Chaffy

Currently, I'm working as a media specialist librarian in a high school. My favorite librarian position was a K-12 librarian in a small town. I taught high school English in Georgia for many years. My favorite focuses right now are critical and creative thinking, interdisciplinary connections, and media and technology integration.

My students sometimes say, "You're one of those freedom teachers." I don't mind noise in the room as long as it's productive, and if a kid needs to stand while he writes his story, so be it! If someone made me sit in a desk for 6-hours, I'd be crazy. I try to have fun, and I think the most productive class periods are the ones when I don't have to talk much at all. The kids know what to do, and they're busy doing it! I do have rules and guidelines, of course, and I really make sure to teach procedures/protocols--which is something elementary teachers are great at, but sometimes middle school teachers lose.

I have a BS and M.Ed. in English Education. I also have an Ed.S. in Advanced Education and a library-media certification and an ESL credential. I like to learn. I had some awesome professors during my time at each university--my favorites taught me about caring about kids first, so you can connect them to the content you love in a more meaningful way. A few in every program have blown my mind with their methods and content. Most recently, I went on a deep dive with case studies and the importance of qualitative data.