a much more authentic exercise. I think I was weaned off the EVO course too soon, that's all!