Week 13: Oh the Sweet Sweet Smell of Success

I DID IT!

As of about 1:30 on Tuesday, 4/24 my student teaching papers were signed and I am now eligible to apply for an initial license in Massachusetts.  There is no greater feeling in the world than having a lot of hard-work pay off and begin reaping the rewards.  While I still have to teach for one more week (just enough time to sneak one more test in with my classes, they're SO excited...) the stressful part of this semester is over.  I suppose it's a good thing that as the semester progressed, it was not the teaching or lesson planning that really stressed me out, but the PPA and other documentation that I had to continuously modify and resubmit in order to prove that I was fulfilling all of the requirements for licensure.   


Also, I found out on Thursday that I have been accepted into a M.ed in Special Education for Students with Moderate Disabilities program at BSU! (as if the week could get any better!)  So as this chapter of my education career comes to a close, the next stage is already set and I can't slow down until it's all complete.

Image - monicadmuriga.com

It feels a little premature to give an overall summary of the semester in this blog post as I still have 1 week remaining, so I think I'll keep this one brief and save the best for last.


-MB

Week 12: A Sigh of Relief

Vacation starts today at 2:15pm!  It's hard to tell who's more excited, the students or the teachers.  I, for one, have a plethora of reasons to be excited:

1. Tomorrow is my brother's wedding, sure to be a great time!
2. Last night at approximately 11pm I clicked submit on my final completed PPA standard (hopefully the revisions are few)
3. Vacation not only includes sleeping in, but also attending a Red Sox game (which will be fun regardless of their winning ability...)
4. There are only 2 weeks left of teaching after vacation and then my four years of undergrad comes to a close!

Image - www.cartoonstock.com

As my active, stress-inducing, paperwork driven portion of the semester comes to an end I have one plan in mind for my last two-weeks of teaching: Enjoy it!  No, I will not give easy assignments or sit back and let the students do as they please for the remainder.  I actually plan on giving a test on my second-to-last day.  Some would say this is crazy (because it likely means I'll still be correcting them after I'm supposed to be done) but I can't help but teach until my last possible moment.  This semester has helped me realize how much I truly do love teaching.  There is nothing more satisfying to me than knowing I can wake up at 5am and start my day with a coffee and go and shape the growing minds of young-adults and make them more aware of the world around them and how it came to be.  Without the dark cloud of licensure paperwork hanging over my head, I can completely concentrate my efforts on effective teaching for the last 10 days.

Happy vacation to those of you who have one!

-MB

Week 11: Excitement and Anticipation

This might go down as my high point as far as my mental and emotional status at any point this semester (and not just because the week ended on a Thursday).  All week there has been this energy, this excitement that I've finally figured out who I want to be as a teacher.  No I don't have all of the answers, nor do I think my current teaching mindset will necessarily survive a few years into my career.  But right now, I know what makes me comfortable in front of a class and how I can use my personality to engage my students in the topic at hand.


I realized a couple of weeks ago when a few of my students in different classes asked if I was angry that I wasn't exhibiting my enjoyment for teaching to the degree that the students were feeding off my energy.  A dry sense of humor is great, but it needs to be balanced with some positive and high energy moments.


The first of these occurred yesterday while talking about Sir Isaac Newton.  Science has always fascinated me on the surface, but I've never truly enjoyed delving into the complexities surrounding any topic other than space.  I credit a lot of this passion for space to my eldest brother who just so happens to be a rocket scientist (no, seriously, he has a degree in aerospace engineering).  While describing gravity to the class I mentioned the lack of gravity in space, for example on the International Space Station.  Turns out, over half the class had no idea what the ISS was!  *quick stretch* here we go! I proceeded to get quite animated and vocal in my explanation of the space program which sparked question after question! Fifteen minutes later it was time to get back to my lesson plan but it was exhilarating to be able to answer questions and truly engage the students in a subject.


Today, I used the same vocal presence and animation to lead a very intriguing conversation on a comparison between oil dependence on politics and herb/spices dependence on politics in the 1600s.  My students were a little taken aback by my excitement, but they were active participants in discussion and some of them became animated themselves!

Image - http://elearningr14.blogspot.com

This week has led to some serious anticipation of my future as an educator.  I cannot wait to get back into the teaching mode after this semester of student teaching comes to an end.  Hopefully, I don't have too much longer to wait before I can call a classroom my own and truly begin my career as a teacher.


-MB

Week 10: GRADES CLOSED!

So this will be a very short post, sorry for those who enjoy reading something a bit longer and more descriptive.  This past week flew by and the aftermath is about 100 tests and 33 essays to correct by Monday so I can submit my term 3 grades.

Image - occasionalpiece.blogspot.com

Overall, I'd say the week was a success! I was able to review with my classes and give them a final assessment for the term that I think was a pretty good measure of their knowledge and most did really well.  Now begins a series of countdowns for which I do not believe I'm adequately prepared mentally, emotionally, or in paperwork...

• 2 weeks: April vacation and my deadline to submit all of my PPA paperwork to my supervisor
• 2 weeks: My brother's wedding, which while completely separate from anything having to do with student teaching, definitely on my mind!
• 5 weeks: My last day of student teaching - its approaching so quickly and really only means 4 weeks of class-time left!
• 6 weeks: Graduation - a moment that has been 4 years, countless hours, and many awesome days in the making!

Needless to say, everything is coming to a close way to fast for my liking... Now I'm on to a weekend full of correcting and paperwork submission so HOPEFULLY I can breathe a sigh of relief come Sunday afternoon.

-MB

Week 9: Parent-Teacher Conferences, a New Insight

 

I had the opportunity to participate in my first-ever parent-teacher conferences this week.  I'd be lying if I said I wasn't apprehensive at best and terrified at worst!  To my pleasant surprise they went very well and I realized that one of the best ways to get to know your students is to know where they're coming from.  I found out that some of my quietest students have a sense of humor that could have the entire class in stitches.  Other students who seemingly only love joking around are actually huge fans of history and of the class.

It feels good to know that I'm at least making enough of an impact that the students tell their parents about the things they are learning in class.  Not every student will like history, or even the class, but I hope I can reach as many as possible and make a positive impact.  In my own experience in high school, a few of my history teachers made the largest impact of my life (the reason I'm where I am today) and I hope to be that positive force for students down the road.

-MB

Week 8: March Madness

This past week included a whole bunch of March Madness fever!  Between dress-up days, shamrock scavenger hunts and two, yes TWO afternoon assemblies where competitions ranged from sumo wrestling to "Don't forget the lyrics" I have to say it was a very exciting week.  It's always good to let off a little steam and have some fun with the students. 


Next week is back to work though. It's difficult sometimes to find the balance between hardwork and a little bit of socializing time.  While the amount of information that needs to be covered seems daunting, I've received some good insight this week that it all gets done, and it's more about quality than quantity.  So whether or not the students skim from the beginning of civilization through to the Industrial Revolution all in one year doesn't make too much difference so long as they have a really good understanding of what they've covered.


I've also tried to find the balance between teacher-centered and student-centered activities.  I think this will be a work in progress for the rest of my career.  There are days where it seems the only way to get across the information is through lectures and note-taking.  Other days there's an activity that takes up the entire day.  It's not too often that I've been able to find a middle ground or consistency with these and often find myself giving notes day in and day out.  Hopefully through continued work and some help from my very helpful and supportive colleagues I'll be able to find the happy medium and keep it going.


I had a wonderful opportunity last night to be a judge for a pageant/talent competition for the senior guys at my high school.  It was very entertaining and I really felt like I've become a member of the community.  It's amazing how in such a little amount of time you can make connections with students, faculty and staff on many levels and I look forward to having a long-time career in a high school much like this.


Now, it's St. Patrick's Day so I'm going to go and enjoy my afternoon! 


-MB

Week 7: Professional Development, So THAT'S what they do on days off...

I had my first opportunity to attend a full-day professional development at my school this week.  As the teachers rolled in around 8am it felt like the roles had reversed, the faculty were now the students, all sitting to one side towards the back of the auditorium (I don't think people sit in the front of rooms until after retirement...) awaiting whatever enthralling lecture would be taking place, our topic: the new teacher evaluation system.  This abstract topic that I have been reading about in the news finally became a semi-reality for me.  And at the end of the hour-long session I can accurately and confidently say, I don't have a clue what she was talking about!

Image - www.educationworld.com

Luckily it wasn't our only task that day, we spent a chunk of time looking at the Common Core standards.  While history isn't a major component of the Common Core (much to my chagrin) we were able to find some varied assessments that can be incorporated into the world history classes next year.  It felt good to be able to provide some of my own insight, however limited, to this discussion.


Lastly, our day ended with a guest speaker from the MARC center (Massachusetts Aggression Reduction Center) which was extremely informative and well done.  Not that you'd ever expect to laugh during a presentation on bullying, our speaker Dr. Englander, had a few humorous quips that helped lighten the mood on this topic.


Overall, with the mystery of PD days finally gone, I have to say I'm a little disappointed...  I'm not sure what I was expecting, but the day was very low-key.  One thing I wasn't disappointed with was having a day during the week to regroup before a few more days of teaching, can't ever complain about that.


-MB