Minnesota Teacher of the Year

Lee-Ann Stephens, the 2006 Minnesota Teacher of the Year, said that she thought her teaching suffered due to responsibilities from the Teacher of the Year title. I’m starting to get an idea of what she meant. Over the past three weeks, there have been meetings, recognitions, interviews, and events almost every weekday. Time has flown, and in the midst of the activity, I’ve still had all my teaching responsibilities.

So far, though, I’d have to say that what’s happened in the classroom has probably benefited from Teacher of the Year related matters. The Japanese classes have had some interesting visits and events, and it’s been an exciting time. One area that has clearly suffered however, is my ability to get papers back to students. The pile has grown to five inches high. Yikes.

I’ve got a three-day weekend to catch up. I want to get through the pile by Monday night. I usually grade about 5-10 hours/week, and this is about a three-week pile. Finishing the pile by Monday night could be a stretch, as I want to spend time with my family too. Life wouldn’t be any fun if it were easy, though.