Teaching: Getting there, your first year, and beyond

BLOG POST #3 - Teaching: Getting there, your first year, and beyond

This week, I gave a speech to a group of college students at Western Michigan University. A friend and former colleague in Kalamazoo Public Schools asked me to speak at the event. The purpose of the event was to help current college students as they progressed towards receiving their college degree and moved on to next steps in their educational career. During the event, the participants heard from different people, including myself, about what do in the following areas:

1) how to prepare for their future now while taking classes at WMU,

2) what to remember for job interviews, and lastly (my portion)

3) what to do once you get that teaching job you worked so hard to get

My notes that I jotted down before arriving to give my speech that night are below:

After our speeches were finished, we sat on a panel comprised of that night’s speakers and teachers so the audience members could ask questions. I was able to use this experience as a way to reflect. I learned a few things about the generation of students joining us, and who have already joined us, in the field of education based on the questions they asked.

First, I realized that our college students in the education sector, as well as our current educators in the field, are anxious about the views that society has and publicly vocalizes about educators (mostly as a whole). They already feel somewhat belittled by society and the legislation that keeps popping up about educational decisions. Many remain nervous about people making the decisions they think are best for our students, when they don’t know what we do: what our students need. Some of these individuals making these decisions have never even stepped foot into a public school building. They aren’t the people preparing by furthering their education to be part of this profession.

The next thing I noticed as I listened to the questions and waited my turn to speak was this: we are teachers not only in our classrooms, but we also have the capability to spread our knowledge, support, ideas, and even stories to help be a teacher to a stranger in the crowd. After the panel, one of the teachers who served on the panel with me approached and said she was glad she got to hear me say that it was also a tough decision for me to switch from being an educator of students to an educator of adults and adults. She had a similar educational background and experience I had and was having little luck getting a job beyond classroom teacher in the district I just left eight months ago. In fact, she reminds me of myself before joining the team at Ryan Intermediate last August. A person who was content and truly enjoyed teaching, but began looking to expand her experience and take those next steps to become a school administrator.  She had executed her plan of obtaining a Master’s Degree in Educational Leadership and was ready for what came next. I assured her that it was okay to have applied for that job and not gotten it. There is something else out there waiting for her and I wished her luck, reminding her not to get discouraged if she had to apply many times for different positions. She knew that applying and interviewing was experience in itself and seemed satisfied with knowing her time to be a school administrator would soon come.

The last take away from my experience was a sense of comfort. I know that this group of students is transforming themselves into a group of talented, thought-provoking leaders and educators. (I mean, the thirty or so WMU students did show up to a voluntary event to hear from educators on a beautiful evening in April!)

As current educators and leaders, let’s vow to support these students as they venture forward in their journey. To them, I say, “Kudos to you...to you and the hard work you’ve put in to get you to this next chapter in life...the career you've prepared so diligently for in college. I look forward to having you join this team of amazing educators who truly make a difference!”

BLOG POST 2 - #shadowastudent Challenge

#Shadowastudent was a great experience. I followed a very sweet, 6th grade student around our district’s middle school. I look forward to the opportunity to shadow a student again in the future. I thought I was prepared for my day...nervous, but ready for the day. Now, a little background about my teaching experience: I taught middle school math to students who attended Summer School for several summers in an urban district. I also taught 2nd, 3rd, 4th, and 5th grade students for eight years. I thought for sure that I was prepared for a day in the life of a 6th grader.

I was not quite as prepared as I had originally anticipated. Let’s just say that by the end of the day, I was ready for a nap. I attended six classes, ate lunch in a room with over 200 students, learned Spanish (when I took French in High School), and visited a Band Class with no prior knowledge in music besides singing in my car! But still, the experience was great, to say the least! I learned a great deal about middle school teachers and students, was reminded of the independence our students experience once leaving our 3-5 intermediate building, how quickly four minutes really goes, and how early 9:56am is to eat lunch...yes, lunch...and how hard it is to get somewhere by 7:20am (especially when you have small children). As I reflect on my day, I begin with academics. I learned something new in every class. Back to my day shadowing a 6th grade student.  Let’s start….)

Advisory (Homeroom): I previously thought that building relationships at the Secondary level of education was more difficult. I still hold true to this perception, but I see that it is possible, especially because of the Advisory. Relationships and trust can be built between middle school teachers and students, although the time is simply limited so our decisions and continued commitment to connections are that much more crucial.

Band: 6th grade Band Class was by far one of my favorite parts of the day. I have no prior musical knowledge, but could still hear the difference in the students’ sound when the teacher pushed them to keep practicing a line of notes. There was positive encouragement and at the same time, students knew when they needed to try harder. Students were asked to say the notes, push the notes, and detach their mouth pieces to blow the notes as additional practice. I could follow along with visuals posted around the room so I wasn’t as lost as I thought I would be as I entered a room full of instruments when I have never played one. We ended the class with Ms. Chabitch playing the drums to a song the students loved...reminding me that, “After a tough practice like that today, it is always best to end on a positive note.”

Social Studies: I really needed to brush up on my Central American countries before coming to Social Studies...and I got a chance to practice. Students were randomly selected to say the countries as a student clicked through a Google Slide presentation that highlighted the countries one at a time. I wish I could come back for the test later to see how I really did.

Math: It was so great for the students to get up and move around during their Math class. Solving problems around the room with mini whiteboards and erasers...what a simple, yet successful strategy used to make a review lesson more engaging. There's just something about whiteboards that make students more excited about the math problems. There was also a multi-step math problem posted on a nearby hallway window. Students had to take a mini walking field trip to see the problem, solve it, and write their name on the window after they solved it.

ELA: Well, I guess I anticipated at least one test. It came my last 57 minutes of the day during English Language Arts. I found that since lunch ended at an early time of 10:27, I had been in class since 10:31 and was losing steam quickly. Of course, I got four minutes in between classes as my brain break, but I had to focus on a lengthy test as of 1:34pm, over 3 hours into classes since lunch. (If only I had studied ahead of time, I may have felt less pressure.) As my shadow student became a bit nervous with me, I suggested we take out the study guide and review it as we waited for the class to begin. All the anxiety was for naught, as students said the test was “easy peasy”. It was enjoyable at the end of ELA to have a break once the assessment was finished, to chat with the students in class about the day.

All joking aside, the #shadowastudent experience helped me to truly experience what students may feel like when they first get to middle school. I was nervous before I went. I even questioned if my outfit would be okay or if I would have someone to eat lunch with that day. Even the social aspects of middle school were something I could experience from a middle schooler’s viewpoint.
A special thanks goes out to my sweet, energetic, friendly 6th grade shadow student, and teachers and staff at Gull Lake Middle School who made my shadow experience a great one!

Blogging, reflecting and 2017

In an attempt to begin 2017 right, I am starting a blog. Thanks Mr. Fuehr for the motivation to begin.

As the year begins, I am reminded that there are so many amazing things I want to start, make happen, and participate in for 2017. There are so many books I want to read, amazing schools I want to visit for great ideas, projects I hope to lead, groups I hope to follow and collaborate with (#MEMSPAchat), and experiences I imagine I'll encounter. I know 2017 is projected, in my world, to be a phenomenal journey. As I think of my hopes for the next year, I am working to remember that it is okay, and most beneficial, to focus on one or two new things to implement at a time. This is important to remember for ourselves and for our staff. You start to see and feel when it's just...too much!

I have decided to remember the following thoughts for 2017:

• I may have worked hard to build trust and relationships in 2016, but work here is never done...maintenance is required in 2017.
• I can't please everyone, even though I REALLY want to.
• It's okay to slow down: read one or two professional books at a time, not four!
• In the funny, but true words about Twitter, from Administrator, Andy Fuehr, "If it isn't documented, it didn't happen!" I will take more pictures, witness the great learning experiences students are a part of at Ryan, and yes, post to Twitter and blog.
• Lastly, "Every minute counts...even those minutes around the edges!" Dave Burgess and Shelley Burgess said it perfectly, not only for teaching and specifically building relationships, but also a great point to remember in 2017.

Wow, I am excited and anxious for this great new year of reflection (and blogs)! Are you? What things will you find remarkable as you reflect on 2016 and embark on the journeys of 2017?!