Teaching wouldn't be nearly as fun if it wasn't for amazing colleagues!! I have been SO blessed to have amazing colleagues! Let me tell you about them... BUT, as Joe Friday used to say, "Names have been changed to protect the innocent"...
First, there's my wonderful, crazy, "slightly" neurotic former mentor, Charisma. Charisma is a wonderful single mother who has helped guide me in these past two years. Whenever I have NO idea what is going on, or am about to split into pieces, I wander across the hall to Charisma's classroom and chat for a big. She's the big sister I was never blessed enough to have, full of knowledge about work, and life. She's my confident and available whenever I, or anyone, needs her. Charisma is one of the student's favorites... probably because she's a little crazy and sanitizes her hands about every .32 seconds. And yet, she is an AMAZING literacy teacher... and has state test scores to prove it... and will correct your grammar every moment she can. In fact, I imagine her reading this, editing it in her head. I wouldn't be surprised if she told me Monday morning all the mistakes made in my writings. Well, in my defense, these are the ramblings of a Social Studies teacher, and I was never quite up to snuff on my English prose or anything like that. I can categorically say I would not have survived (nor have returned for year two) if it wasn't for Charisma.
Right next door to the amazing Charisma is the phenomenal Lily. She has been in the educational system, working in the city schools of Baltimore as a teacher and administrator, and now she is my colleague in the west. I have another wonderful lady to look up to, learn from, and admire. Lily has currently been going through some terrible medical times, and yet she has the courage and determination to come to school and teach. The students' love for her is so clear. When she is on bed rest, they refuse to email work for her to edit or grade, because they want her to rest and get better. I have absolutely no idea how she makes it out of bed somedays, and yet every morning, she stops in on her way to her room, arms loaded down with book bags and fruit for the kids. She touches every soul that has had the pleasure to have met her.
One of my other saving graces at school is our amazing school councilor, Regina. Regina and I started at our school the same year. I was blessed to have met her during a school training in "Why Try" before our New Teacher Induction week. Walking into the conference room that first day of training, I looked around for seats and I saw a kind face looking back at me, so I decided to sit next to her. Who would have thought she'd become such a good friend (and my daily therapist). Whenever I need a break, a smile, an ear to listen, a printer to use, or any other crazy thing I may need, Regina is there. Half the time I just appear in her office, and there are many times that she's actually working and I'm bummed to see her door shut. But, inevitably she pops by throughout the day to visit, so the world rights itself. Even when I'm having ridiculous life problems and need advice, Regina never thinks I'm crazy or stupid. She listens and advises me... and I know she would never lead me astray. Regina has such a kind soul. She seems to always be volunteered for things... almost always things she (nor anyone else) does NOT want to do... and yet she does them to perfection. She is so amazing that when my husband was out of town prior to our wedding reception, she asked if I needed help with anything. I told her, not really, unless you want to help me clean my house. Now, I was kidding, but Regina says, Okay. When do you want to clean? She was over for two plus hours helping me clean EVERYTHING! Two floors of carpet cleaning, kitchen cleaning, floor scrubbing, organizing, etc. She wouldn't even let me buy dinner that night. How I ever survived in life without Regina, I have no idea. Life DEFINITELY was harder back in those days.
Moving further down the hallway, we arrive at Stanley's room. Stanley is another English teacher I have the honor of working with. If there was a person with the craziest stories, it would be Stanley. Anytime at lunch when Stanley tells a story, you know it's going to be crazy and it would be in your best interest to not be eating or drinking at the time of a "Stanley Tale" lest you choke during your laughter, or shoot liquid through your nose like you did as a child. At school, lunchtime is the one time the teachers get to separate for teaching and unwind for 30 minutes. It's usually a time to talk about anything brainless... and usually ridiculous... conversation. Thank goodness for Stanley, because he helps us fulfill the crazy story quota for the week... and it brings laughter to our days.
On the other side of the school bathrooms from me is my amazing blonde math-teaching twin, Krissy. Krissy is not only from the Midwest, like me, but she survived high school by partaking in the same crazy music activities as me. I can't even think of how many times a day we make the same comments or references... and every time we do, I start to chuckle again. Like me, she just recently got married (both to military men) and is a new homeowner. Neither of us can participate in the bike riding talk that happens over lunch, so we discuss random dresses that people wore on the red carpet or various ways students get mad at us. She is new to our school this year, and I don't know is our principal has magic power, but I swear he knows exactly the type of person that will complete and fulfill our group. It never ceases to amaze me how I see little bits of me in Krissy.
There are about a dozen more people that make my life easier and more enjoyable at school... and clearly you wouldn't want to read about them all... but their are just two more I want to briefly mention.
Mackenzie is our crazy wonderful red-haired art teacher. Mackenzie has an infectious laugh... you CANNOT hear it and not want to laugh with, regardless of whether or not you know what the laughing is about. She has a gravity that pulls you towards her... you want to be around her and be her friend. She is an amazing teacher (whether or not district can open their eyes wide enough to notice). Somehow she has drawn our students into art... they actually love to go and create things... and they're proud of their work! It's amazing enough to have our students love to go to art, but to be proud of something they did is a whole other level of awe.
Last, but certainly not least, is the nutty man that brought these misfit toys together, Jackson. If we were to all stand in a room with others from the district, it would be very easy to tell which of us belong with which leader... and everyone else would be jealous of leader. He is a HUGE supporter of ours... almost like a protective father that is training us to be phenomenal teachers. If we ever have ideas (brilliant or not), Jackson will listen and give us leeway to attempt. If we fall on our face, he helps encourage us and put us back on track. If it's successful, he stands behind us to support us however we need. Jackson isn't like regular principals... he goofs with us, eats lunch with us, picks on us, plays jokes on us... all good things and provide a healthy and happy work environment. Our district has been going through a lot of HUGE changes lately, and if it wasn't for Jackson, we would all be falling apart and probably quitting our job. He is our fearless leader, and we completely trust him to find a way to do what's right for us, no matter which "bigwigs" is trying to pull us down.
Thank goodness for my wonderful, amazing, phenomenal, marvelous, stupendous, unbelievable, extraordinary, charming, energizing, and soul-touching colleagues!!!!
Friday, April 30, 2010
Taking work home...
I have never been someone that works well at home. In college I HAD to go to the coffee shops to work. At home I was ALWAYS distracted by the most random things. Sometimes I'd even be possessed to clean my room instead of writing papers or reading books. So I'd spend hours at coffee shops, which wasn't always good when I finally got to interact with people... I'd be slightly wound up. Libraries usually bored me because they were so quiet! I couldn't get things done with all that silence! I was afraid to erase anything because erasing sounds like jack hammers going off in the library.
It's odd now to have a job that consistently causes me to be working at home. There always seems to be papers to grade, tests or games to create, or lesson/unit plans to make. I can categorically say I get WAY less done at home than I should. I KNOW that leaving the house would be the smarter idea, but I actually enjoy spending time with my husband, so I stay home while we watch TV and I do school work. (I will admit, when golf or basketball are on, I pay little attention, and thus get more work done.) Sure, I could go into other rooms and find space away from television and whatnot, but that's STILL distracting. I want to be in the other room, so I'm not focusing on work.
It seems like a never-ending process. Even summer is full of schoolwork: either taking classes to earn credits and enhancing my knowledge (which I enjoy) or creating new curriculum for the up coming school year (which isn't always as fun). Maybe this process will get better with age and experience... or I will just stop lying to myself that I'm going to get work done at night, and in turn, stop trucking around my bags full of school work.
There is the option of staying after school to get work done, but quite frankly, after spending all day with students and running around working, all I can think about is leaving. What I do love, however, are teacher work days!! We have the ENTIRE day (unless admin determines we should have meetings for the sake of having meetings) to work in our room on our lessons, on cleaning and organizing, and on discussing classes/students with other teachers. It's actually a sanity-regaining day for me. If we could have one teacher work day every week, I don't think I would be NEARLY as stressed by this time of year as I usually am. I sometimes wonder if there's actually enough hours in a day to get done all the things I'm suppose to get done. And sometimes I wonder if administration has forgotten what teaching is like, since they keep adding more things for us to be responsible for, without taking anything away.
In truth, however, I still love my job and I doubt I will ever do all the things I'm supposed to do... good thing I can handle the occasional tongue-lashing. I also doubt I will ever really do my work well at home. It will probably continue to take up space on the couch(es), coffee table, and tray table stands until one evening, when my husband isn't around, I decide to focus... for about an hour... and then give up for something more entertaining.
It's odd now to have a job that consistently causes me to be working at home. There always seems to be papers to grade, tests or games to create, or lesson/unit plans to make. I can categorically say I get WAY less done at home than I should. I KNOW that leaving the house would be the smarter idea, but I actually enjoy spending time with my husband, so I stay home while we watch TV and I do school work. (I will admit, when golf or basketball are on, I pay little attention, and thus get more work done.) Sure, I could go into other rooms and find space away from television and whatnot, but that's STILL distracting. I want to be in the other room, so I'm not focusing on work.
It seems like a never-ending process. Even summer is full of schoolwork: either taking classes to earn credits and enhancing my knowledge (which I enjoy) or creating new curriculum for the up coming school year (which isn't always as fun). Maybe this process will get better with age and experience... or I will just stop lying to myself that I'm going to get work done at night, and in turn, stop trucking around my bags full of school work.
There is the option of staying after school to get work done, but quite frankly, after spending all day with students and running around working, all I can think about is leaving. What I do love, however, are teacher work days!! We have the ENTIRE day (unless admin determines we should have meetings for the sake of having meetings) to work in our room on our lessons, on cleaning and organizing, and on discussing classes/students with other teachers. It's actually a sanity-regaining day for me. If we could have one teacher work day every week, I don't think I would be NEARLY as stressed by this time of year as I usually am. I sometimes wonder if there's actually enough hours in a day to get done all the things I'm suppose to get done. And sometimes I wonder if administration has forgotten what teaching is like, since they keep adding more things for us to be responsible for, without taking anything away.
In truth, however, I still love my job and I doubt I will ever do all the things I'm supposed to do... good thing I can handle the occasional tongue-lashing. I also doubt I will ever really do my work well at home. It will probably continue to take up space on the couch(es), coffee table, and tray table stands until one evening, when my husband isn't around, I decide to focus... for about an hour... and then give up for something more entertaining.
Monday, April 26, 2010
One of the hardest parts...
Over these past two years, I've come to discover one of the hardest parts of teaching. It's not the lesson plans nor the incessant meetings. It's not dealing with district administration that has forgotten what it was like to be a lowly teacher. It's not breaking up fights in the hallway, or even being cursed at every now and again. In my humble opinion, one of the hardest parts of teaching is seeing those students who are filled to the brim with potential to be successful, but get in their own way of success. Other things become important... those things with immediate gratification... even when they KNOW the value a good education will bring them.
Before I continue too far on this, I should share a little background about my school. We are an alternative school. Our school is full of kids who slipped through cracks, were let down at other schools, and for one reason or another have not been successful... up to this point. Because of this, we are a smaller school, with about 150 students and 10 teachers in the high school portion. As teachers in this school, we have a wonderful opportunity to become closer to our students... really get to know who they are, where they come from. where they want to go, etc. Sometimes it feels like you're a parent to 150 high school aged students.
Now... back to my frustration...
You can fill up your lungs and yell and scream and try to shake some common sense into those kids, but you cannot force them to chose the better path. (Maybe I'm being a bit judgmental, saying the path of education is the better one... but I truly believe it is.) One day those students will wake up and realize that they could have had a life of stability, a career, a life that is probably better than the one demonstrated to them by their parents.
How do you step back and let them fall? How do you withhold your natural instinct to catch them? I'll tell you... it's not remotely easy... and I still haven't quite mastered it. I know there are times when one of my colleagues ask my opinion on situations like this, and she ask, "What should we do?" Many times I find myself, with a straight, somewhat expressionless face, saying, "There's nothing we can do. They've made their decision." And yet, I know in my heart that it is WAY easier to say those words and show no emotion than to actually follow through with them.
There is a part of me that hopes the "letting them fall" thing will get easier. But the other part of me thinks that, if it becomes easier, maybe I have lost part of my compassionate side that makes me the teacher I am.
The end of the year always reminds me of these things, because this is the time when students have to make the choice to succeed or fail. And it's not a decision I can make for them... although maybe they'd be better off if I could. :) Don't they know I'm always right? :) The biggest thing that helps me get through this part of the year?? One of the best parts of teaching... which I will touch on another day...
Enjoy your evening!
Before I continue too far on this, I should share a little background about my school. We are an alternative school. Our school is full of kids who slipped through cracks, were let down at other schools, and for one reason or another have not been successful... up to this point. Because of this, we are a smaller school, with about 150 students and 10 teachers in the high school portion. As teachers in this school, we have a wonderful opportunity to become closer to our students... really get to know who they are, where they come from. where they want to go, etc. Sometimes it feels like you're a parent to 150 high school aged students.
Now... back to my frustration...
You can fill up your lungs and yell and scream and try to shake some common sense into those kids, but you cannot force them to chose the better path. (Maybe I'm being a bit judgmental, saying the path of education is the better one... but I truly believe it is.) One day those students will wake up and realize that they could have had a life of stability, a career, a life that is probably better than the one demonstrated to them by their parents.
How do you step back and let them fall? How do you withhold your natural instinct to catch them? I'll tell you... it's not remotely easy... and I still haven't quite mastered it. I know there are times when one of my colleagues ask my opinion on situations like this, and she ask, "What should we do?" Many times I find myself, with a straight, somewhat expressionless face, saying, "There's nothing we can do. They've made their decision." And yet, I know in my heart that it is WAY easier to say those words and show no emotion than to actually follow through with them.
There is a part of me that hopes the "letting them fall" thing will get easier. But the other part of me thinks that, if it becomes easier, maybe I have lost part of my compassionate side that makes me the teacher I am.
The end of the year always reminds me of these things, because this is the time when students have to make the choice to succeed or fail. And it's not a decision I can make for them... although maybe they'd be better off if I could. :) Don't they know I'm always right? :) The biggest thing that helps me get through this part of the year?? One of the best parts of teaching... which I will touch on another day...
Enjoy your evening!
Sunday, April 25, 2010
Post One: A general history...
Well, here goes... post number one. I suppose before I start talking about my current experiences at teaching in an American High School, I should give a brief history of my experience (or lack there of) up to this point.
It all started many a moons ago in a smallish Midwest city. My mother has been an elementary school teacher all my life and she always seemed to love it. I used to go into her classroom and help out... but I NEVER had any desire to teach elementary school. It was rambunctious chaos! But, teaching was still an option. It was my freshman year of high school that I found my calling. I had a PHENOMENAL World History teacher who brought history to life for me. A crazy thing happened... History became FUN for me! I couldn't satiate my thirst for information. So there it was... inspiration at the young age of 14. And after that, there was absolutely no question as to what I wanted to do. What I was getting myself into, however, I hadn't fully grasped.
Graduation came and went, and I chose to continue my education at the University of Minnesota - Twin Cities. I worked towards my B. A. in History, while working in a bar and the University Geography office. What a well-rounded college experience. Towards the end of my college years, I didn't know what my next step was. Minnesota has a phenomenal education program, so I kept that as an option, but what I REALLY wanted to do was teach with Teach for America. It sounded so fantastic and fun and exciting!! I wanted to take part. SO... I applied... and I got an interview! And I THOUGHT I did amazing at the interview... but, alas, I did not. I WAS REJECTED!!! I HATED REJECTION! And now... panic set in. What the heck was I going to do?!?! I still didn't have all my requirements done to even apply to grad school at the U (which included 100 hours of volunteer in classrooms and an Intro to Econ class). So I cried a little, ate ice cream, felt somewhat negative... and then I did the only natural thing I could think of.... I picked myself up and got my butt in gear! I found a high school that would let me do my volunteer work from January to March, and I signed up for a summer class of Econ. Granted, I didn't have a life for a little while, but I KNEW it would be worth it... if I was accepted. And I was! I had no idea what a difference this would make on me...
I had a wonderful experience as a student teacher in a Minneapolis high school and then another wonderful experience as a student teacher in a suburban middle school. After grad school was over (8 credits short of a Masters in order to make me more hirable...) I started riding the application highway. I filled out any and all applications I could find... to no avail. Apparently, Masters or not, finding a job was not going to be a simple task for a young, new to the field, teacher. So, I subbed... relatively bitter free. (I had one bad rejection. The suburban teacher I had worked with was changing careers (teacher to counselor) and his job was available! BUT, I was rejected for a much more experienced teacher.) I survived my first year of subbing, with some ups and downs, and was ready for applications and interviews again.... and started to realize it was going to be another year of rejections. I HAD to make a change. I wasn't happy in Minneapolis anymore, especially when I realized I'd sub again. I was ready for my own class!! Sign me up! I was all in!!! Why didn't anyone realize that I had potential to be great?!?!
Here is where change came in... I decided to MOVE! What else would be a logical decision? So I did. August 2007 I picked up and moved 18 hours away... from the North to the South... from beautiful Wisconsin lakes to the Rocky Mountains. Only problem... I didn't have a job there either. So, what else should a girl do when she's waiting for her teaching license to transfer states (which, by the way, was going to take 6 months!)? Bartend to pay the bills. And so I did. Come March 2008, I was fed up bartending and REALLY excited to get back to my teaching career (that hadn't started yet).
A blessing occurred in a charter high school whose Social Studies teacher was going on maternity leave. I applied, interviewed, and 15 minutes after leaving the interview, I was hired!! Thank goodness!!!!!!! It was an amazing experience! And guess what?! The lady I was long-term subbing for wasn't going to be coming back next year! SO... I applied! And, just in case, I applied for some other jobs. Weeeeeeellll... good thing I did! I got rejected from the school I had been teaching again. Another huge blow for me. BUT... another blessing occurred. Before moving, I had interviewed for an alternative high school position, but had been rejected. It was during that interview that I had decided I was moving no matter what. Well... my luck started to change. The principal of that school called me up in May, shortly after my rejection, and offered me the job I hadn't gotten the year before! Needless to say, I didn't waste time accepting that offer! And thus, there I have been for two years... well, finishing up two years. I teach American History, World History, Geography, and Government to students who have slipped through the cracks at other high schools.
I don't have decades of experience, but I do have some wonderfully interesting tales as a teacher... and I'm sure my repertoire of tales will grow as my teaching continues. My one disclaimer... in order to not get in trouble from my big mouth, I will remain anonymous and hopefully my city of teaching will remain anonymous... except by those who already know me. :)
Enjoy!!
It all started many a moons ago in a smallish Midwest city. My mother has been an elementary school teacher all my life and she always seemed to love it. I used to go into her classroom and help out... but I NEVER had any desire to teach elementary school. It was rambunctious chaos! But, teaching was still an option. It was my freshman year of high school that I found my calling. I had a PHENOMENAL World History teacher who brought history to life for me. A crazy thing happened... History became FUN for me! I couldn't satiate my thirst for information. So there it was... inspiration at the young age of 14. And after that, there was absolutely no question as to what I wanted to do. What I was getting myself into, however, I hadn't fully grasped.
Graduation came and went, and I chose to continue my education at the University of Minnesota - Twin Cities. I worked towards my B. A. in History, while working in a bar and the University Geography office. What a well-rounded college experience. Towards the end of my college years, I didn't know what my next step was. Minnesota has a phenomenal education program, so I kept that as an option, but what I REALLY wanted to do was teach with Teach for America. It sounded so fantastic and fun and exciting!! I wanted to take part. SO... I applied... and I got an interview! And I THOUGHT I did amazing at the interview... but, alas, I did not. I WAS REJECTED!!! I HATED REJECTION! And now... panic set in. What the heck was I going to do?!?! I still didn't have all my requirements done to even apply to grad school at the U (which included 100 hours of volunteer in classrooms and an Intro to Econ class). So I cried a little, ate ice cream, felt somewhat negative... and then I did the only natural thing I could think of.... I picked myself up and got my butt in gear! I found a high school that would let me do my volunteer work from January to March, and I signed up for a summer class of Econ. Granted, I didn't have a life for a little while, but I KNEW it would be worth it... if I was accepted. And I was! I had no idea what a difference this would make on me...
I had a wonderful experience as a student teacher in a Minneapolis high school and then another wonderful experience as a student teacher in a suburban middle school. After grad school was over (8 credits short of a Masters in order to make me more hirable...) I started riding the application highway. I filled out any and all applications I could find... to no avail. Apparently, Masters or not, finding a job was not going to be a simple task for a young, new to the field, teacher. So, I subbed... relatively bitter free. (I had one bad rejection. The suburban teacher I had worked with was changing careers (teacher to counselor) and his job was available! BUT, I was rejected for a much more experienced teacher.) I survived my first year of subbing, with some ups and downs, and was ready for applications and interviews again.... and started to realize it was going to be another year of rejections. I HAD to make a change. I wasn't happy in Minneapolis anymore, especially when I realized I'd sub again. I was ready for my own class!! Sign me up! I was all in!!! Why didn't anyone realize that I had potential to be great?!?!
Here is where change came in... I decided to MOVE! What else would be a logical decision? So I did. August 2007 I picked up and moved 18 hours away... from the North to the South... from beautiful Wisconsin lakes to the Rocky Mountains. Only problem... I didn't have a job there either. So, what else should a girl do when she's waiting for her teaching license to transfer states (which, by the way, was going to take 6 months!)? Bartend to pay the bills. And so I did. Come March 2008, I was fed up bartending and REALLY excited to get back to my teaching career (that hadn't started yet).
A blessing occurred in a charter high school whose Social Studies teacher was going on maternity leave. I applied, interviewed, and 15 minutes after leaving the interview, I was hired!! Thank goodness!!!!!!! It was an amazing experience! And guess what?! The lady I was long-term subbing for wasn't going to be coming back next year! SO... I applied! And, just in case, I applied for some other jobs. Weeeeeeellll... good thing I did! I got rejected from the school I had been teaching again. Another huge blow for me. BUT... another blessing occurred. Before moving, I had interviewed for an alternative high school position, but had been rejected. It was during that interview that I had decided I was moving no matter what. Well... my luck started to change. The principal of that school called me up in May, shortly after my rejection, and offered me the job I hadn't gotten the year before! Needless to say, I didn't waste time accepting that offer! And thus, there I have been for two years... well, finishing up two years. I teach American History, World History, Geography, and Government to students who have slipped through the cracks at other high schools.
I don't have decades of experience, but I do have some wonderfully interesting tales as a teacher... and I'm sure my repertoire of tales will grow as my teaching continues. My one disclaimer... in order to not get in trouble from my big mouth, I will remain anonymous and hopefully my city of teaching will remain anonymous... except by those who already know me. :)
Enjoy!!
