Who is Pyxie Radcliff?

I have been in education for 14 years. Being a teacher was something I saw myself doing as far back as high school, but it didn't come to fruition until I was 34. I taught high school English for 12 years, and during that time I taught all levels of learners in 9th-12th grades, remedial through Advanced Placement, drama and yearbook. 

Over the summer of 2015, I made a really tough decision, and that was to accept a position as an Instructional Coach at a neighboring high school. I have no regrets with that decision. I have learned so much more about teaching and learning and schools. I have since become a cross-content specialist, working closely with the math and history departments to develop benchmarks, common formative assessments, project-based assessments, and viable PLC teams. The past two years has been a whirlwind of learning, listening, and work. Really amazing work!

I have always felt that working with new teachers is extremely rewarding and enjoyable. I began as a BTSA mentor my sixth year of teaching and continue to be a BTSA Coach even now. As the site Instructional Coach, I work with all teachers new to the site, regardless of level of experience. This is to aide in transition, provide site historical knowledge, and provide coaching. I work with teachers new to the profession for a minimum of two years, and many request that I continue working with them because they find that our partner approach to teaching-learning is invaluable. I would not trade this aspect of my job for anything! People new to the professional bring valuable insight, ideas and energy! It's a win for all of us!

This coming school year, 2017-18, I will be teaching an advanced composition course. I'm very excited about this opportunity for myriad reasons. One, it will allow me to practice strategies that I learn at conferences, while allowing me to keep my skills sharp. Two, it will act as a "lab" that teachers might visit at will to observe me teaching to see how I handle situations with students, manage the class, and use various strategies throughout the lessons. Three, I hope that it will be enjoyable for students because I'm going to "disrupt" all year by incorporating real-world situational writing (I don't want to get into detail because I'll be blogging about it as it unfolds). Can't wait to post video of the class for you all to watch and provide feedback!

I'm all about feedback. If you have any to offer, please don't hesitate! I will always view myself as a learner and intend to continue learning for the remainder of my life!

Thanks everyone!

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