Ultimate Valentine Card Exchange

My other blog is hosting a Valentine Exchange and Giveaway that I am super excited about. It may seem like cheating that I'm doing two entries, but don't worry, I won't let myself win. :)

Please join in on the Valentine Exchange by CLICKING HERE!

A Poem

In my teaching ethical diversity class we have been reading Fires in the Bathroom: Advice for Teachers from High School Students by Kathleen Cushman. I have been absolutely loving this book (even though I'm no longer planning on teaching high school) and will be doing an official book review on this blog at a later date.

Also in my class, after we finish a book (we read another one that I will also do a review for (I'm behind on this blog)) we are to create an "artifact", something that we got out of the book. It could be an art project, a piece of writing, whatever. For Fires in the Bathroom I wrote a poem and I would like to share it with you.

This book is partially written by high school students, saying what it is they want out of a teacher. For my "artifact", I wrote a poem about what I might have said to my teachers, had I been a co-author of this book. This poem is very personal, and focuses on how I was suffering through depression very heavily during high school.

So here is my untitled poem:

I am your student

A name on the roster, a body in the chair.

I am sometimes invisible to those in the class,

I am sometimes invisible to you.

I don’t always understand what you say,

Sometimes the words just don’t make sense.

It doesn’t help with the pounding in my head,

The constant ache in my chest.

I’m hurting inside, but you don’t see that,

You don’t even try to look.

You’re doing your job, you think you are,

You’re teaching and you think that’s good.

You don’t know that I don’t sleep at night.

You don’t know I’m hurting inside.

You don’t understand why I’m so shy,

You think it’s because I’m dumb.

I’m quiet, I know, but I wish you would hear

The words that I’m longing to say.

I wish I could trust you to listen to me

When I tell you why I am this way.

I am your student.

A name on the roster, a body in the chair.

Would you even notice if one day I wasn’t there?

Teacher Interview

This past week I was able to interview a teacher as a part of my Introduction to Elementary Education class. It was incredibly enlightening and I feel she answered all my questions perfectly. She is a third grade teacher, which I am now leaning towards teaching (quite honestly I don't know what grade I want to teach yet, any suggestions would be greatly appreciated). She was eating her lunch and working on her laptop during the interview. This alone was a huge insight to me that teachers don't really get a break, which I had assumed, but it was nice to see in action. Here is how the interview went.

Q: Do you feel you are consistently learning?

A: All the time! Especially with new technology coming out there is always more to learn.

Q: How do you handle students who are off task?

A: I avoid it happening in the first place by constantly being involved and moving around the classroom, checking up on all the students. I place them in small groups because they can usually work better than as a whole.

Q: Does your subject schedule remain consistent?

A: I always switch things up. It depends on the day and the way things go. The schedule always changes.

Q: What subject is most challenging for your students?

A: Reading. It surprised me how well they all do in math, but in reading they are all on different levels and understandings.

Q: What qualities do you think make a successful teacher?

A: Flexibility. You have to adjust constantly in the classroom.

Q: What things about teaching surprised you when you first started teaching?

A: How long things took to teach.

Q: Any last advice on being a teacher?

A: It takes a lot of time. You don't really get summers off because you have so much to prepare for and do. You have to really like it because it doesn't pay very much and the hours are long. You are always involved in teaching and never really get a break.

ARE YOU A TEACHER AND FEEL YOU HAVE BETTER ANSWERS TO THESE QUESTIONS? PLEASE LEAVE A COMMENT BELOW TO HELP ME ON MY JOURNEY TO BECOME A TEACHER!

THANK YOU!! 

12 Days of Service

On my other blog (When the Cows Come Dancing Home) I am encouraging all my readers to participate in 12 acts of service this December. I think that this is very important for everyone. I also believe this idea can be implemented in the classroom. I don't have a classroom yet, but I hope that when I do I can get my students to participate in random acts of kindness and service, because it's something that is very important to me. If you haven't already, please follow both of my blogs! Thanks for reading!! 

Changing My Major

Last week I met with my peer adviser and made my four-year college plan, and even though I've already been in college for four years, I still have four years left. It's frustrating to know that I'll be in college for a total of eight years, but I'm changing my major is the best decision I have ever made.

I am so excited to start working towards becoming an elementary school teacher! I love this new path that I am going towards! This blog doesn't have much of a point at the moment, but as I go through school I will continual write about my progress to becoming a teacher. I'm so grateful for any readers of my blog! You mean the world to me and I'm so glad you support my new goal!

Fall Pinterest Ideas

So I am addicted to Pinterest. Honestly. I'm on there in all my free time. I get a ton of fun teaching ideas through Pinterest. So here are some of my favorite Fall/Halloween related teaching pins. Enjoy! (And feel free to follow me on Pinterest!)

Link found here.. 

Link found here. 

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Link found here. 

Link found here. 

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