This week started out uneventful and led into a week full of firsts. I got to write my first kids up this week and attended my first middle school dance. Eventful week for a first year teacher.
Two of my boys got in a fight in the cafeteria Thursday after lunch. One of my boys was crying over something that happened at lunch. When I realized he was crying, I went over to see what was going on. Then, the other boy decided he needed to run his mouth about the other one crying. Well, a "tough," crying 7th grader is already embarrassed. So, when someone started making fun of him, he felt he needed to prove how "tough" he really was. He slammed his tray on the ground and everything! It was quite comedic as both of them barely come up to my shoulders. I was right there when it happened and just pushed them apart after they barely shoved each other. Luckily, my class was the only one left in the cafeteria so hundreds of middle school students didn't come running to flock around and watch. The SRO officer came up and asked me if I wanted him to take them. I told him they were all his and we went back to class. Even though it was a minor fight, it did get my adrenaline pumping as it could have quickly escalated into something more.
My week ended with me chaperoning a dance. I never went to any dances when I was in middle school so this was a first in many ways. Middle school dances are so eye-opening. I got to see a different side of my students that I would never see in the classroom or even guess they had. One of my girls who is very quiet in class was breaking it down on the dance floor! She had some sweet moves! I was very surprised at how many of them danced. Granted, there were only two slow songs played and the rest didn't require a partner. However, they all mingled and didn't separate themselves by gender along the walls like I thought they would. A couple times throughout the night a song would come on that was before my day. It was interesting to watch the dance floor clear when a song came on that they didn't know. However, the second a more recent, popular song came on, they all came running back in. And, I got to see what jerking is. It was very cool to watch and made me thankful all over again that it is a dance!
Quotes of the Week:
"I want to go to MIT because 4 out of the 11 dorms allow you to have a cat...oh yeah and because of their technology program."
Me: "Get out a sheet of paper for your exit slip today, which you will turn into me as you leave class today."
Student: "Do you want us to put our names on this?"
Me with a straight face (I couldn't help myself): "No, I want to try and guess who's is who's."
Student: "Really? How are you going to do that?"
Another Student: "She's using sarcasm!"
Another Student to Me: "That was good sarcasm!"
[I'm glad some of them can pick up on the sarcasm. I try to limit my sarcasm so I don't make them feel stupid, but I just couldn't resist in that moment]
Sunday, October 10, 2010
Tuesday, October 5, 2010
Engaged
Little did I know that I would be following my 4-year post with this. Stephen and I are engaged...for real this time. Many of you know that Stephen found it quite humorous to fake propose to me or pretend on facebook to be engaged. On April 1st, he broke into my facebook account and changed our relationship status to engaged. Steph and I were in the middle of a p90x work out when my phone began to go crazy. I didn't know what had happened, but knew something was up. Needless to say we did not finish that work out with so many people calling to say congratulations.
After all the jokes and fake proposals, it took a lot of convincing for people to believe that we actually are engaged now...myself included. Let me start at the beginning...
Wednesday was mine and Stephen's four year anniversary. Since we had to be at Grandma's on Saturday for Pa's birthday, I decided it would be a perfect opportunity to make a trip to Boone. On the way up the mountain, Steph and I discussed the possibility of me and Stephen getting engaged that night. And, I had a feeling it was going to happen...a feeling to the point I knew I would be disappointed if it didn't happen this weekend. So, I spent a lot of the time driving trying to talk myself out of being disappointed if it didn't happen because I had no legitimate reason to be disappointed.
When I got to Boone, I knew something was up. You see, Stephen is a one track mind kind of guy. He gets flustered if he has to focus on too many things at once. When I got there, he jumped off the couch, gave me a quick hug, put his jacket on, and rushed me out the door. His excuse was that he didn't want to miss the sunset. I knew something was going on because he was very distracted. He was distracted to the point that me making conversation on the way to the parkway was annoying him. I told you he can't think about too many things at once. Me wanting to talk his ear off on the nice drive out to the parkway was too distracting from all the thoughts and nervousness running through his mind. So, I had to stop talking. :)
We get to the parkway and there were several other cars parked near where we entered to hike up the hill. He was not happy about that and was scared people would be in the spot he wanted. So, we walked up to the top of a hill that overlooks the back of Grandfather Mountain. On top of the hill was this huge tree with massive branches. We had to walk up this stick propped against the trunk to get up in the tree. I learned that I have a new fear of heights, I think. I was very shaky and nervous in the tree. We watched the sunset and took some pictures.
I had been hungry since 4 o'clock that afternoon and like I said, I was shaky being up in the tree in fear one of us was going to fall. So, after a few minutes, I was ready to go. I was starving!! By this point, I had decided he probably wasn't going to propose. On the way to the parkway, I was checking out his pockets to see if he had a ring box and he didn't. And, we had been in the tree plenty long enough that if he was going to, he already would have. So, I was ready to go eat!
We slowly made our way day...Well, I was slow because I was still scared. :) Then, we stood there a little while talking. Remember, I'm starving. But, I can tell he is stalling. So, I knew something was up. He gives me this big hug. And, in the span of about 2.5 seconds, I press my face up against his chest, feel his heart pounding, feel him do something behind his back that felt like he opened a box, and he drops on one knee. Actually, first he showed me the ring, then got on one knee, and said, "Will you marry me?" It happened so fast I wasn't sure he was being for real this time. Granted he had a ring, but still I wasn't convinced. After several minutes of convincing me, I said, "Yes!" Still in shock, I began to ask a million questions. I asked so many questions that he couldn't even finish answering one before I was asking another. I finally got complete answers to all of my questions several hours later.
(Our first picture as an engaged couple)
Remember, I'm still starving, but on an adrenaline rush, and still in complete shock. So, as much as I want to go get dinner, the first thing I had to do was go to the apartment to tell Steph. On the way there, we called our parents and siblings. I was scared Steph wasn't going to be there because she told me earlier she was going to Savva's to eat dinner. When I saw her car and his mustang in the parking lot, I ran up the stairs leaving Stephen in the dust. They had already figured it out, but I was so excited to see her and show her the ring, which by the way is B-E-A-utiful! She cried...Several times. :)
We called a few more people. Then, finally got some food. By the time I sat down to eat, I took about 5 bites and wasn't hungry anymore. I was starving, but too excited to eat. I woke up REALLY STARVING the next morning. After dinner, we got to hang out with some awesome friends in Boone and spent the rest of the night on the phone with family and friends. Polk and Sabrina made us an engagement cake, Head decorated it was candles, and we had a little party. It was fun to celebrate and SO nice to see all of them.
I knew I missed Boone, but being there reminded me how much I miss that place! It was a gorgeous weekend and I didn't want to leave.
Currently, Stephen and I are taking turns being freaked out with the reality of marriage. I was freaked out for a while Friday night and wasn't too comfortable with him calling me his fiance yet. Today, he got freaked out when I called him to set the date. We're aiming to get married this summer and I want to get a good photographer. So, we are going to have to book soon. That scared him a little bit. We're both gradually getting used to the reality of all this, but super excited as we embark on this new part of our lives...together.
Meet the future Mr. and Mrs. Snyder...Yea that's still weird to say. :)
Okay...for real now...
Please notice this is posting at 9:17 p.m. Seventeen minutes past my bed time. Go me! And, I'm not even cranky yet! Stephen, maybe there is hope for you getting to hang out with me at night once we're married...maybe.
After all the jokes and fake proposals, it took a lot of convincing for people to believe that we actually are engaged now...myself included. Let me start at the beginning...
Wednesday was mine and Stephen's four year anniversary. Since we had to be at Grandma's on Saturday for Pa's birthday, I decided it would be a perfect opportunity to make a trip to Boone. On the way up the mountain, Steph and I discussed the possibility of me and Stephen getting engaged that night. And, I had a feeling it was going to happen...a feeling to the point I knew I would be disappointed if it didn't happen this weekend. So, I spent a lot of the time driving trying to talk myself out of being disappointed if it didn't happen because I had no legitimate reason to be disappointed.
When I got to Boone, I knew something was up. You see, Stephen is a one track mind kind of guy. He gets flustered if he has to focus on too many things at once. When I got there, he jumped off the couch, gave me a quick hug, put his jacket on, and rushed me out the door. His excuse was that he didn't want to miss the sunset. I knew something was going on because he was very distracted. He was distracted to the point that me making conversation on the way to the parkway was annoying him. I told you he can't think about too many things at once. Me wanting to talk his ear off on the nice drive out to the parkway was too distracting from all the thoughts and nervousness running through his mind. So, I had to stop talking. :)
(Man! I miss this place!)
We get to the parkway and there were several other cars parked near where we entered to hike up the hill. He was not happy about that and was scared people would be in the spot he wanted. So, we walked up to the top of a hill that overlooks the back of Grandfather Mountain. On top of the hill was this huge tree with massive branches. We had to walk up this stick propped against the trunk to get up in the tree. I learned that I have a new fear of heights, I think. I was very shaky and nervous in the tree. We watched the sunset and took some pictures.
I had been hungry since 4 o'clock that afternoon and like I said, I was shaky being up in the tree in fear one of us was going to fall. So, after a few minutes, I was ready to go. I was starving!! By this point, I had decided he probably wasn't going to propose. On the way to the parkway, I was checking out his pockets to see if he had a ring box and he didn't. And, we had been in the tree plenty long enough that if he was going to, he already would have. So, I was ready to go eat!
We slowly made our way day...Well, I was slow because I was still scared. :) Then, we stood there a little while talking. Remember, I'm starving. But, I can tell he is stalling. So, I knew something was up. He gives me this big hug. And, in the span of about 2.5 seconds, I press my face up against his chest, feel his heart pounding, feel him do something behind his back that felt like he opened a box, and he drops on one knee. Actually, first he showed me the ring, then got on one knee, and said, "Will you marry me?" It happened so fast I wasn't sure he was being for real this time. Granted he had a ring, but still I wasn't convinced. After several minutes of convincing me, I said, "Yes!" Still in shock, I began to ask a million questions. I asked so many questions that he couldn't even finish answering one before I was asking another. I finally got complete answers to all of my questions several hours later.
(Our first picture as an engaged couple)
Remember, I'm still starving, but on an adrenaline rush, and still in complete shock. So, as much as I want to go get dinner, the first thing I had to do was go to the apartment to tell Steph. On the way there, we called our parents and siblings. I was scared Steph wasn't going to be there because she told me earlier she was going to Savva's to eat dinner. When I saw her car and his mustang in the parking lot, I ran up the stairs leaving Stephen in the dust. They had already figured it out, but I was so excited to see her and show her the ring, which by the way is B-E-A-utiful! She cried...Several times. :)
We called a few more people. Then, finally got some food. By the time I sat down to eat, I took about 5 bites and wasn't hungry anymore. I was starving, but too excited to eat. I woke up REALLY STARVING the next morning. After dinner, we got to hang out with some awesome friends in Boone and spent the rest of the night on the phone with family and friends. Polk and Sabrina made us an engagement cake, Head decorated it was candles, and we had a little party. It was fun to celebrate and SO nice to see all of them.
I knew I missed Boone, but being there reminded me how much I miss that place! It was a gorgeous weekend and I didn't want to leave.
Currently, Stephen and I are taking turns being freaked out with the reality of marriage. I was freaked out for a while Friday night and wasn't too comfortable with him calling me his fiance yet. Today, he got freaked out when I called him to set the date. We're aiming to get married this summer and I want to get a good photographer. So, we are going to have to book soon. That scared him a little bit. We're both gradually getting used to the reality of all this, but super excited as we embark on this new part of our lives...together.
Meet the future Mr. and Mrs. Snyder...Yea that's still weird to say. :)
Okay...for real now...
Please notice this is posting at 9:17 p.m. Seventeen minutes past my bed time. Go me! And, I'm not even cranky yet! Stephen, maybe there is hope for you getting to hang out with me at night once we're married...maybe.
Monday, October 4, 2010
Easier Said Than Done
It's been two weeks since I've blogged about school. I have a long list of excuses, but no need to go through those! Let's get back on track!
Let me preface this post by saying this is not a "Woe is me. Tell Erin how awesome she is" kind of post. I want to record my first year of teaching, both the successes and lessons learned...even if they are learned the hard way.
I have learned in the past couple of weeks what they (experienced educators) mean by, "Don't smile before Christmas" "Crack down early because once you loose them, it's harder to get them back." Many first year teachers say that they struggle with classroom management. Entering this year, I was a little nervous about it, but at the same time, over-confident in my classroom management skills. I made a 7th grader cry in one of my internships; I had years of experience at summer camp; clearly, I knew what I was doing. Ha!
I have to say that teaching is one of the most humbling experiences I have ever had. I am used to being really good at everything I do. I expected to prance into my first year of teaching and blow it out of the water. Boy did I have another thing coming. There are many days I leave school feeling like the worst teacher ever either because the kids were out of control or because I wasn't able to get them to understand what I was teaching. I'm not going to lie, it's hard.
These 7th graders are quick. And, I have not done a good job of enforcing my expectations. As a result, my classes get very talkative. With so much going on, it's easier for me (at the present moment) to keep saying, "Stop talking. Stop talking. Stop talking" However, when I don't follow through on consequences or threats, my threats and consequences quickly loose meaning and take with them my authority. And, they're right, it is much harder to enforce expectations later rather than sooner. So, I'm struggling with that right now. But, I refuse to give up on them already.
Last week, I gave students the opportunity to choose their own groups. I realized that I need to do this in the first few days of school. It gave me great insight to who was friends with who. When I made my original seating chart, it was alphabetical. When I made my second seating chart, I knew who to separate, but didn't realize the other social groups I was putting together. So, allowing them to show me who they are friends with from the beginning will help me out a lot next year!
It really freaks students out when you give them an answer to a question on a test. I realized when I got ready to give my first test, there was a question on a topic I had skipped because it is not in the 7th grade curriculum anymore. So, instead of making all new copies, I just gave them the answer to that question. I should have just allowed them to answer it because giving them the answer blew their minds. It was also amazing how many of them missed it after saying 890,875,908 times, "I have already circled the answer to number 21; all you need to do is bubble it in."
I've quickly learned that I can not assume that they know anything about the concepts I teach. I'm not saying they're stupid because they aren't. I'm just saying that assuming they already know something only hurts them. I came in with very high expectations of their prior knowledge about math and how to act. That was a mistake. I'm not saying that they can't rise to my expectations. What I'm saying, is they can't unless I teach them. Just because I understand the math quickly and feel like I am repeating myself 1,000,000 times a day, it still isn't enough. It is taking lots of patience on my part.
I'm learning. I might have some of these issues figured out by Christmas and the rest by the end of the year. It has definitely been a challenge and so very humbling.
Quotes from the past few weeks:
At the end of the day, I was letting the students pack up and chat a little before the announcements came on. You know those moments where you're talking at the same volume level as the rest of the crowd, but at the second you speak everyone else seems to stop speaking and everyone hears what you say? Well, that was what happened when I heard one of my 7th grade boys excitedly proclaim, "I have leg hair!" Everyone kind of smirked and then looked at me to see my reaction. All I could do was laugh. I started to tell them I did too, but thought that would freak them out too much.
With a hop in his step and a lift of his fake top hat, I was greeted by one of my boys one morning with an excited, "Top of the morning to ya, mate!"
You would think after 2 weeks I would have a long list of quotes of the week. I told Allyson this past weekend that I might be getting too used to the randomness of 7th grade students. I'll try harder this week to listen for and remember their crazy comments.
We had a teacher work day today and it was AMAZING to have the whole day to myself to get things done! I am so thankful for that time!
Engagement post coming soon!
Let me preface this post by saying this is not a "Woe is me. Tell Erin how awesome she is" kind of post. I want to record my first year of teaching, both the successes and lessons learned...even if they are learned the hard way.
I have learned in the past couple of weeks what they (experienced educators) mean by, "Don't smile before Christmas" "Crack down early because once you loose them, it's harder to get them back." Many first year teachers say that they struggle with classroom management. Entering this year, I was a little nervous about it, but at the same time, over-confident in my classroom management skills. I made a 7th grader cry in one of my internships; I had years of experience at summer camp; clearly, I knew what I was doing. Ha!
I have to say that teaching is one of the most humbling experiences I have ever had. I am used to being really good at everything I do. I expected to prance into my first year of teaching and blow it out of the water. Boy did I have another thing coming. There are many days I leave school feeling like the worst teacher ever either because the kids were out of control or because I wasn't able to get them to understand what I was teaching. I'm not going to lie, it's hard.
These 7th graders are quick. And, I have not done a good job of enforcing my expectations. As a result, my classes get very talkative. With so much going on, it's easier for me (at the present moment) to keep saying, "Stop talking. Stop talking. Stop talking" However, when I don't follow through on consequences or threats, my threats and consequences quickly loose meaning and take with them my authority. And, they're right, it is much harder to enforce expectations later rather than sooner. So, I'm struggling with that right now. But, I refuse to give up on them already.
Last week, I gave students the opportunity to choose their own groups. I realized that I need to do this in the first few days of school. It gave me great insight to who was friends with who. When I made my original seating chart, it was alphabetical. When I made my second seating chart, I knew who to separate, but didn't realize the other social groups I was putting together. So, allowing them to show me who they are friends with from the beginning will help me out a lot next year!
It really freaks students out when you give them an answer to a question on a test. I realized when I got ready to give my first test, there was a question on a topic I had skipped because it is not in the 7th grade curriculum anymore. So, instead of making all new copies, I just gave them the answer to that question. I should have just allowed them to answer it because giving them the answer blew their minds. It was also amazing how many of them missed it after saying 890,875,908 times, "I have already circled the answer to number 21; all you need to do is bubble it in."
I've quickly learned that I can not assume that they know anything about the concepts I teach. I'm not saying they're stupid because they aren't. I'm just saying that assuming they already know something only hurts them. I came in with very high expectations of their prior knowledge about math and how to act. That was a mistake. I'm not saying that they can't rise to my expectations. What I'm saying, is they can't unless I teach them. Just because I understand the math quickly and feel like I am repeating myself 1,000,000 times a day, it still isn't enough. It is taking lots of patience on my part.
I'm learning. I might have some of these issues figured out by Christmas and the rest by the end of the year. It has definitely been a challenge and so very humbling.
Quotes from the past few weeks:
At the end of the day, I was letting the students pack up and chat a little before the announcements came on. You know those moments where you're talking at the same volume level as the rest of the crowd, but at the second you speak everyone else seems to stop speaking and everyone hears what you say? Well, that was what happened when I heard one of my 7th grade boys excitedly proclaim, "I have leg hair!" Everyone kind of smirked and then looked at me to see my reaction. All I could do was laugh. I started to tell them I did too, but thought that would freak them out too much.
With a hop in his step and a lift of his fake top hat, I was greeted by one of my boys one morning with an excited, "Top of the morning to ya, mate!"
You would think after 2 weeks I would have a long list of quotes of the week. I told Allyson this past weekend that I might be getting too used to the randomness of 7th grade students. I'll try harder this week to listen for and remember their crazy comments.
We had a teacher work day today and it was AMAZING to have the whole day to myself to get things done! I am so thankful for that time!
Engagement post coming soon!
Wednesday, September 29, 2010
4 Years
I know I missed blogging last week. That's not because nothing exciting happened it's just that what I want to blog about will take a while, which means it will take brain power, which I haven't had much of lately. So, stay tuned...coming soon.
Today Stephen and I have officially been dating for four years. Four years...crazy. Some days I can't believe four years has already passed and other times I feel like it has been forever. And, not forever in a way that makes me wonder when it's going to end, but forever in a way that makes me look forward to what is to come.
In honor of our anniversary, here are some of my favorite memories with my boo. (The selection is a little limited because I am pulling from facebook instead of my personal picture files)
Stephen, I love you! Can't wait to see you this weekend! <3, me
Today Stephen and I have officially been dating for four years. Four years...crazy. Some days I can't believe four years has already passed and other times I feel like it has been forever. And, not forever in a way that makes me wonder when it's going to end, but forever in a way that makes me look forward to what is to come.
In honor of our anniversary, here are some of my favorite memories with my boo. (The selection is a little limited because I am pulling from facebook instead of my personal picture files)
Bulls' Game
Packaging Meals for Change This World
(Selfishly I like this one because I'm tan) :)
Loving the Fact I have TWO Degrees before He has One.
And, Grateful that he was there to support me.
Trips to Grandfather Mountain
Having the Best Halloween Ideas!
Hammocking in the Park
Being Goofy in Mast General Store
Skating!
Playing in the Snow!
Youth Trips
Stephen, I love you! Can't wait to see you this weekend! <3, me
Tuesday, September 21, 2010
A Detailed Bullet List of Last Week
Before this week gets away from me, I thought I should make sure to record the highlights of last week.
So, here we go...
So, here we go...
- The phone in my classroom rang for the first time last week. I didn't realize it was my phone so I immediately began to scan the class to snatch a cell phone from a student. Then, I realized my students were looking at me and then at the phone with this confused look on their faces. That clued me into the fact it was MY phone ringing and I should probably answer it.
- We have a literacy program called START (Students and Teachers All Reading Together). It's awesome! The whole school reads together for 15-20 minutes, has a time of reflection, and then has a literacy mini lesson. I love it because I am required to read too and I get to read whatever I want. Earlier last week, I had one of my students come up to ask me a question. Now, for a little background on this kid, he is reading the second Hatchet right now and is very excited and into it!
- He comes up to me and says, "Ms. Hemric, I have a question that is a little bit off topic."
- Me: "Okay?"
- Him: "Do you know why they call it Easter?"
- Me: "I have no idea...I'm sorry."
- Him: "Do you think it is because Jesus died in the east?"
- Me: "Maybe, but I really don't know."
- Him: "I was just thinking about it."
- He turns around and goes and sits down and continues reading.
- Thursday was an eventful day. Progress reports went out on Thursday. Well, my computer screen was half black when I got in Thursday morning. So, I thought re-starting it might help. But then my computer decided to not boot back up. My next step? I went to my desktop to try to print my progress reports. I think that is going to work...until...the files open to print and have no grades on them. Two different teachers tried to figure out the problem, but we were all at a loss. So, down to the front office I went to see our NCWISE hero. It took her a little while to figure out my problem, but we got it resolved and got my progress reports printing. However, my lap top is still dead at this point and I need it for my lesson for the day. Keep in mind I only had 45 minutes of planning this week because I had a class for the second part of my planning. So, off to the library I go to talk to the technology heroes of Carrington. He gives me a possible solution and says he'll work on getting me a new lap top. His solution worked for the day and I had a new lap top by the end of the day! All of this happened before 9am. Whew what a day!
- I had morning duty last week, which required me to stand and monitor the stairwell that the 7th graders come up every morning. Our steps have just enough lip on the top of them that make them easy to trip on. Now, I love to see people fall; I think it is hilarious. However, these are fragile 7th graders we're dealing with who are already very self conscious. So, I didn't think it best to laugh in their face. But, it made the mornings quite entertaining as many of them fell up the stairs each day.
- I had a kid on Friday wear a paper napkin hat through my entire class.
- In college, I was never the student who had to be in the library to study or get work done. I actually preferred to work from home. I decided this week that I think this is the same for me when it comes to planning. I went into last week completely planned for the week plus two days of this week. I planned on using my afternoons at school to get planned for this week. But, that didn't happen. I think the majority of my planning is going to be done from home this year. I just seem to work better at my desk in my room.
- 2nd Quote of the week: (I think the Easter conversation wins for this week, but this one was entertaining too)
- Student: "Ms. Hemric, I think something is wrong with this calculator. It keeps telling me 40-36 is 4."
- Me: ...wait...wait...wait for it
- Student: "Oh! Never mind."
- Me: smile and walk away
Sunday, September 19, 2010
A Review of My Goals
If you remember from this post, I made this list of goals:
My goals for this year:
Maintain a regular work out schedule
Get plenty of sleep
Make sure my students know I care about them
Support my students in all they do...both inside and outside the classroom
Leave school at school when I leave in the afternoons
Stay organized
Journal/blog at least once a week
Choose to have a positive attitude everyday
If I don't remind myself of them, I would probably forget about them. Having this list has really helped me be intentional about some things as I have approached this first year of teaching.
So, how am I doing so far?
Maintain a Regular Workout Schedule: Hasn't happened yet. I'm striving for this to start next week.
Get Plenty of Sleep: I don't know how teachers are able to stay up past 9pm. I have been in bed by 9:00 every night and some nights it's been even earlier than that. This is wiping me out physically. So, getting plenty of sleep hasn't been a problem. My body shuts down at night.
Make sure my students know I care about them: I hope my students have been able to tell this. I have already developed some close relationships with students. And, I always try to make sure my students know I care about them. It's easy to tell when someone doesn't feel well or if they are in a bad mood. And, I try hard to always ask them if they're okay and let them know I'm here to talk to if they want. I hope they understand that it is because I have their best interest in mind and that I care.
Support my students in all they do...both inside and outside the classroom: When I wrote this, I was aiming for supporting students' in their extracurricular activities. I haven't gotten to any yet, but have duty at them next week. So, I'll be there. I do ask about their after school activities and I hope they see that as some small level of support. I had this high expectation of myself to go to as many home events as I could (aka in my mind, all of them), but time just has not allowed for that. I'm glad that I signed up to help out at some of the events because that forced me to make time in my afternoon. I think it is important for my students to see me outside of the classroom cheering them on.
Leave school at school when I leave in the afternoons: Emotionally, I've done fine with this. Although, nothing major has happened that has really required me to turn my emotions off when I leave in the afternoon. With planning, I have not done so well with this...at all. More about that coming...
Stay organized: I am an organizational freak. And, you wouldn't really be able to tell that from my stuff so far this year (shocker!). In my head, things are organized. And, my room is not a mess, but it gets pretty chaotic with papers by the end of each day, which I of course have to straighten before I leave every afternoon. The system that is working best for me so far is to make piles of extra copies and other documents behind my desk as the week happens. Then, Friday afternoon, before I leave, I put that stack in its designated spot/notebook. So far this is working.
Journal/blog at least once a week: check!
Choose to have a positive attitude everyday: This is the one that having these goals has helped me be intentional with the most. There have been some days that I have been tired and frustrated, but because of this and promising my students I would give them a positive attitude each day if they would give me one has helped me do better with this.
Here is where I posted these goals for this past week
On the agenda for this weekend:
Go through all the work from this week that students turned in
Get planned for next week
Get organized...again
Last weekend was VERY productive and I was able to go into this past week completely planned for this week and Monday and Tuesday of next week. Which was nice because I had no time to get any planning done this week.
On the agenda for next week:
Teach an elective class for the week (aka my planning will go from 90 minutes to 45 for this week)
Have morning duty
Two faculty meetings
Progress reports
Introduce a new concept...that I don't even have my head wrapped around yet
Join the gym: I didn't join the gym this week...It was just too crazy. I know; I know...Excuses excuses. Next week...really.
More about the rest of what was on my agenda for this week coming...
My goals for this year:
Maintain a regular work out schedule
Get plenty of sleep
Make sure my students know I care about them
Support my students in all they do...both inside and outside the classroom
Leave school at school when I leave in the afternoons
Stay organized
Journal/blog at least once a week
Choose to have a positive attitude everyday
If I don't remind myself of them, I would probably forget about them. Having this list has really helped me be intentional about some things as I have approached this first year of teaching.
So, how am I doing so far?
Maintain a Regular Workout Schedule: Hasn't happened yet. I'm striving for this to start next week.
Get Plenty of Sleep: I don't know how teachers are able to stay up past 9pm. I have been in bed by 9:00 every night and some nights it's been even earlier than that. This is wiping me out physically. So, getting plenty of sleep hasn't been a problem. My body shuts down at night.
Make sure my students know I care about them: I hope my students have been able to tell this. I have already developed some close relationships with students. And, I always try to make sure my students know I care about them. It's easy to tell when someone doesn't feel well or if they are in a bad mood. And, I try hard to always ask them if they're okay and let them know I'm here to talk to if they want. I hope they understand that it is because I have their best interest in mind and that I care.
Support my students in all they do...both inside and outside the classroom: When I wrote this, I was aiming for supporting students' in their extracurricular activities. I haven't gotten to any yet, but have duty at them next week. So, I'll be there. I do ask about their after school activities and I hope they see that as some small level of support. I had this high expectation of myself to go to as many home events as I could (aka in my mind, all of them), but time just has not allowed for that. I'm glad that I signed up to help out at some of the events because that forced me to make time in my afternoon. I think it is important for my students to see me outside of the classroom cheering them on.
Leave school at school when I leave in the afternoons: Emotionally, I've done fine with this. Although, nothing major has happened that has really required me to turn my emotions off when I leave in the afternoon. With planning, I have not done so well with this...at all. More about that coming...
Stay organized: I am an organizational freak. And, you wouldn't really be able to tell that from my stuff so far this year (shocker!). In my head, things are organized. And, my room is not a mess, but it gets pretty chaotic with papers by the end of each day, which I of course have to straighten before I leave every afternoon. The system that is working best for me so far is to make piles of extra copies and other documents behind my desk as the week happens. Then, Friday afternoon, before I leave, I put that stack in its designated spot/notebook. So far this is working.
Journal/blog at least once a week: check!
Choose to have a positive attitude everyday: This is the one that having these goals has helped me be intentional with the most. There have been some days that I have been tired and frustrated, but because of this and promising my students I would give them a positive attitude each day if they would give me one has helped me do better with this.
Here is where I posted these goals for this past week
On the agenda for this weekend:
Go through all the work from this week that students turned in
Get planned for next week
Get organized...again
Last weekend was VERY productive and I was able to go into this past week completely planned for this week and Monday and Tuesday of next week. Which was nice because I had no time to get any planning done this week.
On the agenda for next week:
Teach an elective class for the week (aka my planning will go from 90 minutes to 45 for this week)
Have morning duty
Two faculty meetings
Progress reports
Introduce a new concept...that I don't even have my head wrapped around yet
Join the gym: I didn't join the gym this week...It was just too crazy. I know; I know...Excuses excuses. Next week...really.
More about the rest of what was on my agenda for this week coming...
Friday, September 17, 2010
Oh What a Week
This week has been loooooooong. I can't remember the last time I was this happy to see Friday roll around.
I have LOTS to blog about from this week. The happenings of my week will appear in posts to follow throughout the week.
But, for now...I thought I would post some pictures of my room. I meant to do this after the first week of school and kept forgetting. Finally, this week I put on my to-do list "take pics of room" and that was what helped me remember. It still needs some work. And, it is a mess right now (not too bad in the pics). But, here is what I've got so far.
I have LOTS to blog about from this week. The happenings of my week will appear in posts to follow throughout the week.
But, for now...I thought I would post some pictures of my room. I meant to do this after the first week of school and kept forgetting. Finally, this week I put on my to-do list "take pics of room" and that was what helped me remember. It still needs some work. And, it is a mess right now (not too bad in the pics). But, here is what I've got so far.
The front of the room hasn't changed much.
Those are our social contracts above my desk. And, my new easel which holds my calculators and individual white boards.
Another angle. That poster has students' equation collages about themselves on it. It spreads across the back of the room. The other half is in the picture below. And, they say "Rockin Radicals." Students filled in the equation "My Hobbies + My Goals = Me" with pictures and drawings about themselves.
The rest of the equation collages and my Word Wall.
I'm still loving the windows and keep the blinds up all the time. The counters discourage/block students from getting distracted about what is happening outside. I think they enjoy the natural light coming in. However, things in my room are fading F.A.S.T. I can tell from day to day when I write on the calendar on my desk that the sun is bleaching what I write. I left something highlighted on my desk for a few days and by the end of the week, the highlighting was almost invisible. It's crazy how the sun does that. But, I don't care! I like the windows open. Funny story about opening the windows this week coming soon...
And, just because I was so excited to FINALLY get this in the mail, I'll end with this picture.
It's official. I have a Master's Degree!
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