Growing up in rural Wisconsin has many advantages.  However, having a large school with lots of course offerings isn’t one of them.  In fact, many of our teachers have to cross departments and teach different content areas to make up a full schedule.  That’s also why we tend to get a lot of new, young teachers who get experience and then move on to larger districts.  Since we were seventeen and eighteen year olds, our tea...

I should have been happy to be 18 today.  Mom woke me up with a pancake breakfast in bed.  There were tons of Facebook birthday messages waiting for me.Instead…I had a feeling of dread.I knew about the traditions at school.  When you turn 18, something big happens.  It’s always different.  It’s always embarrassing.  It’s always humiliating.Even though I had become accustomed to the humiliation, it never got better.  Becau...

I just got back from taking my high school German class on the summer exchange program in Munich, Germany.  I’ve been teaching for 10 years and this is the first time I’ve taken students abroad.  Our community is somewhat conservative, so it has taken this long to convince everyone that it would be a good experience for the students.This trip is the capstone experience for advanced German language students.  Technically,...