Corinne Corrigan is a fourth grade teacher who has a unique experience where she started in the classroom and moved to the computer lab, started her family, came back and established our maker space studio and is now back in the classroom–in a new grade. Whew! She has a wealth of teaching resources and tips for eveyone.

I learned everything about teaching from Corinne (and Zoe Ley) when I was her teaching assistant way back. She continues to be a mentor and friend who has always given great advice and tips professionally and personally ;).

Come listen as we chat about her experience and get valuable tips to use in your own teaching and find out what she means by telling teachers to “just don’t do it!”

Books Mentioned (Affiliate Links – at no extra cost to you!)

Great Horn Spoon

One Crazy Summer

Music by: JukeDeck

Here is the transcript for you:

[Welcome to the Teaching Bites Podcast. Here are your hosts, Fred and Sharon Jaravata.]

Fred Jaravata: This is the Teaching Bites Show where we connect you with people and ideas to take your teaching to the next level. I’m your host. I’m Fred Jaravata and today we have a special guest. This person here is a very good friend of mine and a special person where she was actually my boss. Well, Corinne was my master teacher in first grade for about two years and then after that, I followed her into the computer lab and we worked together there for the next few years. She took some time off, came back and worked in the Makerspace. She helped us set that up and she went back to the classroom and teaches fourth grade. Hi Corinne.

Corinne Corrigan: Hello.

Fred Jaravata: How are you doing?

Corinne Corrigan: Good. How are you? I didn’t know I was so special.

Fred Jaravata: Very special. OK, one of the few people in this universe that actually – is actually really cool.

Corinne Corrigan: Oh, wow. Thank you.

Fred Jaravata: OK.

Corinne Corrigan: I’m honored.

Fred Jaravata: OK. So Corinne, fill in any of those blanks – any blanks that I – the intro I shared with our listeners and let us know your teaching story.

Corinne Corrigan: OK. So my background, I taught for second, third and now fourth grades. I also had a stint as a pre-kindergarten teacher for a semester and I was a technology specialist for several years. I got into that when I wanted to do something different and I wanted to have a job that would also allow me to possibly work part-time when I was having children and it worked out. But then I missed the classroom. I’m happy to be back teaching fourth grade humanities.

Fred Jaravata: Fourth grade humanities, OK. So when did you start teaching?

Corinne Corrigan: I started teaching in 1994. It was when I started my credential program. I actually did a credential program overseas in England. I was – I had been living in England and wanted to stay there and had a boyfriend there that I wanted to stay and hang out with.

So I did my teaching credential and teaching education in England for – before I moved back to the States and then now I have a California credential.

Fred Jaravata: Now, why did you choose San Francisco?

Corinne Corrigan: I went to college. I went to the University of San Francisco and I wanted to come back. So I did a year in Atlanta where my parents lived. I moved back from England and had about $50 in my pocket and decided I needed to live at home for a while and I taught third grade for a semester and pre-kindergarten first semester and then I moved back to San Francisco.

Fred Jaravata: OK.

Corinne Corrigan: I lived here longer than anywhere else.

Fred Jaravata: Than anywhere else. And you like it so far?

Corinne Corrigan: Uh-huh.

Fred Jaravata: Yeah.