In-Service Day

Today was an in-service day at SCU. Why is it that a teacher is more exhausted after an in-service day than after a day of teaching 20 children? Our day was spent calibrating and scoring writing PBAs. That involved real conversations about writing and what constitutes such things as interval events, literary language, writer's craft and closure. Everything comes into that conversation - experiences with past students, your own writing life, and views about developmentally appropriateness. I left feeling a little less than an expert teacher. It is good for me to remember that I am a life long learner and learning always involve some disequilibrium. It is always somewhat depressing to look at the baseline assessments and see the long road that lies ahead. But we have 9 months to do it in. It is good to remember that we write and read everyday and get a little closer to the goal (standard) with each mini-lesson and conference. This too is a journey. I will be relieved to see my kids again tomorrow and get back to the work at hand.