New Beginnings and Transitioning Lenses

Guess What? 

My hat is changing. I am moving from 6th grade Special Education position in one district to a K-5 Reading Specialist in another.

Goodbye BSD100, Hello WEGO33.

Lots of feelings there. I am really going to miss middle school and SPED. Ahh, such a soft spot for them. Let alone my co-workers. Yet, I am REALLY excited to get back to elementary school AND Reading. I am also going from a 1:1 district to a district that only has school-wide wifi in one building...and it's not mine! They also don't use Twitter...yet anyway AHHHHHH!  It's like tug-o-war with my heart! Can't I do and have it all?

It's a great opportunity to add another Lens to my arsenal. Being able to see and approach situations from a perspective of a reading specialist as opposed to a classroom or special education teacher will be interesting, yet, being able to work as a different piece of the puzzle is exiting.  It will be a transition, but, New Year, New Hat, New Lens!

I saw my new room today. I have been in a new room each of my three years of teaching and each year I get so much anxiety about how I can make this a perfect space for my students. Right now I kind of think my reading room looks too much like a closet. I want my students to think of their small group reading time as an oasis that they look forward to entering! I know I'll figure it out and it'll be awesome...but AHHH! With some teachers, everything they touch turns cute in a snap! For me, it takes trial, error and EFFORT!

Routines are so important

What am I most worried about now? Scheduling? Benchmarking? Interventions? Curriculum? Student growth? Yes...but more-so those same things our kiddos are.  Most of these things revolve around daily routines. Who will be my (teacher) friends? Will people like me? What is my schedule? When is lunch? What do I need to do to succeed?...or maybe the student would ask what do I need to do for the teacher to like me or not get in trouble? Why do we crave these routines? Safety?

I want to be the expert and specialist, I want to take the year on running, doing great and amazing things surpassing anyone's expectations....yet it's hard because I need to figure out the day-to-day routine and expectations first! Patience, I know!

 I am teaching in a dual-language school. The goal is for all students to achieve bilingualism. I took this as my cue to try and learn Spanish a bit better. I took Spanish  in 6-8th grades, Freshman and Sophomore year ( I quit so I could take Cooking and AP Environmental Science) and had to take two semesters worth again in college.  Yes, hindsight is 20/20. I have been using the app Duolingo and so far so good! One week down and I think I can keep it up! ?

In trying to rectify the fact that I never learned a foreign language, I once told myself that I would learn a foreign language for real if my significant other spoke one. Silly me. Well it turns out my future fiancé does. Thus, I have a goal to learn American Sign Language too. My boyfriend has parents who are Deaf and he learned to sign before he learned how to speak, so I might as well try and get serious. But...I'm still looking for an app or way to learn or practice...duolingo needs ASL! I hope I don't read this post in a few months and become disappointed with myself!

T minus 9 school days until kiddos arrive. Next week.. Beverly Tyner Small Group Reading Training. Get Ready!

Motivation Monday

Motivation Monday is stolen form +Alison Mondrach and presented to you on Tuesday! Maybe you should think about making that a real thing, Alison...Linky Party! Who doesn't love a party?

I seem to love Alliteration. I like the idea of "funny kid friday" brought to us by +Kathleen Wright over at kidpeopleclassroom.blogspot.com. I'm putting that link in for my own future reference!

Any more Alliteration bloggings? I have two days of the week down...only need three more! Isn't there a Tried-it Tuesday? Anyone know what blog that comes from that I forgot to bookmark?

I saw Alison's Motivation Monday post and knew it was exactly what I needed on this Tuesday to continue this blog- post Big Time Literacy challenge!

On Monday I miiiiiiiight have taken an early morning nap from 6-9:30am. But then somehow managed to do what  I told myself I was going to do. I ran 1.5 miles to the YMCA, lifted weights for 30 minutes, swam 1000 yards and then ran 1.5 miles back home. After making the kitchen not exactly clean but less dirty, buying ingredients for homemade cupcakes, and successfully grilling dinner by myself on a charcoal grill...I felt like I accomplished a ton, motivation aside.

Why do I bring you Motivation Monday on Tuesday? Because I started the day by eating a "healthy cupcake" in which the only healthy ingredient was zucchini. So...if I already ate the cupcake with chocolate cream cheese frosting....I should probably make plans to get moving to the gym today. But my legs (I'm just full of excuses) hurt from yesterday...

I am also starting to have that feeling of the walls closing in...WHERE did the summer go?  Don't PANIC!... But.. I'm P.....ANIC.....ING!

I didn't get to read all the books I wanted...
I didn't get to visit all the people I wanted enough...
Clean or organize as much as I wanted...
Am I relaxed enough??? HA!
I want more fun!!
I want more time to prepare for next year!!
But Fall is such a nice time of year....

AHHHHHHHHH!!!! I didn't just say that! I'm not ready yet...but I'll keep an open mind about the science of Fall proceeding Summer. 

And yet...

I had a great summer. I am "open to the idea" of getting back to school...I just hate that feeling of wanting more time to do more and learn more. I also don't want another horrible winter. And I know the solution for my creeping panic is in this poster...All in time! One thing at a time! And by day one I will be ready! :)

Today, although I ate a cupcake, I didn't take a nap. Half win?

 I also just realized Alison  had another Alliteration post for Tuesday....

TIME saving Tuesday!

All I have for that today is: 

Bake your cupcakes the night before so you can frost them in the morning and eat them for breakfast. 

Big Time Blog Challenge Day 3

Now that I've aired my misgivings about this whole blogging thing, I can try out the prompt from yesterday! Oh wait! One more thing! I kind of feel like this whole blogging thing...and I guess the twitter thing too...is a bit braggy. 

Who do you know who likes a loud AND braggy person? They're the worst! 

So I like to think of myself as humble to counteract being so visible. Which now by saying it means I'm not. But I guess showing off what my students are up to is better and more helpful than...look at these awesome muffins I made. But it's still something I'm conscious of. Ok. That's it! I'm ready!!! 

How long and in what capacities have you been in education?

Hmmm... well... I started grading my Mom's papers when I was in 2nd grade. She taught 1st. I graduated from Illinois Wesleyan University in 2008 with a Major in Elementary Education a Minor in English, some middle school endorsements, and student teaching experience in 3rd grade. I really had caught the travel bug after working at a summer camp that had a lots of international counselors teaching swim lessons with THIS view for many summers so I wanted to try and teach abroad.

Turns out that to teach in an English speaking country, you need 5 years of experience. So instead, I went to South Korea to teach English. It was a free plane ticket so I didn't ask too many questions. I probably should have done more research because the program I went with was geared toward Korean American/British/Australians who spoke Korean and we were placed in rural areas where no one spoke English. In the end I had an awesome time and learned I could really do ANYTHING.

When I got back, for the next 2ish Years  I wore a lot of hats trying to land my first full-time teaching job. In between everything I worked as a Sub in multiple districts including a SPED CO-OP.  I loved trying out and gaining a bunch of experience.

I started in Kindergarten. First as a 1:1 aide then, as I mentioned, giving Math and Reading Interventions, then working with students with Autism.  I would have never necessarily chosen the path I took, but I wouldn't take a second of it back. It was trying and difficult and out of my comfort zone. I had to learn how to have kids not cry when I talked in my normal voice. "Honey, Sweety, and Baby" became a part of my vocabulary. I learned how students with Autism operated. It made me understand the human condition that much more. I know that sounds deep, but I swear the world became clearer to me after seeing it through an Autism lens. I think every teacher should have work experience with students with Autism.

Then, after getting my Master's in Reading and a LBS1 certificate during this time, I landed my first teaching job 2 years ago. In MIDDLE SCHOOL! I had always wanted to teach Middle School. I LOVED middle school. I could be a social as I wanted. My 6th grade math teacher put it aptly, "Kerry, you'd talk to the Ants on the ground if they'd talk back!" I also had to schedule my lunch detentions because I was tardy from talking in the hallways during passing periods.

I was lucky enough to be chosen to work in a 1:1 technology district that is truly doing some amazing work with an under served demographic. This is where I met my mentor, Michelle! She taught 8th grade Reading and I taught 7th. She taught me so much, maybe everything! And, cough, I taught her how to be the best mentor!  

I taught 7th grade Reading For 1 year, which I loved, and then was asked to move to 6th grade Special Education. I have LOVED the move even more. I worked as a co-teacher allowing my students to access the curriculum right along side their peers, which is a great feeling. Being able to combine all my experiences to help students with varying needs is just AWESOME! Working in a district pushing the envelope nudged me again to get out of my comfort zone and here I am, blogging! For right now, I'm just enjoying the ride and trying to learn as much as possible.

I'm not sure how much phone or internet access I'll have after today so I might be out until Saturday! Happy 4th!

Seeds, Larva, and Life Cycles, Oh My!

As teachers we are always learning. We are always reflecting, and always bettering ourselves and our craft. We are always learning from our students and ourselves. This is the story of my first time I realized the power of teaching and how transformational, fluid and down right FUN it could really be.

Behold, Seeds!

It was the first time my student teaching supervisor was going to observe one of my lessons. I was so nervous that I felt ill. My cooperating teacher was absent and there was a substitute teacher in his place. My face was flushed. 

Kerry, calm down!! They are only children. 

I had a solid lesson planned and had spent the weekend collecting different kinds of seeds around the campus to enhance my lesson. The lesson was going as well as I could have expected and I began to calm down and relax. The students were working in groups with their seeds and sorting them by if they thought they might be distributed by water, animals, or the wind. They were extremely excited by the seeds. I was a little surprised. Seeds are Seeds. 

Kids, I found these on the ground, they really aren’t that special. 

There was a substitute in the class, who was in the building quite a bit. He was a retired farmer and had I think had taught some agriculture classes at the community college at some point.  Well, he had encouraged a few students break open the seeds. This activity  was making me a little nervous because it was catching on and I had seen one or two students stamping on acorns. I was just imagining what my supervisor was writing. 

Terrible. Unable to control any students. Lesson taught nothing.

I was working my way around the classroom, helping different groups and thinking about how I was going to get the students to not mutiny against me. I heard a scream and a great deal of excitement coming from one table.  A student had just cracked open an acorn and found a surprise inside. 

Oh my god. It’s a maggot. A larvae. Whatever the heck it’s called. 

Chaos was about to ensue. Students were gathering. The noise in the classroom was rising. 

What am I going to do!!!!

“Class, please take your seats. As soon as everyone is in their seat and quiet I will show you what Sandra found.” 

They listened. They were attentively listening on the edge of their seats. I couldn’t believe it. Now the next step, pick up the maggot.

“Ok, class, Sandra found a larva living inside her seed.” I picked it up. 

“Oh, gross. Eww. Ahh.”

The larva fell from the acorn into my hand. 

Gulp. 

I took a deep breath. 

“Class, I don’t really like bugs, I mean, larva. But I’m going to do my best. Ick. Sandra found this larva inside the seed, can anyone explain to me why it’s there or how it got there? Does anyone know what exactly a larva is?”

The substitute brought me a container to put the gross maggot in. The class was wrapped around my fingers as I walked around showing each table the larva. I had survived. I hadn’t failed. My supervisor was beyond impressed. I was pretty proud of myself too.  And the next unit?? Life cycles! So Perfect! 

Who knew seeds could be so exciting?

And for my next observation? My cooperating teacher let me know that Scottie had been raising his hand to go to the bathroom because he needed to vomit. Thank goodness we had a bathroom right in the room, which let him discreetly barf up the 20 butterfingers he had eaten the night before and my lesson didn't miss a beat. And it only keeps getting better!

Blogging Month Reflection

I think I did well this month!

Thanks Michelle for inviting us to this challenge. 30 days turned out to be too steep for me, and the last week I spent in the Michigan wilderness, but I learned a lot about myself and what I wanted out of my blog! I also enjoyed watching co-workers and complete strangers grow as bloggers. I knew the world of blogging was big, but I didn't realize just HOW big and how many educational resources and link-up were out there. It's time to take the training wheels off and get out there into the big blogging world to continue to learn, grow and contribute!

After spending the last week doing the great lakes circle tour, I'm not going to lie, it was absolutely awesome being away from technology and communication. I didn't have service, and there was nothing I could do about it except to keep relaxing, driving having adventures and making memories. I love technology and what it affords us as educators and learners, but sometimes no technology affords us something even greater!





















Other fun happenings... my mom's dog Stubs (@stubsoftheday) came for her very first visit to my house and LOVED it. After 2 failed professional grooming attempts she was personally washed and brushed (vacuum included) by Gordon and I! Apparently it was just in time as she had her first TV debut on a WCIU (brother's employer) pet segment.

Gordon also ran his very first 5K! We only walked about .3 miles of it so it was a huge accomplishment! He even said he's be willing to try the 10K next year. The best part? He won a medal! 3rd place in his age group. We were positive it was a mistake...the kicker? There were only 3 men in his age group! GO GORDON!

And Finally... Why could I find glue sticks faster than I could find lighter fluid this weekend?!! Haha...