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Turning

As the summer ends and a new school year begins, I can look back with joy on these past months. I have experienced a variety of fun activities, and look forward now--reenergized--to teaching for my ninth year. In the course of the summer, I had the privilege of taking a cruise to Mexico, trying out for Wheel of Fortune at the California State Fair, enjoying a day trip to Half Moon Bay, going to Los Angeles to try out for The Price is Right--where my brother, sister-in-law, and I talked with Drew Carey in front of the audience-- and to spend a day in Disneyland, catch up on reading and writing, and more.

Now, as I look to the new school year, I am excited about the prospect of introducing students to a blog they will use to interact with the novels they read and with each other; and about teaching a new computer elective. One of my colleagues described each school year as a story. I believe he was correct. Every year has its own plot and characters. A teacher can teach the exact same curriculum in the exact same way, and still find novelty in each class and in the general everyday experience of the classroom. That, to me, is one of the aspects of teaching that makes it enjoyable.

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