Jamie Kimmes
Jamie Kimmes is currently pursuing her Master of Arts in Teaching from Concordia University in Portland. Born and raised in the Midwest, she graduated with a BA in English from the University of Minnesota-Twin Cities in 2004. After exploring different career paths (including a stint in an accounting department, working for an author, and three years as a waitress in downtown Portland), meeting new people, and seeing new places, she felt she was finally ready to pursue a career in Education. Jamie looks forward to bringing not only life experience to the classroom, but a passion for people, teaching, learning, and of course, books. Jamie will begin her Practicum and Student Teaching in February 2012.
The last time I shared with you dear readers, I was deeply immersed in reacquainting myself with high school culture. As I said before, the experience, both being new to teaching and rising early in the morning, was a shock to my system. Since, I have adjusted to my new early-morning schedule and have left what had become the familiar foundation of high school to the often warbling ways of the middle school.
I remember the first conversation I had with an inquiring person in reference to my teaching pursuit:
Person: “So, what do you want to teach?”
Me: “English and Social Studies.”
Person: “How nice… what grade level are you thinking?”
Me: “I think I would be a great fit in a middle school.”
Person: “Middle school?! I could never do that! No way.”
This is an exchange I have encountered many times since. So I have been left questioning myself: “Why does the mere mention of middle school carry such a stigmatized reaction?” (more…)
Category: student achievement, teaching strategies | 1 Comment »
Tags: boring middle school, Middle school, teaching in middle school
“Draw a crazy picture,
Write a nutty poem,
Sing a mumble-gumble song,
Whistle through your comb.
Do a loony-goony dance
‘Cross the kitchen floor,
Put something silly in the world
That ain’t been there before.”
― Shel Silverstein
I have officially been observing and teaching in a high school classroom for nearly three weeks now. I have to say, despite the fact that I rise much earlier in the morning, have upped my daily intake of strong black coffee, and find myself struggling to remember what I should do if technology fails me (this happened while conducting a poetry lab and I couldn’t for the life of me get Pandora to operate at the “music station”) or kids become rambunctious; I feel surprisingly upbeat, optimistic and excited to get in front of the classroom and teach.
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Category: professional development for educators | No Comments »
Tags: Jamie Kimmes, Shel Silverstein
As the first days of 2012 unfold, I have been eager for the many changes taking place in my life. I recently moved to a new neighborhood in SE Portland, have been reacquainting myself with my yoga practice, and classes are back in session at Concordia University, where I am pursuing my Master’s in Teaching. It is my Practicum and Student Teaching experience, starting in February, however, that has me most excited and nervous. As I anticipate this next step in my career, I look forward to continued learning and the further developing of my teaching skills. To the past, I look for inspiration. My favorite teachers have shaped who I am as a person and will continue to shape me as an educator, but what about the often overlooked “bad” teacher? What can I learn from the person who filled this role in my educational past and how can it possibly steer its future?
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Category: teaching strategies | 1 Comment »
Tags: advice for teachers
