It's like a retail job...but not...

On my quest for a career, I have filled out EVERY online application I can find (which isn't many to begin with). These positions range from part time preschool teachers to full time sixth grade teachers. I hadn't gotten any calls back until last week.

I was called to interview for a preschool lead teacher position. I bring my portfolio, print out my resume on pretty paper, make sure I'm a little early for the interview just to have my hopes crushed and then stomped on... There was a form to fill out with the regular interview info (name, prior experiences, references etc.). When it came to that little box where it says "How much do you expect to make?" I put a good figure, because they always try to pay you less anyway. The director took it and started laughing. She said, and I quote, "HaHa! I make waaay less than that. Like waaaay!" Following this, I was regailed with her life story and it turns out that she has a BA and works two jobs because she can't find a job that pays more than $12 hr. Geeze. I make more than that subbing!

I am going to have to start asking how much these places pay before actually going on an interview from now on!!

xxOOxx

Website Review: Toon Doo

http://www.toondoo.com/

Okie, this is a website with endless possibilities for the creative teacher. On this site, you can make your own cartoons. Yup! Your very own personalized cartoons :D WooHoo!!

Can you see the possibilities?! Can you? I sure can! You can make cartoon strips to illustrate new vocabulary words, science concepts, or geography like the one shown above. They can be used to show relationships between characters in a novel or play. Students can make their own as part of a report or review lesson. You could also use them as part of a PowerPoint or even on a smart board! Geeze, so many possibilities! Let me know if you use them, I'd like to see what you come up with.

xxOOxx

HUGGGSS!!!!

Hugs, Hugs, and MORE HUGS!!!! Oh ,how I love Love LOVE hugs! This is easily one of the best perks about working with the young ones. Not one day goes by that I don't get a gentle squeeze from out of the blue. There is something so genuine and honest about these hugs. They come from the simple desire to show someone love. Unlike adults, who sometimes hug out of respect, simple greeting, or some other ulterior motive, children seem to have this uncomplicated compulsion for hugging. I have noticed that there are a few different types of hugs that I recieve throughout the day

1. The "Oh My Goodness, I Haven't Seen You In Almost Ten Minutes" Hug: This hug is quick and usually has a small velocity due to the running start. It is usually followed by a breif upward glance and a warm smile. It makes me remember that they really do like me :)
2. The "Sneak Attack" Hug: This hug is usually unexpected and comes from either the back or sides. I don't know what triggers this hug, but I don't really care either. There is nothing more lovely than realizing that you have a kindergartener (or two) sqqueezing the life out of your legs for no apparent reason.
3. The "I'm Hurt" Hug: This hug is usually paired with tears due to a fall or hurt feelings. It usually follows a nice pep talk and maybe an ice pack (in extremely life threatning situations). I like this hug because it makes me feel like I have magical healing powers.
4. The "I Miss My Mommy/Daddy But You'll Do For Now" Hug: This is the saddest hug because sometimes it comes with tears and it always contains the strongest emotions behind it. Unlike the "I'm Hurt" hug, this one isn't fixed as easily. Many children never need this hug, but when they do, it's the most important one of all!
5. The "I Love You Miss D." Hug: This one is obviously detected. The child will walk up to you, look you in the eyes, and say "I love you Miss D." and give you the biggest hug ever! These always make me smile because of the unabashed declaration of love.

There are more, but these are my favorites.

xxOOxx

Culture Shock

As most of you know, I am currently an employee of a solidly middle-class suburban private Catholic school. The class size in kinder was less than 15. The students are not 100% Caucasian but I don't think there are more than 10 students in the whole school that English is not their first language. It is my first real long-term job and the entire campus has welcomed me with open arms. I am flabbergasted everyday by the amount of knowledge in these young minds. Seriously. Today, I over heard two preschoolers (about 4 years old) discussing a bible story and one little boy pointed to a group of people in the illustration and correctly identified them as Philistines. Really?! Geeze, it's amazing. Most of the kindergartners can read first-grade level books and write simple stories. The assigned math book seemed too easy for them so we practiced mental addition and even some subtraction daily.

As some of you might also know, I recently began tutoring after school for a company that has a government contract with LAUSD in compliance with the No Child Left Behind Act. Three days a week, I do one-on-one tutoring with a kindergartner in a low-income district. Her mother speaks very little English and she is in a classroom with more than 25 other 5 year-olds. She is very smart but has a language disadvantage that we're working on adamantly.

It is culture shock in the truest sense of the word as I go from interacting with my classroom to the one student. She cannot read. She can barely write. She cannot express herself in coherent sentences. It is actually mildly frightening. For Dr. Seuss Day I read Yurtle the Turtle to the class and they thought it was the most hilarious book ever. I read the first two pages while tutoring today and she was so lost that I decided that maybe we should get through Green Eggs and Ham first. I enjoy the change of pace that a 1:1 provides and she tries so hard during our sessions, I know she'll learn very fast. Its weird to think that I might be making a bigger difference in this one little girl's life than in all the kinder class combined. Still, the culture shock is extreme.

xxOOxx

World Poetry Day

In honor of world poetry day, here's a suuper funny poem I found :) Enjoy!

Lovely Teacher
by Linda Knaus
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(sing to the tune of “Clementine”)

Lovely teacher, lovely teacher—
eyes of periwinkle blue.
You are such a pretty creature,
and I’m so in love with you.

How I long for your attention,
so I’m acting like a fool.
Put me down for some detention,
just don’t send me home from school.

Oh, I’m filled with pain and sorrow,
for my teacher is so cute,
but she won’t be here tomorrow,
’cause she’s just a substitute.

Did you sing it in your head? haha... I KNEW it!!

xxOOxx

Just Do It

People are unreasonable, illogical and self-centered,
LOVE THEM ANYWAY
If you do good, people will accuse you of selfish, ulterior motives,
DO GOOD ANYWAY
If you are successful, you win false friends and true enemies,
SUCCEED ANYWAY
The good you do will be forgotten tomorrow,
DO GOOD ANYWAY
What you spent years building may be destroyed overnight,
BUILD ANYWAY
People really need help but may attack you if you help them,
HELP PEOPLE ANYWAY
Give the world the best you have and you’ll get kicked in the teeth,
GIVE THE WORLD THE BEST YOU’VE GOT ANYWAY.

author unkown

I was having a discussion with a few brilliant minds today and I was once again overwhelmed with teaching as a profession. I asked them a simple but unanswerable question: How do you immerse yourself in teaching without it taking over your life and burning yourself out after a couple years? I don't know the answer. Neither did they. They were NO help actually. However, I don't know if anyone can answer it. Teaching is a profession that can consume you body and soul. It takes over your life and before you know it you're looking up play-dough recipies at 1 am because you might want to use it next week. It never ends, but thats the fun of it!

Teaching is a wonderful profession because it can take you anywhere you want to go! The effort you put in is tantamount to the rewards you'll recieve in return. That's what draws me in. Teaching children about the lifecycle of a beetle is fine.. well, kind of boring. If you bring in some little worm looking things and have the students discover the cycle on their own, it's not so boring.

I found this poem online today and it really speaks to me. It gently encourages me to be a good person/teacher no matter what gets in the way. Sometimes we feel like nothing we do will ever matter in the long run, but it does.

So, even when you feel like you don't matter and it's taking over your life...TEACH ANYWAY

xxOOxx

Book Review: Everything on a Waffle

Everything on a Waffle
by Polly Horvath

I believe that you should NEVER assign something to your students that you haven't and/or wouldn't read yourself. Therefore, I have begun to indulge in fun elementary level books for my future reference (much more fun than Dostoevsky for sure!)

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I picked up Everything on a Waffle yesterday and just finished the 150pg. novel about ten minutes ago. It is a Newbery Honor Book and I would say it is good for the end of third grade/ beginning of fourth grade. Heck, who am I kidding, it would do as a read aloud in any grade actually!

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The story is written in the first person and is very engaging from the very first page! It's about a little girl whose parents are lost at sea. She goes through a very rough time trying to get the little town to stop telling her that they're dead, because she knows deep down that they're not. She tells of her misadventures in the little town and how she lost two digits in the process. The book is littered with recipes that sound delicious and little anecdotes on life. Definitely worth a place in your classroom library at the very least!

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xxOOxx