A Return to Blogging

I have been on an unplanned and unannounced leave of absence from the blogging world, but I am working on making a comeback. I have found that the hardest part of getting out of the blogging habit is getting back into it. This realization makes me really think about my writing life and how like other routines it becomes--when I exercise regularly and it's part of my day, I keep exercising. I go through phases of cooking really well and it becomes part of my routine. I definitely need to re-establish my blogging routine!

Here are some of the things that I have been working on professionally that you can expect posts on. (If I blog these out loud, I feel more committed to writing them!)

• our summer writing academy--I had written about some of the plans, but I have not written since we completed it!
• our new teachers and how we are supporting them. I love to read about how other districts and leaders are supporting new teachers, especially with the Common Core freight train bearing down on us...
• Speaking of which--I have been studying the language standards within the CCSS and I am worrying. I think I'll be writing this post next!
• fun and engaging activities and websites for recognizing Constitution Day, which is on September 17th.
• the work that we are doing to integrate social studies and writing in a meaningful way that keeps students writing. 
• how we continue to present the new standards and expectations to parents.

And some of the personal issues that relate to my professional thinking:

• the great college application process and how standardized testing still influences life decisions.
• along similar lines, how truly disadvantaged lower socio-economic students are when it comes to the college application process.
• how to maintain balance for over-scheduled high school students.

Phew--I've written a post. Admittedly, not a long one and not a profound one, but a preview of posts to come. I'll write again tomorrow.