Halloween is great. One of my favorite shows as a kid, The Adventures of Pete and Pete, had a great Halloween episode entitled Halloweenie. The basic plot is how the older brother feels like he's too old to go trick-or-treating with his younger brother for fear of being made fun of by his schoolmates. (A short clip is found here) What a great show first of all. Secondly, what a great message. I hate when people start to ruin things for children. Kids lose a part of their childhood the minute they stop believing in magic, ghosts, or even Santa Clause.
I was so happy to see every student walk into class that last Friday with not only some great costumes, but an excited attitude for the Halloween festivities. The school that I work at is so wonderful. They have the best celebrations and activities. I get sad when other schools don't let their kids dress up and do fun things. Sure the day was almost a total waste and very little learning was going on, but when was being a kid just about learning.
I don't remember the day I learned long division, or when I learned to hate math. (It may have actually been the same day) I do, however, remember the scary story my teacher read to us on Halloween in fifth grade. I do remember learning that awful dance in 6th grade where we used the poles and utterly bombed our performance in front of the other 6 graders. I do remember all of those little things I did during school that had nothing to do with the Core Curriculum, but it made those other long days of sitting in those rock hard chairs more bearable.
Also, I hate the news. Why is celebrating Halloween so controversial? Is there nothing more important to talk about? I'm sure hundreds of people are dying in foreign lands every day due to disease, war, or shortages of food and clean water. I guess it's better than hearing about another child that Brangelina are adopting. Here's to Halloween and all the rights and rituals that go along with it. ksl.com - School Halloween activities: fun or waste of time?
Ummm...Life is great, but teaching is tough. I had my class going in the right direction behavior wise and then the system decided to throw the proverbial stick into my teaching spokes. I recently added two new students to my class. I hope they catch on to my classroom management plan because they are making it difficult to focus on teaching. Very intelligent kids though. I don't know if that's a blessing, or a cursing. People tend to turn a blind eye to trouble makers if they don't screw the school's test scores up. I think that's where the real travesty in education lies.
When people look at education and say that it's broken, they look at their math and science test scores. REALLY!? Is that all we care about in society these days? In a world of Enron and Bernie Madoffs, what good does it do to teach someone math if they use their skill to cheat and lie to others? I wish they had a test for decency and honesty because I bet those numbers would be more disheartening than the math scores. If we could get those imaginary, but very real, scores up I'm sure the math and science scores would follow suit.
I digress and proceed to talk about how unprepared I am to deal with parent teacher conferences this Monday and Tuesday. They have been handing me test scores to give to parents that I don't even know how to read, let alone explain to others. Speaking of tests, there are about 5 of them that they have already taken and none of the numbers make sense to me. Most of the testing seems to be so ridiculous and self serving to me. They have to read 115 words a minute in order to pass one test, but then we tell them how important it is to take their time and carefully read each sentence so that they can predict, pick up context clues, and understand their text.
Other than the fear of not knowing what I'm talking about, I'm really excited to meet ALL of the kids' parents. I'm so intrigued that just a simple meeting with them tells me so much about their background. It should be a great experience. I just hope one of them doesn't end up doing this to me. I guess the real horror would be turning into her. Cheers
Although the movie may not have done so well, I enjoyed it. I had just finished Nelson Mandela's biography "Long Walk to Freedom" before the movie had come out. It may or may not have taken over 3 years to accomplish this task, but after a countless number of reading hours while watching a gajiliion Bill Nye videos during my days of substitute teaching, I had finished the deed. (I should teach myself about run-on sentences)
As I reflect upon the life of Nelson Mandela and after downloading the TED Talks App for my iPad (Such an awesome toy) I've come to a conclusion. I need to be passionate about something. I want to make an impact on education as a whole, and I don't believe being JUST a teacher will help me accomplish that. I've had a HUGE wake-up call the last couple of days and I've been thinking a little too much perhaps.
I once believed my passion was to be the best teacher in the world. After the first full month of teaching, I've come to the realization that this just won't do, or probably happen. In a way I hope that it never happens. I feel that goal has been very selfish and helps no one but myself. I believe everyone who's ever accomplished, or who hopes to accomplish something that changes the world, has done so selflessly. They think of the greater good and then sacrifice their time, talents, and a countless number of both tangibles and intangibles for that cause. Such is the case with Nelson Mandela.
So now what? That's the question I've been asking myself for the last little while. Everything I've done for the last 4 years was done so I could accomplish this one goal. Now that I've reconsidered my hopes and aspirations, what do I do now?
Firstly, I need to figure out my number one priority. Even if I did know what is was, I'm apt to not say. I've recently heard (here)that if we say our goals out loud, it becomes less likely that we accomplish them. So I guess mum is the word on this one.
I still aspire to be the best possible teacher I can be. I've always had that drive to better myself. I guess the only difference is that I'm not going to compete for that title of "World's Best Teacher." Even if it does come with an inscribed coffee mug and bedazzled t-shirt that had such a saying emblazoned upon it. Being on the inside of education has opened my eyes to how we can better run the system, but especially better treat and educate the youth of tomorrow's world. Bring on the LEARNING REVOLUTION!!!
I always loved the original Mike Tyson's Punchout on the NES system. I would play it all the time. I saw this and thought, "How Clever. I must share it with the world." R.I.P. MJ.
Well, I'd like to reminisce about last night, just 13 days into teaching. We had our first half-day of school and then we had teacher meetings for the next 2 hours. I was feeling super excited because it was Labor Day Weekend, but not because I would have time to go party or do some camping. I was excited because I wanted to have more time to work on lesson plans, prepare Smartboard presentations, and learn how to use the new Smartclickers I stole from the school to use in my classroom. We also went over a lot of data about the performance of the school, school district, and the state. I must be a data nerd because I loved it and it really motivated me to get my class into the top tier of every subject.
Excitement levels were at an all time high. Then at about 7PM I started feeling really drowsy. I went to the library where they have a nice 4 ft. couch to lay on and I crashed. I woke up at about 9:30 and was feeling okay and so I went back to my room and started working. Well, that's when the dizziness and walking funny hit me. I tried to push through it thinking it was just momentarily, but then it continued to get worse, even bordering nausea. That's about the time I decided to close up shop and get home. I'm glad there weren't a lot of cars on the road, because something bad could've happened.
I got home, walked into my room, and crash landed on my bed. That was at about 10PM. I woke up at 10AM...12 hours later. For all I know it could be 36 hours later and I may have just slept right through Saturday. Only 13 days of this teaching stuff and I got knocked out cold. I feel like my favorite protagonist from PunchOut, Little Mac. It's like I've just started the game without any cheat codes and then I get knocked out by Glass Joe, the games first and worst boxer. ONLY 13 DAYS!!!
Well I've made a list of what may have caused it.
- Waking up at 6AM everyday to get to my class and get it ready by 7:30 - Allowing students to come in at 7:30 to do extra math (only one has been showing up...so far.) - Teaching from 7:50-2:30 everyday. - Allowing students to stay 30 minutes after school to do extra math. - Not leaving the school until midnight or later every night. - New teacher meeting last Wednesday. (2 hours every month) - Starting my ESL Endorsement class last Thursday (2 1/2 hours every Thursday. - Running a half-marathon last Saturday without training. (I just got my legs back yesterday...oh, and I may or may not have thrown up after the race in the porta-pottys after eating the free fatboys they were giving away to the racers. I also passed out after the race...due to heat exhaustion I'm guessing)
So that probably pales in comparison to other schedules, I realize that. I'm just coming off a year of total relaxation and no real responsibility. So just having to wake up at a certain time has been a little grueling. Also, I'm not complaining. I love my class and my job. It really is a great experience and I definitely feel I am doing what I love...for at least the time being. I hope I can last until the next "round" and not have another dizzying spell. There's so much I want to accomplish and get done. Passing out will greatly reduce my odds of doing all that I plan to do for these kids.
Speaking of kids, 3 days into the school year, one of mine threw up. Good thing I trained them well by telling them to take the garbage can as they traveled in the hallway. He definitely threw up in the hallway, BUT in the trash can...which he placed right inside my classroom upon his return. Great kid. Also, I had the only crier in the whole school on the first day. That's right, I scare little 4th grade children. I would think they would be attached to me seeing as how I've been told I resemble the likeness of one Ron Weasley. Well, it's time to get back to work. I can't believe it's already been 13 days. This year will be over faster than I want it to.
MOVE THAT...JUNK! I don't even think a big bus could cover the mess of a room I had as I walked into it that class last school year. Granted, the teacher was moving out of her classroom into another classroom and had just got done packing all of her things into piles to be moved later in the summer. Well, that is the sight of what my 4th graders saw as they came into the class so I could introduce myself as their future teacher on the last day of school. Needless to say, a lot of work had to be done. The next picture is the cleaned up classroom.
Well, my brother, myself, and a legion of helpers got to work and came up with a lot of cool ideas. More close-up pictures to come, but I figured a hodge-podge collection of photos that may or may not be classified as a magic-eye picture with the ability to perhaps cause minor seizures would work for now.
I can't ever hear Europe's 1986 hit "The Final Countdown" without thinking of Gob Bluth. Just an amazing man.
This morning I have completed the new teacher introductions with my school district. It mainly consists of sitting in the district office while everyone who has an important title comes in and talks about their job and how they can help me as a new teacher. It was actually quite helpful and I'm glad that such a program exists. With the conclusion of this meeting I can now start my (DA Da da!) final countdown. I start teaching...with ACTUAL CHILDREN...in MY OWN CLASSROOM...next Wednesday. The magical date of August 18th is quickly approaching and I'm far from ready. It's coming along, but at a snails pace.
My classroom is looking great, I just need to put everything away and start printing up my SAA-WEET posters and charts for the walls. I just don't know what to put on those posters and charts. I'm sure inspiration will strike me the night before and I'll get it done somehow. The only thing I know about those charts and posters is that cute little clip art of bears hugging hearts, or a cat hanging from a string that positively reminds us to "hang in there" will not be splattered upon them. I've taken a hard line stance about "cutesy" clip-art and posters. Mostly in an effort to maintain good standing in the He-man Woman Haters Club which allows me to be a proud "Man Card" carrier.
Today was great for another reason. I just got my cumulative folders for each of my students. I was looking at their past behavior scores and subject scores. After scanning through them I came to a conclusion. I HAVE THE BEST CLASS EVER! The only sad news is that two of my students have already moved to new schools. I only knew them for a little time, but I'm really crushed that they won't be in my class. I wonder how it's going to feel when I lose all of them at the end of the year. I'll cross that bridge when I get to it I suppose.
I've had a lot of support up to this point and I know I couldn't do it without such great friends and faculty, but especially my family. As I march into my class that first day I know I won't be walking in alone. In fact, I kind of envision it like in the video below, but without the random riot. Also, I don't think anyone will be speaking in German, but who knows for sure.
Yeah...That kind of excitement. After returning from the glorious sun and waves of Hawaii, I've put my nose to the grind and have started preparing my class. I will post pictures of the before, clean, and finished classroom when they are ready. As for now, just imagine two nice white walls and two very ugly orange carpet walls that look like they've been taken straight from the floor of your aunt and uncle's old 70's beat up Winnebago that your parents occasionally used to take on family trips to go camping in Idaho. Admit it, you know what I'm talking about.
So I've been trying to think of cool things to do that the kids might find exciting or different than other classes they've been in. I want them to walk into my class knowing that each day will present them with something new and exciting. I like to think outside the box from time to time and be a little creative with "old" teaching strategies and ideas. One thing that every elementary teacher has in their repertoire of billboards and posters is a welcoming door poster. I'm all for this idea.
For those of you that don't know what a door poster is let me explain. It's a poster that teachers usually put on or next to their door that show either a picture of the student or their name and then they use a theme to tie everything in together. For example, one teacher used a cat theme every year (for over a quarter of a century) that said "So-and-so's class are cool cats." Then they had the students' pictures on the door with some cats and stuff. My brother and I always joked that we knew that school was soon approaching because the old orange cat cut-outs from 1980 were making their way into the school hallway. (maybe it's only funny to us.)
Anyway, my lovely mother told me she saw a really cool book with ideas of what to do with my door for the beginning of the year. She gave me some examples and I started to laugh immediately. They were all so cheesy and just...not me. My brother and I went to the drawing board to create something that we could call original and creative. So, with the few skills I have in Photoshop, this is what we came up with. I'm not at all pleased with slogan, but it works for now. If there are any other good ideas, I'm open for suggestions. Also, the symbol is a pen over a sword, indicating the theme that the pen is mightier than the sword. I'm also open for a change of...crest...I suppose.
*note - The kids' faces aren't really black splotches. I guess I have to worry about privacy rights now. And yes, the kids in the picture are my actual students.
Tis the Season of Celebration. I was recently pondering upon the beauty of this great nation and state in which I am blessed to live. In Utah, we are happy to receive two days off of work; the 4th of July and the 24th of July. The first, of course, being the day on which our nations founding fathers signed our Declaration of Independence. The latter being the day the mormon pioneers walked into the valley of salty lakes. I found it fitting to receive my contract right around this time.
As I handed in my letter of resignation I was in turn handed my contract for my upcoming teaching job. I pondered this moment for a short time. I was able to compare the similarities I have with the pioneers. (Use your imagination with these comparisons.)Both of us forging our ways into unknown territory. Not knowing how hostile the locals may be, or if the ground would be fertile enough to accomplish our goals of permanent settlement. I could also feel how hesitant the founding fathers may have been before they signed the Declaration of Independence. I looked over my contract several times before my signature found its way onto the paper. The consequences of signing the Declaration of Independence could be seen as TREASON...punishable by DEATH!!! I faced not being able to get a job in Salt Lake, which may mean...SOCIAL DEATH!!! So I'm stretching that last one a bit (I think Logan is the most lovely of places to live...for a college student, or a married couple.)
I never really gave much thought to any of these comparisons to be honest with you. The thing that I actually thought fitting for the signing of my contract was the spirit of celebration this glorious month of July brings. In honor of the fierce battles that followed the signing of the Declaration of Independence. Also, the trials and hardships of migrating across the plains and mountains from Illinois into Utah, I decided to celebrate their sacrifice by sacrificing a little of my time...to take a vacation to Hawaii. Here's to those that made it possible for me to enjoy the warm waters and delicious pineapple of our 50th state.
I've been feeling a lot like this ole' bloke for the past few days. I recently went into the doctor and he decided to diagnose me with strep throat. I'm finishing up my last week at my custodian job and I couldn't think of a better time to be sick. I have a bunch of sick days left and I really look for any reason to use them. In the past couple of months I've seen the family doctor, dentist, orthodontist, optometrist, dermatologist, and one timely visit to the ski doctor. I hadn't been to that last one in ten years which almost caused a depletion in my frozen H2O crystalline processing cells. It's very deadly if not treated regularly.
The problem I've now come to see is that in my future profession, such days like this will not be a "free" day off. My sister-in-law, who is also a teacher, just gave birth to her first child in October. She spent every weekend slaving over lesson plans for her long term substitute. When she came back from maternity leave she proceeded to reteach most of everything the substitute had taught because of rubbish teaching skills. She also had to redo her whole classroom management plan because the students pretty much had free reign while she was gone.
I've seen many teachers coming in at the wee hours of the morning to write lesson plans so that the day wasn't a total waste for the kids. I feel elementary is especially hard when taking days off. I saw a huge contrast in lesson plans when I was subbing at the middle school compared to the elementary school. The middle school teachers were able to put all of their plans on one single-spaced piece of paper. The lesson plans for an elementary teacher came in all shapes and sizes. Large font, small font, cute font, in folders, stapled, rhombus, and hexagon. It really reminded me of the scene from Better Off Dead when the teacher asks the math class to pull out their math homework and they each have a huge contraption to get it done.
I've lost track of where I was going with this post (I blame it on the medication.) The point I'm getting at is that I know teaching is hard and I now realize that it's counterproductive to provide sick leave and then make it more difficult to take a sick day then just man up and teach sick for a day. I mean I work in a place where snot is literally dripping from noses and coughing in someones face seems to be a new form of saying, "HI." A school is as close to a walking petri dish as one can find. It kind of sucks knowing that if I get sick, it might just be easier to tough it out and go to work rather than spend a lot of time writing a lesson plan that will probably need to be retaught anyway. What a catch 22 I've gotten myself into. Thank goodness for Bill Nye Videos (authors note: please, someone take away my teaching license if I ever resort to doing this.) Well, at least I get to enjoy this last week of my old job on sick leave. I'll be sure to enjoy every cold sweat, sore throat, and nauseous feeling I have this week.
So this clip is brought to you by one of my favorite childhood games/movies...Mortal Kombat. Watching a few clips from it now makes me laugh that my taste in movies and other such arts has changed so dramatically. Why do I show this clip? Because I've developed this nasty habit of quoting things from my childhood ALL OF OF THE TIME. I'm pretty sure 78% of my conversations consist of a quote from one of three shows: The Office, The Simpsons, and Seinfeld. The above quote has reared it's ugly head more than several hundred times in my life, the latest being used one week ago.
I had the opportunity to meet my class of 22 4th graders a week ago during a school tradition called "up day." This is where the students in the school get to meet the new teacher they will have for the upcoming year. I walked into my bare classroom 2 minutes before my future 4th graders and sat down in my rolling teacher chair. Just like the above clip, I felt the elements gather in a way I've never felt before. Instead of demonesque spirits floating in the misty air, I saw the first few faces of my future students peek their heads into my classroom. That is when I realized..."It has begun!"
Let me tell you what I mean by "it." Going to bed at a decent time has begun. Waking up at a decent time has begun. Having grownup conversations has begun. Being accountable for my actions has begun. Being a face in the community has begun. Being responsible for others has begun. Being entrusted with the safety, care, and education of 22 nine year old kids...has begun.
It hit me so hard that I was at a loss for words with my students. I told them how excited I was to have them in my class and how much fun we will have during the next school year. The whole time I was mumbling over my words and just having a hard time collecting my thoughts. I actually told them that I was going to give them a homework EXCITMENT for the summer, because during this particular 10 minutes I couldn't move my tongue to say the word ASSIGNMENT. I tried to cover for myself the best I could by saying, "I don't call them homework assignments. Assignment sounds boring. My homework is fun, so I call it homework excitements. (One of the students actually went to her teacher and said, "In Mr. Cox's class we don't have homework assignments, we have homework excitements!" I think I got away with one there.)
I honestly have the best group of kids. Every single one of them has such an awesome personality and I can't wait to learn and grow with them. I've been given every luxury a new teacher could ask for and will be working with a great 4th grade teaching team. I think the only thing that is scary is the fact that I can never go back to college life. I still have over two months to get that out of my system, so I think I will be ready come August. The sound of that first school bell on August 18th at 7:55 A.M. won't only signify the end of summer and the beginning of a new school year, but also the death of "College Greg" and the birth of "Adult Greg." Here's to you College Greg...it's been a fun ride.
So I've been waking up late...REALLY LATE, for the past week. My schedule has been a bit off for the past few days and I've been waking up in the wee hours of the afternoon. I've been working really late nights this week so I don't feel too bad. Being the popular person I am, I usually have A txt, or A missed call on my phone. I checked my phone and noticed 2 txts and a missed call...and one out of place voicemail. I checked the missed call and thought it was a call from the school I was supposed to sub at today. I decided sleep was better than money, so I called in and canceled the job for the day. I thought maybe they were calling me to see where I was or maybe yell at me a little.
I checked the voicemail and to my surprise it was a school, but the school where I used to teach music, did half of my student teaching, organized my theater club, made Garbage Monster and video yearbook movies, and always dreamed of getting a job with. The principal was calling and simply said to give her a call. I called back not thinking much of it because I had planned to help with their play day the following day and help with their end of the school year preparations the day after that. She was busy when I called so I just left my name with the secretary.
An hour later I get a call from the principal and she proceeds to say that all of the teaching decisions are still being figured out, but that she wanted to offer me a...FOURTH GRADE JOB! I knew the job had opened up, but I wasn't expecting a call from this district because I had already talked to the principal about how badly I wanted to move to Salt Lake and that I wasn't sure I wanted a job in Logan. Despite all of my plans of moving to SLC and the fact that my mother works and my sister-in-law teaches at the school (they don't like to put family at the same school) she still offered me the job.
I was kind of taken back, but after a few brief seconds of looking into the future of my life I decided that I would accept the job. After the phone call I just sat there and then I let out a scream. Not a scared scream, but a scream of relief. It's a great school, a great faculty, a great principal, and a great city. I may be able to move to SLC next year, but for now, I'll stay in Logan and teach my class of 4th graders at Ellis Elementary. It seems like everything kind of worked itself out to provide this job for me and I definitely feel blessed.
I guess I'm almost a grown-up. Next thing on my to-do list of being an adult...move out of my parents basement.
So the past couple of weeks have been disappointing. After my grand adventure into the valley of salty lakes, I haven't heard a lot from my potential employers. To date, I have sent out over 25 e-mails and applied for over 50 jobs, including positions over in the Alpine School District. This district was enclosed in a glass case in my life that had written on the front "break open and apply only in case of an emergency." Well, with the state of the economy, I felt desperate times call for desperate measures.
Out of all of the schools I have been in contact with, only one school in the Granite District called back to set up an interview. I went in confident, with my head held high, and then I saw a friend coming out of the school as I was going in. This friend just so happened to be teaching at the school and in the very same grade I was offered a job in last year. We had a few minutes to converse and after those few minutes, all confidence I had going into the interview dissipated.
We both talked about wanting to move to Salt Lake and proceeded to talk about the many interviews we have had in the area. Correction, she proceeded to talk about the many interviews she HAD had and the many more she had lined up. This just so happened to be my first interview outside of Cache Valley. I was devastated at the news and felt like maybe my resume wasn't strong enough, which meant that the possibility of getting a job was very slim. I walked into the interview and I crashed...HARD! Needless to say, I got an e-mail (that's right, an E-MAIL!) telling me they interviewed a large number of people and weren't able to offer me a job. So goes that perfect record of interviewing and successfully obtaining a job.
I feel like I'm still standing at this fork in the road and I want to go down the path least trodden, but Gandalf the Grey is there yelling at me with all his might saying, "YOU SHALL NOT PASS!!!" Why? Why can't I pass? Well, I'll continue to send out e-mails, and I'm sure I'll continue to receive replies which look like this.
***Actual email, Names have been changed for fun***
Dear (Saint Gregorio),
Thank you for taking the time to interview with me at (Hades Playground). I wish that I had more positions to offer. I had so many great people to choose from and you were definitely among them. Keep watching the postings as more positions will be coming open. Good luck in your future years of teaching and making a difference in the lives of children.
Sincerely,
(Lucifer)
Better Luck next time I suppose.
Here's a video which describes my thoughts about finding a teaching job. ENJOY!
So I recently got a letter from the district that I had just applied for. They thanked me for my interest and then proceeded to tell me that all of their openings had been filled, BUT that my file will be held on record in case there are any more openings. As awful as this sounds, I was actually quite relieved to hear the news. I now have nothing holding me back from getting a job in Salt Lake...except for actually being OFFERED A JOB. It's been weeks since I went to the job fair and I haven't heard a single thing from any of the districts I had applied for. I felt a little scared at the thought of not being offered a job so I took action into my own hands.
I took a day off of work and decided to make my way to Salt Lake on a job finding adventure. After passing through the seven layers of the candy cane forest, through the sea of twirly, swirly gumdrops, and then driving through Sardine Canyon, I made my way to several school districts. As I walked into the first district, I soon discovered I had no game plan. I walked in with my teaching portfolio under my arm and a hand full of resumes and proceeded to ask for the Human Resource Department. After visiting with each district I came away with renewed sense that...well....THIS ECONOMY SUCKS!!!
Most of the districts were focusing on in-house hiring for the next week or so and then they would open their left over positions to the public. Some districts told me that they would open them up to the public when they figured out how many openings they had. Other districts said they would open them up to the public IF they had any openings. That word is very sketchy in the world of job hunting.
I left each district with a lot of good information that I wouldn't have otherwise known unless I had talked directly to the HR representative. I was also able to feel out each district to some degree and realized that some of the school districts I was interested in were quite rude, unfriendly, and a little arrogant. (Ex: I asked a secretary from a certain district out. The conversation went like this.) On the other hand, the districts I had very little interest in seemed to be friendly, jovial, and inviting.
After all was said and done, I think the trip was a success. I'm very glad I decided to do it. I even ended up getting an interview with a school for next week out of it. After such a long day I was able to enjoy a wonderful blind date with a lovely girl (take that aforementioned secretary) and watch my beloved Utah Jazz fall to the Lakers in game 4 of the Western Conference SemiFinals. (tear)
Thanks be to Conrad for keeping me company on my travels. He was the SamWise Gamgee to my Frodo. And after I got turned down on the date, he was the mascot to my douche bag from the video. Cheers!
It's been over a week now since i had my first REAL interview with a school district. I interviewed with Logan City School District...again. I had interviewed there last year and was offered a job teaching 5th grade at my old alma mater. I would be teaching right next to my old 5th grade teacher that I had when I went to school there. It was honestly a dream job and I should've taken it, but as you can tell from the "should've" in this sentence, I actually ended up passing on it. Instead I chose to continue in my thrilling career of chemical and sanitary engineering. In other words, continue being a janitor at the local high school. I've been substitute teaching during the day and cleaning during the night for the last year. I don't regret declining the job offer. This year has been a blast and I've been able to accomplish a lot of things (like paying off all of my debt).
Well, LCSD decided to give me another shot at the whole interview process. I realize what a privilege it was to be given a second chance to interview with them. They are a highly sought after district that receive hundreds of teaching applications every year and only end up interviewing about 20 or so candidates. I'm sure after I declined the job last year, it probably didn't sit too well with a lot of the administrators. In fact, I was told that I had "shot myself in the foot" by not accepting the job and that the odds of getting a job with them in the future was highly unlikely.
I walked into the interview a little more nervous than the previous year because I knew I was walking on egg shells, not to mention the fact that all 6 principals from all of the district's elementary schools were interviewing me at the same time in a cramped room. Each principal asked me a question and I answered the best I could. The questions were very reminiscent of the Dwight/Andy interview on The Office. How are you supposed to answer a question like this..."If we were to take a picture or your classroom at the end of the year, what would we see in that picture?" I'm pretty sure I bombed that question, but I gave it a valiant effort and felt satisfied with the interview as a whole.
I walked out of the building with my head held high, knowing I gave it my best shot. The only thing I was unsure of was if I would accept a job if they offered me one again. If I rejected their offer again, that would all but sever any ties I would have with the district in the future. Deny them once, well, i think George W. put it best. Anyway, I've been dealing with an internal struggle as to which path I shall take in life. In essence, do I take the road less traveled?
So i recently took a trip to Boston and Philadelphia. I've always been a big fan of American history. I once considered teaching high school history instead of elementary education. I love going on these little history trips so that I am able to relate the material I am teaching to these little tots with a little more understanding. I eventually want my class to be able to go on trips to Washingotn D.C., or Philadelphia. Quite a task, considering I live in Utah and to take such a trip would have an astronomical price tag attached to it. I've seen how field trips can enhance a class, or simply be chaos in a big yellow bus. Preparation is definitely key when planning a field trip.
During my visit to Boston and Philly I saw a number of groups walking on The Freedom Trail, walking through a museum, or visiting the Liberty Bell. Here are the lessons I learned from watching:
1. Smaller groups = better attention. Some of these groups just unloaded bus load after bus load of students. There were 4 classifications of students within each of these large school groups. The Bright and Sprite Group- these students were usually found at the front of the line and hanging on to every word the teacher had to say. Their numbers were few. There were the Stragglers- these are they who are at the end of the line of students and don't listen at all, but normally don't cause any problems. The next group are the Coma patients- these students are continually coming in and out of the discussions. They tend to float around the middle of the group. They pick and choose what material they want to listen about. Most of the time they decide not to listen. The last group I call the PDA's- these students consider a school field trip a free date. They are usually found in dark corners or behind trees trying to steal any amount of time away from the group so they can snog away.
2. Plan in advance: It seemed as if some of these teachers just received a memo that morning saying "Congratulations! Your class has been chosen to go on a field trip that will be leaving in the next 30 minutes." The bus pulls up, they fill in and then back out, and then they let their students "look around" for most of the field trip. They have no agenda, other than to try to keep them quiet and in control the whole time.
3. A field trip should be a privilege, not a right: There seems to be this thought that exists in the world of education that is summed up by one phrase "No Child Left Behind." Really!?!? NO CHILD? We have reached a point in society where we feel BAD if we leave anyone out, or if we have to criticize or reprove. The lessons I've learned in life that have the greatest impression on me are when I was told I couldn't do something because of my behavior, or when I was mocked or told that the way I was doing something was wrong. Sure it stung for a while, but I learned from it and then I moved on. I was recently thinking about this because I had just been cleaning up after a dance festival at my job. I walked into the auditorium just as they were handing out awards. There were no bronze or silver awards. The only awards they were given were Gold, Gold plus, and PLATINUM!!! That's right, THEY'RE ALL WINNERS!!! YAY! But what happens when they get cut from high school team, or a job they will eventually interview for? What a bombshell it will be when they find out that not everyone can end up a winner. Reality check. There are winners and losers in life, and there should be in school as well. If you don't earn a field trip, you shouldn't go.
I could probably go on and on about my philosophy of how some children should be left behind, but this post is long enough and I think my point is somewhat made. In the meanwhile, enjoy this clip from Billy Madison. I feel so bad for bus drivers sometimes.
Last Thursday, the 11th, there was a grand gathering of administrators and hopeful-teachers. This gathering is known as the northern Utah Teacher job fair. I went to one last year in Salt Lake City and I was so excited to get my feet wet in the hustle and bustle of finding a job. I don't take these things too seriously because I've always been a good interviewee (my record is 5-0). I was probably the only person not dressed up in a suit (although my brown cardigan was quite dapper i must say!) In fact, these little get togethers remind me of the big L.A.R.P. (Live Action Role Playing) matches I see out in front of the high school when I drive up to work. They get all dressed up, all worked up, and then they start to battle on the field of the Logan High School campus with foam and duct taped swords and shields. This scene has always brought a smile to my face. (I'm not afraid to admit that I wouldn't mind joining in one day.)
I've never been worried about finding a job as an elementary teacher. That is until the proverbial crap hit the fan with the economy. The school district turn out this year was worse than last. What once was one of the most secure jobs on the planet is now a no-holds-bar cage match in the job field. The figurative foam shields and swords were in abundance for this conference. The resumes were thick with experience, the stories were rich in content, the pant-suits were pressed, and the B.S. was thick.
I've always thought interviewing candidates for a job would be a tough gig. Let's face it, everyone embellishes their life and work experience at least a little in every job interview. I tried really hard to be as truthful as possible, but then I realized one of the most significant thoughts of my life. This isn't a job an interview for my next job, this is an interview for my CAREER. AGHHHHH!!! I'm a grown up now (kind of), I should start caring about a 401K, benefits, and a salary lane. I need to take this whole CAREER FAIR thing more seriously. After having this brilliant thought, I went into each interview with the biggest smile and the best stories about my teaching credentials. I never lied, I just enhanced my answers a smidgen. Perhaps someone cast a spell of temporary cheesiness on me. I still feel I can hold my head high though.
All in all, the job fair was a success. The interviews for the schools I'm interested in went very well. I'm still crossing my fingers for the Salt Lake City District. I think that may have been my best interview EVER!
I think that Subway commercial is SO annoying! It's been playing for well over a year now and it's driving me CRAZY! Although, I will give them credit for making me crave a delicious, cheap sub after hearing it. After pondering the countless number of dateless weekends I spent sitting in front of the t.v. while growing up, I think back to things that stuck out to me. Firstly, thank goodness for ABC's T.G.I.F. lineup. Where would I be without the Tanner or the Winslow families? Secondly, Commercials with catchy (and irritating) jingles and the theme songs to some of my favorite T.G.I.F. sitcoms are what I recall instantly. I'm always thinking of ways to improve my future classroom and to make it interesting, fun, and educational. I've decided that music is going to be a huge part of what makes my class, MY CLASS. I taught music to grades K-5 for a year and a half back in 2005 and 2006. That teaching experience is what got me interested in teaching elementary in the first place. I had so much fun teaching those months. As I've been looking at old video of some the kids' performances and activities, I've come to realize that the music enhanced everything we did together. Most of the great teachers I've come to know through observation or research have used music in a lot of ways to enhance their classroom environment. Whether it's chanting the states of The United States of America, or just singing a little song to transition from one activity to another, music plays a huge part in their classrooms. I've been thinking of different ways to incorporate music into my classroom and have come to appreciate the little, annoying jingles heard everyday on television or on the radio. "Five dollar footlong" is now ingrained on my brain. Now to turn it's memorable powers into my own creation. Maybe something like "Four...Forty-four...Forty-four presideeenntttsss." It' s a work in progress I suppose.
After graduating from Utah State University in Elementary Education I decided to take a year off and really take time to ask myself, "Self, do you really want to teach?" This is not the first time I have asked myself this question. I switched majors several times (A brief stint in pre-dental then to El. Ed., to Accounting, back to El. Ed., back to Accounting, and finally back to El. Ed.) and decided that I've spent enough time in the program that I better just finish it out instead of wasting thousands of dollars on classes that would be of no use to me. I figured this was the more logical decision instead of opting into a major that might provide me with more money, or one that I would actually enjoy learning about.
So, here I am 9 months after graduation, still pondering the eternal question of, "What do I really want to do with my life?" I'm 27, have a good head on my shoulders, and the whole world in front of me. Lo and behold, this is where the problem lies. THE WHOLE WORLD IS IN FRONT OF ME! Why can't someone just tell me what to do? It's so much easier that way. Too many choices in front of me and the time of deciding what I want to do with the rest of my life is at my feet.
A life of indecisiveness is coming to an end today. YES!!! I'm breaking free of the chains of a content life and daily routines. I've been living in complete complacency and idleness for far too long and now I'm taking the first step to becoming an adult. That first step for me is deciding on a career. I WILL BE A TEACHER! I WILL BE A GREAT TEACHER! I don't want to be the teacher that wakes up every morning thinking, "When is the next holiday?" or "Only 195 days until summer break." I want to be excited to walk into my class. I want my students to be excited to walk into my class. I want to look back 40 years from now and say, "Self, you made the right decision."
This story is 27 years in the making. The journey of a young teacher getting ready to teach his first year begins.
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