Pizza

I gave up pizza for Lent…it was tough. Lent is over. That means that I can eat pizza again.

Today happens to be my birthday.

One of my students surprised me with Little Caesar’s pizza for lunch today. :) I feel very loved.  

What A Crazy Day

Today was the last day for my lead teach in my student teaching program. I sure ended my time with a bang! I’ve been getting my butt kicked all week since my mentor is out sick. And today, after struggling to motivate some boys to get their essays in before Spring Break, I turned my back to the class and I heard a loud crash. The twin girls in my class were going at it. Hair was being pulled. Desks were being thrown. Papers were flying. After standing in awe for a split second, I rushed to the phone to call security, only to realize that I don’t have their number! Thankfully, I had some assistants in the room who rushed out for help. As other teachers entered the room, the girls decided to leave to avoid suspension. They were apprehended just down the hall as I shouted to the vice principle. I was shocked. This was the second time these sisters had been involved in a fight in my classroom. 

I went about my day feeling ill-prepared to handle a situation like this. I’ll have to begin formulating a plan of action if this ever happens again. 

On a happier note, I got the bartending position at my job! :) 

Frou Frou likes to help with my grading

The Writing Process Prezi →

I love Prezi! It’s time consuming, but when I want to make a presentation that I know I’ll use over and over, I think it’s worth the extra time. I hope my students will find this helpful and refer to it when necessary. 

Cream dress and brown leggins: Forever 21 
Brown flats: Steve Madden

Lunchtime

My classroom is “the place to be” at lunchtime apparently. There are so many students in here. I love it! 

White shirt: Charlotte Russe

Pink camisole: Old Navy

Black pants: Express Columnist

Black flats: Anne Klein  

Feeling the Valentine’s love from my students :) (Taken with Instagram at Everett High School)

Field Instructor

Part of being a teacher-intern is being observed a certain number of times by the university to make sure that I’m properly taking care of my students.

A few things that aren’t working:

• She comes during my planning hour - how exactly are you observing me teaching when I’m planning?
• She has become best buddies with my mentor. Initially this doesn’t sound so terrible, but upon closer inspection, you find that she spends 70% of her time chatting with my mentor and only 30% of her time with me.  
• She wants to interact with my kids. Again, doesn’t sound so bad, but she spends far too much time with them and not enough actually observing me. (Are you starting to get a sense of how much observation time I’m actually getting? About 5 minutes every month.)
• She focuses more on the negative aspects rather than the positive.
• Even if someone were to observe me for a full hour, or even a full day, you’re not receiving an accurate picture of what I do in the classroom. It’s just a brief snapshot. It doesn’t take into account all the outside factors that are present or absent. 
• I posted this whole blog while she was here…ignoring me.

Problem? I think so.

2011 - A Reflection

2011 - what a year! So many changes. So many new experiences. An engagement. Graduation. I’m a completely different person from 2010. Older. More mature. More vulnerable. I’ve started student teaching. What a whirlwind. I feel chaos all around me and I’m sifting through it - trying to create order. The negativity is overwhelming. I think that’s the worst part. It’s like beating my head on a brick wall…everyday. Don’t get me wrong, I love it. I love my students, but I feel like they’re drowning in a sea of complacency and self-induced helplessness. How do I combat it? What do I keep myself from being pulled under as well? 2011 has left me with a lot of questions and not many answers. Maybe there are many answers. I will take this break to reflect. I will come back refreshed. Rejuvenated. I will find answers.