Adventures in Student Teaching Week 11

I can’t believe I am down to only four weeks of student teaching. I wish I could say that the time has flown, and I guess in some ways it has, but at the same time it feels like forever. In all honesty, I love teaching. It is the one thing that I wish I could do all day long and I hate when I have to leave and go to my real job every day. I love working with the kids and I love seeing them catch on to something or make a big leap. Those to me have been the moments that I will take with me and remember for the rest of my life.

This week hasn’t been bad, hasn’t been good either, I would say that it has simply been average. We started the week watching ‘The Secret of Roan Inish’ and I just have to say I love that show. I also think that it was a great show to use to introduce magical realism. I stopped the movie as we were watching it and asked questions about what they thought and how it contributed to the four elements of magical realism.

I think the biggest thing I learned this week though was it is okay that I am not perfect. I have always fretted because my A day class gets the most discombobulated lessons. It is the first class that gets a brand new lesson that still needs kinks worked out and right now they are also getting lessons in a unit that is completely new to me. They have become my little guinea pigs, which wouldn’t be bad if they weren’t the class that has the most discipline problems. It really just comes down to getting a double whammy. But I realized this week, it is okay that I am not perfect with that class or with anything else. I am still learning, I am still observing how other teachers handle things, and that is okay. I am not going to be prefect the first year or even in year twenty, but all I can do is my best and make sure that my students are getting my best.

I did get another job offer today. Riverton High. It makes me chuckle a bit because my last job offer had a student population on 197, this one has 2900. I think I am going to take it. The staff seems nice and the program appears to be excellent. This school district was in my top two to work for and I would love to teach Sophomore and Senior English. So I have to call them Monday, and I am pretty sure what my answer is going to be. I have to say I am flattered with the offer though. I interviewed at 12:15 today and they told me then I would hear back next week. I heard back at 2:30. I guess they liked me.

I is goin be a teacher

So, I mailed out graduation announcements yesterday. It was one thing that I just needed to check of the box since graduation is in nine days.

Today I got to school and had the following conversation with my mom:

Mom: Honey, I have a story to tell you that shows not only are your burning the candle on both ends you are burning it up the middle too.
Me: What'd I do?
Mom: You spelled graduation wrong on your announcements.
Me: *blanches* Please tell me you are kidding.
Mom: I'm not.
Me: Are you kidding (more desperate)
Mom: No, honey it will be okay.
Me: I mailed out 75 invites last night and now I look like an idiot.
Mom: No, people will think it is funny.
Me: *Quirks eyebrow in that I don't believe you way*
Mom: Really, it will be fine.
Me: I'm going to class now.

So yes, English teacher Nat sent out a major typo in her grad announcements.

*face palm*

*goes to sleep for a week*

Adventures in Student Teaching Week 10

It is well after midnight here, and I am still going strong. I have a boatload of things to get done this weekend and go figure I am feeling overwhelmed. Because of this I took today off. I feel like a total slacker, seeing as I didn't work on Monday, but I have four more weeks until I have a more manageable work schedule, and let's just say this helps stave off the panic attacks just a tad. I can tell the stress that my body is going through, my face has broken out and I look like the 16 year olds I teach. Oh well. Let's talk about fun and exciting things like...

I passed my Praxis test!!!!

That is the last one I have to take, unless I decide at some point next year to be highly qualified to teach Spanish as well. But I am so excited. There was dancing and confetti, then I went back to all the baking I was doing. Thank heavens though that I got that done. I am also getting graduation announcements out this weekend. I can't believe that I am graduating! Still have school for another nine weeks, but this is the end ladies and gents!

What a week. I don't even know where to start. This has been one of the most frustrating weeks that I have ever experienced. I don't know if it is because it is spring or if it was because prom was this weekend, but my students were just out of control. Add that to starting a new unit and a really bad observation and you have a recipe for disaster.

The first two days went well, the students worked on finishing their papers in the computer lab. I was surprised how little discipline I needed in the computer lab. For the most part the students stayed on task, maybe there is some good with this fast pace schedule we are trying to keep that only allows one day in the lab for them to finish the papers, or if there was some other reason, but I was so pleased with their work. The majority of the papers were wonderful. I was so proud of the work that they did and their finished products. I am excited to give them the papers back so they can see their final scores.

After two great days we had a train wreck. I knew that my supervisor was coming either Thursday or Friday and I was excited to present this lesson to the class. We were starting magical realism, which I believe will be a fun unit and I think the kids will enjoy. I started off the lesson on Thursday and it was going really well. The kids were connecting with the ideas and had fun discussing Harry Potter as magical realism. Then we changed gears and started reading a story. I lost them at during the discussion after and no matter what I did I couldn't get them back. I had kids acting up, talking about non-related items, staring off into space and generally not paying attention. Of course that is when Claudia showed up- an hour into class. Finally reaching the end of my rope I told the class to pull out a piece of paper and write on essay on how 'The Falling Girl' is a social commentary. There were mumblings and groans, but they followed instructions.

I was upset by the end of class, and I felt that I had let everyone down, including myself. I left class and cried for about three hours and tried to convince myself that I wasn't a failure and I could get up and face it all again the next day. Of course I did, and Friday went so much better. It amazes me the differences between my classes and what works in one compared to another. I enjoy all my classes but I am learning how I need to tailor my lessons to each one. It has been quite the learning experience.

Adventures in Student Teaching Week 9

Wow what a week. I don’t have a reflection paper due this week (I have another two papers due, but that is beside the point) but it has been such a crazy week that I had to at least process it.

In reality this week has been topsy turvy. It started Monday when I walked into the school, confident in my lesson plans for the day. I had also planned out the next three weeks- except for what I was going to do with my classes on Tuesday and Wednesday. No problem I told myself, I can easily take care of that on Monday night. This plan under my belt I walked into the classroom only to find my cooperating teacher was out sick and I would not have access to her computer. My brilliant lesson plan was a PowerPoint presentation on Ruthie’s hard drive. So I had 5 minutes to come up with a brilliant lesson plan. I did. Actually we had a lot of fun with the persuasive presentations the kids did and were able to have a good lesson.

Then Tuesday there was an assembly. I had ten students when the bell rang. The rest of the class was at Jamba Juice getting their free Jamba. I gave a pop quiz that day with the following questions: 1. What is my name? 2. Where do you go to school? 3. Whose classroom is this? 4. What month is it? 5. What book are you reading? Those in the class got 5 pts extra credit. I think I am going to use this tool more often. While I was teaching one of the students asked me what kind of Jamba I wanted. He was on the phone with two of the girls in class and they wanted to bring something back for me so I wouldn’t mark them absent. I told him I was okay, they brought me back a Raspberry one.

Wednesday we finally got to do the PowerPoint I had planned and it was one of the best lessons I have ever had with the kids. It was absolutely amazing. They were so engaged and some of them that never participate were asking questions and adding to the conversation it was brilliant. I was ready to hurt the department of Homeland Security when we had an earthquake drill in the middle of the lesson. It was a big distraction, I thankfully, was able to get the class back on track but it was still frustrating.

The last two days we have been writing essays in class. I actually only have one class period left to grade, because I am brilliant at grading essays now. One day I know my kids will learn and understand what a thesis is. In addition they will learn and understand when I say I want examples from their reading, I mean I want examples from the book we are writing an essay on, not about how Godzilla represents the Atom Bomb- yes I do have that essay and am willing to sell it to the highest bidder.

It was a good week, got my first job offer, don’t know what I am going to do about it, but at least someone wants me.

I like traffic lights

Once upon a time there was a young girl whose parents dragged her to the wilds of eastern Utah. While they were there, her father was offered a job and the first thing she said was, "I can't move here there isn't a mall." On the way back to her beautiful city she also noticed that the town they had also just visited had only one traffic light, noticing that this was not a good omen for any town she began to sing the following song, "I like traffic lights, I like traffic lights."

The years went by and the girl grew up, living her city life. The idea of life in a town with no mall and only one traffic light was left far away. She loved the city, she loved being so close to everything. She loved that she could drive five minutes and be anywhere. She loved how many theaters she was near and that there was a Subway and a Starbucks on every corner...well at least every three or four miles, it is Utah after all.

The girl decided that she was going to be a teacher and one day she was asked to come to a town and visit with a principal about a job. The first thing she noticed about the town- there were no traffic lights.

Okay, I could probably carry this on but I am not sure that I really want to. I had a job interview today in a town called Lyman, Wyoming which happens to be the perfect job in the middle of nowhere.

I made my parents drive the two hours with me and though I have been to Wyoming quite often I was looking at it as a possible home. I love Wyoming, have since I was a little girl and I knew that this could be the start of a great adventure. The thing is, I wasn't counting on being able to hold my breath through the entire town.

The highlight of the town is the Taco Time, fine Mexican dining. Of course five miles away in Mountain Green they are building a Subway. It took us a while to find the grocery store (it was in another town) though we did find three LDS chapels and a fabric store.

After the parents dropped me off at the high school the principal decided to take me on a tour of the town. Our first stop was the school auditorium to watch a bit of 'Fiddler on the Roof' it was pretty good actually. Then we went on the town tour. It was nice to get the back story of the town. To learn why the grocery store was in another town and to learn why there are dead animals gracing the walls of said grocery store. I also learned that there was teacher housing for only $250.00 a month. Oh and I would have to have satellite which would mean I get BBC America (yes, I do understand that I can get satellite here in Salt Lake- but there it is a necessity).

After the tour of the town (well three towns) and a drop in to see if the superintendent was in his office, it was back to the school for the interview. The interview was one of the best I have ever had. We laughed and joked around and I really liked the people that were there. I learned about the job and that it was perfect for me. It would be three classes of 9th grade English and three classes of Spanish I. They also needed a drama assistant coach, which I would love to do. There are so many opportunities at that school so many things that I could take the ball and run with. The average class size is 18. I have 35 in each class right now. There are only 197 kids enrolled in the school. They have money coming out their ears, and it is by far a better salary than I could get in Utah.

We talked about TBN, classroom management, travel, how I develop my lessons, my family, my students, everything. When we were finished I took a tour of the school, met with teachers, was awed by their facilities, and found myself being drawn in. We finished the tour and it was back to my parents and home.

Here is the thing. This job is perfect for me on so many levels. It is like being handed your dream job on a silver platter (and I am pretty sure they are going to offer me this job), but the I don't think I want it.

I don't do small towns, I don't do towns that are in the middle of no where. The fact that I am even thinking about it scares me. There are no traffic lights in any of the towns I visited, and only one stop sign. It smells like cows and there was still about a foot of snow. I just too much for me. If only I could take this job and all it's perks and transfer it to even a bigger town-one like Evanston, WY. I could do that they have traffic lights, and a Walmart, and a Sonic...oh, they have a Starbucks too. So yeah, basically I have a huge life changing decision coming in the next few days.

Bellamy Family Lip Sync Night

So, this weekend was the family Lip Sync and I figured it was time to share some pictures, and a video or two (or three).



Lu and her uncle Addy welcoming everyone to family Lip Sync Night

Lu reads a story to us for her presentation.

I pull out my Celine Dion Impression




Yes, this is how I act when I am alone, singing in the bathroom


Ssh! I'm hiding.


Addy and Lu bringing Sexy Back.....
And I have the video to prove it....

Then of course Adam and Amy gave us a history lesson of the Presidents of the United States, apparently there are 9 and they've decided to not count Clinton (what can I say, we're from Utah)



Then of course the parents brought back the 70s with Disco Duck



And finally last year you knew them as the Spice Girls, this year down one member they tackled that popular fake 80s group Pop


If you look closely you will notice I am wearing blue eyeshadow. Lu thought that I was pretty and that I should wear it more often.



Please notice how in sync we are



Off the shoulder sweat shirt, why did we let that go out of style???

Adventures in Student Teaching Week 8

You know, I have a much better perspective on how I am doing as a teacher when I am in the classroom. After my melancholy reflective post of last week I feel energized and ready to tackle the last seven weeks of this adventure.

This week was good. I feel so much more comfortable in the classroom than I have in weeks and a lot of that is due to my cooperating teacher.

I have loved working with Ruthie. She has forced me to look outside the box and my normal methods of teaching and become a better teacher. She gave me such a boost of confidence this week. She gave me my midterm review and it was overwhelmingly positive. I asked her about it and she said that if she said in on paper, she could say it too my face. She then sat down and told me that I was the best student teacher she had ever had. She went on to explain that where I am now is the level that her other student teachers had left. Because of this she feels she can push me farther and work on refining what I need too. Ruthie then went on how she wished they could keep me at Highland next year, but staffing currently prevents that. It was a great talk and I walked away feeling better about the job I was doing. Apparently I haven't been the only one that Ruthie talked to. A couple of teachers and some of the administrative staff stopped me this week and talked about what a good job I was doing, it was just the boost I needed.

The students have also been great this week. I have found I am able to joke a little with them now and not have to pull back as I had before. They still work on what they need to and they come to me now for questions and problems on their essays. It has been great to work with them on their papers this week and I have enjoyed seeing them rise to the challenge as I prepare them for the AP class they will all be taking next year.

This week still had it's problems. I have one student I am really worried about. She hadn't been here for two weeks, she ended up with a failing grade last term, and doesn't seem ready to work on what she has missed. I tried to talk to her, but she doesn't want to talk. So for now she knows my door is open. That is all I can do.

I also have one student who just decided he didn't want to write his essay on Thursday. No reason, just didn't want to write it. I have to admit it was discouraging when he only turned in a paragraph. During the class period I kept coming back to him and asking him how I could help and how his thesis was going, but he would just shrug and move on. This is one of the students who I caught coping a paper last term so I find myself second guessing my decision now. I just don't know what to do with him.

We also had a great lesson on the holocaust and the atomic bomb. The students are reading Night and Hiroshima this next week and I wanted to introduce them before they got too far into the books. I had a PowerPoint on both of these subjects and we talked about it before. Then I was impressed at their reactions as we went through the descriptions written and the horrible pictures. It brought about a great conversation on why we read these books and why they were written. They impressed me with their insights and the stories they shared. It was a brilliant class.

So, yes things are getting better. I have rearranged my schedule a bit so I find it a tad more manageable and I have found it is essential, for me, to get to the gym every day and have just that 40 minutes to myself. I know there will still be moments during my last 7 weeks of this adventure where I am ready to cry or tear out my hair- but I think that the good moments will far outweigh the bad.

April is the cruelest month

So it might come as a surprise to you all that I, an English literature nut, can’t stand poetry. Yes, tis true. I dreaded those days in class where I had to come prepared to either read poetry or have a had read 50 pages of it before class. I hated even more having to write my own *shudders at the thought of her sonnets* and I have decided to try to have it written out of the high school curriculum so I don’t have to teach it. Yes, my dislike of poetry knows no bounds.

I wish I could tell you why I don’t like it. Why during National Poetry Month I turn a blind eye and try not to think about the pain poetry has inflicted on me in the past. But I don’t know.

There are a few poets I can stomach- Whitman, Dickinson, Tennyson, Shakespeare’s sonnets and Eliot. And I do adore Frost, in fact Frost has gotten me through many a gym work out and quite a few essays on my life. But the rest I just don’t get. Maybe it is that I would rather simply read a story about their theme, or maybe it is I’d rather here poetry set to music (yes, I do understand that a song lyric is basically a poem) but I just struggle.

So while the rest of you happily celebrate and cherish writing poetry this month. I am going to be sitting back and working on ‘Confessions’, grading papers, and enjoying spring because in many ways April is not always the cruelest month.

(Oh I didn’t include this above but I do like the poem about the toad and the lawn mower. It was on my AP Literature test, oh so many years ago and I feel in love with it.)