Wednesday, May 16, 2018 was a historic day in the Clark household. No, we didn’t buy a new house or bring a baby home. In fact, most people outside of education probably have no idea what I am talking about.
Read More
Hitting the Like Button: Using Social Media to Grow an Online Community
I joined Facebook in 2002 when you had to have a college email address to sign up for the social media site. Each day I checked my account in anticipation of the new friend requests I received. Over the years,
Read More
The Reset Button: Why We Need to Experience Failure to Reach Success
My husband, Tyler, plays video games when he has a free moment on the weekends. While I have no desire to pick up an XBox controller, I mindlessly listen while grading a stack of papers or finishing a chore as
Read More
Four days. Three nights. Sixty students. Ten Teachers. One Million Smiles.
I returned home two weeks ago from Vikingtown, a diversity and leadership camp. The four days, three nights with sixty students and ten teachers created one million smiles. This was my first Vikingtown experience and I had zero clue what
Read More
Online Learning: Building Relationships in the Digital Age
This week, I began teaching an online class. I have little experience in online education. I started my undergraduate degree when AOL still used instant messaging. Online classes were rare; in fact, I think I took one biology lecture and
Read More
From Chanel to Shakespeare
Coco Chanel ruled my life for seven years. The bold French designer who revolutionized women’s fashion dictated nearly every decision I made after I graduated from NAU with a degree in merchandising. You are probably wondering, “What the heck does
Read More
It Takes a Village
No, my family is not a family of teachers. In fact, I am the only teacher in my family! When I decided to leave a nearly decade-long career in luxury retail to become a high school English teacher, my family,
Read More
Why I Became a Teacher
I’m a teacher. Three little words that pack a punch when someone asks, “What do you do?” The recipient of those words usually replies with, “Oh, wow! What age group? I can’t imagine.” Along with these words, there is usually
Read More
Shhh. Don’t Tell Anyone, But I’m a Millennial.
Fine, I will admit it. I am a Millennial. Well, that’s half true. Born in 1983, I actually fall at the end of Generation X and the start of the Millennials. And after researching the qualities and characteristics of both,
Read More
Neighborhood Knowhow: The Story of an Hour
As we climbed into the dusty school van, I wondered what the next sixty minutes held. My assistant principal jumped behind the wheel while my principal settled into the front seat as the new teachers, myself included, climbed into the
Read More