Becoming a Teacher

When I made the decision to become a teacher it was hard to find support. I understood where my family and friends where coming from. The education system had been given a very bad reputation. The loss art of teaching, what happened to the apple on the desk? Teachers were being laid off by the dozen, others had classroom sizes that made teaching impossible, and every teacher was not being paid a fair wage for their hard work. My friends and family simply wanted more for me. I miss the day a student could place an apple on their favorite teacher’s desk. If that happened in today’s world the teacher would look at the apple with fear of becoming the next snow white.

My decision was not based on the education system today or over the past five years, but rather the possibility of a brighter tomorrow. I was certain the future of teaching would be brighter. And now independent school districts are receiving the financial support to employ and pay educators a competitive wage. Most school now have incorporated technology in the classroom. Using technology opens the scope of delivering lesson plans, in hopes to be able to reach more students. It is improvements like these and many more to come that make teaching an incredible career to choose.  

My first Day is Approaching!!

Growing up the first day back to school always gave me butterflies. When I got to college my first day of school nerves got a little better. Once I decided to become a teacher I assumed my first day fears would transform from butterflies to pterodactyl. Maybe a pterodactyl is a bit dramatic but I am going to be a middle school teacher so I am sure to have some wild ones. But instead I wait with an air of expectancy. I have been preparing for my first day on the other side of the desk with excitement. I cannot wait to see all the new faces that will pour into my classroom. Part of my game plan is to go over my expectations, classroom procedures, and end class with a fun ice breaker. How they should enter and leave the classroom, where homework goes, and the importance of having school supplies. Then end with an awesome quote that not one will remember from my favorite 1994 TV series, “Take chances, make mistakes, and get messy”. YES, The Magic School Bus. All in all I just don’t want to be that teacher with the laundry list of point-less activities. You only get one first day of school per year so it is up to me to take advantage of it. LETS ROCK AND ROLL Fall 2016.   

- Setting up my classroom

When thinking of my classroom and how it will look I have any ideas. I want a pop of color, some inspiration, and motivation to jump out. More than anything I do not want my room to look like the other hundreds of classrooms that my students that been in. Everyone teaching using a PowerPoint with matching classrooms is what makes learning so boring. I believe if no two people are alike no two teachers should be alike. Laura Randazzo’s “Seating chart = Flow chart” take on classroom seating charts are amazing. The layout divides the classroom down the middle and has the students facing each other. I like that this gives me more room to walk around during lecture. Also I am more available to reach more students. In the same way this layout help correct behavior issues by gaining access to more then just the front row. I do see more of a flow in this layout verses the traditional layouts.  



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Note taking in the classroom.

Dropping the chalkboard and jumping on to smartboards? Yes please! I personally want to boycott schools that are not growing with technology. If a parent wants the notes from Monday’s math class a teacher can email a PDF of what she wrote. No more flipping page after page in a notebook. Personally I remember my elementary school teachers using chalkboards. I also remember the dust from the eraser, the struggle to read anything in yellow or green, and how funny it was to watch teachers react to wiping their hands off on their black pants. My middle school had dry erase whiteboards. I can still feel the headache I would get from the smell. Walking into class at the end of the day, most teachers used every color Walmart sold. During high school I applied to go to this new academy that was built with technology being the center of everything. At the academy my love of teaching and understanding how education and technology could go hand and hand come to life! Before I graduated high school the academy started using smart boards. This was my third new version of a board so I was skeptic at first. But I truly think smart boards are amazing and helpful.

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- Middle School Observation….Reviews of teachers

In one of my classes I was required to complete a certain number of observation hours. I choose to observe a middle school because everyone talks about how difficult it is so I had to see it for myself. My assignment was simple, watch the interaction between the teacher and student then write a response paper. I kept on open mind towards the students. I was excited that the teacher I would be watching had been teaching for over 25 years, I knew he would be a professional. For the most part I was wrong about everything. I assumed to be a middle school teacher for that long he would be a rock on the outside with the soft center. This teacher was 100% rock! He welcomed me into his class from his desk, “Come in and sit where you want”. This was towards the end of his conference period so I thought maybe he was finishing an important email. I would wait then try small talk later witch was a great plan until he left the room. The buzz notifying the end of the period went off so this was it, time to watch a pro in action! I look at him so happy and ready to go. The teacher looks up at me like Denzel Washington in The Equalizer, “You better find a place and stand your ground”. I thought to myself he is joking, but later his actions showed me he clearly thinks we or teachers are going to war. He did not welcome one student, “Technology day…come in sit down” repeating again and again “Technology day, hey sit down”. After getting class started he walks over to me, “Is the day over yet”. This man was done with the day at ten in the morning. The more I observed the less reserved the teacher and his class became.  His disrespect for the art of teaching corresponded directly with the behavior problems from the class. That experience taught me some people should only teach for five or ten years. Not everyone is cut out to be a teacher for over 25 years.      

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