HUGE Thank You to Brooklyn Staff!

Well, enough time has gone by that I can write this without tearing up--except maybe cybertears! I can't begin to thank everyone at Brooklyn for all that I've learned while teaching there: I think/hope that I became a better teacher over the years, and it's all due to the kids, parents, and the staff at Brooklyn Avenue! It has truly been a pleasure to work with everyone at Brooklyn. You have the kids in mind with everything you do--keep that focus, and everything will be OK.
Speaking of focus, I learned a new concept (well, new to me) this summer at a technology conference: Universal Design of Learning (UDL). To find out more about the principles of UDL, go to the CAST website. But, if you want to just see the practical use of UDL for your kids, then check out A Dance with the Butterflies Project.
The other website to check out is the 90 Days of Summer. This calendar has links to help you learn more about some of the great resources available for teachers on the Web, one a day, so you don't get too overwhelmed. Pick and choose those that interest you, but TeacherTube is a great one to browse. It's like YouTube, but for teachers, and videos are being added daily (and the district doesn't block it!). Also, when you're ready to think about school and lesson plans, don't reinvent the wheel, go to Thinkfinity (used to be MarcoPolo). They have some of the greatest lesson plans, complete with links to appropriate websites. There are indeed, "endless possibilities for learning" (as the definition for Thinkfinity states); don't believe all the hype about there's only one right way for all students to learn (inherent in the often simplistic teachings of "one-size curriculum fits all"). Whoops, I'm starting to get on a soapbox, so I'll stop. Just check them out and you'll see.
Have a great summer, and keep checking back for tips/links and please post comments/questions. I don't know all the answers, but I'll try to find out!