Introduction

Welcome to my blog: from the Classroom to the Library!

Image source: personal photo


My name is Jason Hill and I serve as a sixth grade social studies teacher in south suburban Harvey, IL. I have been teaching sixth grade for the past five years. Prior to that I spent 9 years teaching fourth grade. I've also spent the last two years serving on the Teacher Advisory Board for the Chicago History Museum. I am very excited to be taking this class. After 14 years of teaching in the classroom I am striving to become a school librarian.

Image source: https://giphy.com/explore/excited

My path to becoming a teacher

I did not always want to become a teacher. I studied history at the University of Illinois in Champaign-Urbana with a minor in pre-Law. I had every intention of going into law school. I decided after graduation to join the Peace Corps and I spent that next two years working at a high school in Romania. I can truly say that experience changed my life. I came home for a year, and then decided to move to Japan. I spent two years working as an Assistant Language Teacher for the JET Programme in Yamanashi Prefecture just West of Tokyo. I could look out of my window and see Mt. Fuji!

Image source: personal photo of Mt. Fuji, Japan

My relationship to technology

I've always been comfortable using and learning new technologies. Sometimes I feel that technology uses me, but I find I have a healthy relationship with my devices. I am forever grateful that I didn't grow up owning a cellular device. My life, and mistakes, were not recorded and preserved for posterity. I do have social media accounts (Facebook and Twitter) and I am very discerning about the content I choose to post. One good thing to come out of the pandemic is that it forced school districts like mine to purchase computers for every student. Gwendolyn Brooks is a Google school and my students use Chromebooks every day in all of their classes. In addition to Google Classroom we frequently use Blooket, Savvas, EdPuzzle, YouTube, and the entire suite of Google apps. There is some tension as I have heard grumbling from administrators that they would like to see us moving away from using the computer. I am strongly in favor of using computers and technology in education.

Image source: personal photo of cherry blossom tree Minobu, Japan


Comments

  1. Liz GMay 10, 2023 at 4:50 PM

    Hi Jason! It's great to learn about you from your blog post - and I especially love your Muppets GIF. You've had a really interesting path to librarianship, and I am excited to find another person making a career-shift about 15 years in. I'm curious about how your social studies experience shapes your philosophies about librarianship. Are there overlapping values and civics-like topics that influence how you see your future role?

    Thank you for sharing about yourself - and for the details about the Google apps you use at school! I'm looking forward to checking them out!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Jason HillMay 12, 2023 at 4:33 PM

      Thank you for taking the time to comment on my blog post Liz. You raise an interesting question on the connection between my social studies experience and my future in librarianship. That is something I will reflect on.

      Delete
  2. AnthonyMay 10, 2023 at 7:02 PM

    Hi Jason! I am very pleased to meet you! Please do not be startled by my name as I believe you have a student with the same name, junior! In fact, you have taught a few of my children and they all believe your an awesome teacher. I am very impressed with your background and travels. I also find it interesting that our 7th Grade Social Studies teacher is also a Librarian. She really loves her role and she would be a really interesting person for you to meet.

    As for technology, I believe at some point it uses us all. However, it would be very interesting to see how the school would manage that shift from utilizing technology in the classroom. You have given me some information to ensure I follow.

    It is a very small world. I look forward to participating in this course with you!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Jason HillMay 12, 2023 at 4:32 PM

      Mr Cunningham! It is a small world indeed. Thank you for your kind words and I have truly enjoyed teaching both of your children. I hope we can learn a great deal from each other during this class.

      Delete
  3. NMZumpanoMay 11, 2023 at 1:41 PM

    Great to meet you, Jason. I was a 4th grade teacher for 15 years! Your pictures are beautiful. What an adventure you've had already. Looking forward to learning more with you this summer.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Jason HillMay 12, 2023 at 4:34 PM

      Thank you! I've already learned some new tricks and I'm excited to acquire more.

      Delete
  4. Tony Ja... Lerooooy! Jeenkiiins! ... JacobMay 14, 2023 at 9:59 PM

    While it is essential to have at least one social media account, I tend to use Facebook as only a point of access these days. Not everyone needs to know your business, and it also lets you reflect on how you present yourself before new friends. You have quite a lifetime of experience to be proud about!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Jason HillMay 16, 2023 at 3:20 PM

      Thank you for your response Tony. I tend to use Facebook too. I do use Twitter and I am rethinking my use of that platform. I had a teacher in high school that told me to travel when I was young, and I took her advise to heart. I don't regret spending my early 20s overseas.

      Delete

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