I walk in, turn on the light, and say hello to the dragon.
I walk to my desk and turn on the computer.
I grab the remote and turn on the projector.
I try to hook up the iPad. Still not working.
I open the PowerPoint presentations for the day.
The bell rings and I greet my kiddos.
I take attendance online.
I refer to the PowerPoint slides.
I show videos on scaled models of the solar system. We see the earth. We see the sun. We see the orbits and rotations of the objects in the solar system. We learn how vast and diverse the place we call home is.
I show images of landmarks in the Northeast. I have students describe what they see and infer how people interact with the land and geography of the region.
I turn on the document camera and place the iPad underneath it.
I open the Stack the States app.
We play games. We learn the names of the states. We learn the flags and landmarks of the states. We learn where the states belong, how they look, and their size compared to each other.
My kids earn class points because they are engaged.
Today was amazing. Technology really does make a huge difference.
Thursday, April 11, 2013
Tuesday, April 9, 2013
Let the Countdown Begin!!!
I am ten weeks away from having my first year of teaching in the bag. Woooo!
This year has been quite a challenge. No one can really prepare you for being a teacher. It is a hands-on job that you can only learn in the field.
I was ready to be a teacher. I was ready to teach in Detroit. I was even ready to teach in a messy district. I really was and it is almost entirely because I had amazing leadership in my life growing up. I was practically raised by teachers. My youth pastors taught me how to lead, love, not make excuses, endure, and stare hard things right in the face. I was taught not to compromise, to do everything with integrity and to evaluate and reevaluate. Spiritually, I was raised by two of Detroit's finest mentors-- themselves being grads of DPS, residents of Detroit and lovers of Jesus. Honestly, if it wasn't for the influence of the Meriweathers in my life I don't think I would have been ready for this job.
In saying that, even though I was ready for it, it has been a tough year.
I have learned many valuable lessons.
1- I hate writing lesson plans! They are never done. They just hang over your head every second of every day. I mean, once I have them done for one week, I still have to think about the next week and the week after that and the week after that... It is a stress that doesn't end.
2- I show my emotions on my face. And some days that means I show kids how much they are annoying me. This is definitely my first priority during summer. I've got to develop a classroom management plan that fits me and is proactive in every way.
3- I have a lot left to learn. There are so many areas for me to grow in as a teacher. Better assessments, better use of time, better classroom management, better lessons, better communication with parents.... The list goes on. Usually I am very hard on myself. I have been able to have grace for myself this first year, but you better believe I'm using this summer to make many necessary changes. My kids deserve the best teacher I can be.
4- I'm comfortable in front of a crowd. I love to be goofy with my kids. I love to talk in weird accents and do fun dances. I love to surprise my students so that they listen. I like kids.
5- I really do believe that no child is too far gone. Every student can learn. Every student deserves to learn. Every student is loved and treasured by God, even if they get under my skin. This year I have realized that the grace God has shown me in my sin has helped me to show grace to my students in theirs. And every student NEEDS to know that I love them. They need it so much. They need to know that I am on their side cheering for them. It changes everything!
I've got a long way to go, but I am happy with this year. It hasn't been terrible. It's not a horror story I will have to tell in the future. It has been good. Maybe even great. I've gotten the chance to interact with 150 kids as students. I've gotten the opportunity to love 150 students. And though I haven't done this without fault, I have done it.
And I still have ten weeks left! Oh, that God would let me ooze with love and grace each of these last 50 days!
One of the most important things I've learned from the Meriweathers is finishing strong. Warriors don't fizzle out near the end of the battle. They know the end is near and so they go hard til the end. (If only more people understood this concept.) I'm not going to slowly fade away during this last stretch. I've been taught better than that.
So let the countdown begin! I've got ten more weeks to do right by my kids and prove they are worth fighting for!
(Thank God for Pinterest!)
This year has been quite a challenge. No one can really prepare you for being a teacher. It is a hands-on job that you can only learn in the field.
I was ready to be a teacher. I was ready to teach in Detroit. I was even ready to teach in a messy district. I really was and it is almost entirely because I had amazing leadership in my life growing up. I was practically raised by teachers. My youth pastors taught me how to lead, love, not make excuses, endure, and stare hard things right in the face. I was taught not to compromise, to do everything with integrity and to evaluate and reevaluate. Spiritually, I was raised by two of Detroit's finest mentors-- themselves being grads of DPS, residents of Detroit and lovers of Jesus. Honestly, if it wasn't for the influence of the Meriweathers in my life I don't think I would have been ready for this job.
In saying that, even though I was ready for it, it has been a tough year.
I have learned many valuable lessons.
1- I hate writing lesson plans! They are never done. They just hang over your head every second of every day. I mean, once I have them done for one week, I still have to think about the next week and the week after that and the week after that... It is a stress that doesn't end.
2- I show my emotions on my face. And some days that means I show kids how much they are annoying me. This is definitely my first priority during summer. I've got to develop a classroom management plan that fits me and is proactive in every way.
3- I have a lot left to learn. There are so many areas for me to grow in as a teacher. Better assessments, better use of time, better classroom management, better lessons, better communication with parents.... The list goes on. Usually I am very hard on myself. I have been able to have grace for myself this first year, but you better believe I'm using this summer to make many necessary changes. My kids deserve the best teacher I can be.
4- I'm comfortable in front of a crowd. I love to be goofy with my kids. I love to talk in weird accents and do fun dances. I love to surprise my students so that they listen. I like kids.
5- I really do believe that no child is too far gone. Every student can learn. Every student deserves to learn. Every student is loved and treasured by God, even if they get under my skin. This year I have realized that the grace God has shown me in my sin has helped me to show grace to my students in theirs. And every student NEEDS to know that I love them. They need it so much. They need to know that I am on their side cheering for them. It changes everything!
I've got a long way to go, but I am happy with this year. It hasn't been terrible. It's not a horror story I will have to tell in the future. It has been good. Maybe even great. I've gotten the chance to interact with 150 kids as students. I've gotten the opportunity to love 150 students. And though I haven't done this without fault, I have done it.
And I still have ten weeks left! Oh, that God would let me ooze with love and grace each of these last 50 days!
One of the most important things I've learned from the Meriweathers is finishing strong. Warriors don't fizzle out near the end of the battle. They know the end is near and so they go hard til the end. (If only more people understood this concept.) I'm not going to slowly fade away during this last stretch. I've been taught better than that.
So let the countdown begin! I've got ten more weeks to do right by my kids and prove they are worth fighting for!
(Thank God for Pinterest!)
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