We live in Denver: four pro sports teams, less than an hour from the slopes, 300+ sunny days a year, and we are close to Boulder. January weather could be 60 degrees one day or snowing the next. We’re not too close to any other ACE communities, but in the words of John Staud, “So is Hawaii but who complains about paradise!”
Every day my students would ask if it was my birthday. Each day I would respond by saying "no." Finally, on my actual birthday, my students asked, and I responded by mumbling "yes," to which they erupted in screams.
We have a community of five, which is great for fitting everyone in a single car. Early in the year, we began selecting themed music for our drives throughout Denver. We have enjoyed a whole range of themes - cheerful music, sad music, music about mountains, music about food, and music that reminds us of other people in the house.
My favorite teaching moment was when my Algebra students introduced graphing equations to other classes. We walked through the other middle school classes and chanted, with picketing signs, "Two points determine a line!".
ACE has deepened my understanding of love. The virtues of patience, hard work, and compassion that the first year of teaching pushed me to embrace could not have stemmed from anything but love for my students and their futures.
Rollercoaster. This year was full of thrilling highs and tumultuous lows. However, the highs were enough to carry momentum through the lows and push me to the top of the next hill.
