Cookie-Cutter Corps Member

The life and times of a(n) (a)typical 2013 Teach For America corps member:

[allhaillokigodofmischief]

When school gets hard, just remember this….

[seshrat]

unless your teachers are abusive assholes there is no fucking reason to disrespect them

they are literally trying their hardest to get you an education

teachers have every right to complain about rude students or the amount of papers they have to grade because their salary is low as shit

oh wow, your math teacher yelled at you because you were ignoring the lesson and talking to your friend

i wonder why

jesus christ teachers have it hard enough dont be an asshole

[cookiecuttercorpsmember]

I had a VERY real moment with my 5th period yesterday.  I literally stopped class and apologized to some of the students who were in there because I know they want to pass their Algebra 1 EOI in less than 45 days because IT DETERMINES IF THEY CAN GRADUATE FROM HIGH SCHOOL.  I apologized because I had wasted nearly 10 minutes on back and forth with the same 2-3 students who were being disrespectful and talking back.  I finally told them I was here for the students who wanted to graduate from high school and tomorrow (today), I would sit them on a side with their friends and they could do whatever they wanted as long as they didn't disrupt the kids on the other side of the room that I would work with so that they could pass the state test.  I told them I refuse to let them take that chance from other students who are trying.

Two of the girls yelled at me that they DID want to pass their EOIs and I was wasting their time.  I could teach over them.  I promptly told them that they can't tell me they want to pass that test because their actions show something COMPLETELY different and I was tired of it.  2 weeks since I became their teacher, they KNOW we don't have time for that.  They lost a whole semester with a math teacher who was dealing with family issues and sickness and had more days with a substitute then they did with an actual teach, so they are extremely behind.

This is the lowest paying job I've EVER had, and I'm working more hours than I've ever done.  Some of my students don't understand that I'm not in it for the paycheck.  They threaten to tell their parents or go to the board and try to get me fired.  I want them to understand that I chose to be in this situation, and if they did something to have me out of this situation, that I have the background, degree, and privileges to get a higher paying, less stressful job in less than 90 days.  But I CHOOSE to be here because I believe they deserve a chance, even when they don't get it.

[kaminoproto]

Elementary vs High school

[fuckurdashboard]

Lmaooooo

[cookiecuttercorpsmember]

truth... except half the numbers DON'T work

[cookiecuttercorpsmember]

End of one Semester, start of a new one...

It has been SO LONG since I last posted.  And yes, there is a HUGE update.

First things first.  Happy Holidays.  Happy Kwanzaa... HAPPY NEW YEAR!  I made it through my first semester as a teacher!  As I go through and update my kids' grades and lock them in for their report cards, I can see some real correlation between those who try and those who don't.  I'm sad to see so many of my students fail my class this semester, but I cannot coddle them.  They have to see what those days of "i don't care" or lack of discipline does to them as students.  And yes, I do respect my kids that tried to get it together the last month or so and started working MUCH harder than they did at the beginning of the semester, but a REAL WORLD college lesson is that when you start behind, it takes 3x the effort to get back to just making it.

Second, this new semester is going to be bittersweet.  As much as I complained about my kids and other teachers agree that the 10th grade class as a whole is so much to handle, I am going to miss them.  It was revealed to me a day before the last day of school before the winter break that I am being moved from Geometry to Algebra 1.  Not to say that I don't like Algebra 1 (to be honest, I love Algebra and wanted it from the get go), but I've got my class to an almost comfortable part where they know what to expect from me, and me (most times) what I can get out of them.  It's been a hard road, and while some of my kids are super excited NOT to have me next semester because I'm such a mean and rude teacher (and their grades definitely suffered because of it), there are some who really feel they are getting the short end of the stick.  Especially since they will get a long term substitute.  As they put it "they don't care if we pass the Geometry EOI or not.  How is that fair?"

Then again, it was a teachable moment.  It's not fair for them, but leaving the Algebra 1 students to fail their EOI (and they need that EOI to even graduate from high school), isn't fair either.  And yes, I'm leaving and you'll have a sub, but what are YOU going to do about it?  Are you going to give up?  Are you going to quit and just fail because that's what's expected of you?  Or are you going to try your hardest to learn what you can?  Are you going to come to my tutorials?  Are you going to leave the classmates who want anarchy and chaos in your class and focus with the kids trying to do something in order to get that bit of information?  I stress to my kids everyday that LIFE IS NOT FAIR!  Anything they want, they have to grab it and hold on to it really tight.  They will not get an easy road at all, and will have to fight for whatever they do it.  I think that some of them can really pass that Geometry EOI without me this April, but they have to be on their own game to make it there.

As far as my new Algebra 1 classes go... I think the new theme of my class is "We Ain't Got Time For That!"  Seriously, we have 54 days to get them to a point where they can possibly pass that test, and they've already lost a whole semester with substitutes and absences and a whole lot of other stuff.  I'm about to haze these kids up and down.  Welcome to the fraternity of Alpha Gamma Beta - AlGeBruhs for short.  And if you want to be a part of this elite group of scholars, who have to put in the work, kill the distractions, and have each other's back.  Wether it will be a line of 102 kids or just 2, those who work for it will get the best outcomes and can count themselves part of the elite group of kids who will graduate from high school.

JEEZ!  54 days to turn around 5 classes of students who NEED to pass this test.  And only a break to come up with a new game plan. new preps, new lesson plans, and new unit tests.  It's a lot of work on my end, so they will NOT get away with not doing the work of their end.  If they thought I was mean already, they ain't seen nothing yet....

On top of new kids, new rituals and routines, and not having a month to get behavior management down to my science, TFA OKC is going to have a culturally responsive teaching cohort that I can apply to be part of.  I already planned to apply before I got the news of my subject switch, but now, I'm worried that I won't have the time to dedicate to this because all of it needs to go in to my kids and them getting the passing score they need.  I'm going to have be a much tighter teacher and human being this year to make it all work.  New Years Resolution: NO Procrastinating.  Make a timeline, make a plan, and STICK TO IT!

Ya'll pray for me, because 2014 is going to be KILLAR!

[cookiecuttercorpsmember]

JA OKC Investment Challenge.   I brought 6 students to compete in this mock wall street game.

[valeria2067]

If policemen and doctors would just do their jobs, we wouldn’t have any crime or any death. Look, I know you cops like hanging out at Dunkin Donuts most of the day. I know you doctors like playing golf every afternoon. But if you want to keep your cushy jobs, you’re going to have to step up and show us some RESULTS to justify your pay. If a police department has more than three crimes per month committed in its jurisdiction, funding for the department will be cut, and some police officers will have to be fired until the crime rate goes down. If a two or more patients under a doctor’s care die (for any reason) in a single year, fifty-percent of that doctor’s salary will be garnished by the government, and he will risk losing his medical license if the survival rates do not improve. Now, I already hear you complaining. “I’m a police officer in a dangerous area. We risk our lives each day, and we can’t afford to lose funding or manpower.” Or, “I’m a doctor who specializes in treating cancer patients and the elderly. I work as hard as I can to keep them alive against incredible odds.” Well, guess what? Nobody forced you to become a police officer or a doctor. Get with the program, or get out of the field.

What If We Spoke to Police Officers and Doctors the Way We Speak to Teachers?  (via edukaition)

[cookiecuttercorpsmember]

Fall Break Update

So it has been a LONG while since I last updated and a good bit of that does not have to do with me being busy teaching (although school stuff does take up a majority of my time, as it should).

My personal life has been a wreck due to a less than perfect living situation which I have removed myself from.  There is no point in being stressed at work and being stressed at home.  Your life blends into this perfect storm of negativity, which of course you bring to your kids and then they sense it and they attack you.  Not good all the way around.

As far as teaching is concerned, I am SO HAPPY to be on fall break.  I kept telling myself, just make it to October, just make it to fall break.  Then you can replan, regroup, and get your life together.  Whelp, it's fall break and I have no desire, energy, or gumption to do any of that right now... *sigh*  Teaching has slowly been breaking me of my laziness and procrastination habits.

The first nine weeks are over.  Many of my students are not happy with their grades, and neither are their parents.  I think the first marking period is to show I'm serious about personal responsibility, prove to them that I'm not playing about the "no late work" policy, and treating them like their first semester in college.  It's hard to get those grades up when they start behind.  I had a student change his entire schedule, drop the special academy he was in, just to get into the other math teacher's geometry class.  He came back later that week after a VERY frank discussion with me (and some help from the truancy officer who knows most of my kids pretty well).  

My TFA coach says I need to be more positive.  Tell them what they are doing right.  My kids tell me they think I'm trying to play them when I say good job because my tone seems stuck on sarcastic.  I'm working on it...

As far as TFA is concerned, it's a love/hate relationship.  Towards the end of the nine weeks when I still had a weeks worth of grades to put in before Tuesday at 2:40pm and mini-assessments to grade and get to my department head, they had scheduled me for an all day Professional Development session on what was going to be a working Saturday, then had two other sessions I needed to go to the next Saturday (which only stressed me out about all the other things I need to be doing to engage my students' families, not just teaching my kids), then a content session that had "deliverables" do on Sunday, and I had to present a lesson to my content specialist to make sure I'm teaching so that my kids understand me.  Oh yeah, and they needed a tracker of my kids grades in a special TFA tracker that makes everything better, but is not something I'm using in real life.... Yeah.  I told them that their stuff is my last priority.  Especially with all the sessions I have to go to in order to get my certification.  There is no time for me to actually plan and grade papers.  I have meetings after school nearly everyday except Fridays.  I tutor on Mondays and Thursdays until 4:30pm (and I actually have students who show up both days to work), and a host of other important work I'm doing for my school (like being Junior Class Sponsor - which means planning the Jr/Sr Prom).  By October, TFA was not a priority.

But I guess that means I'm integrating pretty well into my school and school community.  Again, I love the people I work with.  My kids may hate my class and me in class, but at football games and outside of our regular school work, they seem to respond to me.  During the homecoming game, some of my 10th graders asked me to talk to the cheerleaders and make them keep cheering during triple overtime...  "They'll listen to you if you tell them to.  You're the only one that can do it."  - Okay, kiddos.

I'm discovering that teaching is a balance of professionalism and realness.  I may be strict.  I may be mean.  I may have serious attitude with my kids, but I think in the end, they know that I am being genuine with them and that wins me a couple of points.

P.S. - I'm never doing Intercession again.  Not until my school and administrators get it together that it actually helps the kids who are there and has structures that keeps kids just wasting time engaged without it being all on the teacher.  That was 3 days of stress that was not worth the time for the teachers or the kids.  Changes have to be made, and I will be the first to share some ideas.

[cookiecuttercorpsmember]

Just wanted to share some photos of my classroom.  I'm especially proud of the Nick Fury poster behind my desk with his arms folded.  I do that same pose whenever my kids are taking a test and I'm staring at them whispering to each other....

i think I need to add some speech bubbles on my poser and captions, like Nick saying "I'm the authority around here"  or Wolverine saying "don't even think about it, bub" so my kids know not to go into that cabinet.  I love the idea of a caption by the black panther, luke cage, and black falcon poster and Misty Knight and Colleen Wing stating "Highly Educated...and extremely deadly"

Since putting up the new posters, a couple of kids wander into my classroom during lunch and act like it's an art gallery.  Quite a few yell at me about the black spiderman being a fake poster - then I have to tell them that Mr Morales is the new Ultimate Spiderman, but they don't believe me. lol!

[cookiecuttercorpsmember]

How to make enemies of your students in less than 1 minute...

... give them a quiz.

No, I'm 100 times serious.  I had been telling my kids ALL week that they would have a Geometry vocab quiz on Friday, then Friday came and they were all shocked and appalled that they had to do this quiz.

Needless to say, most of them failed.

Then, I decided to give them a chance to get some extra points by taking their graded quiz home and writing out the correct answers to the questions they missed and I would give them half credit for each wrong problem.  Out of 5 periods, about 5 students actually did it and turned it in.

I'm not a nice teacher.  I grade pretty harshly.  It's no wonder that most of my students are failing my class and now they are coming up to me about "make-up work" or what they can do to bring their grades up.  I'm telling them, I don't take late work unless you have an excused absence, and no, ISS is NOT an excuse.

I think my struggle here is to find where my students REALLY don't understand and where they are just being lazy.  To see a majority of my class fail a vocab quiz had me wondering if I'm pushing too hard... then I realize that if I don't push them, who will?

Week 4 and we have had 1 quiz and 1 unit test (all on Logic and Reasoning).  My kids HAVE to get this.  And yes, they make fun that my math class is their 2nd English class (one student keeps asking when are we going to do math and not spelling test *not amused*).  But when they take the Geometry benchmark tomorrow, I hope they see how many words are on there that they don't know and maybe trust my madness a little bit more.

I mean, I spent a whole class period with one class teaching them about how to measure a line with a ruler.  No seriously.  They didn't understand how the smaller markings on the ruler worked, so they could not round to the nearest 1/8 on the ruler.  I did nothing but try to connect how fractions work on a ruler...

...and it's not their faults.  It isn't.  Or the fact they say their other math teachers were crap which is why they don't know the Pythagorean Theorem (which they should have learned in 8th grade) or even that they don't have rulers at home.  But at some point, I need compliance and I need them to trust that I'm trying to lead them in a positive direction for their lives- not just in math.  And that's where the breakdown happens.  They don't trust teachers, and I can't blame them.  4 weeks down and I want us to be past disrespect and behavior issues, but I have not earned their trust.

4 weeks down and I know most of my students by name (really I do), but I keep mixing them up when I say them out loud.  That's why they don't trust me.

4 weeks down, and I'm still too frazzled by the end of class to stop those who have 45 second detentions and write up the students for lunch detentions.  My consistency is crap.

4 weeks in and i still haven't talked to all my parents, and although I really want their support, I just haven't taken the serious time needed to call my other 3 classes and all my ESL families...

4 weeks in and I still have A LOT of work to do.

[cookiecuttercorpsmember]

Lessons from the first week

Today was the second day of my second week, and to celebrate FINALLY getting internet in my apartment, I want to reflect on last week and some very interesting lessons I learned...

1. Be ready for anything

I was so sure that I would be in my classroom all day the first day.  I had set up everything exactly the way I wanted, I had my PowerPoint, and I even tested to make sure my Smart Board worked.  Then none of that mattered for the first two time blocks.  But to be fair, I should always have a back up plan and flexible enough to roll with the punches.  Emergencies, misunderstandings, whatever.  The kids should never see me sweat or annoyed with other adults in the building (they should know when I'm annoyed with them, though).

2. You have to have more than one reason why...

Yeah, so i have all these rules I want the kids to follow and procedures that I'm positive will make our learning environment better.  And I tell them that.  But they need more than one reason why, especially when they don't trust you.  Trying to get certain classes to fill out the Pink Slips for not turning in their homework has been like pulling teeth.  Because they don't get any credit for the pink slips they don't want to bother.  I don't want them to fill it out just for my records, but to show them responsibility for doing what they need to do and not having any excuses.  They want to be adults, then they need to start working like adults.  But I didn't tell them that when I first introduced the pink slips, and now I have kids not turning in homework OR the pink slips recognizing they haven't done it.

3. Talk about your class with other (veteran) teachers

Instead of putting up a front that I had everything together or that my class was coming together the way I wanted, I actually have been honest about how I was feeling to a couple of veteran teachers and staff members, who have given me the BEST advice.  Even one coach asked to see my list of students, highlight the ring leaders, then told me who played what sport, who I should tell if they are acting the fool, and what really scares them.  While, yes, I have to be consistent in my management plan, I also need individual plans for students who messing with the new teacher is the new hobby.  And a couple of teachers have stood up for me and talked some of the rougher students down from giving me blatant disrespect.  This has helped my class run a bit smoother.  Not perfect, but better than where I started.

4. Don't think things personally - It happened yesterday, today is another free chance

I made one of my students ABSOLUTELY furious and threatened her with a lunch detention.  She left cursing me under her breath and absolutely seemed like she was going to murder me.  The next day during my lunch period right before her time block, another teacher brought her in to my class to ask a question about the homework she was doing (which she didn't understand).  I helped her and explained one of the problems for her, she turned it in, got a B on the assignment, and has been working pretty hard in the class since.  Because I didn't hold a grudge against her from the previous day and helped her like nothing had happened, she was less hesitant around me.  The teacher dragged her to my room not knowing why the student didn't want to ask me for help, but she wasn't sure about that particular problem and absolutely refused to let her not bother me at lunch.  It was a solid lesson that if I don't hold a grudge, then sometimes, neither will my students.  I may be strict and evil and mean and restrictive as a teacher, but the couple of students who reached out for help or a favor (I even went to McDonalds for a couple of my students during lunch), it helps my stock with them and they see that I'm not just mean to be mean, but I'm trying to establish the way we work in class, even when they don't want to.

5. Remain positive - You never know who's listening

Sure, my class size for two of my periods was ridiculous. but when I asked about my class size, I simply asked how I could get more desks for my kids since I didn't have enough.  I didn't rage and complain about those particularly two huge classes and how difficult it was for me.  I mean, I was honest that I was struggling a little bit, but my Principal, VP, and a couple of coaches came through last week during those periods to see what I meant, and they decided to do something about my class size by THIS WEEK.  My rosters for both classes is down to about 28 each, and it has helped SO MUCH.  But because I tried my best in a situation that wasn't the best, I was able to build a much better repertoire with my Principal and other administrators at my school.  It's true, you catch more flies with honey than vinegar, and even down to the Library/Media Specialist, they have done some amazing favors for me because I have remained positive, proactive, and treated them as the important parts of my classroom that they are.  

This week has started out well and I'm still learning a lot.  I can finally print at school (WHOOP) and I get my first paycheck this week.  But what's better than all that, is I won the "Mighty Bison" award in our Staff Meeting this week for how I held on last week.  I can't wait to pass it on next week, because my school team is amazing.  The other teachers have done so much and still take out time to help me.  Again, I can't express how blessed I am to have been placed at my school. 

[blaquestarr]

Calling all artists... and Tumblr friends who know internet artists

So I’m asking Tumblr for a little help.

Some of you may know that I am a new teacher starting my first year in the classroom TOMORROW!  I’m teaching High School Math, but my theme for my class is Super Heroes.  Why?  Because I’m obsessed with them and I think the stories of superheroes and comics bring out a lot about character, logic, and problem solving, which is what math is all about.

Anyways, I started decorating my classroom, and lo and behold, I CANNOT find anything (especially posters) that have Heroes of color in them.  I mean NOTHING.  Sure there are Avengers stuff and Spiderman stuff and Man of Steel stuff and even Iron Man 3 stuff, but not even on picture of Rhodey or War Machine.  No Bueno because I want to have a multicultural classroom.  Most of my kids will be black, but I have Latino/a, Native, and Asian American-Pacific Islander kids on my role as well.  I don’t want to reinforce that idea that heroes only come in one color, but that is what I am finding, even though i KNOW there are tons of amazing heroes of color.  I almost even bought a Marvel character collective poster where the first black person/person of color was in the 6th line of heroes in the background.  Even STORM was in the final line of flying heroes, so microscopic that I missed her the first time I saw the poster….  Let’s not even get started on DC, whose only poster out is for INJUSTICE, but Cyborg is the ONLY hero of color and he’s on the same row as notorious villains Joker and Harley Quinn (who I personally love, but it sends the wrong message).  Heck, I can’t find even an Aqua Lad action figure now that Young Justice is no longer on the air!

And let’s not get started on the lack of Heroines, let along Heroines of color.

So, my charge is if there are any artists on Tumblr, Deviantart, etc who have made posters of any size of heroes of color, I am willing to buy them.  I came to the realization that most of my collection came from conventions’ artist alley, and not from publishers.  Now, I’m a teacher on a teacher’s salary (aka, I’m poor), but if you have anything and are willing to ship to me, I will give you the little money I have in order to let my kids know that black men and women, Latino men and Latina women, Asian men and women, and Native men and women are valuable heroes in our comics and can find a place in dominant society where they help people who may often times discriminate against them too.

Seriously, message me with links to your stuff and I will buy.  I will increase the collection over the school year introducing my kids to more heroes that look like them.  I’m also enclosing a couple of heroes/heroines I would be 100% more jazzed to have, but if you have collections of heroes of color, I will take anyone.  You can even school me on heroes I may not know (especially of the Asian American and Native variety.  My knowledge is severely lacking in that area, but I’m trying to find more).  And don’t feel like you have to stick to DC or Marvel.  I take all vigilante and legends…

Heroes I would have to decorate my classroom wall: Black Panther, Storm, Static (or Static Shock), Misty Knight (Heroes for Hire), Luke Cage, Cyborg, Aqua Lad (Young Justice), Blue Beetle (Young Justice), Rocket (milestone or Young Justice), Icon, Bumblebee, Guardian, Tye Longshadow, Asami Koizumi, Miles Morales (Ultimate Spiderman), John Stewart, Atom, Captain Marvel, Jubilee, Lady Deathstrike, Xombi, Third Rail (Blood Syndicates), Artemis (Young Justice); Cassandra Cain, Colleen Wing, Karima Shapandar, Solstice, Thunderbird (multiple ones in Marvel), Mirage, Hawkman III, Black Condor, Forge, Kyle Raynar, Pantha, Tarantula, Vulcan, Aquamaria & Flashback (Blood Syndicates), Tempest (just to name a few).

Hopefully, the internet can help me where real life has failed spectacularly…

[cookiecuttercorpsmember]

Thoughts from my first day as a teacher...

[cookiecuttercorpsmember]

Countdown.... 1 week til kids come!

Classes start on Monday... HOLY *youknowwhat*!   Is it just NOW hitting me that I will have real live children (teens) in my face expecting me to know what to do with them?

Okay, I hope I'm not the only one freaking out.  Although I display this really cool and calm facade on the outside to all the other vet and new teachers.

This and last week was a whirlwind of new information to help me in planning and getting ready for the kiddos on Monday.  The Marzano method of setting up learning goals, topics, and units.  The Pearson workshop model and lesson plans.  Common Core and PASS... I have to make them all make sense and work together to be a coherent class for my Geometry students.

And speaking of Geometry students, a vet teacher was nice enough to help me get set up on the online grade book and use her computer so that I could see my class roster so far.  OMG!!!  5 classes straight of Geometry, and while I thought my classes would all be small (because I'm just teaching 10th and 11th grade, right?), nopenopenopenope.  Right now, I have 10 students in 1st period, 24 in 2nd period, 29 in 3rd period, about 20 in 4th, and 10 again in 5th.  I have one 3 classes of 10th graders, 1 class just of 9th graders, and a class of 11th and 12th graders.  VERY INTERESTING.  And my classes have a pretty diverse range of kids.  Oh, I really hope they don't completely hate my super hero theme...

Now, I just need to get those first 2 weeks of content together before I go into my actually planned Geometry lessons.  I also need to steal all the Geometry resources, lesson plans, and general list of teacher stuff I can.  Anyone wanna email me your stuff if you ever taught Geometry?

But I'm very hopeful and grateful for the team of teachers I'm with.  I have a lot more work to do on my end (revising my vision and goals, setting up my management and investment plans, the first 2 weeks of content needs to be planned, and oh yeah, I get into my room tomorrow and have NO idea what to do to set it up......)

On top of all that, I have TFA Orientation make-up work to do, which is REALLY low on my list right now.  But, I'm a team player (somewhat), so it'll get done.  After all my school planning stuff.  I have been checking in with my TFA friends and I hope to head out to Boston to celebrate their 3rd Deadline in October.  I have to make sure to bring tons of pictures of my kids, and videos of them, and general stories of how it's going.  But only if they promise to bring helpful supplies for me to take back to OKC!

Dang it, I think i'm actually REALLY excited about all this.

That, or i'm gonna throw up.

Naw, I think it's actually excitement.

1 week to GO!!!!!!

[cookiecuttercorpsmember]

Life Update.... Post Institute, Pre Class, Mid Orientations....

It's been a while since I last wrote up a post.  To be quite honest, Institute wore me out more than I thought it would.  I seriously was on a crazy schedule, having to be up by 5:20 in order to eat and get on the bus to my school by 6:45 am (which was the latest bus to leave), teach at 11:55 until their lunch (at 12:45 pm) then getting my grades in, workshops with TFA, and finally leaving the school at 4:45 pm to get back to campus.  After that, it was dinner, start working on final version of my lesson plan for the next day, working with my teaching group (aka Collaboration), write a lesson plan for the following week that is due the next morning, and hopefully get to bed by 1 am to do it all again.

Yeah - struggle bus.

Even when I had weekends or days off (like 4th of July), I was just mind dead enough not to want to think, write emails, check tumblr, or post anything.  I even had the nerve to voluntarily sign up for extra meetings and work through a group of CMs who wanted to talk more about Diversity and Inclusion.  We hosted some night events where students could come and chat about D&I and I even got to facilitate our last DCA (Diversity, Community, and Achievement) session for my school site about our own personal identities and what will we do in our regions to keep the conversations going (and be more anti-racist).

Also my FA (TPS Faculty Advisor) was a doll.  She even gave (made) my collab Teacher bags that I will post up pictures of later.  She had the kids sign their names on canvas bags for us to take with us.  The lines that kids put down that they think defined their time with me: "I WILL wait for 100%" and "SLANT!"  Yeah.  I'm a task master... no one's surprised, right?

I will admit that the last teaching day of institute was a pretty good day.  And not because it was the last day, but because you get to see some of the fruits of your labor.  Like I was finally able to have some great one-on-one conversations with some of my students who had a lot of insight to share.  From one girl who was constantly bullied until she pulled out her boxing skills that she had been training up for 6 years (and she one a lot of the summer school class superlatives) to a few kids telling me that us four inexperienced, stumbling teachers were the best teachers they had since we actually tried to help them.  Really?  Me?  I take that with a grain of salt.  I also got SUPER excited when a VERY quiet kid in class during our Jeopardy game gave an extra credit answer from the back of the room (and I could hear him) and he used the correct math vocabulary.  All the kids were so shocked to see how animated I got.  But that was the BEST FEELING.  He was also the student that made the most growth over the summer in math.  I really hope he does alright in high school....

But now I'm out of the Institute bubble and have officially moved to Oklahoma City.  I just finished the OKCPS (Oklahoma City Public School) Orientation, have my employee ID, my school laptop, benefits filled out, know what union i'm joining, I know a little about services offered in the system (we get Discovery Education which looks to be SO CLUTCH), and some great ideas for first days/weeks and new way to structure my class (Workshop Model).  I can't say the first 2-3 days were super helpful, but the end of Wednesday, all day Thursday and today were really useful/helpful/informative.  I still don't know exactly what I'm teaching (outside of just high school math), but I'm looking forward to the school wide Orientation I will have starting Monday (which will be during the TFA Orientation, but I think being with my school and the vet teachers there will be a bit more helpful right about now).  Oh well!

In my personal life, I've moved into my house with my two roommates (which has been drama since we first applied for the house).  I get along great with one roommate, the other..... well, let's just say I tried to not move in, but the landlord apparently wouldn't let them move in without the 3rd roommate.  Now, we are just trying to stay on civil terms, which is harder some days than other.  I wanted roommates in order to keep me social and not become a hermit like I was my first year in Boston, but this roommate makes me want nothing more than to be on an island by myself without her noise...  Hopefully, it'll get better with all of us working in our individual schools, she'll have her car and I won't be driving everyone everywhere, and we start living our lives outside of just TFA.  If not, it'll be a long first year (and maybe not because of the kids).

I've had time to read a lot since we have no TV or internet in the house.  I'm going through some great books my best friend and 2008 ATL CM gave me, as well as a couple of useful books from my OKCPS Orientation.  I haven't gotten all my planning done for my first days or how I'm gonna set up my room (which I still haven't seen), but I'm pretty sure it's gonna be a super hero theme (because it's my own personal motivation - and I'm super geeked about it).  I'm sitting in a Barnes & Nobles now just to type this out.  Hopefully, the internet thing will be figured out by next week and my stuff will be delivered before August 1st (still no word on when they even loaded my stuff on the truck to come out here... they have 10 more days left in their "window").

I'm sure it'll all come together before the kiddos start on August 5th.  I'm sure.... yeah..... I'm sure....

#help

[cookiecuttercorpsmember]

Week 2 - TGIF!!

I've been here for nearly 2 weeks.  2 WEEKS!!!  Tulsa Institute.

Seriously, it feels like months.  One week in TFA time is a full month in real world time...

Today is the Friday after my first week of teaching actual students.  Boy, it's been a week.

I guess I have to start from the beginning.  Week one, mostly clinics to learn teaching techniques and getting to start writing and executing lesson plans.  There was so much crammed into that first week that I couldn't wait for the students to come.  It had to get easier once we were focused on teaching, right?

Yeah, I'm working off of 4 hours of sleep.  Meetings with my teaching team, writing lesson plans, re-writing lesson plans, practicing my lessons, and teaching those actual lessons to 13-15 year old kids who would rather be anywhere other than summer school.  And I still have workshops, clinics, and meetings after we get back from the school site.  I can honestly say that I've been BUSY!!

I'm surprised how invested I am in the TFA teaching model, especially once the pressure has been added.  If this is gonna make me a better teacher and help my kids get it, then tell me what to do.  With only four weeks of instruction, there can be no wasted days, and right now - my kids don't get the math concepts I'm teaching.

I think I have had a pretty cushy ride, still.  I'm in a smaller high school/summer program with a great team of people.  Sure, I have a higher concentration of kids in my classroom then most in the summer program, but I don't have the full 40 students that was originally in my roster.  My teaching team is starting the gel, and I have made some really strong friends in my region.

People are asking me if I love my kids, and I have to be honest.  Not yet. They are still testing me.  And Thursday, they went full ham.  But I'm a warrior - and I'm not gonna break.  Behavior or getting them to the level I believe they should be.  They are interesting and they are very diverse (seriously, a mix of black, white, and hispanic kids from across the city).  They are lively and I think they are brilliant - if I can just harness their energy and get them invested in themselves.

Whelp - 3 more weeks to go.  Here's to be becoming a better teacher for  their sakes.

[cookiecuttercorpsmember]

Institute - Day One (technically?)

It's been a while since I had a free moment to write or record a post.  Of course, I'm not surprised by that as I knew going in that Institute and Induction were going to be SUPER busy.

Well, Induction is now over, and while I miss my lovely bedroom in OKC, I am now in Tulsa getting to know the Tulsa Corps as well as corps members from Indianapolis, Kansas City, Miami-Dade, Charlotte, and the Twin Cities.  This also means an influx of more diverse CMs, especially in the Indianapolis and Charlotte corps.

First off, I am sad that Induction is over.  I loved being in OKC and getting to know people and the city.  The community experiences has been great, especially getting to go to Star Spencer High School and meet students there.  We also were able to hang out with current Corps Members (from 2012) and I think I made some friends.  It would be really interesting to work with them at their given schools.  If some of them had their way, they would choose who went where according to who they would like to play pranks on while teaching. 

I can't say I learned a WHOLE lot yet (most of induction is getting to know each other, the region, and TFA) and while getting to know people has been great, I do kind of know TFA already (although I'm getting a more regional side to it all) and while I like the city, I don't know it all.  There are still some limited views I have been able to see, and you never really know a community until you have lived in it for a number of years.

But Institute is a WHOLE nother ball game.  Just looking at the deadlines for the next 5 weeks, I have a whole new appreciation for anyone who went through this.  While having today off to sleep and get my head around being in Tulsa (unlike yesterday where it was gogogo! from 6:30am until 8:30pm), I am excited about tomorrow and what my team will look like under a CMA instead of TTL (all these TFA acronyms).

Speaking of TTLs - I was in a group with 6 other secondary math placement folks in OKC.  Our leader was a 3rd year math teacher at one of the local Hispanic high schools who was kind of amazing and took our team joking very lightly.  We really formed a small family and are still group texting each other (including my team leader who is still in OKC) about random stuff and sending pictures back and forth.  I always get grouped with the crazy folk...

(we're holding up "the claw" which our team leader [balding guy in the back] once did when trying to direct us to Bus "C")

I'll have a new team at Institute, however.  I was placed in my subject (teaching 9th grade general math this summer), so I'm excited about that.  I can't stress how Oklahoma has been a pretty smooth and put together process, even though it's only their second year having an institute.  I urge people to REALLY think about that when choosing their regions when applying.

[cookiecuttercorpsmember]

Induction: Day 2!

Still working on the video bug, although (to be quite honest), I haven't had a ton of time to dig into the issue with my first full day of induction.

I have to say that I am impressed with OKC and the amount of time we spent in the community and the different voices we heard from.  From survivors of the Oklahoma City Bombing of '95 to students working with the Dream Act in Norman, OK, it has a central theme of community, partnerships, and meeting needs across that community.

While Native (American Indian) voices are distinctly missing right now, I am happy that I have been able to see the "Oklahoma Standard" first hand and learn about alternative ways other groups are helping families in OKC.  I feel energized and more invested in not just my group and placement, but in the city as a whole.  Maybe OKC will be a nice place to lay down some real roots.  And from the conversation in my car during our late night Wal-Mart run, I may not be the only one thinking that as well.