An update on my most recent educational lessons

Also entitled- Things you don’t learn during student teaching

• Timing is really hard. If you plan an activity that you think will be short and sweet it will inevitably take about 25 minuets longer then you though. In the same fashion if you think the activity will take most of your small group block you will finish with 10 minuets left to fill with something meaningful.

• All three of the copiers breaking in the workroom on a Friday is also known as Armageddon in Teacher World.

• Students throw up in pairs.

• If those two students happen to get sick within the first hour of school you have basically lost the entire class for the rest of the day.

• My preconceived, Covenant influenced, notions of what are “best teaching practices” are being challenged. In fact, I use worksheets and put my desks into rows. *gasp*

• If my desk does not have some semblance of organization I tend to go slowly insane.

• Being invested in a career that you actually care about makes you really start paying attention to the news/politics and causes you to evaluate why you think the way you do, especially in an election year.

• Some days you come home and fall asleep on top of you lesson plans at 7:30pm.

• It’s hard to be a fun teacher.

• When parents don’t show up for SEP conferences it’s hard not to be disappointed and take it a little personally.

• I feel like I have no idea what I’m doing 90% if the time.

• 2nd graders don’t seem to care if I don’t know the best way to implement writer’s workshop or how to deal with defiant students, or tell them the long e spelling in evening is e_e (come to find out that second e isn’t silent). They still give me a hug on the way out the door at the end of the day.

Books, bedrooms, and mines, oh my!

Today I find myself at the end of my vacation. It’s time to hang up the sunglasses, put away the summer reading and (as my Aunt says) enter the real world again. But first hang with me as I share a bit of what a teacher does with three weeks on her hands.

First there was the chance to do some non-school related reading.
Sub note- (I thought that when I graduated I was done with the textbooks, that was not true. Lately my reading of choice has been various teacher manuals and textbooks for my reading endorsement class.)
I picked up a history of Salt Lake City to familiarize myself with where my new city came from. And, since I have an inability to read just on book at a time, I also got The Monk (I really wanted to see what all the scandal was about after I finished Northanger Abby) and Three Cups of Tea. I have yet to actually finish any of these (the curse of multiple book syndrome) so I’ll have to refrain from reviews just yet.

The next project I undertook to fill my time was settling into my new house.

I’ve basically become a poster child for the Ikea redo.

Before Ikea
After Ikea





And last but not least-



I have discovered that a pretty sure-fire cure for the “I miss Chattanooga blues” is a trip to one of the many canyons that surround the city. Here are some pictures of my latest trip to Big Cottonwood Canyon.



I got to the trial at about 8:30am and it was amazing weather with the temptuer in the mid 50’s. It felt like fall was here!


There was this old mine at the bottom of the trail. To be honest it was kind of eerie. It was dark inside, cold, I was all alone, it was dark, and I kept envisioning an old, toothless miner coming out, oh and it was dark. Needless to say I didn’t get to close. Yes… I am a wimp.


Pretty amazing isn’t it.

And I’m sure that right now you are all wishing that you too could see old mines and hidden water falls. Guess what… you can! For just the mere cost of a plane ticket I will personally show you all the sights of the city. So book your flights now, I’ll keep the couch clear for you.

Vacation

So I know that there are positives and negatives when it comes to year-round schools but, this week I’m definitely experiencing the positives.

For those of you unfamiliar with year-round schools here’s a brief overview.

The typical pattern is nine weeks “on” (teaching) and three weeks “off” (vacation). The summer break is split up throughout the year in these three-week increments. However, there is only one “track” (each of the 2nd grade classes is on a different track. I’m C track, there are four tracks all together) off at a time. So in the beginning of the year D track starts out off and then C follows three weeks later and then B six weeks after that.

So there is a very long explanation of yearlong schedules and all that to say that after only three weeks of teaching I’m on summer vacation for the next three!

Um… does any one know what a teacher does when she has three weeks to herself?

Please send suggestions, recipes to try, riddles to think on, cleaning tips, solo card games to play, movies to watch, or any other ideas to keep me busy.

A true story

Me: "Braxton where is your homework?"

Braxton: "Um... It's not here."

Me: "Where is it?"

Braxton: "Umm...." thinking "Well my dog ate it."

Me: "Your dog ate it?"

Braxton: :"Yeah, my dog."

The joy of weekends

It’s the weekend.

The glorious, glorious weekend.

I spent most of my Saturday sitting on my Aunt’s front porch reading. That’s right, you can sit outside here in the middle of the day and not suffer from heat stroke. I love Utah weather!

Oh and as I sat on the porch reading I admired the mountains that I can see from just about everywhere. And when I say mountains, I mean MOUNTAINS!

But enough about the land of green jell-o…

I’ve gotten through the first two weeks of my teaching career. As I drove home from school on Friday I was thinking about what I would want tell soon to be graduates. So far this is what I’ve come up with: Prepare yourself for an emotional rollercoaster.

I’ve always thought of myself as quite an emotionally stable person. But I think teaching brings on more emotion then the lead in a cheesy chick flick experiences.

I’m excited because I’m finally doing it. I’m terrified because I’m finally doing it. I’m upset with myself that I don’t know it all (or even what the “all” is sometimes). I’m impressed by Elvira’s hard work. I’m frustrated that I can’t communicate directly with some parents because I don’t speak Spanish. My heart hurts because Ramiro only recognizes 17 letters of the alphabet, and he knows that he’s behind everyone else. I love making my students laugh when I use my “magic teacher wand”. I’m scared that I’m going to screw up. I’m exhausted.

Teaching is hard.

I kind of feel like I’m trying to figure out a rubik’s cube. I think that maybe I’ve finally got it worked out but then see two pieces that have to be moved all the way to the other side of the cube. I move them and that shows me three more that have to be moved. I keep thinking that maybe I’m getting close to figuring it out and then see that I’ve only been working on one color, I have to find away to get all the other colors in the right place too.

If only that magic wand really worked…

Thoughts after the first three days

Angel is an amazing artist.
Paola has a sweet and kind spirit.
Elvira can translate just about anything from English to Spanish (at least I assume it's a pretty close translation).
Luis is the only one that will give me his attention the first time I ask for it every time.
Braxton is trouble.
Francisco is quite.
Abby will always raise her hand to answer a question.
Alex likes to spike his hair (he uses gel and hair spray).
Payton likes to talk to Sariyah.
Deisia looks much older then 2nd grade.
Ulises wants to be everyones friend.
Austin likes to tell me what everyone else is doing.
Sariyah likes to talk to Payton.
Anica always has to correct me when I say her name.
Cristian always has to correct me when I spell his name.
Vanessa will do her own thing.
Adrianna is good at math.
Ramiro is behind.

The education begins

"I know that instead of being the smartest man in the kingdom, I am as big a fool as anyone else."
"Ah, Your Majesty," said Kit. "That is the beginning of wisdom."

- School for Sillies, Jay Williams, 1969


When people ask me if I enjoyed my time at Covenant College I always reply in the positive. I’m a big fan of the education department that Covenant has created and have always felt that I was being well equipped to handle the ”real world of teaching”.

Then two weeks ago I walked into my classroom…

Where do I put these desks?
How do I fit tables for four centers in this room and still have some place to walk?
How do I return papers to student?
When do I take them to the bathroom?
Where do I store all the teachers’ manuals for the reading curriculum? And how do I use them?
Where is the lunchroom?
How do I get their attention when they’re working?
How do I plan for the substitute I get every Wednesday? How do I plan for myself everyday?
What do I do with 19 students on the first day?!

And the list goes on and on.

I know that the first year of teaching is hard. Everyone has been more then willing to share first year stories with me. But I don’t think I realized (at least not fully and honestly) how much I still have to learn.

No one told me that just because I got to wear a funny hat last May and have my name on a diploma means that my education is over. Perhaps college is more like kindergarten then we would like to admit. It gives us a taste of what the next step is like and teaches us some of the basic skills and procedures we will need to survive. And then we graduate, get a job and the real learning begins.

The lessons start on Monday.

I wonder if there will be a test?