Mrs. Levine Teach

 October 24, 2021 As my second course in the librarian series at UVM begins to wrap up, I am feeling so grateful for my mentor, Michael Flanagan.  For years people have been telling me that we are two kindred spirits.  Two peas in a pod.  But it wasn't until I went to visit him and his space that I actually believed it! His palpable energy is felt throughout his space.  It's excited, it's put together, it's inviting....just like him.  Although he has been doing this for five years now, he still makes me feel like I have something to offer HIM in the library/tech world.  I see this being a true partnership as we move forward. We have already begun to discuss a common section procedure and challenged book policy for our district.  We do not currently have one that has been adopted by the school board and are both anxious to have more "teeth" in the documents that protect our collections and ourselves.   This project has been my favorite so far ...

 October 2nd, 2021 Well, I just finished up my very first celebration of Banned Book Week and I am feeling empowered, invigorated, and so so hopeful!  The students were engaged and more motivated than ever to ask questions, seek answers, and promoted others to get involved too.  This was a huge win. Students not only read the books but they participated in a socratic seminar too!  Kiddos that read a banned book motivated me to bust out the button maker and we made buttons that said, "Censorship leaves us in the dark.  Read a banned book." They were so excited to use this maker space resource, send a message to the world about their stance and have some fun while we were at it!  They also were able to pull a vinyl sticker from the cool bin I stocked up at the beginning of the year.  Who doesn't want a great sticker for their water bottle?!  They were a huge hit and I plan to continue with that external motivator in some of the other library challen...

It's me again!  I'm officially gearing up for my first banned book week and I couldn't be more excited.  I can't wait to motivate our 7th/8th graders who are seemingly not all that excited to read through critical thinking and questioning.  I love this!  

I have three schools in my life this school year! I am the library media and ed tech specialist at Fairfield Center School and the librarian at St. Albans City School.  I am finishing up my first week of my second library media specialist class at the University of Vermont and my third week in this split role in elementary education.   Both of these schools vary greatly in size but both serve grades PreK-8. And still I am attending the University of Vermont! 💚💛 This gif is what I feel like my husband, family, friends & the registrar staff at the UVM must be saying about my school career there. 😂  I have been going to UVM since 2002.  19 years.  And I think everyone is still waiting for me to be finished with my learning there.  What maybe they don't realize and most educators do though is that our learning is NEVER done.   My journey has been formative and truly exciting. For the first 14 years of my career I was a classroom teacher...

It is hard to believe that this is my final reflection and an end to the coursework to obtain my ed-tech specialist endorsement.  For three years I have been working towards gaining expertise and knowledge and skills and an understanding.  My pedagogy has shifted, my focus too.  When I began this journey, I intended to work towards becoming a STEAM teacher.  I wanted to teach kids about technology.  Now, I will be working mostly with adults as a coach and I have never felt more prepared than I do right now. Not only has a pandemic ravaged our world, but our roles in education have also shifted and changed in an instant.  It is only because of the last three years of graduate courses that I have taken that I have felt solidly prepared for this challenge.   If you had asked me two weeks ago how I was doing, I might have said awful.  This is a very different response for me because typically, I am lighthearted and energetic ...

One last thoughtful vision... When students and teachers are engaged in work that is challenging, adventurous and meaningful, learning, and achievement flourish.  This is a vision that speaks to me and I hope for my children and grandchildren.  

March 22, 2020 Dear Readers, I have finally come up to breathe.  Barely.  These have been some of the most trying weeks I have ever faced in my entire life.  Personally and professionally I have been asked to transform.  And I know I can do it.  I am prepared to face this challenge and lead colleagues and citizens with my skill-set and knowledge.  But I just can't explain how hard this has been. Reflecting on my experiences I realize that I am fortunate to have had the coursework in achieving my Ed Tech Specialist endorsement from UVM.  I am prepared and have what I need to engage in "remote learning".  At this point, my students have engaged in hours of technology tools in my classroom and most have shown proficiency in many of the programs I have introduced.  Google Classroom has continued and many are engaging using google hangouts and chat.  Docs are being shared and feedback is being given.  Questions are being a...