After All This Time...

I have learned so much in the last few months. I've learned things about myself and things about who I want to be as a teacher.

So, to catch everyone up, I am loving my job as a high school teacher. I love my school, my students, my administration, and my teacher friends. 

I truly could not ask for a better experience. 

However, I have hit a few trouble spots that I'm sure veterans are all too familiar with:

1. helicopter parents

2. lawnmower parents

3. students who lie to their parents

4. students who message inappropriate things in the middle of the night

5. students who get overwhelmed at the mention of a test

6. students who ignore tests

7. students who have no filter

8. students who don't make eye contact (ever) (no, really. I'm serious.)

The list could go on and on.

But here I sit on a Saturday night totally and completely in love with my life.

More stories coming soon.

Zilla

10 Things I learned from Stand and Deliver:

1. Arrive early and preferably before the first day of school because you never know what will happen. 
At the beginning of the movie, the teacher (Mr. Escalante) arrives the day the students do and only right before the first bell. He arrives in class after the majority of his students and demonstrates absolutely no classroom management skills. He did not originally want to be a teacher but decided to do so later in life. 
You need to be prepared.
 Be prepared for the good, the bad, and the ugly. 
Be prepared to go above and beyond for your students. 
Be prepared to work harder than you've ever planned.



2. Dressing up and role playing can be extremely effective-- even with kids that seem hard to reach. 
The first lesson that the viewer gets to see is Mr. Escalante chopping up apples and doing a short introduction to multiplying fractions and percentages. You have to be able to present the material in a way that is interesting and engaging. That is standard for what most of us have heard in our education classes. It's easy to think it and to plan to be engaging and passionate and even entertaining. How do we really know if we have succeeded? I don't have an answer. I don't know how to tell. I do think it's about how the students respond. Do the students succeed? Does it work for them? If not, try something different. 
Easy peasy lemon squeezy. 



3. Don't back down or let your students take advantage of you. 
Also during his first lesson, he is approached by a student in a gang who threatens him and pushes his boundaries. While he does respond in a way that I wouldn't necessarily advise (he insults the students and has heavy sarcasm). He knew his role in the classroom. He knew his subject. He knew how to lead. In a lot of books geared toward first year teachers, a main topic is how to present your rules. I've been told often to be firm but fair and ease up over time. I, personally, don't believe in letting a secondary classroom come up with the rules. As the expert in the classroom, I believe the teacher should be the one to set up the rules and put structure in place. Students need structure to succeed. 



4. Knowing your students is half the battle. 
Escalante took time to know his students and to use their lives in his lessons. His math lessons included real-world application, which is one of the most important parts, in my opinion. Your students need to know that what you're teaching is valuable and can help them in the future.You may never even begin to imagine the responsibility some of your children are burdened with. Some may be the caretaker of younger siblings while parents work the night shift or not have a permanent home at all. They may have a tough home life that does not have anything to do with their socioeconomic status. Show that you are interested in their success, interested in their personal goals, and invested in their futures.



5. Push your students to achieve their potential. Do not let them settle for "easy." 
Students will rise to the expectations you hold them to. Build them up. Believe in them. Tell them they can learn, they are capable, and they are worth it. Push and challenge them. Be with them every step of the way. KNOW YOUR STUDENTS ABILITIES AND PUSH THEM BEYOND WHAT THEY THINK THEY CAN DO. A student who isn't being challenged enough will act out similarly to a student who is being left behind. It is your job to provide opportunities for student success and student progress. 



6. Repetition may seem elementary, but it builds confidence and forms a memory. 
I love repetition as a teaching tool. I know that it's very old school, but I taught my 7th grade students the Civil War and Civil Rights amendments through repetition. I'm not saying that repetition should be your only trick, but every educator knows that students need to see the information multiple times. Other than teaching, I've also seen it as a way to get the class focused. It could be as easy as hand clapping or repeating a phrase. It could be a sound of, like a roll call. Repetition (like routine) can be calming and a valuable asset to a teacher.



7. Teaching is about "ganas"-- desire. 
Teachers cannot go into the profession holding anything back. To be a success, you have to be all in. If you is not all in, then the students are not served to the best of your ability and that is unacceptable. These children are the future and you have been selected to help mold them. You are there to be a role-model, a counselor, and a guide on top of just being a teacher. As a teacher you are responsible for bringing that desire and lighting a flame for your students to carry with them into the world. 



8. Motivate your students by building community. 
Your students are a team. You are part of that team. You win as a team. You lose as a team. You are a leader. Accountability is something that seems to be disappearing in society. Your students are probably not at the point where they can hold themselves accountable all the time. If you teach your students to work together and hold each other accountable, you are not only creating a team but a community support system. The sense of community is my number one priority when teaching. My students need to feel safe to participate, share, make mistakes, and learn. It is going to be hard for the majority of children to have the confidence to do all of this if they do not have at least a small sense of community. And that starts with you.



9. Regardless on whether your students pass a test or not, they've learned-- if you've done your job. 
If you say the phrase, "Teachers are just there to teach to the test," I can guarantee all of the educators within earshot will take offense. I do not teach just history. I teach kids. There is no test for that. I did not get into education to learn about assessments and grading. I got into education to see those "lightbulb" moments, to watch a struggling student figure out how to learn, to watch a withdrawn 'discipline problem' find her motivation and apply it to life, and to watch my students become successful after they leave my classroom. I do not care if they can recite the Bill of Rights in order, word-for-word. They ultimately need to know how to treat people, how to learn and apply new skills, and how to self-motivate. Those are the skills that transcend the classroom.



10. You are human, not a machine. 
This one is hard for so many people. In the movie, Mr. Escalante is teaching his classes, teaching night classes, and taking on extra work. He ultimately succumbs to a heart attack. It's a tough realization that he had to slow down and even stop. But you can't just push a button and turn off being a teacher. You can't just turn off giving 100% to your students. That's why I think the most important characteristic in being a teacher is not just caring for your subject or students; it's about being self-aware. A self-aware teacher knows that he/she will make mistakes. A self-aware teacher knows that it is impossible to give students 100% if he/she is not feeling 100%. You have to take care of yourself. You have to attempt the 8 hours recommended for sleep. You have to eat right and stay hydrated. You have to go home and leave your papers at school (as much as possible), which may not be often, but you will need to allow yourself to take breaks.
(I had points taken off of an observation because my cooperating teacher let it slip that I was arriving early and staying late every day. My professor also had a hand in my learning this particular point. I am grateful to him for that.)




We have to remember that teaching is not a fairy-tale, like Hillary Swank would have us believe in Freedom Writers. It is going to be hard. There is going to be a learning curve.
I just know that whenever I need a little motivation, I can look up to Mr. Escalante.

But what do I know? I'm just a first-year.
Leave your thoughts and comments below!



Zilla

Brace yourself... This is going to be a long one.

I just need to rant.

I don't really know why I'm in such a bad mood lately. Everything is going so well in my life. I have a brand new job that I could not be more excited about, I have a new niece who is the most precious thing in the world, I have a husband who busts his butt for me on the daily, and yet I still feel frustrated with where I am right now.

My mantra these days is: 

You are neither ahead nor are you behind in life. 

You are living precisely how you are meant to live. 

You are right where you need to be.

And it helps. It is the most comforting pep talk I could give myself. 

I use to avoid going on Facebook like the plague earlier this summer. I would even try to stay off Twitter because I could not bear the pressure. I kept seeing all of my friends announcing engagements, marriages, pregnancies, babies, new jobs, and all of these wonderful things. And I do hate to sound bitter but I was. I wanted to have special announcements to show the world that I was doing something with my life. I wanted to show that I was successful and that even though I had married young, I was still achieving my goals and living a life to be proud of.

I knew I had worked hard through student teaching and through my substituting days. I fostered new relationships with faculty and staff at different schools, but I knew I wanted to be at the school I substitute taught at. The department was laid-back, fun, and truly cared about one another. It felt like home. 

Back in the fall (while I was student teaching) my friend who had graduated a semester earlier was long-term subbing for a woman who had gotten very sick. The department was always giving updates and organizing something for this woman. She was well-loved around the school, but these teachers were treating her as if she was a family members, like it was their responsibility. I loved feeling the care and bond that they all had with this woman. 

I knew that I was lucky to have an assignment with people who not only had a passion for teaching but also human beings.

When summer came, I knew that the only real position at that school that was up in the air was this lady's. I can't begin to tell you the amount of guilt I still feel about the whole situation. The principal delivered disability retirement papers to this woman at the beginning of June. I was hired soon after. The woman only held on for three weeks after that. I was told by another teacher (let's call her 'C') that once she was delivered the papers that she truly lost the will to continue fighting. I understand that C was passing information, and I would have been fine with that if she hadn't continued saying things like, "You could never fill her shoes, but we're happy to have you."

Like, what am I supposed to say to that? It's not like I knew this would happen or tried to make this happen! I struggled even explaining this to family and close friends when I got the job. I didn't think it was appropriate to show too much happiness or excitement. 

But fast forward to present day. When I went to school to grab supplies, set up my email, etc, I met with C and was shown my room. The room is bursting with supplies, resources, paperwork, and personal effects that were never picked up. At first I was told that I would be responsible for sorting through, cleaning out, and packaging personal effects up for her family since I was the one not only taking over her room but also in need of supplies over everyone else.

ME. AS IN SOMEONE WHO HAS NEVER MET THIS WOMAN. 

So, at first I was completely freaking out about this huge and sensitive responsibility. 

Then I met with C. 

C has decided that she will be the one in charge of this stuff. She has planned to come and take all of the stuff and compile it into a library of resources that the rest of the teachers will have to "check out" from a community location. In my mind, that's not a huge deal. If C doesn't want to share the stuff, then that's fine, I can figure out my own activities, assessments, and reviews (also every other teacher has shared his or her flashdrive with me, so I have plenty!). But when I shared this plan with another teacher in the department, she got angry saying that these ideas never worked and that it was unfair to take things from me.

Like I said, I'm not too worried. And it takes a burden off of me for having to deal with it.

The one thing I am worried about with this situation is the sheer amount of stuff that is in my classroom that has to be dealt with before I can start unloading mine. Even typing all of that out makes me feel guilty. I was supposed to be able to go into my classroom on August 17th, but as of right now I've been told that I can't get in until August 24th. A week difference might not seem like a lot, but that second week I will be doing orientations and meetings for new hires. Those usually last 8am-4pm. I will have to stay after every night to work, which isn't impossible and I can get things done, but it is stressing me out when I had planned to have a whole extra week. 

So in the next week, I have planned to plan as much as possible. I will be doing my powerpoints one day, bell ringers/exit slips the next day, then activities, and finally assessments. That should take up my whole week (and yes, I am aware that is incredibly ambitious, but I'll get done what I get done and it'll be more than if I never tried). All of this is for my first 6 units-- or September through January-ish. 

Then after that week, I'll pack up all my stuff and move into school on Monday.

Except for the face that I have meetings and orientations every morning-late afternoon.
But I'll just have to make it work.


Once I finally have time to get my classroom keys, I need to make sure all of the old teacher's stuff is moved out. I have to move all of my stuff in. I have to set up and come up with a theme and bulletin boards. I have to make sure all of my technology is working and send in any work orders. I have to actually plan and run copies (the usual teacher stuff). 
I also have to figure out IEPs, class changes, and Back-To-School Night stuff.
And eventually write my syllabus.


So I'm just feeling a little stressed out about that....


Zilla

#AllThatGlitters is Classroom DIY

I have done it. 

I have done the Pinterest-y thing and I have triumphed. 

I have tackled the big bad monster of school supplies and I have come out on top (and on trend!)

I am proud.

I am a First Year Classroomzilla. 

My goal for my classroom was to have it organized, interesting, and pretty. I wanted it to reflect who I am and to be an inviting environment. 

And let's be honest, it's way more fun to have people talk about how awesome your room is and how they wished they had thought of it first. I mean, I almost ALWAYS judge how people decorate. I am not necessarily a clean person at home, but my classroom is not for me, it's for my kids. It is important that my room and taste in decor shows that I am capable as a teacher and an adult to work with children.

In my mind, that's how this works.

So, here was my inspiration.

Disclaimer: My pictures were taken on my phone and are not nearly as good as these pictures that I took from Pinterest.

Kelly Green and Gold are our school colors. 

AND HOW PRETTY IS THIS ?!

Easy and cute DIY!!

I really wanted to showcase that I am/will be a teacher who has her stuff together. I want my accomplishments, no matter how small, to motivate others to better themselves. 

Even if it's as small as spray painting some school supplies (that I talk about in this post!) to make others think you have it together...

So, I put on some shorts and my university tank top and headed out to my backyard (and under a tree because it was in the 80s today!) to set up my newspaper. I made sure to tape up anything I didn't want to be painted with some masking tape and got to work!

 I started using the gold base spray and coated everything I could. 
Also, if you're not a person who spray paints a lot, ouch. My fingers were cramping after the first couple of coats!

As a heads up, I was not able to find the Rustoleum gold spray paint that I wanted so, I ended up using Krylon Metallic gold with the Krylon Gold Glitter Blast spray. I had read the reviews that this type tended to run and would need several coats. THIS IS VERY TRUE. It also looked a little more bronze than a light pretty gold (like the pictures above). I wouldn't warn anyone against using this brand, but I would just have to suggest going slowly and spraying from more of a distance than you might think you need.

So because of the darker gold that I ended up getting, It is probably going to look more like a Batman theme than a light and pretty theme, but I think this is probably better. 

(Most Definitely 100% Better)

After letting everything dry for about 2 hours, relocated them upstairs and gave it a thin coat of hairspray to keep the glitter in check.

So, while it wasn't a perfect #PinterestWin, I'm ultimately thrilled. 
Let me know what yall think in the comments!

My last initial. <3

Fun scissors!

Tape dispenser! 

3-hole punch!

Knobs for the drawers.

To see everything put together and in my classroom, follow me on Periscope! 
I'll be doing a classroom tour sometime during the week of Aug 24th!


Until next time!


Zilla

Money Money Money Money.... MONEY!

I've been staring at my computer for about 15 minutes without completing anything actually worthwhile.

I've tweeted a few times, I've caught up on some other blogs, and I've tracked all of the shipments that I'm expecting. But in the scheme of things.... none of that was productive. 

But let's catch up on some of the things I accomplished this week!!

If you're a teacher, then I'm sure you've been keeping one eye on the "Back to School" sales and one eye on the "Tax Free Weekend" schedule. 

I took full advantage of this.

I finished my Rules/Procedures Powerpoint on Thursday (before going to see Fantastic 4) and felt great about my progress and my use of hashtags and memes in it. I woke up on Friday ready to buy my school supplies and take advantage of the sale. 

Let me tell you, I was NOT impressed.

I spent hundreds of dollars.

Let me repeat that.

I SPENT HUNDREDS OF DOLLARS ON MY CLASSROOM ON FRIDAY.

Just thinking of the number gives my heart palpitations.

I looked around for the best prices on things and ended up going to 4 different places. I thought I was going to save a buttload of money, but now I feel like I never even made a dent. 

I got the usual stuff like pencils (only the best for my classroom), crayons, markers, tissues, paper, and hand sanitizer.

But then I was told to get a broom, dustpan, bandaids, and surge protectors. 

There was a whole list of things that I knew I needed, another huge list of things I didn't know I needed, and a somewhat smaller list of the things I didn't need but would be a good investment (presentation remote (like this one I used during student teaching), rolling cart with drawers from each class (this splurge I just HAD to have!), my own trashcan, a couple of books for my bookshelf etc.).

I seriously want to cry. I know that I'm spending this money and the things (hopefully) will last me the rest of my career, but it's still hard to do. I know that I get paid on August 17th with both my teaching paycheck and my coaching paycheck from last spring, so I shouldn't feel too terribly, but I just can't stop thinking about how much everything cost!

So when places like Staples, Office Depot, Wal*Mart say they're having sales... I wouldn't fall for it. 

I'm just going to do my school shopping at the end of the year next year. 

I feel like I didn't save anything.

So this all made me wonder: How much do first year teachers spend on average? And then every year after, how much more do they spend?

How do teachers know what to buy? (Let's be honest, I have NO idea if I have everything I need.)

How can teachers afford all of this?

It's all a little depressing.

Have advice or a story you want to share on shopping for school supplies?

Leave it below!

Until next time,

Zilla

B&N Wednesdays on Thursday

Today I made a decision to go to Barnes and Noble to write down my rules and procedures. I thought maybe I could then transfer to taking notes again. You always see the people with their expensive clothes and hair and makeup done beautifully just typing away on their laptops. And today I wanted to be one of them. (Well, actually I wanted to be one of them after a good workout at the gym, but we all know that didn't happen...)

So, I walked in to Barnes and Noble with my teacher bag slung heavily over my shoulder. I made sure to bring my new EC teacher planner, textbook, and laptop so I would have plenty to do. There would be no reason to procrastinate, after all, I was surrounded by beautiful, highly motivated people. I asked a woman if she would mind sharing an outlet with me and she smiled warmly and nodded. 

I sat down and quickly realized that the people around me were very comfortable with each other. They would have little snippets of conversation with each other every now and then. It was like I had walked into a very exclusive club. Beautiful people talking about writing novels and conversing with their clients (the lady ended up being a modeling agent!!), which I thought only happened in LA. 

After I had set myself up (and ate my Chick Fil A) I glanced over to see what the beautiful lady was working on.

My illusion was shattered. 

Though, I can't say I was too surprised.

She was on Facebook.

And I am on Blogger. 

And Twitter.

That is what going to Barnes and Noble is all about.

FYI.

Love from B&N.

Zilla

#WednesdayWhatILearnedToday: New Hire Orientation

Today I attended my new-hire orientation for my county. It was from 7:45am until about 10:45am. If you know me (and I believe most of you do) you know I have an opinion on just about everything…

I have been waiting for this day for almost a month (see this post for the beginning of the obsession!). I even went in to grab my orientation packet and figure out insurance and everything as early as I could.

Then, when my alarm went off at 6am this morning, I realized that I felt like I was going off to my first day of school (or teacher work week) already! I was ready to learn about teacher policies, special teacher perks, super important teacher stuff (maybe a special secret handshake?)…

Well. That’s not what happened.

I did learn quite a bit, but not the type of stuff that I found completely necessary to spend time on.

Number 1: I learned that those terrible sexual harassment videos still exist in the adult world.

When I was a kid/mini adult/student, I understood that these videos were necessary because some people still weren’t mature enough to see that some of the things they said or joked about were, in fact, offensive. Most women have seen or dealt with sexual harassment first-hand (I’m sure most men, too!). This is a topic that has been covered over and over again. These goofy videos aren’t helping anyone if they only portray the overly sexualized (and overly acted out) interactions. Much of the sexual harassment won’t look like that. In my experience, it will be a small comment here… A small touch there...

Long story short, I think these videos need to be updated. They need to have potential to be taken seriously. If a group of mostly mature adults can’t get through the video without side-eyeing or busting out in laughter at these situations, then why use it? 

This is a serious issue and I don’t want to sound like I’m taking it lightly, but it was a waste of my time. Give me a module to complete instead.

Number 2: I learned that the county policies are on us to read and understand.

While I have no problem reading through the policies by myself (I already had anyway), the fact that the HR lady touched on them for less than 30 seconds makes me wonder how seriously they take them. I want to know (as a goody-two-shoes) what I can do and what I can’t. I want to know what policies cause the most discipline issues. Also, isn’t this the biggest part of HR anyway?

Number 3: I learned that I’m going to have to figure out how to prep for the school year without much to go on.

As an “orientation” session for new teachers, I expected there to be more of a “what to expect in your new job” vibe. Now I know that there were teachers in the room that had taught before in other counties. That’s cool. But not every county has the same rules and they don’t have the same issues. I want to know how my county differs from others in expectations. I want to know what I’m expected to do between now and meeting with my faculty. I want to know about professional development opportunities that I can get a jump start on. I

Number 4: I learned that teachers still do not know how to dress.

Please for the love of all that is good, go and check out Monogrammed Midwesterner’s blog post on how to dress for business casual events. She says some great things about what to wear and what not to wear. I stressed about it. I wanted to look professional but still young and fresh because we were also taking our badge pictures (and I’m positive that my hair did not cooperate. Cross your fingers for me!). I think I ended up making a good choice with my attempt at a Pinterest outfit!

 (coral pants, white lace shirt, and blue blazer)

But I saw multiple girls wearing jeans. I saw one girl in jeans and flip flops. I saw one girl in a halter dress.

I just do not understand.

Things that are not okay:

* flip flops

* anything you could wear to a club

* spaghetti strap tops

* too tight bottoms

* too short bottoms

* something you could do yard work in

* hot fluorescent pink lipstick

It was like I was watching a teacher version of People of Wal*Mart.

It is not that hard to be comfortable and also look nice.

I don’t know what else to say about that.

Have any of you seen some questionable outfits from teachers or even substitutes?!

Leave it in the comments!

Zilla