Erin Kerrn

  This week's genius hour focus: how to avoid rebellion. Most of us are on spring break. This is the first time I have ever taken a spring break. We are in Destin, Florida and this picture is what I am looking at right now. I thought it was fitting that our professor chose "avoiding rebellion" as our topic this week, as I am in this beautiful vacation spot and need to work on my writing as part of my passion, and not a hassle.  We drove on Friday, so in the car, I was able to write and dedicate time to my passion project but it was NOT like the time I am used to. Examples of rebellion: my husband slamming on the brakes and yelling at the drivers in front of us, my comfort level with my journal and my passenger seat, and of course, "Mom, I need juice!" Sometimes I would ask everyone to quiet down so I could focus. Other times, I gave into the rebellion and closed the journal. On the first day in the gorgeous backdrop, I was able to sit on the porch by myself and ...

  Elevator Pitch Presentation

15 minutes for myself? Seems easier said than done. With our busy, scheduled lives, how does anyone have time to sit and reflect for 15 minutes? It's funny because I teach a communications course to seniors about the human psyche and self-acceptance, and yet, as adults, it's hard to find time to do what we are teaching the kids! I chose writing for my passion project. Narrowing it down was fairly easy. However, spending 15 minutes writing for fun has been difficult!  I started writing in the morning, as suggested to find a good routine. However, it completely threw off my morning routine! I couldn't find the 15 minutes to reflect in the morning because my internal distractions were too heavy. My mind was constantly on the other 9 million things I should've been doing. So, then I tried at work, during my prep time. My classroom is quiet, with no distractions. That worked. I liked it, but I did get distracted sometimes. Maybe someone at the door, maybe my hunger, maybe my...

After some thought about this assignment, my list of three for my passion project are Zumba, writing, and Disney! I like to exercise Zumba, which is a fitness program that includes dancing to international music.  I have never loved exercising, but Zumba made exercising fun. It is a group sport, so I meet fun people. It is challenging because you have to remember the moves, but since it is a form of dance, it is fun and I love the upbeat music. Zumba is something I do just for me. I remember getting a diary as a dramatic 10-year-old. I think my mom gave it to me, so she could stop hearing all of my drama. =) I loved to write all my thoughts in it. During my life, I have strayed away from writing for fun. I am an English teacher; therefore, I teach writing all the time. I help students edit their papers and am constantly giving feedback. I write what my students are writing to model style, tone, and format. But I did and do enjoy writing for fun. I love Disney! I grew up watching th...

Welcome to My Blog~     My name is Erin Kerrn and I am an English teacher at Lisle High School, in Illinois.  In addition to my teaching responsibilities, I also sponsor the student congress club and the key club at Lisle High School. I truly enjoy leading the students in school spirit-driven activities, as well as, teaching the students the power of volunteerism!  I received my Bachelor's Degree from Illinois State University, in English Education. I also have my Master's Degree from Benedictine University in Reading and Teaching. I have been teaching at Lisle since 2007. I am now pursuing my Teaching with Technology Endorsement through the University of St. Francis.  I got married in 2007 to my husband Theodore and we have two lovely children, Maggie who is 9, and Joshua, who is 7. We also adopted a dog named Jasper who is a mix of a Vizsla and Pitbull, we think. I am looking forward to using this bold to learn more about how to engage my students th...