jenna deane finch
I'm
Jenna
Finch,
a
high school Spanish teacher (1 through 5) and I was
born under a connecting star. I hope to continue to maintain and
add to
this site. This four weeks with the UIWP has
been a fabulous experience, giving me the opportunity to connect with
other teachers Kindergarten through University and from a wide variety
of disciplines. We share a commitment to the teaching of
writing.
All of us
-- new fellows, alumni, mentors,
staff -- share a commitment to student-centered learning, to
better
communication between teachers and the educational hierarchy, and
to
the life-long learning that defines good teaching practice.
In the final week of the institute I realized that the inundated-by-way-too-much-new-technology-and-way too-many-bright-ideas feeling of the first (okay, and the second and third week) had transformed into pure energy dedicated to figuring out how to put it all together.
I did mention my predilection for drawing connections? The only way to get a good look at every side of the box after all is from the outside. I want to create a perfect overarching umbrella that, when stood on it's point is deep enough to provide a lak-proof container for the next 599 teachers who have made it work despite the odds.
I promise to write about my journey. Thanks, National and Illinois Writing Projects. Fund this effort in perpetuity, you silly people in charge of such decisions. What are you thinking? All it would take would be one conversation with anyone who has spent a month in blissful exhaustion. So talk!