It is no secret to those who know me that, although, as a teacher I'm not technically supposed to have favorites, the sophomores in 5th period are pretty special. I don't know what it is that makes that class so different from all the others. Maybe it's the personalities. Maybe it's the time of day, just before lunch. Maybe it's Memphis. Who knows? Nevertheless, there is an abundance of enjoyable moments and memories made daily in Room 2 during 5th period. I often wonder if these kids love me as much as I love them. Probably not. But some days they say things that just make my whole week. I could live on comments like "This class gets me through the day" for a lifetime. I don't know what I'm doing right with these kids, but they feel safe with me, and that is my #1 goal as a teacher.
Today was a day not unlike other glorious Wednesdays when I get to have all my sophomores for an hour and a half. There was random chatting and fun being had by all in the midst of grammar and learning and writing. It was heavenly, as you can imagine. But, for some reason, after several weeks of school, this class began to ask a plethora of questions about me and my life that they had not yet asked.
Are you married?
Do you have a "manfriend"?
Will you write a book? ( I later found out that they want me to write a book about them. Good thing they don't know about this blog.)
Do you have any siblings?
What is your favorite football team?: college and NFL
These are just the ones from today. I've also answered questions that range anywhere from what sports I played in high school to what my favorite movies are. I'm seriously considering creating an autobiography to share with them all. Since the readers of the pickle jar are among my greatest friends, I'm asking you for particular stories, facts, or parts of my life that should not be neglected, should I choose to tell my students about my life. Maybe I'll even dig out the ancient Facebook note on my 16 things for inspiration. The phone lines and comment boxes are now open.
Wednesday, September 22, 2010
Friday, September 17, 2010
Advice from the Pickle Jar
My juniors created autobiographies this week, and one of the requirements was a list of advice to others. It could have been "How to survive being"... a cheerleader, a junior, a football player, a younger sibling, etc. As long as it was something they learned from experience, it was valid. Here's my list.
1. Love like you couldn't breathe otherwise.
2. Don't do it all alone.
3. How things are and how you feel are not often the same.
4. You're not stuck. The only person you can change is yourself, but that doesn't give you the freedom to give up on that change. There's no such thing as "sorry, this is just the way I am."
5. Sometimes things end up better when they don't work out the way you planned.
6. Never let yourself get too busy to play with children and talk to them about their lives.
7. Never underestimate the power God has to create greatness out of the nothingness of your life.
8. Home isn't always a place; sometimes it's just being with the people you love who love you in return.
9. Laugh at yourself
10. Finish Strong.
1. Love like you couldn't breathe otherwise.
2. Don't do it all alone.
3. How things are and how you feel are not often the same.
4. You're not stuck. The only person you can change is yourself, but that doesn't give you the freedom to give up on that change. There's no such thing as "sorry, this is just the way I am."
5. Sometimes things end up better when they don't work out the way you planned.
6. Never let yourself get too busy to play with children and talk to them about their lives.
7. Never underestimate the power God has to create greatness out of the nothingness of your life.
8. Home isn't always a place; sometimes it's just being with the people you love who love you in return.
9. Laugh at yourself
10. Finish Strong.
Thursday, September 16, 2010
A week in the life of a first-year English teacher
This week has been pretty crazy so far. I'm surprised by my own ability to miraculously shrug off the embarrassment and stress that have come from certain incidents. Things have happened this week that would usually have meant the end of the world as I knew it, but somehow I've had an attitude that has allowed me to simply laugh at myself. Don't get used to it.
1. I have been in charge of after-school detention this week. That is by no means the end of the world on its own, but when you combine it will all the other things I needed to do, staying for an extra hour after school every day was slightly overwhelming.
Bright Side: I was able to get some work done that I didn't have to take home or stress about the next morning.
2. Tuesday was.........um...........eventful. We only had school for half a day, and most of those 25-minute classes were taken up by school pictures, so the teaching aspect of the day was a complete wash. After the students went home at 12:30, the teachers ate a catered lunch from Pasta Grill, which is a new restaurant in town that I'd been meaning to try. I will definitely be eating there sometime in the near future. The lasagna was excellent, and as it's not my favorite pasta dish, I'm certain that the others must be even better. After lunch, I was able to rest a bit and make a trip to the grocery store to pick up a few snacks for the evening. At 3:00, parents arrived for my first ever Parent/Teacher conferences. I met with 23 parents in 4 hours. While that really isn't many considering the fact that I'm a brand-new teacher, it was still overwhelming. And the sheer business of being at school until 7:00 was exhausting.
Bright Side: The parents were gracious and sweet, and no one was angry with me.
3. Wednesday was the funny day. I'll set the scene: Wednesday is block day, so I only have odd-numbered classes for 1 1/2 hours each, plus 8th period. After my 3rd period planning, I made my way back to my room, where Coach L teaches Bible during 3rd period.
He hung around, talking to a student longer than usual. My students began to arrive and after my hourly trip to the bathroom, I re-entered my classroom to find everyone frantic. I immediately heard a very loud beeping alarm clock, but none of us could find its source. Coach L stayed to help. We even had a student standing on my desk to check the ceiling tiles because someone had placed an alarm clock in the ceiling of another classroom last year. Eventually, Mrs. S from next door and Coach M from the hall had also come to help with the investigation. Coach M pretended not to hear the sound so that the girls in my class would feel that they were going crazy. It worked for a while. Then he told us that he had played a prank and put the alarm in the ceiling. He was, again, joking. Eventually, Mrs. S and Coach M went to their own classes, and Coach L volunteered to get a ladder because we were all sure it must be coming from the ceiling. About the time he left, Dean M, who is my principal and boss, showed up. I'm not sure who told him about the situation, but he came to see what was going on. I was trying to just continue with class, but my efforts were mostly in vain. As I began to teach, or at least to get my students under control and Coach L went for the ladder, Dean M began to search my room. All of a sudden, I looked up, and he had picked up my teacher bag and put it on my desk as if the sound was coming from my bag. The only thing I could think of that might be making that incessant sound was my cell phone that I knew was on silent. Nevertheless, I got it out of my bag to check, and it was silent. Then we heard the noise again, and I discovered what had happened. The button on the side of my phone that adjusts the volume was being pushed inside my bag continually. It had been my cell phone and my fault all along. There's nothing like having your boss be the one to figure out that your cell phone is incessantly beeping and preventing you and others from having class. Still, after apologizing profusely, I was able to laugh it off and continue with what was left of my class. Coach M caught me in the teacher's workroom this morning (Thursday) to ask about what had happened and to share with the other coaches present the embarrassment of my Wednesday.
As if this alarm incident wasn't enough, I was also caught making grammatical mistakes in my Facebook status by my mentor and department chair, Mrs. S.
Additionally, during the Round-Table discussion in my AP class, I was hit by a paper ball that my students had been using to play a game that they thought I didn't know they were playing. The truth is that I was just happy they were actually talking to me and thinking critically.
Bright Spot: After our daily prayer in 5th period, one student told me that our prayers got her through the day. Another student extended her thought by declaring that my class got him through the day. Those are the comments we live for. I can live on that one for months.
4. Today (Thursday) was the day that Mrs. S had planned to come and observe my class to begin preparing me for the Praxis III observation that I will complete in the Spring in order to recieve my offical teaching license. The bad news is that she makes me nervous, even more so than when I had my offical principal's evaluation. So I had been slightly stressed about her coming to visit the class that is composed of the most unfortunate combination of personalities, abitilities, and circumstances imaginable. I'd spent several fruitless hours trying to be sure that I would not embarrass myself, yet again. But she had to leave school early this afternoon and was unable to come. That's a relief for the day, but it means that I'll just be postponing my stress until sometime next week.
Bright Side: I'm beginning to actually enjoy this class of poor, unfortunate misfits.
1. I have been in charge of after-school detention this week. That is by no means the end of the world on its own, but when you combine it will all the other things I needed to do, staying for an extra hour after school every day was slightly overwhelming.
Bright Side: I was able to get some work done that I didn't have to take home or stress about the next morning.
2. Tuesday was.........um...........eventful. We only had school for half a day, and most of those 25-minute classes were taken up by school pictures, so the teaching aspect of the day was a complete wash. After the students went home at 12:30, the teachers ate a catered lunch from Pasta Grill, which is a new restaurant in town that I'd been meaning to try. I will definitely be eating there sometime in the near future. The lasagna was excellent, and as it's not my favorite pasta dish, I'm certain that the others must be even better. After lunch, I was able to rest a bit and make a trip to the grocery store to pick up a few snacks for the evening. At 3:00, parents arrived for my first ever Parent/Teacher conferences. I met with 23 parents in 4 hours. While that really isn't many considering the fact that I'm a brand-new teacher, it was still overwhelming. And the sheer business of being at school until 7:00 was exhausting.
Bright Side: The parents were gracious and sweet, and no one was angry with me.
3. Wednesday was the funny day. I'll set the scene: Wednesday is block day, so I only have odd-numbered classes for 1 1/2 hours each, plus 8th period. After my 3rd period planning, I made my way back to my room, where Coach L teaches Bible during 3rd period.
He hung around, talking to a student longer than usual. My students began to arrive and after my hourly trip to the bathroom, I re-entered my classroom to find everyone frantic. I immediately heard a very loud beeping alarm clock, but none of us could find its source. Coach L stayed to help. We even had a student standing on my desk to check the ceiling tiles because someone had placed an alarm clock in the ceiling of another classroom last year. Eventually, Mrs. S from next door and Coach M from the hall had also come to help with the investigation. Coach M pretended not to hear the sound so that the girls in my class would feel that they were going crazy. It worked for a while. Then he told us that he had played a prank and put the alarm in the ceiling. He was, again, joking. Eventually, Mrs. S and Coach M went to their own classes, and Coach L volunteered to get a ladder because we were all sure it must be coming from the ceiling. About the time he left, Dean M, who is my principal and boss, showed up. I'm not sure who told him about the situation, but he came to see what was going on. I was trying to just continue with class, but my efforts were mostly in vain. As I began to teach, or at least to get my students under control and Coach L went for the ladder, Dean M began to search my room. All of a sudden, I looked up, and he had picked up my teacher bag and put it on my desk as if the sound was coming from my bag. The only thing I could think of that might be making that incessant sound was my cell phone that I knew was on silent. Nevertheless, I got it out of my bag to check, and it was silent. Then we heard the noise again, and I discovered what had happened. The button on the side of my phone that adjusts the volume was being pushed inside my bag continually. It had been my cell phone and my fault all along. There's nothing like having your boss be the one to figure out that your cell phone is incessantly beeping and preventing you and others from having class. Still, after apologizing profusely, I was able to laugh it off and continue with what was left of my class. Coach M caught me in the teacher's workroom this morning (Thursday) to ask about what had happened and to share with the other coaches present the embarrassment of my Wednesday.
As if this alarm incident wasn't enough, I was also caught making grammatical mistakes in my Facebook status by my mentor and department chair, Mrs. S.
Additionally, during the Round-Table discussion in my AP class, I was hit by a paper ball that my students had been using to play a game that they thought I didn't know they were playing. The truth is that I was just happy they were actually talking to me and thinking critically.
Bright Spot: After our daily prayer in 5th period, one student told me that our prayers got her through the day. Another student extended her thought by declaring that my class got him through the day. Those are the comments we live for. I can live on that one for months.
4. Today (Thursday) was the day that Mrs. S had planned to come and observe my class to begin preparing me for the Praxis III observation that I will complete in the Spring in order to recieve my offical teaching license. The bad news is that she makes me nervous, even more so than when I had my offical principal's evaluation. So I had been slightly stressed about her coming to visit the class that is composed of the most unfortunate combination of personalities, abitilities, and circumstances imaginable. I'd spent several fruitless hours trying to be sure that I would not embarrass myself, yet again. But she had to leave school early this afternoon and was unable to come. That's a relief for the day, but it means that I'll just be postponing my stress until sometime next week.
Bright Side: I'm beginning to actually enjoy this class of poor, unfortunate misfits.
Saturday, September 11, 2010
I greatly apologize to all my devoted fans and readers for the too-long hiatus you've been forced to endure while I spent the last month or so transitioning into my new life. I'm going to put blogging back on my priority list, but I'm not making any promises at this point as to how often you'll actually get an update. I love you all very much, but life is in session.
I suppose that the most efficient way for the pickle jar to make a comeback is to create a list of all the sweet and sour bits of life from the last few weeks. I'm a list maker by nature, but I'm terrible at hierarchies, so these are in no particular order.
1. I am and have been a real-live teacher for a month now. It still feels weird sometimes that I'm not the one in school anymore, but I love what I do. I'm sure that you all know someone in the teaching profession who could tell you all about the stress and mountains of work that go into molding young minds, and I am no stranger to climbing (and tumbling down) those mountains. However, I get to get up everyday and spend time with an amazing group of young people who continue to inspire, frustrate, encourage, and challenge me on a daily basis. I am certain that this is where I was made to be.
2. I just moved into a my very first grown-up apartment last week. It's a bit scary to actually be out on my own, paying my own bills, and coming home to an empty place every night, but I'm beginning to get used to it. I've always liked to be in control of how I spend my time, so that part is nice. I am confident that things will get easier. Some days are sweet; some days are sour. But everyday I am thankful for the opportunity to be able to be where I am.
3. Rob and I are still running, now on a daily basis. Our 5k for the JDRF is next weekend, and hopefully I'll have a post about how we were able to run the whole thing in roughly 45 min. It's still hard for me to keep going with the running routine, but I know I will feel so proud and accomplished when we cross that finish line.
4. Rob and I are also now sponsoring a child from Togo, West Africa through the Compassion International program. We send them money every month so that Francios can eat, sleep comfortably, go to school, and learn about Jesus. I am so excited to write my first letters and hear all about Francios' life. I still dream about being able to go hold babies in Africa someday, but until I get the opportunity to do that, I am doing what I can to make a difference.
In addition, here are a few things that you might see posts about in the near future, assuming that I can keep this up:
knitting
a new women's Bible study
Poetry Friday
experiences at a new church home
Wildcat Football
JDRF 5k
my sweet, sweet babies
ducks on the fishing pond
I hope this has been successful in satisfying your appetite for my interesting and witty entries. That's life in the pickle jar.
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