Who are You? Better Yet...Who are Your Friends???

This is my support team. This is who I go to when all else fails. This is my base and my inspiration.

I got a lot of things out of my credentialing program, but these five girls are by far the best! I believe that making connections and learning from your peers is one of the goals of any good program and we got this tenfold! I look up to these girls and respect them deeply. Each one of them has priceless experiences and a wealth of knowledge that they are ALWAYS willing to share with me. They are all older than me and inspire me daily to be a better teacher and person.

Sometimes it is hard when you're the new teacher in a school and other teachers are bitter and/or jaded. They try to give you "advice" like ...don't work too hard... or just give them worksheets. One teacher once told me, "You don't get paid enough to do all that you're trying to do." Can you believe that!? Me neither. But what's scariest is when you catch yourself following that "advice" and only doing the minimum- which will inevitably happen if you surround yourself with people like that.

I choose to surround myself with people who WANT to better the world. When I feel like I'm slipping over to the dark side, I hang out with my girls. They remind me of the type of teacher I want to be. They encourage me to be exceptional- not mediocre. I don't even know if they realize all this, but nevertheless I continue to soak up their radiance like a sponge! They all are working so so so hard to become better teachers and are working their tushies off in their Master's programs. So, this is for:

• Carol, who is always happy and is constantly trying to better herself.
• Gladys, who gives practical advice and breaks it down for everyone to understand.
• Amanda, who believes in every child and remembers EVERY strategy we have studied.
• Nicole, who has an endless supply of stories and examples to help with any problem.
• Sujata, who tells it like it is and leads by example.
• and all of the other students and professors who have touched my life and made me better than I was. THANK YOU!

Again, I could probably write a novel on our experiences together...but I'll spare you the goopy details. I just want you to think about who is in your life. Who inspires you? Are you surrounding yourself with positive colleagues who will push you on, not hold you back? Think about it.

xxOOxx

Philosophy of Education- Get one!

Every teacher.. uhh, scratch that... every GOOD teacher has a philosophy behind their madness. We must understand how and why we, as a individuals, teach children. Some people believe in B.F. Skinner's Behavioral theories while their colleagues utilize Chomsky's cognitivism. It doesn't matter who's right... just that you have your own theory. Therefore, you shouldn't steal mine! I worked hard on it and well.... IT'S MINE! Besides, I know you'll be able to come up with your own better one because you're not me and you have wonderful ideas in that little skull of yours. That being said, here's my Philosophy of Education:

I believe each child is unique…
Every child should be treated as an individual. Children require a secure, caring, and stimulating atmosphere in which they will be able to grow and mature intellectually, physically, emotionally, and socially. In order to provide this type of nurturing environment, I believe teachers should be attentive and responsive to their students. By knowing the strengths and weaknesses of students on an individual basis, the curriculum may be tailored to meet the needs of the classroom as a whole. This is possible by utilizing the many learning techniques such as visual, audio and kinesthetic methods. Using an individualized plan will help the students achieve more from the classroom experience and will help prevent students from becoming unmotivated.

I believe learning is supposed to be fun…
What is the point of learning something if it has no relevance to real-life and is not entertaining? No adult has the motivation to learn something that they can not apply in their own lives. Therefore, I see no reason for a child’s motivation to be any different. I believe that if children are taught that learning is fun, they will become life long learners. That is my goal in teaching: to create life long learners. By including hands-on activities and real-life examples, bland materials in textbooks become relevant and exciting. Providing students access to hands-on activities that reinforce the lesson creates an opportunity for discovery and the growth of knowledge to take place. My hope is that my students will enjoy the process of learning as much as I enjoy teaching.

I believe teachers are to guide and inform…
When teachers enter the classroom, they are expected to impart knowledge upon the students. Much of this knowledge comes from textbooks, workbooks and certain other materials that are required materials in the classroom. However, I believe that that is not the only material that the teacher is responsible for teaching. It is great if the student memorizes the preamble to the Constitution, but what if she forgets who wrote it or when? It is the job of the teacher to provide her students with the skills and resources that are required from the world outside the classroom. This includes research, study, social, critical thinking, and survival skills. It is important that students are able to find and research reliable facts and data on their own. This may be accomplished in many ways such as by utilizing resources like a dictionary, a thesaurus, an encyclopedia, or a computer.

I believe teachers never stop learning…
There is a fine line between teacher and student because the teacher never ceases being a student herself. The love of teaching goes hand-in-hand with the love of learning. A life-long teacher is a life-long student. In order to consider ones self truly educated, no amount of learning can ever be enough. It is stated best by an ancient Chinese proverb: “The more you know, the less you understand.” A teacher learns from colleagues, parents, and especially the students. Students can provide teachers with information from the cultures they come from. They provide instant feedback about a topic or idea, consequently opening our minds to new points of view every day. Students are wonderful in reminding me to stop and smell the roses, kick a soccer ball, or laugh until my belly aches. I will never cease to learn from the many children I encounter.

xxOOxx

Our Children First..JUST KIDDING!!

"The test of the morality of a society is what it does for its children."

-Deitrich Bonhoeffer

I don't know who Deitrich Bonhoeffer is but his statement rings true in my mind. I am currently contemplating just how much we TRULY value our children today. While I could probably write a dissertation on this subject, for this purpose I'll reflect solely in regards to education...

According to Delaine Easton, the Superintendent of Schools in CA, we are one of the bottom states when it comes to per pupil spending- compare our $6,500 to New York's $11,000...geeze, that's almost double! In 2004, one district in the San Fransisco area has already had to cut $28 MILLION! This resulted in NO sports programs, closed libraries, and over 200 teachers being fired! This was all over 5 years ago! Nothings gotten better and it seems as if we are slowly spinning down an ever-flushing toilet.

If we can judge morality by how we treat children, how do our current circumstances reflect upon our society? It seems as if education is one of the first things that is cut and the last to be reinstated. The dreaded budget cuts have become a shadow that is ever-looming over our children's education. Do we really not care about the quality of our children's education? Do we just ship them off to school because it's mandated? Do we even care what they do there? I do. I know you do. I'm not so sure if our society/polititians do. I'm upset because if we don't take care of our children now, they won't take care of our future and our morality is most definately doomed according to Mr. Bonhoeffer.

Site Review: Teaching Heart

www.TeachingHeart.net

I think this was one of the first teaching websites that I found. It is LOTS of fun and has a little bit of everything...seriously. But perhaps best of all is that it is still being updated :) I HATE finding cool websites that are like five years old and they never change. Right now, my favorite part is a whole section for new teachers (www.teachingheart.net/newteacher.html). Here you will find:

• Resume Help
• Interview Help
• Bulletin Boards
• Classroom Management Tips
• Student Teaching Tips and MORE!

Well, the website is mostly for K-3rd grade but she has a lot of fun lessons for special days such as St. Patrick's Day, the 100th Day, the 1st Day, the Last day, Open House and stuff like that. It also has:

• children's literature reviews
• Center Ideas
• Motivational Techniques
• Reader's Theatre Scripts
• (and my favorite)...pictures of actual different classrooms! coolness!

[make sure to scroll all the way down the page to see all the link options, they are at the bottom of the homepage!]

Like any other site, they're trying to make money so they are constantly trying to sell these "teacher time saver CD-Roms" the CD's are filled with printables... but are a bit over priced for me! I mean, $30-ish dollars for a CD filled with free worksheets that I could probably find online anyway? I'll pass. However, the rest of the site is definitely worth checking out!!

xx00xx

Contemplations on the Chupacabra

A funny dialogue*:

Me: Alex, Why have you been in the bathroom for so long? It's been 10 minutes!

5 year old Alex: Umm...

Me: Were you plying in the bathroom?

Alex: NO!

Me: Then...what?

Alex:Well, I was in the bathroom and I started thinking about the Chupacabra.

Me: (Stunned silence).

Alex: Then, I was thinking about it so much and I forgot about this class... Sorry Miss D, but sometimes I do that. Sometimes I think too much and I forget about this class...sorry...

Me:Uhh, okay then. Go finish your math.

I mean, what do you say to a five year old who is contemplating the existence of the Chupacabra?!?

*names have been changed...just in case.

xxOOxx

Subbing, a Blessing in Disguise

I guess by definition, I am currently a 'career substitute teacher.' Although I am frustrated by the lack of actual teaching jobs at the moment, let me just say that I DO love substituting! Subbing is great, in fact, I'll even bullet point the list as to why:

1. I get to visit new classrooms weekly and see how they are set up and how well the setups work.
2. I get to steal other teacher's ideas and tricks, such as how they organize their libraries and their little class routines and organization strategies. One teacher hung all of her posters (she had a lot) from hangers and had a rolling rack to keep them organized... better than in a dusty box in my opinion!
3. I get to meet cool new kids and see them freak out when I call them by name after the first hour. I like to go around and try to see how many names I can memorize by the end of the day and they always are thrown off when I call their name from across the classroom!
4. Visiting so many different schools gives me a good frame of reference for when I actually am able to choose the school I work at. Also, I'll be able to bring more ideas to my new school of choice- or the Charter school that I'm going to open haha.
5. I get to put many of my attention-getters and sponge activities into use daily! Not to mention that I get to play games with the kids and it's considered okay because I'm "just a sub."

There are so many reasons I enjoy subbing and I know one day it'll pay off. I pick up so many things that I KNOW I would like to incorporate into my classroom and some things that I now know I would stay away from. Either way, I think subbing is a good use of my time for now.

xxOOxx

Applications, Cover Letters, and Resumes OH MY!!

In the past month I have filled out more applications than I can even count. No, not for teaching jobs but for menial things like substituting, tutoring, and summer positions. Although these jobs will undoubtedly provide me with great experiences, it's just not what I went to school for... I think I have only found two full-time in the classroom teaching jobs to apply for. The catch is that I have ZERO years of teaching experience and there are sooo many teachers with tons of experience that are applying for these same jobs. Poo. I know.

Although, in the process of looking for a career-type job, I have found some other fun jobs to apply for. One of these being a science summer camp which I just finished phone-interviewing for. SUUUPER FUN! I think spending the summer with crazy kids doing exciting science experiments will be fabulous, don't you?! Although I think phone interviews are awkward, this one sounded promising- I hope I sold myself well enough! I should find out in a couple weeks.

Anyway, the job hunt continues as I am constantly and consistently checking up on openings online. Everyday I check three sites:

• edjoin.com: The official website for job availabilities in LAUSD and many many other districts.
• craigslist.com: yeah, cliche but there are many openings posted everyday- go figure! You can also find many part-time and tutoring jobs here.
• la-archdiocese.org: Where the LA Archdiocese posts any openings. I haven't found much there yet, but I'm still hoping!

When I am feeling a bit more hopeful, I'll check a few dozen specific district websites that don't post on edjoin.com such as Burbank Unified, Simi Valley Unified, Pasadena Unified, and Glendale Unified- to name a few. I've also tried Monster.com and careerbuilder.com but there's not much there. If anyone has more ideas, leave a comment and let me know!

Despite all the trials, I know that my classroom is out there somewhere! Certain unnamed sources tell me that more openings are sure to arise after March as that is when teachers report their returning status. Wish me luck and happy hunting!

xxOOxx