Emotions

Genre Reflection #2

Stress because we still have loads of homework while also writing effective lesson plans and building relationships with the students that we will forever remember as our first class.

Timid as we burden mentor teachers and disrupt their classroom and space so that we can learn.

Uncomfortable because we are forced to step outside of our comfort zones on a daily basis.

Defeat when we were not as successful as we thought we would be with that lesson we worked diligently to design considering every student’s ability.

Envious of how easy our mentor teachers make teaching look and wonder if we will ever have it together like they do.

Nauseated due to the whirlwind of responsibilities and new information we process.

Tired like we have never felt before.

Tolerance as we learn first-hand that teaching requires flexibility.

Excited when we begin to find our groove because, at one point, we thought we’d never find it.

Amazed at the brilliance of our students in so many ways.

Composed because we are developing our own teaching styles and stepping into our roles.

Honored that WE have the BEST job in the world.

Encouraged by our fellow core members, teachers, and mentor teachers.

Realization that this is almost over, and we will be as ready as we can be to start our career where we will continue to learn and develop. 

Self-Care: A Temporary or Permanent Fix?

Online Reflection #3

I’m one of those people that always has something going on. I’m not only a married mother of three, but I am also a college student, student teacher, and a student assistant for my university. I am a lot of other things too, but I’m going to go with these as the key items that take up my time. It was brought to my attention in class a few weeks back that I don’t engage in self-care. I say, “brought to my attention”, because as I was traveling through my day-to-day life I hadn’t realized that I was taking care of everyone else and skipping over myself.

Having realized this, I decided it was important to evaluate why I do this. And the plain and simple answer is - guilt. The complex answer is – without trying to write a book to explain this –  that I have a need to be great at or try my hardest in every way possible at everything I do, and if I don’t work hard at all my responsibilities than I feel that I let down others involved. This, of course, creates guilt on so many levels. I feel guilty during idle time, so I work through that time instead. I feel guilty when I don’t reach my expectations - and let me tell you my expectations of myself are extremely high. I will say, I typically looked at this as a positive though, because, well, we’ve all heard the “shoot for the moon and you’ll land among the stars” saying.

As a child, my dad always told me, “if you try your best, your best is good enough”. Perhaps that’s why I feel the need to give my best at everything and take on the world. I also have a hard time saying no to opportunities that come my way because I’m an adult student who wants to explore and experience so many different things. I got a late start and maybe I want to get it all in now? I don’t know. But the fact is this backfires at times because then I’ve got so many things going on it’s hard to find a balance and I end up over-worked.

I find this to be the case for many teachers. We accept a ton of additional responsibilities as we love to and want to help, but we sacrifice our own sanity or peace in the process. Don’t get me wrong I’m not saying we shouldn’t put ourselves out there. I love that as teachers we want to help and do all we can, but I think knowing when to say “when” is important. This is a fact, that was brought to my attention the other day by a valued mentor and I’m thankful for this advice. I think all teachers should hear it, remember it always, and adhere to it.

In search of answers, I found a blog titled, “Why It’s Hard for Teachers to Take Care of Themselves” by Jennifer Gonzalez. I look to her often for ideas, thoughts, and answers. If you don’t subscribe to her blog, I highly recommend it. Anyway, in this post, she speaks with Angela Watson who is practically an expert on how teachers spend their time. She outlines a few, of the many, reasons teachers exhaust themselves, and ways to combat this. What I found most interesting and perhaps the biggest reason I felt compelled to reflect on this more, was that we cannot simply rely on quick fixes to get us through. We need to treat self-care as a lifestyle change. Getting a massage every six months is not committing to the self-care we are not only entitled to but need. It’s nice but is only a temporary fix for the moment. One of the few options Watson suggests to make self-care a permanent fixture in our life, and possibly one of my favorites is to essentially condition yourself through the pairing of one action that is already a habit with a new one. So, for example, as soon as dinner is finished, you soak in a warm bath. As a mother of three, the option of soaking in the tub after dinner is not a viable option for now, but I will continue to reflect and decide on a pairing that works for me.

This weekend I did start a mental health journal (inspired by a picture I saw scrolling through Facebook one day) and a doodle page that is similar to a bullet journal. This is not only therapeutic for me because I am one who loves color coordinating calendars, organizing, and journaling, but I’m also using this to conduct a little research on my own about myself. What are common themes about the days I am stressed, feeling meh, or sad? With this information, I will be able to contribute more to my self-care by weeding out the things that do not contribute positively to my mental health, happiness, or productivity. I’m excited to see how this works out and encourage others to try it or something similar if you find yourself in a similar situation as myself.

Doodle "Things of November" Page

Mental Health Journal

I can report that so far, I’m loving the times I get to doodle on the “things of November” side. Even if just for five minutes, it’s satisfying and... all. for. me. I’ll have to report back in a couple of months how this journal turns out. 


Update: 

My oldest daughter was inspired by my journal and created her own. I'm sharing it here in case hers can inspire others as well. 

A Preservice Teacher's View of the KATE Conference 2018

KATE online reflection

Professional development is, I believe, a must for most careers, but especially for educators. Every classroom, every building, every district, and every student is different. Allowing us to collaborate as professionals and share our stories, successes, experiences, and even our not so successful instances allow us to grow as educators and ultimately do what we all want in this profession: assist our students in being successful both inside and outside of school and to help them make and achieve their goals by equipping them with the tools to do so successfully. (Honestly, the list of our wants for our students could go on and on, but I feel that statement was broad enough to lump as much in as possible.) With this said, my attendance at the Kansas Association of Teachers of English (KATE) Conference 2018, afforded me the opportunity to do all of the above and some.

At check-in, I was pleased to see that we are provided with a folder full of helpful tidbits, a name badge, and of course the very important program - I’m serious, hang on tight to that program, it is everything during your time at the conference. While it seems small to be thankful for a folder, I am certainly the type of person that enjoys organization and this little red folder with my name stickered on it was a valued, handy tool. In fact, I’m still using it to hold my plethora of notes taken during the breakout sessions and imagine I’ll keep them in it for safe keeping and easy reference. I look forward to receiving and filling a new folder at next years conference.

I would say the most beneficial moments for me as an educator were the breakout sessions. There were five options for every session to choose from. This made it hard to decide which session I wanted to attend, but beneficial as so many of us have different ideas in mind as to what we want our takeaways to be from our experience there. Day one, unfortunately, did not offer me quite the growth I was hoping for but was still an enjoyable day. The first session I attended was Empowering LGBTQIA+ Staff and Students, while enjoyable, did not provide me with any new information. Perhaps, that is because I have attended a safe space training through GLSEN a few years ago and maybe I should have taken that into consideration when selecting my session. I will say though it reinforced the knowledge I did have, so while I may not have gained much new information or tools to use, it was engaging and brought things to the forefront of my mind again. The second session I attended was probably my least favorite because about halfway through the presentation the speakers, after having been asked what grade level this was intended, declared it was for comp I and II. At that point, I was a bit disappointed as I am secondary, primarily middle level. It might have been beneficial to have the grade level detailed on the blurb section of the program. However, you can always find a silver lining and I was able to give my notes to a colleague who intends to teach comp I next year. We traded notes as it turns out she too went to a session that was not quite her grade level.

I attended six total sessions in two days, so I’ll spare you the details of every last one and now highlight my favorite. That’s hard to do though as the other four I attended were excellent all in their own ways. Using Classroom Libraries to Increase Motivation to Read was probably my overall favorite for many reasons. Not only did I take away a rejuvenated feeling and motivation to build a better library for my students, but I also walked away with newfound knowledge on the types of reading students should have access to in my library, printed reading inventory resources, and an end of the year reading evaluation form. Did you know it is best to have at least 300-600 books in your classroom library? Did you know your library should have manuals, cookbooks, and pamphlets? I did not! This was definitely one of those moments I thought, well duh! Of course our libraries should have these things, it makes complete sense. Especially considering I’ve participated in class discussions regarding the importance THAT students read, not necessarily WHAT they read. You’ve got to love those A-Ha moments. Furthermore, the presenter for this session was extremely engaging. He was excellent at incorporating moments of laughter and who doesn’t love to laugh?

Day 1 of The Kate Conference

The most beneficial for me as a human, not just an educator, was the time spent with not only my fellow core members but other English educators. While it is all in a professional environment, it was so nice to have those breaks in the day to just chat with my people. It is not often with a schedule like mine that I get much free time and I have to say this was probably my favorite part about the entire thing. Yes, we talked about work, and yes, we shared stories about our placements, but it wasn’t for an assignment or work, it was just us enjoying each other’s company and for that, I am truly grateful. It’s awesome to be a member of the English Education graduating class of 2019. Together we are amazing and though I’m excited to graduate in May, I know I’ll miss these days in the coming years, and I’m looking forward to hopefully seeing them all at future KATE conferences.

Day 2 of The KATE Conference

                            

What's New

I’ve been so busy lately I feel I have neglected to update my blog. While it is a goal of mine to keep up with this blog steadily throughout the year I don’t actually have a set time that I prefer to write for it. I know I should narrow that down a bit, but with so much on my plate this semester I feel it’s best to prioritize and take care of the most important first. Unfortunately, that means this gets pushed to the back burner a little more often.

Currently, I have been focused of course on school and my internship, where I have recently finished my week of lesson plans and can’t wait to report back on how well teaching them goes after the week of October 8^th, but I also have had a few amazing opportunities come my way. These opportunities have taken quite a bit of my time, but have been rewarding, fulfilling, and beneficial. I’m so thankful for every one of them.

The first thing that came my way was a job. I needed one to finish out this year because I can’t substitute teach while I student teach and with a family of five, we need two incomes. I got the job and I’m now a student assistant at WSU Haysville which opened up the door to another opportunity.

WSU Haysville Staff

You’ve got to love how one door opening leads right into another. I was asked to speak and participate at the grand opening of WSU Haysville, and of course, I accepted. I was honored they asked! This last Friday was the grand opening and I have to admit though I was nervous, I’m very pleased with the outcome. I was on cloud nine for a good day and a half. The adrenaline from something like that is pretty awesome and considering that I’m an adult student who has gone through many trials and tribulations to get where I am, I was proud. Hard work definitely pays off.

Behind the scenes humor: I have braces. Those that have or have had braces understand the struggle of dry mouth but
add that this was a very windy day, I'm sure you can imagine; The struggle is real. 

More behind the scenes humor: What you don't see in this picture is that
I struggled to cut that ribbon. Ha! 

Secondly, today I will engage in a curriculum analysis/review with many other core 3 interns for USD 259. Not only do I love my fellow core 3 classmates and enjoy collaborating with them, but I felt this was an excellent opportunity to grow professionally and an experience I couldn’t turn down. The third thing that came my way was an opportunity to serve on the Kansas Teacher of the Year selection committee. One student was selected at WSU and that student was me! I kept this one quiet for a moment because I wanted to get my ratings completed before saying anything. Not that I’m getting a lot of traffic on my blog currently, but I still felt better about doing it that way first.

In addition to all of this, I am still a mother of three, who are all involved in sports. One in tennis, one in cheer, choir, and band, and one in volleyball. Unfortunately, I do have to miss all concerts this semester because I got this new job, but I keep reassuring my kids; mom has one more school year to complete then I’ll be able to attend more functions. Thank goodness for my husband who really steps up to the plate in my absence.

With all of this, you’re probably wondering when I get time to work on homework. I know that was my worry when everything picked up for me. The answer to that is weekends. This weekend I spent all day Saturday and Sunday doing homework. It was busy and jam-packed, and honestly, my eyes were strained from the screen time, but worth it in the end, because the only place success comes before work is the dictionary. I don’t know who said that quote, but I love it! Furthermore, I feel that this also prepares me for my teaching career. Just because our contract states we are in the building from 7:00 am to 4:00 pm (I’m totally winging that number, by the way, I’ve never seen a contract, but hope to soon) doesn’t mean we only work from 7:00 am to 4:00 pm.

It feels better to have updated my blog in some way. It’s not necessarily a reflection like I prefer, but an update is still a post. I’m excited to look back on these posts a year, two years, or even five years from now. Who knows maybe this post will spur a reflection from me in the future. Hopefully, I’m still blogging then. Wouldn’t that be fun! 

Funk Be Gone

It’s amazing how one small gesture can make such a huge impact. Today I received my first masterpiece of the year from a student that I'll share below. I lit up with excitement. Especially after yesterday, which you can tell from my post was a bit of a tough day. I will say I was able to squeeze a two-hour nap in my busy day yesterday, but I still woke up in a sort of funk.

BUT… funk be gone! Because today is a new day and to top it off this morning a student chose me to gift a special drawing titled, “Best”. It lifted my spirits in a way I can’t explain. I remember making drawings when I was a kid and you had to be special to receive one from me because those were precious treasures that I spent my hard-earned time on. So, the fact that this student chose me to be the recipient of their masterpiece made me feel like I must be doing something right. I was sure to let the student know that I was honored to accept such an awesome gift and I appreciate it more than they know.

Positivity spreads like wildfire and sharing a smile is contagious. I feel the need to pay it forward, so my hope is that this post of rejuvenation for me has sent positive vibes to you and sprung a smile on your face. If you haven’t heard it lately, YOU are wonderful! Now go slay the day. That’s what I intend to do. 

What a Nightmare

Genre Reflection #1

I stumbled into a topic for a genre reflection, admittedly one I wish I hadn't, but I did. So I thought I’d take advantage of the situation and write one to test it out. You’ll see more of these in the future, but for now here is my first. 

 Excited to get my first lesson this semester started I begin explaining the bell work to my students.

“After I read your new vocabulary words to you, you will place these,” I point to the screen where everything is laid out nicely giving examples of how to use the marks with the words,  “indicators by the words you have heard, words you don’t know, and the words you know and can use in a sentence.”

I look out to my students and chaos has ensued. One student has decided now is the time to rise and show off his new learned talent, the shoe, the new dance craze amongst teens. Of course, he’s killing it. He slayed that dance move better than Michael Jackson ever could, and his classmates join in. I’m dumbfounded and left staring like a deer in headlights. I glance at Dr. Cramer observing me in the back-left corner of the room and she’s writing on her clipboard. I know in my gut, she’s noting on my report, “bad classroom management”.  

Somehow, and I don’t know how because it’s as if time has jumped forward, my students are back to the well-behaved students I know them to be and I’m attempting to hand out the word scrolls I meticulously created on word that was modeled after Kylene Beers’ idea for vocabulary word organizers. I’m so excited to see how well my students work with these, I don’t even notice when I grab the stack of papers that I only have five copies of the sheet. I begin to hand them out and OH NO! This isn’t enough! Quickly I glance at the table, perhaps I have the rest there. No. Nothing! Helplessly, I look at my MT and while I’m sure panic was written all over my face I think, would it be appropriate to ask her to run and make a few copies. I glance at Dr. Cramer again. She’s writing on her clipboard. I’m positive she’s writing in big red letters, “UNPREPARED”.

Tears well up in my eyes. I know I’ve failed miserably. Slowly, I turn towards my MT to ask her to make copies for me when the lights in the room go out. The projector, the laptop screen, even the long skinny window in the back of the room is dark. No light can be seen projecting into the room from anywhere. It’s pitch black. For some reason, I believe that if I could just make it to the door to the classroom and open that door, light will somehow flood the room, and all will be okay. I place my hands out in front of me in an attempt to see with my hands. My foot clumsily finds the corner of a chair, or maybe a desk, and I begin to fall. Right before my body has a chance to hit the floor my eyes flash open and I’m relieved to see the ceiling fan in my bedroom spinning quietly. I feel the cool breeze across my face and listen to the silence for a moment relieved that was just a dream. I look at the clock. 3:12 a.m. Even more relief. I still have close to two hours to sleep off that stress.

This was my nightmare last night that has haunted me all day. I’m exhausted. Perhaps it’s because I just scheduled my observation with Dr. Cramer and my fears are creeping into my dreams. Perhaps it’s because I have almost completed my week of lesson plans and I worry they are not good enough or that I haven’t considered everything I should, so the stress is flowing into even my unconscious thoughts. No matter what the reason for the dream was, I know one thing is certain. I have moments I worry I’m not good enough and stress it to the max. It’s crazy because I love the experiences I’m privileged to have through this program, and really do believe I am successfully applying what I learn. Additionally, I feel that I am meant to teach. I absolutely love it, but days like today I can’t shake the feeling that I’m incapable and not good enough.

Have any of you experienced nightmares about your teaching? Is this normal to stress it so much or am I making it harder on myself than it has to be? If I’m being honest with myself I’m probably making it harder than it has to be. I typically do that because I have high expectations of myself. 

Remembering 9/11 in Our Classrooms

Online Reflection #2

Fearful and Frantic, my senior year in high school, I drove to school. Already aware that one plane crashed into the World Trade Center; I was confused and scared. Once at school, my teachers were visibly upset, some even crying. What was happening? I still didn’t know. Every TV in the building was tuned in to the news with live coverage in New York City. Sympathetically, deliberately, we watched black smoke billow from a tall gray structure so well known to our nation. Out of nowhere, another plane appears to circle around then plows into the East World Trade Center building. My small high school was stunned. We sat in silence as our nation was crippled.

I, along with many others, remember September 11, 2001, vividly. I still tear up when I see the fire departments doing their salutes and giving their moment of silence every September 11^th. It’s been 17 years, but it remains so fresh in my mind and still so relevant to today. This is one of the many reasons I believe we should still be teaching about 9/11.

Most students today were not alive during the attack, but they are still affected by the attacks. A few ways it is still relevant today are airport security, effects on health for the first responders, our nation at war, immigration, etc. This is the perfect opportunity to teach our students that our history affects our present and our future – to teach them that stereotyping is faulty logic and to address fears seen throughout our nation about other cultures – to teach them about patriotism. Think about how it could be taught as part of a bigger unit focusing on, fear, sadness, courage, or even grief. By not teaching about 9/11 so many opportunities are missed. Additionally, we vowed, collectively, as a nation to never forget.

In my search for information about rather or not 9/11 is taught in schools, I asked several friends in my program that agreed they were not seeing it in schools. I looked online and found that while many schools choose to teach it, many also do not. Some are left up to the individual teachers rather they want to teach it or not and some are not sure how to incorporate that into their curriculum. So, I began to think, how do we incorporate that into our curriculum, especially with IUG’s. That’s where the themed unit ideas came in. For example, I know that unit 2 for seventh graders is courage and for eighth grade it is fear. I believe there are definitely ways to work with that.

Being a member of the NEA, I thought, let me check their site for optional materials. Jackpot! They share lesson plans, background materials, approaches to teaching, and more. Furthermore, I found a couple of articles that solidify my argument that 9/11 should be taught in our schools. The National Public Radio (NPR), explains that only about 20 states currently teach it, in the article titles Teaching Sept. 11 to Students Who Were Born After The Attacks, and offers a book study idea using the book, Towers Falling, by Jewel Parker Rhodes. The second I found is a blog that I thought was an interesting read on The Learning Network by Holly Epstein Ojalvo titled, Teaching 9/11 Why? How? Beware though, if you’re anything like me, the video at the top of the article features a family, The Bailey’s, that lost their son in the attack and it is quite possible you will cry. I know I did!  

No Guts, No Glory

Speaking up has induced anxiety within me for as long as I can remember. I found this to be the case more so now that I have begun my internship. Awkwardly at times, I do find the courage to speak up and lend ideas, but never effortlessly.

In expressing my issue about speaking up (rather that be for fear of stepping on toes, fear of someone thinking I have a bad idea, or afraid I might jeopardize relationships) during a recent meeting with fellow colleagues I was given some simple, straightforward, welcoming advice: “You just have to do it”. These six simple words might not seem like much, but they have already made a difference for me.

Reflecting last night, I thought, isn’t speaking up in class what we want our students to do? And don’t we encourage them to just take that leap… just do it. Often, I have stated I want to create a comfortable, welcoming, inclusive classroom so students will feel free to express themselves, ask questions, and grow in my classroom. I love hearing their ideas and ponderings. In doing so we all grow together. This last part was a huge “ding” moment. We ALL grow together when we put ourselves out there. Expressing thoughts, asking questions, and offering advice is not a bad thing. Through collaboration and teamwork, the possibilities are endless.

I think part of my problem too, is not only fear of speaking up, but wanting to let it be known that I know my place. I’m just a student teacher, not the teacher. That thinking was wrong, and in no way should it reflect anything my mentor teacher has ever said or believes. We are colleagues. We are collaborating. We are a team, every day. Yes, I learn from her, but these experiences are valuable to both of us, and she too, can learn from working with me.

I’m trying to go confidently in the direction of my dreams like Henry David Thoreau said, and I feel that more today than yesterday and I’m sure I’ll feel it more tomorrow than today. This journey isn’t always easy, but it sure is enriching and fun.  

Same day UPDATE: Do you ever feel that the universe is talking to you? I'm reading for literacy strategies and I'm so serious when I tell you I just read this line, "Learning is a social endeavor, not an isolated one, and the conversations that occur between learners foster growth for all involved" (Fisher & Frey, 2016, p 23). 

Are Cookie Cutter Curriculum Guides Customary?

Diving deeper into curriculum maps is a given during my internship. Naturally, I have a lot to learn and a lot to wrap my head around, but in starting this process I have been overwhelmed with questions. One of the biggest recently, was am I trusted to determine what is best in my classroom for my students? This question came to mind as I studied the districts instructional unit guide (IUG), which details the unit for the teacher starting from suggested time frames the unit is to be taught, down to the unit titles, essential questions, key terms, selected readings, and standards that will be met.

Not surprisingly, and thankfully, I’m going through a rigorous teaching program that teaches me the process for creating a unit guide like this, and more, based on the needs of my students. I must admit it stung a little thinking I won’t get to use these skills if I’m given a detailed outline, but it made me wonder at what point did teachers lose the trust from the powers that be? I’ve also worried about how I can take this guide and still bring excitement, engagement, and innovation into my classroom if we all have the same cookie cutter unit. It’s important to note that I’ve only scraped the surface of reflecting on these questions, but they have been prevalent in my mind for the past couple of weeks. Which brings me to the point in this post, as well as the point to most questions. Solutions!

While I believe there is no one size fits all solution and am still thinking of ways to be innovative myself. I have stumbled across a blog post, We Need to Trust Teachers to Innovate, by John Spencer, which relieved some of the stress that accompanied my previously mentioned woes. He addresses the boxed curriculum and how it can feel restricting. Furthermore, he lends us solutions to what many feels stifled their creativity and encourages talking about your journey. His last point pushed me to make this post. Even though I haven’t a solution of my own yet, I felt it important to note. Perhaps I am not the only intern this year with these questions and I believe I should share my findings with others. After all, isn’t that what we do as teachers? Additionally, I think it could be beneficial for myself if, once I am a seasoned teacher, I can use my thoughts to reflect and further innovation within education in the future. 

Ready or Not, Here We Go

Online Reflection #1

Summer is over and guess what? I’m thrilled! It is hard for me to contain my excitement entering this semester. Core 3 is a BIG deal and quite honestly a “deal” I have worked extremely hard to get to. Soon, I will be entering a fulfilling life long career into teaching, which has felt so far away for so long. You may need to pinch me to make sure I’m not dreaming. I do have a plan to make this year a success which I believe will spill over into my career.

As I started my internship, I went in looking for marigolds. I first discovered what marigolds were a couple years ago when reading Jennifer Gonzalez’s blog post titled, “Find Your Marigold: The One Essential Rule for New Teachers”. I suggest perusing her blog, however, if you only have time to read one, let it be the Find Your Marigold post. Metaphorically marigolds are positive and encouraging people that help you grow. Quite literally, as marigolds do, they can bring out the beauty in a sometimes-ugly scene. I am a firm believer in mindset affecting the experience and outcome of things, so seeking out those that are positive and enjoy boosting others for the benefit of all was in my mind from the get-go. I feel that I am a positive person, but emotions are contagious, and I am not trying to lose any of my bright sunshiny rays. Gratefully, I can report that I have found beautiful marigolds.

We worked on S.M.A.R.T goals with our students on the first week of school and that got me thinking. Are my goals specific, measurable, agreed upon, realistic, and time based? Naturally, I have a list of goals in my brain that could span a century, but it is important to prioritize those goals. Pulling some of those goals to the surface made me think they meet some of those requirements, but not all. The points most missed after assessing my goals were measurable and time based. In case you have issues with this too, I am posting some examples below with my new and improved goal.

Before SMART

1.      Write effective openers to engage students

2.      Write effective closers to help students process

3.      Provide opportunities for students to express what they know

After SMART

1.      I will create effective openers to engage students in all lesson plans this semester.

2.      I will write effective and diverse closers to help students process what they have learned in each lesson this semester.

3.      I will provide a safe environment with opportunities for students to engage in prior knowledge and express what they know throughout each lesson this semester.

The examples I selected are probably my top three because I feel that they are extremely important to lesson planning and without them, a well-planned lesson could fall flat.

I wish all student teachers this year a productive, joyful, successful experience. I understand our nerves get the best of us at times, my hope is that we learn to laugh off our stutters and awkward movements while we figure out our teaching style. Sometimes it helps me to think that my students can relate to my anxiety and awkward moments because they are teens. I will make it through this a stronger, more knowledgeable, and overall better teacher then I entered, just as we made it through our teens a not-so-awkward (hopefully) adult.

   

Testing, Testing, May I Have Your Attention Please

Day one of English Methods for Core 3 is off to an excellent start.

I have successfully set-up this blog. YAY!

I can't wait to share my experiences here throughout the year.