A Whirlwind Week

Well this has been a whirlwind week...

I started the week with personal issues which really helped me empathize with students in my classroom.  It is really hard to understand how hard it is to focus during the day when there are so many other things going on in life, but Tuesday really helped me understand that.  Between a lack of sleep and my mental preoccupation I was mentally taxed for the day.  As the day wore on not only did the day become easier but it was also easier for me to reflect personally on how much our "outside of school lives" really and truly impact our abilities to focus and participate in the classroom setting.  

And today I found out that the job fair I was headed to in Texas has been cancelled as a precaution for the swine flu outbreak.  This disease is causing quite a stir, not only in the Texas area but with my students as well.  As the disease becomes confirmed in our state the students hear about it more and more and the questions surrounding it increase dramatically.  I really have begun to realize how much of a support and security I am for the students in my class.  They really do turn to me for support and reassurance.  But since the job fair was cancelled and my tickets are non-refundable I am headed down there anyway to visit the area, tour the sights and just see what Texas is like to make sure if this really is a place I could see myself living in.  It should be an exciting weekend.  

All in all it has been a good week and hopefully this weekend is an eventful on in a positive way as well!

A success!

Today my class finished the book Clementine by Sara Pennypacker.  When I finished the book the kids actually cheered and clapped for me!  They unanimously liked the story, which is a difficult feat with my students, to hold their attention and to really relate to the main character in that way.  When I told them that there were more Clementine books they all gasped in excitement and asked me could they read that book next!  I wanted to cry!  That my students were so eager to read a book is a moment that I absolutely treasure, especially with my students, who generally are not so fond of the task.  I want to incorporate more "book talks" into our weekly schedule to keep that excitement for books and reading with my students so that they can always feel that desire and excitement for reading throughout the year and into the summer.

Practice makes... confidence?

Practice makes perfect is an expression I have heard many many times.. far more than I could ever count.  But as I teach I realize, although perfection would be nice, it is not really perfection that I want as a teacher.  I would give up perfection any day of the week for my students to be more confident in their own skills.  I do have a few that are confident in anything that they do, but so many of my students have such a lack of confidence with their own abilities to write, do math problems, do artwork, etc. that they completely shut down when they have to complete that activity.  What I have begun to notice as this quarter as rolled on is that students need practice with all academic areas, be it math, science, writing, art, music, PE, or reading, to build confidence in their own skills.  As they feel more successful in those ventures they will be more likely to do those activities, thereby giving them more practice!  You couldn't ask for a whole lot more!  I hope that as a teacher I give students that boost in confidence that they can complete any task and provide students with ample opportunities to build that confidence and desire to read, write, experiment, run, draw, etc.

It's official

So I am officially going to the Texas Job Fair!  I can't believe that last week I had no idea what was going to happen with the next couple of months and now, in 2 weeks, I am headed off to Dallas, Texas to apply for jobs (and get hired with any luck!).  As scary as it is, I am excited and most people around me are really pushing me to do it! 

As I am researching districts in Texas I came across another good quote from John Locke - "A school is four walls with tomorrow inside."  Wow!  It is nice to go from a state like Washington where education is said to be the focus but financially and otherwise that is not the case, to a state like Texas where education clearly IS the focus of the state.  That will be something that will be nice to adjust to!  :)

Two Good Quotes

I was searching around online and came across two good quotes I wanted to share.

"Excellence is not a skill.  It is an attitude"

 - I just really liked this one because it is so true.  There is not a formula to excel at something other than putting a lot of time and effort to make it that way.  Also, having the faith that even when things aren't going exactly as planned, when the train seems to be derailing, that life will balance itself out and everything will end up as it should.

"The future is unwritten."

 - As much as I really struggle with this at times, it is true.  The future is exactly that, in the future and cannot be foreseen.  I wish sometimes that I could find a crystal ball that would allow me to see where I would end up if I make certain choices but it really would take away that excitement of life.  And with that is the necessary faith that everything will work out the way it should, even when things seem to be falling apart.  

My First Job Fair

Today was my first job fair... what an experience!

When I first walked in, I thought 3 things:

1. Am I under dressed?  I was one of the first few within sight that wasn't wearing a full suit so that made me really nervous at first!
2. YIKES!  There were so many people and districts in attendance that I was honestly overwhelmed at first... I had no idea where to start.
3. I look WAY younger than the other people here!  I know that I am 23 but people always say I look young for my age so I was worried I wasn't going to be taken seriously!

After the initial shock of the location was over I set my things down at the WWU booth (and thank goodness!  I would have hated to have to carry around my purse AND all of the things I was getting from districts).  And the day began!

Nearly all of the districts weren't currently offering any openings because of the current budget uncertainties but most were very welcoming.  You could clearly see which ones were the higher paying or the more desirable ones (usually ones giving interviews on the spot) because the crowds were big and the wait time was in excess of an hour!  Some districts really didn't have anyone there talking to them because they were unknown and/or on the east side of the state.  But overall the people were very welcoming and happy to talk about their districts, though they wanted you to sell yourself as a teacher to them more!  I was somewhat intimidated and put out of my comfort zone because you really have to be "in their faces" with who you are and why you are special, talking about strengths and experiences that you will bring to the table.  I don't like bragging about myself or being that forward with people, but it was what had to be done.  

After roaming with a friend for a while and seeing some fellow interns at the fair, I set off to chat with some districts on my own.  I do have an advantage because I am willing to move pretty much anywhere.  I am not really tied down to the area and honestly, a change of pace might be a nice change for me since I have lived in Western Washington all of my life.  So I talked to several districts in Eastern Washington that, like most others, weren't hiring yet.  Then I went and chatted with some very nice representatives from Texas, which sounded a bit far for me, but I talked anyway.  They were fantastic and had 3000 job openings this year in their areas... each.  Between 2 booths there were more than 6000 jobs to be had, but few people there because they didn't want to move to another state.  That's the funny thing about a lot of people, they say they want to move but really they only want to move within a 30 mile radius... if that.  

So now I am seriously considering a job in Texas.  As somewhat scary as that sounds, it would be an adventure... and that's what I feel like I need.  The nice guy from the Dallas (North Central Texas area) said that if I "had access" to plane tickets that I should come down to the Texas job fair, May 4th, because I would leave with a job.  So now I have my choices to consider.  Wait until late June, July, August or even after school starts to find a job locally.  OR go down to Texas and find a job probably quicker, and likely in the grade that I want.  Goodness!  The choices ahead of me!  It will be a hard decision and one that will occupy a lot of my free and Internet time.  But it will be worth the hard work to have that job next year.  Though the future is yet unwritten and I don't like the uncertainty that is coming with that territory it will likely be an adventure that I will remember forever!

What do you say?

The kids were really wild today, maybe because the weekend just ended, maybe because of the leftover sugar rush from the Easter candy, who knows.  But wild they were.  By the end of the day I was fairly frustrated because the kids were almost trying not to pay attention, which irritates me to no end.  Regardless, I made it through the day with a good review from my observation, which is always nice.

Then it happened, one of those moments where I honestly thought, "What do I say?!"  A student rushed up to me with about 20 minutes left of school with an extremely concerned look on her face.  In a completely serious and urgent tone she said, "Miss D. Is Santa real?"  I had no clue what to honestly respond to with that.  I didn't want to lie to her but I also didn't know what other kids around her thought so I just brushed it off and said she needed to be focusing on the words work in front of her.  But goodness.  I will not be the person who breaks that reality to her.  I still remember, vividly, the day I heard that Santa and the Easter bunny, and the rest of the troupe weren't real.  I was in AWANA (a youth group through a church) and the pastor was talking about how we shouldn't lie.  He then went on to say how sometimes parents tell lies to their children to make them feel better, like how they lie and say Santa and the Easter bunny are real, but that's still not okay to do because a lie is a lie.  And there I sat.  Just hit by a brick wall with that reality that my parents... my own mom and dad, were Santa, the tooth fairy, the Easter bunny, etc.  Yikes.  I am not having that moment happen for my students in the middle of my class.  :)

Just one more of the millions of things that I couldn't have been prepared for in any teacher education class!

First week back!

Wow, it's been a while since I have posted last!  Things have been busy lately!

We had our spring break, which I spent in Montana visiting Cullen.  I had a blast, but I think I was the only one who went somewhere with colder weather than we had in Washington.  It snowed pretty heavily when I was there!

This last week was my first back and full time.  It went by SO SO quickly and seems like a blur.  I can understand why teachers say to make notes about lessons right away because you won't remember the next year.  Please, I don't think I could remember the next week!  :)

This week was pretty funny and challenging.  I was observed twice, both of which went well.  The kids were definitely squirrely at the beginning of the week to get back into the groove of school from the break relaxing.  Darn spring break gets them out of those habits we have worked so hard on!

I started teaching an after school math academy which is going well but much more challenging than the reading academy was.  The math students are much less eager to learn and much more chatty with one another, so they are easily distracted when together.  I will have to work extra hard to come up with lessons and activities that will keep them engaged!  On Thursday one of my students missed his bus and started crying.  I remember how traumatic it was the first time you missed the bus.  I really felt bad!

The funny part of the week was when one of my second graders came in with an older sister's bra on.  Wow!  It was funny to see her strut around the classroom, boys following behind telling her, "Wow!  You look like a teenager with that bra on!"  Yikes!  But at the same time, you could see right down her shirt so we had to have her take it off so class could continue as normal.  Just one more thing that they just don't and really can't prepare you for in teacher education courses!  :)

Overall, I think things went well.  Word study has been very successful so far!  I feel like I was fairly consistent on my use of MYD, though there is always room for improvement.  I am getting better at time management and being on time to pick up and drop off students.  My goal is to continue to work on those things and to bring some sort of closure to the lessons I teach. 

This week brings two more observations, an in-service day, a career fair, and a whirlwind week!  I am ready for whatever funny stories I will have and whatever challenges come my way and can't wait for it all to happen!  :)