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Welcome!

The Middle is a Great Place to Be 

Personal photo: My classroom seating area

Introduction

Hello, 👋
My name is Christine Downey and I am a 7th grade science teacher, teaching at a school in the northwest suburbs in Chicago. This is my third and best year yet!  Teaching is an extremely rewarding career and nothing short of interesting, for example, today one of my students brought a live rat to school to show his friends. I cannot imagine doing anything else! I am able to collaborate and learn from so many experienced colleagues, as well as insightful students. I am excited to see where my career takes me as I continue my education and grow as an educator.

Personal photo: Cody at 5 months old 

  School and Personal Life
I attended Illinois State University, majoring in Elementary Education K-9. I have middle school endorsements in social science, language arts, and science. I always pictured myself teaching elementary school until I received my first job outside of college. I somehow landed in middle school and have been here ever since. I grew up on a quiet street in the northwest suburbs of Chicago with my mother, father, and brother. My pride and joy is my cat, Cody, who is the best trained cat there is. He is very similar to a dog- playing fetch and waiting patiently for me to get home to rub his belly. In my "spare time" I can be found binge watching true crime shows and/or napping.


Gif via Giphy

It's a Tech World and We're Just Living in It

I am very excited to begin continuing my career in education by working to get my technology endorsement. I truly believe technology is the direction education is heading. I want to learn all I can to implement it in the classroom effectively to better teach today's generation of learners. I feel fortunate to have experience with technology, as I have grown up having a one-to-one device in the classroom since elementary school. I hope you enjoy learning with me on my journey!

-Christine
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Comments

  1. Soaring With SoerensOctober 23, 2019 at 12:18 PM

    I, too, am excited to be on this journey with you! I cannot believe you grew up with a one-to-one device since elementary! You must have a completely different view than many of us as you have the ability to see it from a student's view. We will all definitely be able to learn from you and benefit from your expertise :) HOWEVER - please do not think that you can bring a live RAT to class (WHAT?!?!?!). You find that exciting, I find that terrifying ;) But truly - you must be engaging students so well that they are finding ways to make connections and continue to learning outside of school. I am excited to get to know you better throughout this cohort!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. CdowneyOctober 27, 2019 at 8:36 PM

      Karen,
      I found the live rat just as equally terrifying, but luckily I did not see it. I do love to see that he is so interested in science! I look forward to working with you and seeing all the knowledge and experience you bring to our classroom!

      Delete
  2. Mr. GOctober 23, 2019 at 7:34 PM

    This comment has been removed by the author.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Mr. GOctober 25, 2019 at 5:34 AM

    At first I was also surprised to learn that you've had 1:1 devices since elementary school. However, then I remembered going to Mooresville, North Carolina in 2011 to learn about how their 1:1 processes worked, and at the time they had been doing it for several years. So if I do my math correctly, it would fall in line with their beginnings as well. Glad to see that the Chicago Suburbs have given them a run for their money, as they were considered pioneers.

    Has matriculating in a one-to-one environment helped you prepare for the job you currently have in science within a 1:1 school? During your time frame in the 1:1, have you seen any disparities between the district(s) you grew up in compared to the one you teach in now as far as access to resources or equipment is concerned?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. CdowneyOctober 27, 2019 at 8:30 PM

      The school district I grew up in mainly implemented tech when it came to ELA courses. We had 1:1 but using the tech wasn't consistent among teachers/classes until I was either a junior or senior. This is when I began to see more of a shift to using tech more often. I think today there is more consistency in usage, which I think is important to take full advantage of the resource. I think the kids at our school are much more tech literate because they have so much more time to practice using their computers. They also get to use so many different programs, which adds more to their exposure.

      Delete
  4. NMZumpanoOctober 27, 2019 at 3:19 PM

    Cody is adorable! In terms of the rat, did you know it was coming to school?! It takes a strong resolve to teach middle school kids- good for you for making their journey enjoyable (and rat friendly). Looking forward to learning with you this fall!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. CdowneyOctober 27, 2019 at 8:24 PM

      I actually had no idea the rat was coming and unfortunately, he was released before the student made it to my class! I look forward to working with you as well!

      Delete

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