Better Late Than Never

One year and half, 4 meaningless jobs, and 18 interviews later....I finally have my own classroom!!!!! Not just any classroom though...this is literally my dream job. I will be in the city, at a performing arts school (yes they have a dance program!), and tons of technology at my disposal. Oh and did I mention that I get 5th grade *cue the choir and angels singing* Needless to say, I am more than thankful and happy. It makes me feel like all of the struggles and Hell that I've been through on this journey was worth it and was just God's way of strengthening me while he prepared the perfect place for me. It really hasn't settled yet, but I have a feeling that reality will hit soon enough. Tomorrow is the first of the month and school starts 2 weeks after that! Talk about super planning.....I will be in planning and prepping mode for the next 2 weeks, which means my life and those in it will have to be placed on hold (bear with me...it's only temporary my loves ) The mad dash to the first day of school begins now....On your mark.....get set......PREP!

Am I really still not a teacher?

Wow so it's been...........awhile since I've kept you guys updated. No worries though, I'm back and will keep the updates flowing for your visual and mental delight. Since completing my student teaching, I have YET to find a teaching job. I would have never imagined myself in this position now looking back on my optimism after finishing student teaching (well that and everyone in the school district and from IU saying that student teachers often get job offers coming out their ears before they even finish....yeah...in our dreams). I have been back and forth with what I should be doing with my life considering working part time is not gonna cut it. I even thought for awhile that I wasted my years in school and that I would have to go back and pursue a completely new life interest. Then it happened. As soon as the last bits of my faith and hope were oozing from my pores, I got that call. "My prinicipal would love to set up an interview with you! Are you available next week?" I wanted to scream HELL YEAH!! into the phone but I knew that would be unprofessional. So I simply replied "Yes. When would be a good time for her?" and there it was. My very first call for an interview for a REAL job....well not even a job...for my LIFE. It's crazy how things happen. Right when you think you can reach no lower than you are, God tells you to have faith and that he has something waiting for you. So this brings me back to you guys! I am hoping that this will be the beginning of an amazing new journey for me and for the rest of my life to begin. So with that being said.....gotta get back to work on this portfolio. I mean I should've had that done already though right?? Yeah........oops.

...and the hour glass empties...

So this is my last week of actual teaching....crazy I know...this time has flown by and I can't believe it's almost over. It started to set in today as I was talking to the class about an assignment that would be due my last day in the classroom. It is bittersweet for me...I can't wait to graduate and be done with the stupid busy work my university has me doing while I am student teaching, and I definitely can't wait to get out of the jungle, but I am really going to miss teaching everyday and the many personalities of my students. This might be a little harder than I anticipated...

Eeeww....Can I eat this??

Today was a very hectic and tiring day. Since it was the day before we leave for Thanksgiving break, the kids were in "Crazy-Friday-Vacation" mode. I decided to do centers for the last half of the day to keep them moving and also to teach them about Thanksgiving. I created six different stations for them to go to: Turkey gizzards-science goop (this was definitely a hit, and yes one student asked me if he could eat it), Thankful Turkeys- giving thanks from different perspectives, Turkey Dinner-planning a meal within a budget, Native American Names- creating a headdress and a Native American name, Plymouth Pilgrims- writing letters based upon the pilgrims experiences, and I give thanks- thankful books written by the students. The centers went amazingly well so I was glad my supervisor stopped in to see them. She pulled me aside afterward and told me a compliment I will never forget, "There are good teachers and teachers who are naturals and just born with it. There are many good teachers who will do well, but only a handful of naturals that will change their students lives forever, and you...are a true natural." ....wow...that meant a great deal to me. It felt good for someone to take notice in the effort and work that I put in and to acknowledge that. It was also reassuring that I chose the right profession, well I guess I should say that the right profession chose me. Now I can rest easy knowing that my many years in college were not wasted....and I definitely need the rest...

Heels and Meals

Last night a few of us went out downtown to a Latin club that had $1 glasses of Sangria...heaven...as we enjoyed the mix of hip hop and latin music (heaven again) several Latino men approached us asking, "What are you guys?" If I had a dollar for every time I was asked if I was Puerto Rican, I would be rich right now. Oh and as soon as they found out we were all teachers, our attraction rating went up...lol As we left the club, one of the girls' jaw dropped and she froze. One of her high school students was standing outside...ouch. Not only did he follow us back to the train station and ride the train home with us, but he proceeded to make a video showing her face on the train and what time it was (and he got everyone in the train car in on this as well). It was hilarious to me, but of course she was embarrassed. I'm glad I don't have to worry about seeing my students outside of a club at 4 am. Today we decided to have a mini Thanksgiving and have a pot luck pitch in dinner. Everyone that attended brought a dish...I brought peach cobbler that was amazing by the way. Before we ate, we went around the room and said what we were thankful for. This was somewhat emotional, but was well worth it because it brought us even closer as friends. Good food, good friends, and good conversation...tonight was very refreshing....and filling :)

Conference Booster Shots

My first parent teacher conferences ever.....and I am exhausted. The day started with my first parent at 11:30 asking their son why he is not doing his work...great I'm sure this is how the day will go. Oh and by the way the parent was a teacher. Yeah maybe you should have your son do his work instead of asking him why he's not doing it. Why aren't you making him do it at home genius?? Next meeting lasted for 40 minutes. For some reason the parent couldn't grasp that their student was being lazy and it wasn't the TEACHER'S fault (maybe you shouldn't have told your son it was ok if he didn't get good grades, then maybe he would actually do his work). I was hoping the day did not continue this way. The next few parents were nice and it was smooth sailing. Then....he came in...the father of one of my students who never does his work. He proceeded to throw papers at us and call us incompetent teachers, and ended with a meeting in the principals office trying to get us fired. Wow, maybe if you put that energy into getting your son to do his work, maybe you wouldn't have to waste all that energy yelling at us...just a thought...Of course the principal bent to his will since he is prominent on the PTA (way to back up your teachers..) and gave him several "compromises" that no one else would get. My blood is boiling just thinking about it now...Despite the horrific conferences that took place throughout the day, there is a bright side. I had multiple parents thank us (well they directed it to my teacher) for the challenging work we have been giving them (well that I have been giving them). They said they are glad their students are actually doing work that has substance and they really appreciate the higher order learning that is taking place in class. Some parents even asked that we give their students more work to supplement at home! Oh, and the whole time parents are giving these compliments, my teacher is eating it up with a spoon, even though she hasn't taught a thing since early September. In other words, they should be thanking me. It's ok though, I will take in the compliments and celebrate in silence because those parents affirmed any doubts I had about my abilities as a teacher. Thank you for giving my confidence a booster shot.

I should First 48 You!!

Another day in the jungle, another fight on our corner. This time between a man and his "baby mama" trying to get child support out of him. She was apparently driving around looking for him, and he was enjoying his last days of freedom. (How do I know all of this you may ask?? Well they explained everything loud and clear during their 20 minute screaming match outside my window). She was so angry at him, that apparently, she put sugar in his tank and slashed his tires. Oh wait, it gets better...she also called the cops on him to raid his garage, and yes he is a drug dealer so he got busted. This is why he is enjoying his last days of freedom...because he is going to jail. As they are arguing, the cops pull up and roll down the window. I think they are going to tell them to disperse, but oh no, they listen for a couple of minutes and drive off! What??!!! Aren't you suppose to protect and serve?? Since the cops left, he got really bold and screamed at her, "You better gone somewhere, while I am in a good mood. I should be kicking in your door and "First 48"ing your @$$!" ....wow, he just blatantly threatened her in broad daylight saying he should kill her, and didn't even hesitate...I would be in shock, but then again I am in the jungle. About 15 minutes later, the cops come back with 3 other cars saying that someone called so they have to leave now. Wow, you could have eliminated this situation 15 minutes ago, before he threatened her life, but it wasn't important...until someone called. Yeah, I feel really safe with these policemen on the job...

My dog got skunked!

I walked into the classroom this morning thinking it was going to be an ordinary day...WRONG...as soon as my students came in for the day, I saw a student with his hand raised. The bell hadn't even rung yet, what could possibly be wrong now?? As I walked up to his desk and asked him what he needed he responded, with a huge grin on his face, " My dog got skunked last night and I smell like it."...as he is speaking, the odor is slowly reaching my nostrils...great... he continued, "he ran in the house and jumped all over the couch and it got in my clothes." I wanted to ask him if he had taken a bath because if he had, he most likely wouldn't still smell like it. Then I realized, he WANTED to smell like the skunk! He is a boy of course, and to him, it is the coolest thing that could happen. To me, it's the stench in my nostrils for the day while I try to teach the class. Luckily he sits with all boys and they thought it was just as cool as him, otherwise there could have been a lot of sick kids today. Oh and by the way, they had gym today....so yes, when he came back from running around in the gym for an hour, he smelled worse. It was like it was seeping out of his pores along with the sweat dripping down his face...I hope he went home and scrubbed in the bath tub for an hour...my nostrils are depending on it.

We will miss you!

Tonight we had our end of the season party for Volleyball. It was bittersweet...we had a great season and our girls learned so much, but they could have played much further into the tournament. Anyways...moving on...we had plenty of food and drinks and had a few activities planned for them. We started our party with everyone sitting in a circle and telling the team one positive thing that has happened from the beginning of the season until now.  The first girl said that even though she has never played volleyball before,(and she is a great player by the way), that she will probably play in high school and that I helped her believe in herself...Oh no, don't tear up, keep it together, is what I'm telling myself as she is speaking. Another one of my girls, who is usually quiet, told us that she really felt like she had a place where she belonged and she has never felt that before...Cue the waterworks...it wasn't that long ago that I was these girls age and sometimes felt the same way they are feeling now. I am so happy that we created a family environment where everyone felt accepted outside of the hormone driven drama they are sorrounded by at school. As if that wasn't touching enough, another girl told us that she really appreciated us encouraging her and telling her she could do anything because she constantly puts herself down in her mind and it made her feel good about herself...I almost started balling. I never thought that this girl with her tough exterior, would open up to us like this. Not only had these girls grown as volleyball players, but they had grown as young women as well.  Since the girls had such amazing things to say, we decided to do another activity where everyone wrote a message to everyone else without signing their names. When we were all finished writing, everyone went and read their messages privately. These girls definitely needed a self esteem boost and this gave it to them. After everyone read their messages, we handed out certificates that we made for each of the girls. Everyone had a positive award such as Most Dedicated, Best Hitter, Best Setter, etc., and everyone had a silly award such as Most Distracted, Most Hair, Best Split, etc. They loved their awards, especially the funny ones. When we thought we were finished and were going to go home for the night, the girls surprised the coaches with gifts. They gave us cards and notes signed from everyone, teddy bears, chocolates, and bath and body works! I was definitely holding back the tears at this point. I had to wait until I got home to read my cards. One message still sticks out in my mind, "Coach- Thanks for being a good friend and an amazing coach. I'm going to miss you a lot and remember all of the laughs that we had.I hope you come back for graduation! Thanks for everything you are the bestest! Love you!" ...I will miss these girls so much...

...put this mask on please....

So today started off as a normal day of teaching, when about halfway through the day I had two kids tell me they weren't feeling well. One was flushed and complained about his head, the other couldn't stop coughing and said he was hot. So I checked for fevers...one was burning up! I sent him down to the office immediately and he did not return. In fact, in about 2 minutes someone from the office came up and asked for his schoolwork, backpack and coat. Did they quarantine him?? The office staff took action like the secret service trying to discreetly eliminate a problem. I ended up taking his work down to him myself to see what was going on. As I walked into the office, I noticed my student sitting on the bench...with a mask on! I asked the secretary what was going on and she told me he had a 101 fever and gave me "the look". Uh oh...not "the look"...that means that they suspect H1N1 (AAAAHHH!), but they can't say it out loud of course. That is like screaming fire in a crowded room. Great...now I need to go home and overdose on vitamins, zinc and vitamin C. Keep the swine away from me!!

...20 stops...

Biker bars and train cars...that pretty much sums up my Halloween night. I was invited to a biker bar that is co owned by the secretary at my school. But this was not any biker bar...it was a biker bar, partially owned by a police officer biker gang. Yea, those exist, go figure. So me and some of the other student teachers dressed up and headed out. I was somewhat apprehensive since I had never been to a biker bar of any kind in my life. When I got there, things quickly turned around. I don't think I stopped laughing the entire time I was there (the free drinks the cops were buying us probably helped haha). Between the president of the club feeding my room mate chocolate cake, and doing the electric slide with the wives, it was an eventful night to say the least. It was nice to meet new people and make some connections, especially since I live in the Jungle and never know when I will be robbed out here. They loved us and want us to come to any other events they have while we are still here. I think we will definitely take them up on their offer. The night was over all a great time, until we realized how long it was going to take us to get home...in the freezing cold. As we almost sprinted to the train stop because it was so cold outside, we realized how far south we were. We got on the train and counted how many stops we had until we were home....20 STOPS! OMG, the train might as well have said, pull out a pillow and blanket because you will be spending the night here. It was like reading a death sentence. It was definitely the longest train ride of my life! It was worth it though for the memories and friends that I made. Now if only this stack of papers I have to grade would magically disappear, my weekend would be complete...

I'm trying to plant an apple tree!

Tonight was disappointing...our last game of the season and...we lost. But we didn't loose to a better team, which is why it makes me so disappointed. The girls went into the game with a big head since they already had beaten them once, and the other team was out for blood. Bottom line- the other team was hungry and we weren't. It was a lesson learned for the girls though. They quickly realized that anyone can be beat on any given day. On the bus ride home, one of the girls was eating an apple and decided she would toss the core out the bus window. When I asked her why she would do that she responded, "I'm trying to plant an apple tree." haha Needless to say, I was no longer upset. She reminded me why I did this to begin with and how much I love these girls. Playoffs start next week so let's hope that we can take it all the way and win the 'ship! If not, at least there will be one more apple tree in the world... :)

Coach, can I borrow your shoes?

Game day and....WE WON!! At the start of the game, one of my girls proceeded to show me how the bottom of her shoes were coming off. Being the great coach that I am, I let her borrow mine to play the game (and yes I coached in my socks). Luckily we wore the same size shoe. She ended up getting 5 spikes in and scored off of 3. I would like to think that it was thanks to the shoes. :) They played a great game and continue to improve. Keep it up girls and we just might win the championship!

Change for Bib n Tucke customers only

Today I had my very first experience going to a laundry mat. Congratulations to me! haha I had soo much laundry to do that I could no longer hold out until my next trip home. I was somewhat apprehensive because I thought it would take forever to get all of my clothes washed, and spending the entire day at the laundry mat was NOT how I pictured my Sunday. I ended up being pleasantly surprised. Despite the ridiculous $3 per wash prices, I did not spend a great deal of time there. It took about 2 hours to wash and dry 3 loads of laundry. I took papers to grade and waited.....and waited....and waited. Thank you students for giving me something to occupy my time while I wait. Oh and by the way, remember to put your name on your paper since most of your handwriting looks the same. Oh the life of a teacher...

Did someone get shot??

PADDY WAGON!!! We just got back from our grocery store trip and on the way we were detoured by 10 cop cars and a paddy wagon barricading the streets. There was police tape everywhere...I wonder what happened because we haven't seen a paddy wagon since the last drug bust at the apartment building behind us. Someone had to have gotten shot, or there must have been a gang fight or something. Needless to say there is never a dull moment out here in the jungle...

Yes, these are volleyball players!

Game 3 of the season and....WE WON!! Not only did we win, but we played an amazing game. The girls were using 3 hits to get the ball over and setting up our more aggressive players for the spike. One of my girls even got 2 spikes in and scored! Oh and the victory was even sweeter because the team that we beat, was being coached by two fellow project members. Boooom! haha This is the game that we taught these girls to play. I can truly say that these girls have become great volleyball players. Even though they are great now, they still have room to grow into amazing players. Let's keep this up :)

...and now back to Earth...

Second game of the season and....we lost...but not because the other team was better than us, but because their gym was AWFUL. The ceiling was incredibly low and 60% of our serves kept hitting this archway of a ceiling over the net. Every time this happened, it was a point for the other team. It is so frustrating to have a loss like that when you know that you are a better team. Even though the loss was tough, it was good for the girls because it brought them back to reality. They needed to realize that not every gym will be nice, not every net will be tight and high, and that they need to make adjustments for whatever situation they end up in. We were all bummed, but it will make them fight harder tomorrow. And yes, we have another game tomorrow, but I can guarantee the outcome will not be the same...

Shut the front door!

Today was our first game of the season and....WE WON! The girls played great and used everything that we taught them. They used 3 hits, made great passes to each other, had some amazing sets, and even had some aces off of their overhand serves. I don't want to brag, but I will. We have done some great coaching with these girls and they are improving everyday. By the end of the season, these girls will be great volleyball players. I am so happy that I decided to assistant coach this team!

Fail

So I was very excited to get to school today and implement all my new procedures in the classroom, but when I got to school that all changed. Basically my cooperating teacher rejected all of the new procedures and decided to keep the chaotic system she has in place. Lucky me...It is so hard for me to establish myself in this classroom as their teacher, when my CT won't let go of the reigns. In a sense she is in "my classroom" mode and can't quite step away and let me try things on my own. I understand that I am a guest in her classroom, but at the same time, she signed up for this. She knew that I was supposed to be finding my own way and using this time to test the waters under her guidance. It is just really hard to find my own way when she refuses to let me implement my own way. Oh well, hopefully things will get better when I am actually teaching the full day. Here's hoping...

A breath of fresh air...

Two words....Harry Wong....music to my ears. Today we had a professional development teaching summit that had Harry Wong as the special guest speaker (we even got his book for free as a bonus!). He gave me soooo many useful ideas and strategies to implement in the classroom that I know will make my life as a teacher so much easier. I literally took 2 full pages of notes during his presentation. I even got a bunch of ideas to use in my classroom that I am student teaching in now. I can't wait to get back to school on Tuesday and try these things out.