I get to school and catch up with the two other fellows on the high school team. We all share a classroom partitioned by large, rolling whiteboards, so we take time every morning before students come in to prepare our learning environments for the day ahead.

I stand at our classroom door to welcome our first-period geometry students to class. At the high school, we teach three periods of geometry and two periods of algebra each day. Teaching two different subjects requires more lesson prep on the part of our team, but it’s really fun to have variety in our lessons from period to period.

Our first hour begins! Today, we’re learning how to graph lines using equations in standard form. My first-period students are a competitive bunch — by the end of the period, they’re making up their own problems to stump their classmates!

Our second hour ends, and we transition into advisory, which is a bonus half hour with our second-period students. Some are working on fall/winter decorations for our room, and others are playing the various board and card games we keep in our space. This week, I’ve spent most of my advisory time with a few students who recently asked me to teach them how to play chess.

Blueprint’s high school site manager, Mr. Roig is observing my class as part of our regularly scheduled fellow development work. He’ll share feedback from the lesson and offer suggestions on how to improve during our weekly coaching conversation later today. I didn’t realize how invested our leadership team would be in our professional growth when I joined Blueprint, but I’ve felt so supported in this new role because of their care and constructive feedback.

We’re ready for our daily planning period. Mr. Roig, my other fellows and I start by getting together, eating lunch and talking about the day — it’s a great opportunity to share what worked for each of us or ask for help. From there, we grade our students’ daily assessments and discuss which lesson structures and teaching tools to use in upcoming lessons. Our lead fellow is a tremendous resource, and she draws on her experiences from past years to set us up for success.

I take time before leaving school to clean my space and update my whiteboards with the next day’s lesson objectives. I also set aside some time after school each week for parent phone calls. Blueprint fellows record data daily on students’ assessment scores, attendance and behavior, and we make positive phone calls whenever students lead by example and help their classmates. Parents love hearing about their kids’ hard work, and students love knowing that their work is being recognized.

Time to head home! I’m exhausted, but I am so excited to come back to school tomorrow. Being a Blueprint fellow has been such a phenomenal opportunity to both make a difference in a community and also grow as a teacher and a leader. I’m grateful every day that I get to come to work with a passionate, supportive team and incredibly kind, hard-working students.