He who dares to teach must never cease to learn

Today a student called me “mom.” And not by accident. I asked her to do something and...

Tue, 12 Jul 2011 13:20:39 -0400

Today a student called me “mom.”

And not by accident. I asked her to do something and she said, “Geesh okay maahhm-uh.”

Offended? Not in the least. It actually made me crack up.

Back to (summer) school

Tue, 05 Jul 2011 17:05:00 -0400

Hellllllo. Today marked the end of my two week vacation from everything school, even this blog. :X

But now I am back at it, in the summer school mode, which - after the first day - seems to be 100 times more laid back than the school year. I am not sure if it is because the excitement of summer has worn off or that the mood of the students is brought instantly lower with the words “summer school,” but both the kids and teachers seemed to enjoy their two week cool off. And begrudgingly, the students are coming around. (I literally had to coax a hesitant student into class today.)

I am going to be the paraprofessional that floats around to all three classes (Language Arts, Science, and Math) with the 5th graders. I am excited about this because it will give me an opportunity to really get to know a new group of kids in this short time and hopefully be there to help them throughout the day.

Oh and did I mention? I have a job interview for the fall. Any prayers or positive energy you want to send my way would be greatly appreciated!!

"Graduating" when you are twelve?

Wed, 15 Jun 2011 08:24:59 -0400

"Graduating" when you are twelve?:

Also, this article discusses a lot of the things teachers and parents have been saying here about this “moving up ceremony.”

I like the point that says:

“Marking the end of the starter years can be as important as a high school or even college ceremony to families that don’t have a tradition of academic progress, said Aara Davis-Jones, principal of Silver Spring’s Georgian Forest Elementary. At her school, one of Montgomery County’s poorest, with 75 percent of pupils on free or reduced-cost meals, many parents are recent immigrants who are thrilled to see their children with a certificate in hand.”

No, graduating middle school or elementary school is not the same as finishing your undergraduate degree. But in some respects, surviving middle school might be harder than we adults like to remember.

And I say that hard work deserves recognition. And these kids deserve some!

Last night I watched my seventh graders at their moving up ceremony. I have only known these kids...

Wed, 15 Jun 2011 08:19:03 -0400

Last night I watched my seventh graders at their moving up ceremony. I have only known these kids since January, but I feel like I have never been so proud.

I can only imagine what it will be like when I am lucky enough to have my own classroom.

Half day today, half day tomorrow.

End of school.

Kind of sad! I wish I could move up with these kids as a teacher!

Survived Field Day

Tue, 14 Jun 2011 10:05:35 -0400

Only got dunked in the teacher dunk tank about… five times. It was a lot of fun!

Tonight is our student’s moving up ceremony (high school starts at 8th grade here, so it is the end of middle school for these kids) and then tomorrow and Thursday are half days. Thursday is the last day of school!! (Also my birthday!)

One thing is for sure.. every single child is off the wall, bonkers, out of control excited for summer.

And me? Well, I’m just plain exhausted.

Can’t wait for my little two week break between regular school and summer school.

When students move thier lips while they read silently, it makes it really easy to call them out...

Sat, 11 Jun 2011 15:01:34 -0400

When students move thier lips while they read silently, it makes it really easy to call them out about texting during class.

This field trip was to a botanical gardens where each group of...

Thu, 09 Jun 2011 21:16:57 -0400

This field trip was to a botanical gardens where each group of kids had a camera and had to take pictures of certian things in nature. Then, when we got back to school, the students had to make a powerpoint using their pictures and were to properly label them. The first picture (of me looking back at the camera) showed up on my groups power point labled as “mammal - teacher.”

A "Rap" Made by My Student

Thu, 09 Jun 2011 17:32:49 -0400

“Her name is Ms. Sava,

She’s hotter than lava,

and everyone knows her name,

guess thats the price you pay for fame.”

……thats as far as he got.

word.

Field Trip Tomorrow

Sun, 05 Jun 2011 21:41:00 -0400

(and Tuesday!)

The whole grade is being spilt into two different days, but I’m actually going to the same place both days - a local park / garden where the kids will have a (science) assignment to take pictures of nature that they can connect to what they learned in class this year.

Should be interesting to have a group of 8 or 9 seventh graders at this point in the year… they are all crawling out of their skin and are dying to be done with school.

But don’t worry, Ms. S will keep the kiddies in check :p

Releasing and rolling

Thu, 02 Jun 2011 20:48:44 -0400

Today I got to go visit some of my original student teaching kids in their science class while I was on my lunch break. We went outside to relase butterflies that they had raised from larva. It was a beautiful day and the kids were excited and restless, to say the least. So restless that some really just could not handle a gentle butterfly or the smell of a beautiful spring day without the want, need and desire to roll down the hill we were placed on top of. The begging came from multiple voices as my cooperating teacher just looked at me, laughed and shook her head, but ultimately said yes. My focus moved from chasing newly freed butterflies to groups of seventh graders (boys mostly) tumbling and tripping and falling and stumbling up and down the hill continuously for what was at least 10 minutes.
And it never got old. To me, who was watching, and to the students, were just so happy to have the chance to roll down that hill.
I think I was so amused because as I stood on top of that hill, watching Nikes and mopey-haired heads spin out of control, accompanied by a constant stream of laugher, I remembered that they really are just kids. Kids who, when placed atop a grassy hill on a sunny day, want to roll down it.

Job Status: Employed

Wed, 01 Jun 2011 19:57:00 -0400

Got a job as a paraprofessional in the school where I student taught and am currently subbing at!!!!!!!!!

So freaking excited / thankful / relieved / happy.

The job is just for summer school, but I feel like this is the foot in the door I need. If anything, it will calm my crazy nerves and give me a good chunk of time to fully focus on my plans for the fall.

Subsitute teaching three out of four of the days this week. Hopefully, this will keep my crazy mind...

Mon, 30 May 2011 21:05:48 -0400

Subsitute teaching three out of four of the days this week. Hopefully, this will keep my crazy mind occupied and ease the worry just a little bit.

Seriously trying to figure out a summer school teaching job right now. I am not sure if I want to be a nanny for much longer..

Oh and ps. Happy 100th post on Tumblr to me!

Uhhhh

Tue, 24 May 2011 08:49:00 -0400

Job searching makes me feel a whole bunch of different emotions. And quite honestly its exhausting.

First, you get really motivated and ready to tackle every thing on your to do list and email everyone you can and fill out every application that crosses your path.

Then, you get excited with the possibility that you are actually that much closer to getting a real live job! Ooh, if this job comes through with this school system, than my life will be like this. Here comes the intense day dreaming. Not just about what grade you would teach, or what school system you would be a part of, but the really small details like what color your couch in your new apartment would be and where you would stop in the mornings to get coffee.

The daydreaming goes on for far too long and far too in depth, as you find yourself running red lights and loosing sleep because of your hopeful wishing.

Then, a couple days later, when nothing has magically landed at your feet (as planned!!) you go from thinking about every little detail of your life-to-be to sitting far too close to the edge of giving up in the matter of seconds. No emails have been returned, applications sit at a stand still, and you sit, wait, and worry throughout every minute of your current nannying job. As the three year old boy repeatedly hits you in the head with a stuffed animal penguin for about thirty minutes straight, you become numb and stop caring. Fine, I quit. I guess I’ll just be a nanny for the rest of my life. I make good enough money.

But its not about the money. And that’s where the real emotional roller coaster comes in. You don’t want a teaching job because of the money (or lack thereof) or because of the politics and test scores and overprotective parents or the budget cuts and the bad press, you want a teaching job because it is what you are meant to do. You want a teaching job because you truly believe in the children, and you care so much about them that you are willing to put up with all of the other nonsense, if you can just reach one student a day. You want to be a teacher because you know you can do it. And you worry because on paper, through the endless applications, you are not sure that they convey the depth of your passion.

So, after rock bottom, you hit a plateu. A half-hearted trust in the bigger picture. And resort to all that is left: hope, and patience.

A self portrait that best represents this post:

Just sent out a bunch of cover letters and resumes to principals… I am nervous to check my...

Thu, 19 May 2011 13:44:00 -0400

Just sent out a bunch of cover letters and resumes to principals… I am nervous to check my email now until I have a job, haha.

"To laugh often and much, to win the respect of intelligent people and the affection of children, to..."

Wed, 18 May 2011 21:56:53 -0400

“To laugh often and much, to win the respect of intelligent people and the affection of children, to earn the appreciation of honest critics and endure the betrayal of false friends, to appreciate beauty, to find the best in others, to leave the world better, whether by a healthy child or a garden patch…to know even one life was breathed easier because you have lived. This is to have succedeed.”

- Ralph Waldo Emerson

I was going to rant, but this just exhausts me..

Tue, 17 May 2011 12:53:00 -0400

Budget cuts in the schools, sex offender teachers and students less prepared for college than ten years ago? (these were all headlines in today’s Washington Post)

Sick of the negativity and bad press - I even hear it from teachers in the school! If students see that you’re negative, then they will surely follow suit. Teachers need some real support, and we need it now before the best ones we have are burnt out and gone.

"Behind Every Famous Person is a Fabulous Teacher"

Tue, 17 May 2011 12:02:17 -0400

"Behind Every Famous Person is a Fabulous Teacher"

Okay, so I’ve applied to every surrounding county. Now, I bother the principals directly.

Tue, 17 May 2011 11:59:19 -0400

Okay, so I’ve applied to every surrounding county.

Now, I bother the principals directly.

What I did this past weekend… :)

Thu, 12 May 2011 15:23:26 -0400

What I did this past weekend… :)

Apply, Apply, Apply

Wed, 04 May 2011 10:17:19 -0400

and something will come through.

Tonight is my graduation rehersal… weird!