Build relationships with your learners

The summer is trying to be sneaky. It's trying to disguise itself as a slow moving canoe, but in reality it's like a train speeding down the track! 

Yes, it's inevitable. At some point many teachers across America are prepping for next year. There are also several that aren't! But sorry--my Type-A-organized-self can't wait until 1 week before to start getting things figured out!

Currently I have about 10 tabs open on 2 browsers and I'm navigating 3 word documents and writing down notes on my iPad. I'm not ready for this!!

I've thought a lot about my school year last year. Man...it's like NIGHT and DAY when I think about year 1 and year 2!! I feel like in year 1 I was swimming in the deep end, treading water when I was out of breath. I did activities that were boring simply because I ran out of time to find something else, and I hated how I taught my kids! I did not put them first--I put the curriculum first. Oy vey!

Last year was so different. I decided I would do things exactly how I felt they should be done. Last year was like a breath of fresh air! I remember thinking to myself last year, I have to put them first. I have to consider what their going through and give them a break. 

It's hard to build relationships with 140 kids that you only see for 48-55 minutes a day. But here's the thing; I see them for 48-55 minutes a day. Every day. Monday-Friday. That's almost 5 hours a week. 

I used to work in ministry at the church I grew up in--I saw many of those students for less time than that a week. There can't be excuses for building relationships with students. As teachers, we have such a huge impact on their lives. They learn from us--I'm not talking about what's on the curriculum list. They watch us and learn how adults react to everyday situations. You cannot say outloud--well I can't build relationships--we're teachers for crying out loud--we learn on a daily basis, teach yourself how to! :)

We hold great molding capabilities daily. Did I impact every student last year? Probably not. I don't win over every student--not every student will like us teachers (remember, we're the ones that give them tests--they tend to dislike that). But we impact a great deal of them.

Studying hardcore in the pit before IB exams!

 Presentation on our sustainability initiative

IB Banquet

Like the one that thought biology was so boring. Then, they walked into my room...now they LOVE learning about life!

Or the ones that graduate and give you notes that tell you that your teaching style has helped them grasp information, rather than memorize and regurgitate.

Or the one who came in before school, after school, and emailed wanting to know more about surgery they were going to have this summer. 

How we act with our students matters. Carving out moments to get to know them matters. Curriculum--it follows after you've opened up the door into their lives. 

Have you seen this TED talk? It's amazing. Check it out and be inspired! Dr. Rita Pierson passed away last month--what a legacy she has left!

Tips and Tricks: For the New (or seasoned) Teacher

If I had Starbucks date with myself one year from today, this is probably what I would have said:

1. Believe in yourself: It's not a matter of if I can teach these students...but a matter of how. Every student is capable of learning...how can I reach them best?

2. Model the behavior you want to see from your students: Integrity speaks VOLUMES! It can help you earn students' trust.

3. Don't be scared to ask for help: co-workers, counselors, administration, the husband...friends...the worst you will hear is "no."

4. Write and reflect: Find a way to take notes on what occurred that day, via lesson plans or classroom management. Next year, when you prep, you will be happy you reflected! (currently I am so happy I took notes my 1st year. There are some things I am NEVER doing again!)

5. Communicate in a timely manner with parents: Do NOT ignore parent emails, even when they are tedious and seem to be unnecessary. **Last year I had so many great comments from parents who were so grateful I responded back when they reached out to me. Sometimes my response was a few days later, but I had several parents say that some teachers NEVER emailed back...a few days later is better than NEVER.

6. Establish routine at the beginning of the year: The 1st few weeks are the most important with your students. Show them how your class works the first time around, not 12 weeks later! If it takes some students actually practicing how to find the absent work, then model it!

7. Have a plan, but be flexible: You never know how the school scheduling, testing season, etc can affect your class. Be prepared, but give yourself permission to be flexible (it will hurt less later, promise!)

8. Don't take it personally: Yes, some parents, kids, or coworkers may not like you, and may not treat you very nice. You are dealing with a lot of people in one day...someone is bound to rub you the wrong way. Stick to your guns and breathe! You know who you are, and that's what matters!

9. Keep things as easy as possible: Always remember you want the students to learn--that is the number 1 priority. If they aren't learning, stop and figure out how to help them learn! It's all about them, not about you!

10. Have fun! Lighten up a little! Find a common joke or thing to laugh about with your students or coworkers (with one class, talking about the show The Big Bang Theory was always something that brought us together). Let kids laugh at you--they knew that I loved Star Wars, so anytime I could talk about Han Solo, I would! They would roll their eyes, but at least they had something in common to laugh about!

Any tips you teacher friends can add to this list?!

Hindsight #1

Oh, let's glean wisdom from reminiscing over the last year of my life--my first year of teaching. This could get pretty raw and real as I expose my flaws! I hope you're up for it. 

Ya know, I really believe that your 1st year of teaching is sort of a "right of passage" into the teacher world. Hazing--maybe that's too strong of a word! Ha. No matter how much help you get from the people around you, you've gotta walk through that year on your own. I'm glad I never have to do that 1st year again!

#1 Keep it simple.

Goodness, I think every teacher would give this as advice to any 1st timer.

Here's my typical pattern of preparation for class:

1. Topic: genetics
2. Search the entire WORLD for resources to use with my kids

3. Drown in resources and get so overwhelmed I can't function.

Fun, right?

I'm so thorough and want to make sure I'm utilizing the "best" resources and ways to teach my students; this actually ends up putting more strain on my work and makes things very complex.

And then you know what happens--everything spirals after that and before you know it I'm up late the night before planning tomorrow's lesson!

Which brings me to my next reflection...

#2 Keep the end in mind: The students need to learn!

The most important thing is that the students learn, understand, and comprehend the concepts of biology. Duh! 

If technology helps, and does not hinder, then use it.

If the chalkboard helps--then use that!
If singing a song (which I've done) helps, then I will DO it!

Bottom line: I've got to spend some time this summer simplifying, organizing, and simplifying! 

What did you learn in hindsight your 1st year of teaching? Or hindsight from this past year?

There's more reflection to come! :)

2 and 1 and Summer!

Yup. It happened. Summer!

I can't believe my 1st year is totally over! 

Did you learn anything? You betcha. I'll have to recap this over the next few weeks (cause boy, did I learn some things!)

I'm gonna miss my kiddos, but especially my seniors (ya know, I won't get to see them for a LONG time!---they better invite me to their weddings! haha)

8 and 7

Closer and closer to the final week of school...

[8]

Tuesday

test administration-so, so exciting

and so, so sarcastic :)

countdown from 10 [and 9]...

There are single-digit days left of school. 

I.can't.believe.it.

let the countdown begin!

[10]

last Friday

final IB exam celebration with my seniors

yearbook signing begins...

and an evening dinner date with my man just because!

[9]

Monday

early morning work day = coffee

grading, grading...grading!

last touches to my senior IB bio exam

engineering banquet

late night with Conan and Wicket

What do your last days look like? Good luck to my teacher blog friends! I hope these days are filled with smooth sailing!  

Spring Break and Such

Rest.

I made it to spring break! 
Finally a moment to relax and not be going at 100mph.

I haven't gone anywhere special this spring break. And honestly, I'm ok with that. The fact that I just get a break is what matters to me.

The agenda: sleep. tv. sleep. repeat.

But before break...life was nostalgic.

I helped out at the track meet. It brought back high school memories for me (I totally miss high school track!) and it was great to see some of my students run their events. I think they should host a teacher medley! I'd be running out there! :)

What is everyone else doing for their spring breaks?!

I PASSED!!!!!!!!!

hallelujah! 

I totally passed the PPR exam! The last step to finishing out my 1st year teacher business. What a weight lifted off my shoulders! Time to celebrate!

Let's eat some cake to celebrate :) 

Even teachers take tests too..

Forgive me for my lack of posting. I've been so incredibly busy! And when I have down time, all I want to do is veg or sleep.  Eek.

Well, an update in my world of biology...

Science Fair came to an end 2 weeks ago!

Supa-fly

Yesterday the district Superintendent and my principal paid me a visit (scary thing when the Superintendent walks in your room and you don't have a heads up!!)

They gave me the recognition of being a Super Teacher!

Super Teacher is a nominated program that recognizes innovative, engaging, and creative teaching. I was given this recognition for a PBL (Project Based Learning) project that my Pre-AP students did. My students were "invited" to a fellowship medical program and to enter, they had to go through a clinical simulation lab and diagnose a patient that had a cell organelle related disease (lots of science words right there for my non-teacher and non-science readers! haha). 

Each class also Skyped with a doctor or medical professional (one that was on their way to Afghanistan and another that was an oncologist-GOOD discussions there!)

Anyways-my students STILL talk about this project and I can't wait to do it next semester with the body systems!

This recognition has been such a good reminder for me personally that I am on the right track as a teacher! :)

Good first week back to school! I hope all my other teacher friends had great weeks back!

Open House, Late nights, and the weekend

So I think I just need to come to terms with the fact that I may not get to post here as often as I thought I would. I hope that y'all can live with that.  I may not get to read all your blogs as soon as I'd like to as well...so if I comment on an outfit you wore a week ago, I'm sorry!

This week has been the LONGEST week since school has begun! So much happened, so many late nights!

Monday was Open House. I had the opportunity to meet some parents of the students I have. It was a great night! I had the parents write letters to their students so I could hand them out when I notice students having a bad day or just struggling in my class.

Here's the letter (except I edited it to to not say "I can do it.")

Tuesday consisted of a workshop after school on probes and data collection. Got to run around the room and get my heart rate up for an EKG data collection. It was fun!

For the first time since school has started I got almost less than 5 hours of sleep Sun-Tues night. Can you say zombie!? Oh, it made this week DRAG on!

So to say that I am glad it is the weekend is an understatement.

Question- how do you stay ahead of the game? Now, you must consider that I am a first year teacher with hardly No powerpoints, no notes, and no homework I can reuse from the night before. And on top of that...squeezing in grading. 

I'd really love your input because it is essential I get a minimum of 6 hrs of sleep to function well the next day :)

Wow, it's been a LONG day!

Long day, but a great day!

Can I just say all the comments here and with my friends on Facebook (or via text) have been so supportive and that has carried me throughout the day. Thank you for those that have prayed for me and who have sent me sweet notes of awesomeness. I love you all!

*5:40am wake-up call. Awesome! Once things get settled, I won't have to get up that early (just getting myself there early "just in case")

*We had a fire alarm go off before school began. Awesome-sauce. note sarcasm.

*note my use of the word "awesome" 3 times already. Now 4.

*My students are super sweet, and quiet (so far).  I have seniors in one class, but I knew them from last year, so they were more chatty, but it was all good! :)

*Heels. Why did I wear heels on the first day of school?! My feet are killing me!

*My snack attack right after 7th period got out. I was so hungry!

*Last but not least, my students really enjoyed the classroom. My seniors paid lots of compliments and some of my other students said they liked it too (like I said, they were very quiet).

Well, it's 8:45pm, I wish I was in bed...but I'm still prepping some things, checking things, doing class website things...but maybe I'll just give up and go to sleep...eeeek...

And now the ball really begins to roll...

Tomorrow I'll wake up early, get my car into rush hour traffic, and begin new teacher orientation.  It still doesn't feel quite like I'm a teacher. I wonder when that will set in...tomorrow? When my room is set up? Probably on the 1st day of school when I meet my 120-ish students.

I'm quite nervous. I've had a few breakdowns where my husband has had to look me in the eyes and say, "Everything is going to be ok. It's all going to work out." I know it will all be fine, but it's overwhelming to think of all the things that need to get done (especially for 1st year teachers starting from scratch!).  There is A LOT of multitasking when you are a teacher, lemme tell you!

I lose my daytime...so any more lesson planning will have to be done in the evenings. Eek.

But on the bright side, I plan to take 1 bag/box of stuff to my classroom a day...and maybe I'll get some spare time to swing to my room and begin to unpack and get things rockin.'

So bare with me as I transition into these weeks. If I sound unrealistic in what I'm trying to do,  tell me. If I'm cranky, knock some sense into me! You won't hurt my feelings. :)

Have you seen "Waiting for Superman"? Well, you should!

My husband and I rented the documentary "Waiting for Superman" last night. It's about the American public education system and how it is failing our nation's children.  It's about how our students our not meeting the science and math scores of other students in other countries.  

But beyond that, it's about how we as teachers can inspire students to succeed.

Even if you aren't a teacher, it's a great documentary to see! 

If you are a teacher, this is perfect to watch right before the school year begins! 

By the end of it, I was crying, and my husband was giving me the best pep talk I've had in preparation for this school year. I love having him right next to me to encourage me!

Last night I realized that all this time I'm putting in to prep for school is totally worth it. 

The little DIY projects I do to make my classroom more welcome is worth it.  

The effort of going beyond just a worksheet to engage my students is worth it.  

Spending time trying to make that 1st day of school run as smooth as possible is completely worth it.  

When something doesn't go right, and I spend half a day trying to fix a problem...it's worth it.

20 more days til the 1st day of school.  I may be chaotically organized at the moment, but I'm totally pumped to get this thing started!

Teacher friends that have read my blog---thank you so much for cheering me on. Your advice and encouragement has helped me to keep truckin' along!

You all just rock, period! Let's do this :)

Organization, Part 1...look good when you organize!

Who says you have to use the "black" binder that has no color and no life?! Ok, well the black binder is definitely cheaper than a pretty one, but I think it's ok to spend a little extra on something that will get used a lot!  If the colors or designs make you happy, then go for it.  You have to look at those things on a daily basis, so you might as well smile when you keep organized, right? :)

And who couldn't love those colors and designs?  Last week I stumbled upon the following items at Target.  They were on sale, and they completely go with the colors that I want to use in my classroom!

file folder pack, note cube, 1" binder (bought 2), and small journals

What are you going to use these items for? Glad you asked!

note cube: for my desk, to jot down a note, or make a quick pass for a student.

 

 file folders: at my last long term sub job i used this file organizer for student graded work.  i labeled the files with the class period, and put work to be passed back in them.  but careful, if you don't pass back work right away, they get really full! (so it forces you to be on top of graded work)

journals: there's 3 of them.  so far i plan to use one for faculty/department meeting notes, and another for bell work (where i can write out the ? and answer and have a personal log of the bell work for the week)

binders: for my lesson plans, worksheets, and answer keys.  I bought 2, one for each semester.

easy peasy tabs, written in pencil just in case a change needs to be made

student handout/homework in binder, ready to be copied...

and the homework key in a sheet protector (since it will be used a lot, i wanted to protect it)

Since I'm a 1st year teacher, there's so much to get organized!  Good thing I enjoy having my ducks in a row :) If you have any tips on how to keep organized, let me know!  

P.S. I'm linking with Erin's blog here. Check her out, she's lovely!

A summer to-do list

How in the world is it already July?! (well, in 2 days it's July, but let's just call it what it is!)  Before I know it, August is gonna smack me in the face and students will be knocking on my door!  I've got approximately one month (and some change) to get things in line.  

Being a first year teacher means that I have to start from the ground up with 1st day of school plans, classroom notes, classroom environment, and projects.  Luckily I've got some great teachers to work with that have helped me throughout my long-term subbing days and gave me lots of great tips and ideas for teaching the biology material.

So, bust out some coffee, and open up a laptop, it's time to get started!

Summer 2011 to-do list:

* create everything!

THE END

just kidding...well, sorta...but on a more detailed level-

*finish my syllabus

*finish my PBL 

*1st six-week calendar outlook

*TEKS outlook

*classroom decor (my fave)

*PowerPoint notes for lessons

*FB fan page for class!

*google site

*create 6-week hall pass

*tardy book

*design on live journals, or not.

Ok, so that's all I can think of for the moment, but that list is bound to grow bigger!  For now, I'll just worry about today's to-do list: go get some groceries! ;)