First Day in the Classroom

Today was my first teacher day in my classroom.  It was an all-day work in the classroom day.  I was able to accomplish a lot.  I cleaned, cleaned, and then I cleaned some more!  My cabinets are organized just the way I like them and my desk is also pretty much done.  I still have some to do, but the classroom is beginning to feel like mine, not just a room where I am teaching.  I also went shopping for what has to be the LAST round of school supplies! Oh please let it be the last!!  Right now, I am very, very tired.  It is a challenge to get back into the swing of things.  It will be interesting to see how tired I will be after I work all day and go to class at night. 

Writing of class, I have 12 grad hours done.  What does that mean?  That means I am 25% done with my Masters Degree!!!

I met a lot of very nice people who I will be working with.  I still don't have a schedule, or know anything definite  about the actual teaching of my position.  Hopefully, I will find out tomorrow.  But for right now, I am going to try not to fall asleep in front of the tv while I watch Monday Night Baseball.

My Classroom is ready!

Well, my classroom is ready for school to start! The walls are ready, at least.  Except for behind my desk.  I have a couple of personal things (sports pennants) and another poster to put behind there.  I think that will be it.  I hope it is!  My sister Jessica helped me get all my walls done.  Thank goodness she has gone through this before and knew what needed to be done and how to do the design stuff.  I feel like I know absolutely nothing about the actual setting up of the classroom and how to begin to be a teacher.  Sometimes I wonder what I actually learned during those 4 years of college!

My room looks really good, if I may say so myself!  I have an information center where I am going to put the calendars, list of assignments, and anything else that my students need to know.  Then I have a HUGE Word Wall.  I know I will have enough words to fill it, but wow it seems reeeealllly big!  On my back wall I have room for all my students' work...yes all 110 students!  I put up a nametag and a sheet protector that will have their work in it for every single student.  And when I say that I 'put up' every single thing, I mean I stapled all of them. It took 5 staples for every student.  That is 550 staples! just for that bulletin board.  I woke up this morning and my shoulders and my arms were killing me!  I also have a writing bulletin board, since that is a big thing that my students will be concentrating on this year.

After class today, my mom and I went shopping for back-to-school clothes, notebooks for my students, and other errands.  It was a lot of fun to go back-to-school shopping with my mom again!  All around us were kids getting ready for high school or going off to college.  It feels like I am a kid again hitting another hurdle in growing up...my first day of an actual career.

Oh well, this could be a really long posting if I let it, but I am tired and need to get some sleep.  Bye!

Shopping! or Ode to Walmart

I get to combine two things that I really love: shopping and school supplies.  In recent years, I have not had to buy a lot of school supplies because I have so many supplies stockpiled.  Now I get to buy supplies for being a teacher and  some for all of my students! I have been looking for cheap individual white boards and I finally found some for $1 at Staples.  BUT, they only let me buy 2 at a time and they ran out after I only got 8 of them (4 trips total).  My friend told me about a wonderful place called Wal-mart.  They matched Staples' special price and I was able to pick up a lot  of other supplies there too! 

Tomorrow, I am making my first trip to a school supply store! My sister is coming to help me decide what I want on my bulletin boards.  I am thinking of doing a travel/expedition theme in my room.  Hopefully, that will fit in with my school and 8th grade class.  I also am making plans to start building my Smartboard in my room! For a definite anti-Math person, the making of a Smartboard is going to be very interesting and challenging!

New Session!

The first day of the new session is always mind-opening and intimidating.  I have to say that I really enjoyed being done at 10 in the morning.  My enthusiasm was dimmed slightly after I remembered that I have to go back for tonight's class.  I am a little worried that one day I am going to forget that I have a night class and just not show up.  Even though, those statistics are so memorable! : )  

I had a real scare today when I got home.  A fire engine with lights on was in front of my house as I pulled up.  Images of having to handle a family crisis on top of this CADRE thing were flashing through my head.  The fire engine and ambulance (which came a minute later) were for my next-door neighbor.  He collapsed in his bathroom.  I watched with my nephews as they took him to the ambulance and performed CPR outside.  We later learned that he did not make it.  It really reminded me that as much as I complain, rant, and vent about my hectic and stressful life, I would rather have this life than change it in any way.  It also makes me very thankful for everything and everyone in my life.  So thank you all.

Rest in peace Mr. O.

At the end of the (first) tunnel!

I am completely done with my first 6 hours of graduate school!  And I survived!  Now for the weekend and on to the next 6 hours!!!!  But really, these classes have been fun and it has been great to meet these amazing people who I will be working with over the next year and beyond.  I have learned a lot and I want to include all of the new things I learned in my classes in my classroom.  I am counting on my associate and all my new friends to keep encouraging me to keep trying these new things and not settle for the comfortable old ones. 

I have also decided that I will keep blogging throughout this journey.  I think it is a great way to keep everyone notified of my progress and happenings.  I also want to look back on this journey and see how far I have come.  So keep looking and checking in, I will be here!

The Light at the end of the tunnel!

I can see the light at the end of the tunnel. I only have ONE more thing to do for first session. I have my Instructional Framework done, but I still have to make the examples for the strategies. I feel that it is going to take longer than actually writing out the I.F. I guess I have accomplished Principle 7 of my Lit circle book: Never work harder than my students. During this unit, students will definitely be working harder than me :)

One thing that I cannot fathom: why am I always more tired when I get to bed early, than when I stay up late? I feel like my head is full of cotton and I can't think or move. I am definitely resting before my class tonight.

I will let you know when I am officially through the tunnel!

Article Review #3

School turns page on technology with e-reader textbooks

http://www2.tbo.com/content/2010/jun/02/022243/school-turns-page-technology-e-reader-textbooks/c_2/#comments


Description:
This article examines Clearwater High School's (Tampa, Florida) decision to provide all of its students with ereaders with downloaded copies of their textbooks on them. Currently, the ereaders only have the English and Math textbooks on them, with plans to expand the number of textbooks in the future. The students are excited about the ereaders. They appreciate the fact that they do not have to carry several pounds of books, only the light ereader. There are several concerns that students will not properly care for the ereader. Students feel that they already care for other pieces of technology; the ereader will just be another piece that they will also care for.
Analysis:
Clearwater High School has an opportunity to open doors for students and districts throughout the nation. There are many problems with using the ereaders: cost, care, and abilities of students, but if districts can overcome these problems, there are many benefits from these ereaders. All of the textbooks are in one place. As long as the student has the ereader, they are prepared, at least minimally, for class. Students can also interact with the text more. With a regular book, they cannot write in the book or take notes. With an ereader, they do not need any more materials to take notes, highlight, or look up a definition of a word. It also helps students with reading fluency, comprehension, disabilities, or ELL students. The Kindle can read a selection out loud to students. This would let them listen and read the words for a different learning styles.
Reflection:
I really like the ideas that this article is covering. I just started using the Kindle App on my iPod Touch and I enjoy reading on that just as much as a 'real' book. I believe that the ereader can open up a lot of doors for students. I would look forward to possibly using the ereader in my future classroom. This tool has a large possibility of helping students from all backgrounds access the material in different ways, and isn't that what being a teacher is all about? I know that there might be negatives in using the ereaders, but there are negatives in using every new piece of technology available in education. I believe that ereaders can be beneficial to the students who use them.