About Crazy Teacher Lady
My name is Terie Engelbrecht, known by family and a few mean-spirited
friends as "that crazy teacher lady." I developed this site as a place
to work out, reflect upon, and
share ideas and insights I have had/will have about instruction and
learning at the secondary level.
I have been crazy enough to teach various science and social studies classes at the high school level since 1997, and have suffered many grey hairs in the name of helping students reach true understanding. I have a BA in History with Secondary Certification (minor in Biology) from Blackburn College, and an MA in Educational Leadership from Aurora University. I currently work as a science teacher at Woodstock North High School in Woodstock, IL. I previously worked at Byron CUSD #226 as the Director of Teaching & Learning and Marengo High School in Marengo, IL, as a science teacher, Science Division Chair, and Instructional Technology Coach. I am also an Adjunct Professor for Aurora University, teaching graduate-level courses in Assessment & Curriculum in their graduate cohort program.
Over the years and grey hairs I have learned that sometimes good teaching (and good student learning) often:
--looks crazy (read: nontraditional) to others
--is based more on a teacher's instinct about what his/her students need than on research
--includes methods that are way off the educational beaten path (we're talking about "wandering-deep-into-the-brambles-and-thorns-and-coming-out-scarred-and-bleeding-but-1000x-better-for-it" off the beaten path).
However, good teaching is really just doing what makes good educational sense with your content and your students--which, in turn, is doing what's best for students and their learning. Because that's the point of all the teaching craziness educators practice every day, really: to help foster and develop student learning.
Throughout my career I have maintained an avid interest in becoming a better teacher and helping my students become better learners, mainly by trying to increase the rigor and relevance of my curriculum and piloting new initiatives such as standards-based grading (SBG). I have also tried to share my experiences with others, through presenting to staff at inservice days about differentiated instruction and vocabulary, as well as through presenting at various state and local conferences.
Like any teacher, I am passionate about what I do and just want to improve my craft. I also want to share my thoughts and what I have learned with others, in the hopes that something that I do/think/write may help other teachers (even if it is to help other educators see what not to do through my educational fumblings & stumblings). And, through this blog, I hope to learn how to improve what I do from others as well.
I have been crazy enough to teach various science and social studies classes at the high school level since 1997, and have suffered many grey hairs in the name of helping students reach true understanding. I have a BA in History with Secondary Certification (minor in Biology) from Blackburn College, and an MA in Educational Leadership from Aurora University. I currently work as a science teacher at Woodstock North High School in Woodstock, IL. I previously worked at Byron CUSD #226 as the Director of Teaching & Learning and Marengo High School in Marengo, IL, as a science teacher, Science Division Chair, and Instructional Technology Coach. I am also an Adjunct Professor for Aurora University, teaching graduate-level courses in Assessment & Curriculum in their graduate cohort program.
Over the years and grey hairs I have learned that sometimes good teaching (and good student learning) often:
--looks crazy (read: nontraditional) to others
--is based more on a teacher's instinct about what his/her students need than on research
--includes methods that are way off the educational beaten path (we're talking about "wandering-deep-into-the-brambles-and-thorns-and-coming-out-scarred-and-bleeding-but-1000x-better-for-it" off the beaten path).
However, good teaching is really just doing what makes good educational sense with your content and your students--which, in turn, is doing what's best for students and their learning. Because that's the point of all the teaching craziness educators practice every day, really: to help foster and develop student learning.
Throughout my career I have maintained an avid interest in becoming a better teacher and helping my students become better learners, mainly by trying to increase the rigor and relevance of my curriculum and piloting new initiatives such as standards-based grading (SBG). I have also tried to share my experiences with others, through presenting to staff at inservice days about differentiated instruction and vocabulary, as well as through presenting at various state and local conferences.
Like any teacher, I am passionate about what I do and just want to improve my craft. I also want to share my thoughts and what I have learned with others, in the hopes that something that I do/think/write may help other teachers (even if it is to help other educators see what not to do through my educational fumblings & stumblings). And, through this blog, I hope to learn how to improve what I do from others as well.