From Teacher to Instructional Coach

HH Family at the Cubs Game

HH Group Halloween Costume

Towards the end of the year I decided that I was ready for a new challenge and a change in my career.  I decided to go for the new position as an Instructional Coach for my current school district. Although it may be nerve-racking leaving my classroom comfort zone I wanted the challenge and I was excited about working with grades K-8 and doing professional development classes after school.

I did get the position (WOOOOWHOO), but this will change what my blog looks like... I will be the one doing the blogging. In past years my students did the reflecting on our "Robotics" time and as we Beta tested the app Frolyc.

I will use this blog as a reflective-think-aloud tool for myself. With that I will take a moment to look back on my first year of teaching 6 years ago (I know that 6 years doesn't seem like a long time, but thinking back about what I did not know it seems like FOREVER!)

On the side of this page I have included some pictures of people who are part of my Heather Hill Family! I learned a lot from all of them and will miss working with them everyday.

Being Silly with some of the best!

We all look so young!

5th Grade Team Partners!

Year 1, fresh out of college! What I would tell myself or any new teacher today is get rid of any pre-made posters you spend your money on at the teacher store. The best posters are the ones you make with your class (look my walls are filled with space filler...oops!)

On the back wall there is a bookcase and that was my classroom library in year one! So sad!! I spent my 6 years taking many trips to swap meets, libraries (old editions are sometimes free) and resale shops and eventually built up my classroom library. When I packed up my classroom to leave in June I had 12 boxes of books and probably left hundreds behind!

I laugh at the computer we had! And to think, three years later we have MacBooks and 1:1 iPads. I am so thankful that I was part of that initiative (I didn't even have a smartphone so I got to learn a lot with my students).