It's spring break and I have spent a few hours each of the last two days going through files dating back to 1994. Many of the students' names are familiar, but not all. Some of them resurface years later. I saved all my plan and record books, all ILRs (Individual Learning Records), and newsletters from all the years. I am ready to dump four large boxes of files.
It was a reminder of how the emphases have changed over the years. We used to have to list numbers for life-skills, we created portfolios, we did Starting Over programs with soft skills, and now the emphasis is on work place and transition to college.
I also went through teaching materials dating back to the 1980s or earlier. I will never use many of them again so out they went! It was a trip through memory lane--the time I presented at a conference, the homework and test-taking workshops I did for students and their parents, the unsuccessful proposal I made to Educators Publishing Service to publish the change-of-letter technique.
Our recyclable container is full and there are still four boxes ready to go out. But I did salvage some good ideas I had forgotten about and will look over again at my leisure.
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