Judson College :: Senior/Transfer

1. Who knew that absences could be stressful for a teacher? Yes, when students miss class, it creates extra work for the teacher. I didn’t get it until now. I am so thankful for the students that come to class everyday.
2. You have to grade papers and update grades quickly. You can’t let that stuff stack up. Students want to know their grades NOW! I have 90 students, and the paper piles form a sea if given the opportunity. Thank goodness I am doing pretty well with this.
3. Lunch duty is the perfect time to grade papers. I think this one is self explanatory.
4. Veteran teachers can help you when situations get tough.
5. Students don’t always behave the way that the teaching textbook suggests. There may be a “special case” in each class period. Those students are to be loved and encouraged, although it is difficult for the teacher at times.
6. Students notice everything! From the color of your skin (slightly pale, far from tan) to the fact that you run down the hall sometimes (yes, I just have to do things quickly). The students may even know where you shop on the weekends (at Dollar Tree).
7. Some students don’t know where to start when you ask them to be creative, while others can write for days. Students are so clever.
8. Weekends are to be treasured and taken advantage of. REST, RELAX, and REVIVE yourself for the week to come.
9. Students always have an opinion, yet they are not always willing to share it. I love listening to my students discuss the issues that are presented in class. Students’ perspectives are often extremely different from mine, but they are always interesting.
10. Even though it is hard work, it is worth it in the end.

The past 10 days have been a whirlwind. 

Last Friday I applied for a job at Daphne High School. I applied for a temporary English teaching position. When I saw the posting online, I decided to apply but hardly thought that I would get the job. Little did I know, I would get a call the following Tuesday for an interview. 

I went to DHS on Tuesday afternoon for my interview and I thought that it went well. The principal was very positive throughout our meeting, but I still didn’t think that I was going to get a job. I didn’t even allow myself to think about the interview or the job possibility at all on Wednesday. 

I received a call later in the week, and I was asked to take the position. Honestly, I could hardly believe what was happening. I was told that I would start on Monday. Yes, MONDAY... That meant that I had about four days to prepare to teach high school. I was no longer a substitute teacher. I had a REAL job! 

Friday, I went to the school to meet the teacher that I would be replacing. She gave me everything she could to help me teach the rest of the semester. She had some great resources and I have no idea what I would have done without her help.  I also met my students. I am excited to work with them and to instruct them. 

I spent most of the day Saturday creating lesson plans for the next nine weeks. I planned what we were going to read, when we were going to have tests, and when we were going to write papers. I won’t claim that I have a complete nine week plan but the bare bones of this quarter are definitely in place now. I can say that I developed complete plans for next week at least. 

Sunday afternoon I went back to the school to clean and to work on bulletin boards. When I say clean I mean that we really cleaned. My classroom is the old band room, and it is gi-normous!  My mom, my neighbor and friend Ranita, and my friend Terri helped me with this huge task. We all worked for about three and a half hours. There is no way I could have done that on my own. 

Now, I am trying to go to sleep, but I am just too jittery to go to bed. I am extremely excited about teaching in my very own classroom. I wonder if the students are going to behave well. I wonder if I am going to know what to say and when to say it. I hope that I am going to know how to use the projector when the time comes in the lesson. I hope that I can figure out the copy machine in the morning. See, I have so much going on in my head.  

 I cannot end this blog without saying that God truly blessed me with this job. Everything that I have done in the past month led up to this major event in my life. From joining a Life Group at church to working at the alternative school, every step has been important to the journey. God has shown me how He uses everything and every type of occasion to establish His plan in our lives. I am so thankful for His love and for His guidance! Please pray for me as I embark upon this new journey in my life.  

I know that I will have many stories to tell in the near future. Stay tuned, it is going to be a great nine weeks! 

When I tell people that I am subbing at an alternative school the say things like.... “Wow”   “Really”  “Oh my”  But I say.... “Oh no really it is GREAT!”

I have been given the opportunity to sub in an alternative school setting for special ed students for the next two weeks. The kids in this school have behavior disorders or learning disabilities. Let me start off by saying the kids are TOUGH. But yesterday it didn't go too badly. I was often reminded of my times student teaching. I had some difficult situations but all in all I made it through the day, successfully.
 
As I read the lesson plans at the beginning of the day, I wondered how much of the work the kids would actually do. The main reason that the students are at the school is to improve their behavior. Academics are important, but behavior is a major focus at the school. When I read what the last hour of the day would entail I got really excited. It said that we would begin reading a book. We were to read The Outsiders. I had never read this book and I was excited to read it with these students.

When I told the paraeducator what we would be doing the last hour of the day, he laughed at me and said good luck... He didn’t think that the students would give me the time of day.  I told him that I would read to them for at least 3 minutes. I know that doesn't sound like much but believe me three minutes was a long time for these boys. As I began to read I told the students that I needed their full attention. Some of the boys had already read the story and they began telling me what was going to happen even before we began reading. What happened next surprised me a bit. I read to those boys for 10 min. They were silent and genuinely listening. I remember talking about reading over and over in my classes at JC, and I remember learning that students should be read to. I treated the reading time as if it were extremely important and the students responded!  I would say that our reading was the most successful time during the day. It was amazing.

I hope to increase the reading time each day. And I have a feeling that things are going to be OK!

Subbing = Success! :)