One Week Down...

So today finished my first week of really teaching.  Wow... what an interesting experience....

By the way... I don't feel in the best mood today because of some things that happened at school today so this may not be the happiest blog entry.. but it will suffice...

First off in general (this is not about school) I really struggle holding my own.  If I get criticized for any tiny thing that is wrong with my appearance or something I did by mistake it hurts me so bad.  I can't help it.  I have tired to fix this forever and it doesn't work I promise, its just who I am.  Today I guess I just felt like I couldn't do anything right.  I couldn't put my hair up right I couldn't say the right things... I just couldn't do what ever it was I was suppose to... I guess basically I am just having a down in the dumbs day and its a horrible way to start my blog entry about the first week of my every quickly approaching life.

On a good note I love the way my classroom looks, though I am always picked on constantly about how elementary it looks, once again I am criticized.  I have tried to make my room look as inviting as possible, but I think it only works on a small number of people.  This week has been tough.  I have been pushed and pulled in so many directions.  I have constantly read e-mails that ask me to fill this out, do this, it will only take a second.... sometimes I don't think some people realize how important that second is to me.

I have grown to love one of my classes though.  I know most of the kids from last year and they are just hilarious.  They make me smile! :)  Recently we have been doing hands on projects and they are doing so great with them.  Yes I have to do the occasionally "don't get to loud" speech, but overall they are great.  The project that I was so impressed with was called "Graph a Story," the students had to read a paragraph about a bucket of water where the water level was constantly changing and draw a graph to go with it.  I was so amazed at how well they did.  One group even drew a bucket and then put the graph on it, how clever!  I think it is things like this that keep me going each day.  I have already wanted to retire once or twice... I e-mailed my mom the first day to tell her that.. haha.  Teaching is definitely the hardest thing I have done in my life.  Going to college classes is so tiny compared to the challenges and tasks that are thrown at me everyday in my classroom.

I don't know what you are feeling or what you are thinking about this blog entry, but I think I have things under control it will just take time and God's guidance.  I constantly think of my favorite verses to get me through...

"If I rise on the wings of the dawn, if I settle on the far side of the sea, even there your hand will guide me, your right hand will hold me fast." Psalm 139: 9-10

Until next time... Jess

Ahh.. The smell of new school supplies...

Yes, all my fellow teachers know that the smell of new school supplies is just like the smell of new clothes or shoes.. amazing. This past week has flown by and it leaves me to suspect that this school year will fly by as well! My classroom is completely set up so I am so excited about that! I will definitely post pictures soon! I get picked on constantly at school about how colorful and "faux" elementary it looks, but it makes me happy to be at work everyday so I don't care!!! I think that it sparks excitement in my students!

I do have to admit something funny that I realized I did last year. I was going through some of the letters that I sent home last year when I started teaching in April. How about genius me sent home a form that stated "Please FEEL this out completely and return..." haha I am so glad no parents caught that one, but I guess my excuse can be that I teach math so yeah.. haha. I definitely shared it with my fellow teachers just to spark laughter and then they all began rubbing my piece of paper.. haha what great people I work with! :)

I have come to realize that I am going to have to stay ORGANIZED this year. Even if I have to stay after school an extra 30 minutes to do so then I am! As I was cleaning out my desk from last year I noticed how disarrayed it became haha.. it was in a very sad state.

One thing that I am struggling with in the beginning is that I have a homebound student and I am already going crazy about how to stay ahead of the game! I mean I do plan, but not that much in advanced, but I will make it work as my favorite person Tim Gunn states! That is definitely my motto this year! I really want to give that student the same education that the rest of my students have, thats only fair.

By the way, I am so excited about this new season of Project Runway.. haha.

I have already began to realize that I love teaching but the meetings are a little much, but I guess they are required and needed in the world. I can definitely practice my doodling abilities. :) Yes, I do doodle during any meetings and classes, but I am listening I promise! It helps me focus and not start day dreaming!

So to conclude I guess I have a few goals for this coming up year:
1. Stay ORGANIZED... ahh that "o" word
2. Make it work... oh Tim
3. Stay positive... shouldn't be hard

Well, until next time.... ;)

Jess

One great step..

Today finished out my New Teacher Orientation and my brain feels so overwhelmed.  We covered so much the past three days from how to get ready for your first day to the new evaluation process.  I know that I will get the hang of the real "teacher" things that are to come, but right now it seems impossible.  I have to say that I can't wait until that lovely title of "career status" comes.

Also, today I went to the..... teacher store !!!  I needed to remember some reasons why I loved teaching!  I found a great poster that had a kitty on it!!  I can't wait to hang it!  In our classrooms we have five... yes five, bulletin boards so I used some of the time today to come up with what I needed for those.  One of my bulletin boards will be "Get Hooked on Math" so today at the store I got a cute fish border for that board.  Another bulletin board is one of those huge ones that is like two boards in one so on that board last year I put "In Our Neck of the Woods..." and that is where I put the school news.  Well I was so excited today because I found a 6 foot tall tree that I can put on the bulletin board and then up on the wall!!!  Its amazing the little things that make us teachers happy.  Today during the New Teacher Orientation we had a discussion about how much we all love the smell of new books, Staples, and any new school supplies.... we are so funny and unique...

Next Tuesday will be the opening workday...

Until the next few workdays...  Jess :)

Embarking on a Beautiful Adventure

I am so excited about this blog.  I hope that I am able to keep it up and going.  The point behind this is that I am embarking on a new journey in my life and I wanted a great way to record each and every crazy moment.

Recently I graduated from East Carolina University with a degree in Secondary Mathematics Education... okay so that is the official name, but I am just your everyday high school math teacher.  This year will be my first year as an actual teacher and I wanted a way to remember every detail.  I hope that this will work because I have a feeling it could turn out to be amazing.

Currently I am beginning to be overwhelmed with the variety of required meetings that I have to already attend.  I have received three letters in the mail already informing me of these wonderful events!  I will begin my "New Teacher Orientation" next Wednesday and I have a feeling this will be informative, but yet quite boring.  I probably will use this time to prefect my bulletin board ideas.  In our classrooms we have five - - yes five bulletin boards.  It is so difficult to keep my creativity going from board to board, but I will try.  I already have some items, because last April I was early released from ECU to begin teaching early and I couldn't just leave the classroom blank ....  but being the person that I am I could not possibly leave the same things up (or in the exact same spot)... so its time to get creative....

Until next time...  Jess