Satisfaction Guaranteed

This week I did a lot of back-2-school and getting 2 know you worksheets with my class. There's a girl who is very quiet and shy but whenever school is over she always gives me a hug goodbye.

I'm lookin over the worksheets they did and I get to hers. By the question, "Who do you admire?" She wrote "Ms.Jodi." Naturally my emotional self started crying as I looked at her paper.

While in college I started off as a pre-med student but quickly realized it wasn't for me. When I started subbing I still had the goal of becoming a doctor and working in the health field. Then I fell in love with teaching and realized it would better suit my personality. My parents weren't too happy with the idea. They rambled on and on about job security and pay scales. I felt like I let them down but I saw that it was MY life, MY choice.

I now know that salary isn't everything. Its job satisfaction. Yup, that's what its all about.

TGIF!

It's that day again! Friday!

So tell me why NOBODY told me that the school has Casual Friday. We wear specified colors each day for reasons such as security. Today I walked in the cafeteria for devotion and what do I see my colleagues wearing? T-shirts and jeans! Augh. What a waste of an outfit.

I brought in treats for my students that were on "green" for the week. Didn't have many behavioral problems and that helped the day run smoothly. Only one more week of drills and procedures then instruction begins. I can't wait!

Have a fantastic weekend!

"I'm Done!"

Everyone is different in many different ways. This statement applies to my students. They're different colors and sizes, different personalities and levels of learning.

I gave them a writing assignment of writing the classroom rules. They were all excited to finally be using some of their supplies and doing some work. I gave them the instructions and sat at my desk. Within 5 minutes a hand was up. "Ms. Jodi, I'm done" Dang...that was quick!!!

As I walked around watching them write I got a chance to see what paces they write at and make a mental note of their handwriting. After school I rearranged the desks to better suit each student's needs, putting faster workers towards the back and those that need more time in the front.

Learning their personalities and learning styles now will help me later on when instruction begins so I can help maintain their strong skills and strengthen their weaker ones.

Stickers Galore!

, Stickers, stamps, smiley faces...students love rewards and incentives.

While at the ed store yesterday I picked up some incentive charts and stickers. I told my class I would give out stickers in cases when there was exceptional behavior whether individually or as a whole.

While taking our bathroom break I had to step in the Principal's office to pick up some of my paperwork. I left my class in the hallway lined up quietly. When I came out the office, one of the 3rd grade classes was taking their bathroom break. The teacher came up to me with a smile and said, "Ms. Jodi, while you were away I didn't hear a single peep from any of your students. They're doing an excellent job waiting patiently."

I thanked her and walked my students back to class, keeping a stern look on my face. As they took their seats I went straight to my desk, picked up a sheet of stickers, and began putting them on their charts. "I'm so proud of you all for getting a compliment" I told them.

At the end of the day I gave stickers to the students who remained on "green" for the day. There were only 8 out of the 21 students, but it's still the first week of school. Hopefully they will shape up and the behavior will improve.

How Is Your Day?

Through my experience subbing I've had a chance to learn different classroom management mechanisms. I decided on one that I think would work best for my class. I wanted a "How Is Your Day" pocket chart. There would be a pocket for each child containing several colored cards. The cards would represent a different level and consequences:

Green = Excellent
Yellow = Good = Warning
Orange = Fair = Time Out & Writing Assignment
Pink = Poor = Note Home

If a student disobeyed one of the classroom (or cafeteria) rules, they would have to change their card. The cards also correspond with a Conduct Sheet that would be sent home daily and have to be signed by a parent.

I went to the educational store to look for the ready-made chart. Then I saw the price...$25!!! Yeah, no!

So I decided to make the chart on my own, especially since I LOVE arts and crafts. I only bought the pockets from the ed store. They're the same pockets you see in the back of library books. I went to Walmart and got a posterboard and colored index cards. Staples had glue on sale for a quarter and I had a Sharpie lying around at home.

Cost breakdown:
Posterboard: $0.39
Pockets: $3.79
Index Cards: $1.29
Glue: $0.25
Sharpie: $0.00

TOTAL: $5.72

I saved almost $20! That's gas money for a week! Woot! A teacher in the educational store is like a kid in a candy store. But sometimes it's best to be creative and think of ways to cut costs rather than spending frivilously.

Let's see how this behavior chart goes in class tomorrow.

Lights, Camera, Action!!

I had a FANASTIC first day! I walked into devotion and saw most of my students seated at our table. After devotion we were dismissed and the students that were tardy joined the line as we walked to the classroom. Standing before them, the looks on their faces were priceless! They all looked scared stiff! Gotta love those first grade jitters.

It wasn't the students I was worried about though, it was the parents. About 15 of them were standing along the back wall with cameras in hand. One mother even had a video camera! Really now? I mean, its the first day of 2nd grade, not Kindergarten lol.

I introduced myself to my students and we started an activity. I had them spend some time talking with ther neighbor and then they were to introduce their neighbor to the class. Many of them had stage fright and ended up not saying anything, but the activity was fun none-the-less. We then look a break for the bathroom and when we returned to the classroom I gave them a coloring sheet. By then all of the parents had left (Thank God!).

My class has a late lunch (almost 1pm) so we took a snack and bathroom break. We spent the day practicing forming lines, knowing how to enter the classroom, and going over rules and more procedures.

When it was almost time for dismissal and everyone was packed and ready to go I asked if they had a great day of second grade. "YEAH!!!" they all screamed.

I'm glad the day went well and I'm looking forward to an equally great school year!

TGIF!

Today was a relaxed day. We broke up into groups: Kindergarten, First & Second, Third-Fifth, and Middle School. We had a small group session to come up with rules for the classroom and cafeteria. Then all of the teachers, K-8, met up to discuss everything and finalize the rules so that everyone would be on the same page.

After lunch I sat down with the other 2nd grade teacher, Ms. Anna, and we did our lesson plans for the next two weeks. At this school, there is no instruction during the first two weeks. Instead, they are spent doing drills and going over policies and procedures with the students.

That's exactly how I feel right now. It was a nice day to end a hectic week. I'm ready to chill this weekend and get ready for the first day of school!

You Look So Young!

Thank God its over!

Orientation was rough! Ms. Yasmine prepped me beforehand on what to tell the parents, how to address them, and how to present myself. She stayed in the room with me in case there was a question I couldn't answer and to help me stay relaxed.

The parents came in and out during the three hours. Some were on their lunch breaks and only had time to fill out the Emergency Card and take the information packets. Others took a seat and listened to what I had to say.

I informed them about school policies such as lunch, uniforms, dismissal, etc. Then I told them about my class rules and expectations. I then opened the floor for questions and they attacked me! It felt like a million questions being asked at once about my education, certification and experience. Many of them seemed to be thrown off by my age. If I had a dollar for each time I heard "You look so young!" I would be rich.

Seriously though...do I look that young?

Dressy clothes, straight posture, perfectly applied make-up...I don't know how else to make myself LOOK older. But it doesn't bother me because years from now I'll look great while my peers look a hot mess lol!

Anyways...the majority of the parents were friendly and courteous. There were a select few that were rude. I even had a few switch their children out of my class and into the other second grade class. I was honestly hurt when I heard three kids were switched out. How could these parents do that? I'm the new teacher so it's not like I have a bad reputation. I realize its private school and they're paying money for a good education, but they could at least give me a chance.

Well I'm determined to have all of my students succeed this year so they will be on the path to greatness and so those selected parents can see what their children missed out on.

Grab A Stapler And Get To Work!

As I walked the halls of the school I peeped into the classrooms and all were set up beautifully. Posters on the walls and desks neatly arranged. I came across a room with bare walls, stacks of chairs and a shuffle of desks. I had arrived to my new abode -- Room #4. As I looked around the room all I could think of was where was I to start. I had never set up a classroom before and I didn't have any materials or supplies.

The Resource Teacher walked in and introduced herself as Ms. Yasmine. She had a cart behind her filled with bulletin board paper, boarders, letters, numbers, charts and more. "Grab a stapler and get to work!" she said with a smile.

In less than an hour my room was complete. With the help of Ms. Yasmine I had bulletin boards for all of the subjects -- Math, Reading, Science, Social Studies, and Language Arts. The desks were paired and arranged in rows, my Parent Board had important info for parents, the alphabet was neatly stapled along the top of the wall, and other posters were filling the once empty spaces. The room is hot because the a/c isn't working properly, but the maintenance guy told me it should be fixed by Monday.

I had a meeting with the Vice Principal to go over the information that was given during the days that I missed that week. She handed me my class list and said, "The parents and children will be here for Orientation tomorrow. Come dressed professionally and with a smile"

Uhhhh....SAY WHAT?!?!

A New Journey

Well here we go. I'm ready to start my new journey -- my teaching career.

In early July, by the grace of God and through the power of prayer, I was hired as a second-grade teacher at a private school. Today I called the Educational Director of the school to find out when I was to go in for training. She told me that my position was on hold due to their low enrollment and that she would contact me later with an update. The whole day my nerves were on end. I walked around with my cell phone in my hand anticipating her call. I spent the day job huting online and researching more about the hiring freeze the county's public school system had placed for the upcoming school year.

This evening she called and told me to come in tomorrow to set up my classroom and go over paperwork. Words cannot express how I felt at that moment. I graduated December 2008 and worked as a substitute with the public school system (more about that later). My summer was spent babysitting for what was less than minimum wage, but a job none-the-less. Reality was sinking in. I finally had a permanent, full-time job with benefits!

I went to Borders and bought the book, "First-Year Teacher's Survival Kit" by Julia G. Thompson.



In the first chapter, Thompson encourages readers to keep a journal because it can help you stay organized and grow professionally. I decided to start this blog as a record of my thoughts and experiences. I don't know who's reading this and if they find it the least bit interesting, but I'm sharing this with whoever is willing to read it.

And so it begins.