Learn Tech with Ruth

It just dawned on me that the first day with my new French and German students will be happening one month from today, well, actually yesterday. This is the time of the summer when teachers can finally relax a little, take time for themselves without the daily stresses. Yesterday, I went to Staples to have four posters laminated there and to my surprise they already had their back to school specials out. I could not believe it. So after my laminating was underway I got my 30 composition books and asked them to cut them horizontally into three equal portions, creating 90 awesome vocabulary books for my students next year. Way too early to be thinking about stuff like that, right? I also found a 36 pack of sharpened pencils, 7 sets of markers and rulers, in addition to several packs of index cards. Who does that at the beginning of July? Well, apparently the school obsessed teachers I encountered in there. I may possibly be allowed to go in to set up my classroom next week according to o...

I hiked El Camino de Santiago earlier in June. Life changer. I would highly recommend it to anyone who needs a little bit of a challenge and time to clear their heads from school clutter. What a fun and awesome experience it was. My friend and colleague Nancy and I decided to combine the Camino with the 100th Annual AATSP Conference in Salamanca, making this a three week trip in Spain. I will always cherish the wonderful people we met on the way, a mixture of nations and ages, a United Nations of sorts. I got to use all four of my languages many times in casual and often deeper conversations over the course of the 118 K we covered there. An occasional extra challenge, such as having to cross crazy high bridges as well as one on bolders made it even more interesting. I was surprised at how many Spanish school groups we met up with, and equally surprised that we were able to keep pace with them from one rest stop to another at one point. The varying Spanish landscapes we enjoyed crossing...