I'm Back! Let's Catch Up!

So, it's been a hot minute since I've written anything on here. Almost 3 YEARS actually! Whoa...

There have definitely been some developments in these last few years. In some of my last posts, I mentioned going back to school for my School Librarian Certificate. Well, I am happy to report that I finished that post-graduate certificate from the University of North Texas (Go, Mean Green!) in the Summer of 2020 and have spent the last two years as a school librarian! I opted not to complete the entire Master's degree, and just finished my certificate. (I still go back and forth on this decision, as the MLS requires just 3 more classes. HOWEVER, it requeires 3 MORE classes and those classes are not tied to school librarianship. Plus there's a capstone exam that I escaped, so.... 🤷)

via GIPHY

My first year as a school librarian, a wonderful opprotunity popped up in my district just a few miles down the road from me. I really did not think I would get a job that year, I wasn't even done with my program yet! But it was in the same district and relatively close, so I figured I had to try. I interviewed for that position in February of 2020 and low and behold, I got it! It was hard to leave the school I had taught at for 11 years and to make the decision to take my son with me and change his school, but it was such a great experience! I absolutely loved my new campus, the staff, the administration, everything! My first year was going along great... crazy, of course, because it was the first, but great. And then, the pandemic hit! Man did that throw a wrench in things. I certainly did not anticiapte remote learning in my first year in the library!

Then, another unexpected occurance. Remember how I mentioned I'd taught at the same school for 11 years. Well, the school librarian there made a decision to retire. After a friend reached out to me and talked me into it and after much internal debate (I mean, was I really considering changing schools after only ONE year and in the middle of a PANDEMIC?!), I reached out to my principal. And here we go again, I was back at my home school, which is also my neighborhood school. It was another bittersweet experience. I was super sad to leave all the people I had built relationships in that one crazy year at my new campus, but my gut just knew that this was the right choice for me and my family. 

So my second year as a school librarian was at another new campus, but not really becasue Savannah Elementary has been my campus for so long. It really was like going back home in a lot of ways. There was still plenty of learning and adjusting to do. There had been a lot of staff change so building relationships was starting over in a lot of ways. And let's not forget, it was still the middle of the pandemic. Almost all year I taught Library on a cart, trucking to classrooms with carts and doing my best to get books in the hands of kids in the middle of the mask wearing, hand sanitizing, social distancing madness that was this school year. It was another challenge, for sure, but it was still a good year. Maybe next year I'll get a "normal" year in the Library? We can hope, right?!

With all this craziness of the last few years, I let this blogging thing fall off. I really wish I hadn't because it's been a wild ride and it would have been worth documenting. But, I've had a couple of ideas that I wanted to put out there recently, and I really do like having this space for myself. Space to just share what's on my mind. I played around with starting a whole new blog, one that's more Library focused. I couldn't come up with any title I liked that wasn't already taken and really I was just using it as an excuse to put it off some more. So finally, today, I decided no... Pensive Pedagogy still works. I'm still a thoughtful, reflective person. (Too much so sometimes, which is why this blog is a good thing for me. A place to work all that thinking out!) And pedagogy is the art and science of teaching. I am very much still a teacher, I've just expanded what that looks like! So, here we go, ready for new adventures!

💗~K.

Who and Why?

First thing's first. Who am I?

This is me. My name is Kathy Holt. I'm a 4th grade ELAR teacher in Texas. This year is my 10th year of teaching. I taught first grade for eight years and honestly thought I probably always would. Then, last year, I was moved to fourth grade. This was a scary change. I don't think I've ever questioned myself so much, not even in my first years of teaching! But it's been absolutely fantastic. I adore fourth graders. And I absolutely love being able to concentrate all of my energy and passion on literacy. I am passionate about growing students into not just strong readers and writers, but lifelong learners.

So, second question - Why? Why am I doing this? Why start a blog in the first place? Why now? Well, a couple of reasons.

Reason Number 1: My little sister. She inspires me! My sister, Stephanie, started her first year of teaching this year. She's teaching middle school math and has moved out to East Texas to do so. As she's embarked on this crazy adventure, starting something completely new, moving away from everyone and everything she knows, she decided to begin blogging her journey. I love being able to keep up with her this way and how she is so openly sharing it all with the world. (You should check her out! https://slavone.wordpress.com) And I thought, maybe I have some thoughts worth sharing as well! 

Reason Number 2: My brain is a very chaotic place. If you know anything about CliftonStrengths, my number one strength is Ideation. This translates to...ideas are swirling in my head constantly, I'm always thinking, it never stops. This sums up Ideation to me very nicely.

And sometimes all of these thoughts jumbling around in my head just need an outlet. My ramblings about my classroom or thoughts on literacy and education aren't always appropriate for my Facebook wall. I'm a realist, I know people on Facebook are looking for basic updates and pictures of my adorable kids...

...obviously! (I mean, c'mon! So cute, right?!) And Twitter's limited characters is a definite challenge for me and my often long-winded ways. So having a blog, like a journal, a place where I can come and just write, share my thoughts and reflections, allow all my ideas to process...I thought it could be therapeutic for me. Maybe people will read it. Maybe they won't. Either way, it's for me. A place to process, to ponder, to reflect, and to think.

Onto another why - Why Pensive Pedagogy?

Would you be surprised to know that I've been thinking about starting a blog for weeks? Maybe even a few months? I've had several ideas of posts I'd like to make. Why didn't I start sooner? THE NAME! I couldn't figure out what I wanted to call it...and I simply could not move on from there. Trust me, this name thing has had my Ideation working in overdrive! But I finally settled on one today. (Honestly, I wanted to keep thinking about it. I made myself just DO it! Stop thinking, and let's get going! It's definitely a basement of my Ideation that this is so hard for me to do.)

Pensive - adj. - engaged in, involving, or reflecting deep or serious thought.

Pedagogy - n. - the art or science of teaching; education; instructional methods

As I contemplated what I really wanted this blog to be about, I kept coming back to that thinking I'm always doing. Reflecting. Contemplating. And I knew I wanted it to be based in my classroom. Reading. Writing. But maybe more? Best practices. Assessment. Educational Technology. I don't know...ALL of it! Eventually, I came up with Pensive Pedagogy. Thoughtful reflection on teaching and my educational practices. That will be my goal, my focus-ish!

Well, we shall see how this goes. I hope it's a project I will keep up with. I hope I don't abandon it like every other time I've started journaling in the past. I hope I don't go three months between entries. However, I make no promises. We shall see. It will be an adventure!

💗 K.