It feels like its been decades since I taught when in reality its been a little bit more then two months. I miss connecting with students and teaching them things they find fascinating. My last teaching experiences (student teaching) were at Coeyman's Elementary School under Kathy Wolfe and at Doyle Middle School under Janet Entwistle. They were both so diverse and fun as well as challenging. I loved teaching at both and teaching students new and interesting things.
I'm really bad at keeping up with typing these things hence the fact that once keeping up this blog was no longer required, its taken me more then a year to add more. I have a lot of journals that have only the first few pages filled and the rest blank. I can't bring myself to continue them or throw them out. The reverse is, I often have sketch books that are filled with many pages filled with only a few empty. Maybe its because I can always think of something to draw but not to say or write. What would you expect from a visual person?
I've applied to several places to sub in the meantime. I'm waiting to get my full NYS certification (I can hopefully get this by late April) to aggressively look for (full time teaching) jobs but I am now passively looking for a full time job. I'm open to traveling for work or relocating. I'm interested in looking in Vermont (I have family about an hour south of Montpilliar) and Maine (my grandparents live on Mt. Desert Island). I also wouldn't be against moving near Alana in West Memphis and working in the same school with her! I've also got friends and more family nation wide that I wouldn't mind being closer to so I can see them more often.
I've also toyed with the idea of traveling to another country to teach in an area that really needs good people to teach like Africa. I definitely think I could be a strong and positive female figure to children and teenagers anywhere I end up.
Thursday, February 26, 2009
Sunday, November 18, 2007
Ark Charter School
11/15
I decided to go in just for a few hours to finnish it all off. The other reason is to have a good bye day with the kids I knew from Sunnyside. One of them that I had yesterday in class (but not today) made me a "I'll miss you Courtney" card which was really cute. I think another one was a little confused when he realized who I was, when he finally had class, he asked me "what are you doing here?, why are you here?" I think he was shocked seeing me out of the enviroment he was used to seeing me, like seeing a teacher at the grocery store. Another remebered that I am in college and asked me what I was doing there (perhaps she thaught of me as a Teacher's Assisitant, the classrooms tended to have at least one extra adult) so I think she thaught that meant I was done but maybe remeberd that I said I was just starting Grad. School in the summer. One kept on asking me (I think in a hopeful tone) if I would be at Sunnyside next summer. Of the approxamately 9 children I knew from Sunnyside (both from the after school and summer programs) all of them rememberd me, granted, its only been a few months since most of them saw me last.
At the end of my few hours, I had Helen sign the hours I observed her and gave her the evaluation sheet (that's who I was working with that day) and then went to Molly's classroom to do the same. Half the 5th graders where there (the same 4th grade class I observed last year but didn't get credit for). It was nice to sort of end with seeing them even though it was quickly to see it all come around.
NOTE: Most of this is a cullmination of several days' worth of conversation.
I decided to go in just for a few hours to finnish it all off. The other reason is to have a good bye day with the kids I knew from Sunnyside. One of them that I had yesterday in class (but not today) made me a "I'll miss you Courtney" card which was really cute. I think another one was a little confused when he realized who I was, when he finally had class, he asked me "what are you doing here?, why are you here?" I think he was shocked seeing me out of the enviroment he was used to seeing me, like seeing a teacher at the grocery store. Another remebered that I am in college and asked me what I was doing there (perhaps she thaught of me as a Teacher's Assisitant, the classrooms tended to have at least one extra adult) so I think she thaught that meant I was done but maybe remeberd that I said I was just starting Grad. School in the summer. One kept on asking me (I think in a hopeful tone) if I would be at Sunnyside next summer. Of the approxamately 9 children I knew from Sunnyside (both from the after school and summer programs) all of them rememberd me, granted, its only been a few months since most of them saw me last.
At the end of my few hours, I had Helen sign the hours I observed her and gave her the evaluation sheet (that's who I was working with that day) and then went to Molly's classroom to do the same. Half the 5th graders where there (the same 4th grade class I observed last year but didn't get credit for). It was nice to sort of end with seeing them even though it was quickly to see it all come around.
NOTE: Most of this is a cullmination of several days' worth of conversation.
Wednesday, November 14, 2007
Ark Charter School
11/14
Same as yesterday but with diffrent groups, this first grade is a few days behind the other first grade so they are playing catch up.
Same as yesterday but with diffrent groups, this first grade is a few days behind the other first grade so they are playing catch up.
Ark Charter School
11/13
Yesterday was a day off because of the holiday, the kids (and us) are a bit sluggish. Schedule is the same ast last Thursday, Kindergardeners started clay vegetables, 1st graders continued their building, and 2nd graders started land form drawings
Yesterday was a day off because of the holiday, the kids (and us) are a bit sluggish. Schedule is the same ast last Thursday, Kindergardeners started clay vegetables, 1st graders continued their building, and 2nd graders started land form drawings
Ark Charter School
11/9
What a day, Helen and I spent most of our day in other people's classrooms, the ony time we wern't in annother person's classroom was either for running in and out for things pre-prepped or for a quick 1/2 hour class with half of the second graders.
Schedule:
7:30-8:30 Prep
8:30-9:30 1st grade ("On a street called home")
9:30-10:00 Prep
10:00-11:00 2nd grade (Landscapes/planet stories
11:00-11:45 Lunch/prep
11:40-12:45 Kindergarden ("growing vegitable soup")
12:45-1:45 1st grade (same)
1:45-2:45 Kindergarden (same)
What a day, Helen and I spent most of our day in other people's classrooms, the ony time we wern't in annother person's classroom was either for running in and out for things pre-prepped or for a quick 1/2 hour class with half of the second graders.
Schedule:
7:30-8:30 Prep
8:30-9:30 1st grade ("On a street called home")
9:30-10:00 Prep
10:00-11:00 2nd grade (Landscapes/planet stories
11:00-11:45 Lunch/prep
11:40-12:45 Kindergarden ("growing vegitable soup")
12:45-1:45 1st grade (same)
1:45-2:45 Kindergarden (same)
Thursday, November 8, 2007
Ark Charter School
11/8
Today I finally observed Hellen, her classroom, despite its smallness was much eaiser to sink into. I had several (more) students recignise me from Sunnyside (both after school and summer programs). My day went like this:
7:30-8:30 Prep
8:30-9:30 2nd grade - pick a favorite picture of a local building, sketch it and pick box that resembles its shape
9:30-10:00 Prep
10:00-11:00 1st grade -
11:00-11:30 Lunch
11:30-11:45 Prep
11:45-12:45 Kindergarden - start work on ceramic bowls, roll out clay on board, song "roll it, pick it up and turn it", press in Cjop sticks (mini stamps for clay) bring clay on board to Miss Hellen, she puts it in bowl and cuts it, any left over clay can be played with (not eaten!) or put away (for re-use) and students are allowed free time.
12:45-1:45 Kindergarden - same as first group
1:45-2:45 2nd grade - same as first group
2:45-3:00 clean up/talk
One thing I noticed, probably because it is fall time, you can see the Hell's Angels' "clubhouse" from the north side of the building, considering the building is a block wide, longest on the north and south sides, almost half of the classrooms have this view. That is a scary thaught when you consider the number of minorities in the school, if they even know what the Hell's Angels are.
Today I finally observed Hellen, her classroom, despite its smallness was much eaiser to sink into. I had several (more) students recignise me from Sunnyside (both after school and summer programs). My day went like this:
7:30-8:30 Prep
8:30-9:30 2nd grade - pick a favorite picture of a local building, sketch it and pick box that resembles its shape
9:30-10:00 Prep
10:00-11:00 1st grade -
11:00-11:30 Lunch
11:30-11:45 Prep
11:45-12:45 Kindergarden - start work on ceramic bowls, roll out clay on board, song "roll it, pick it up and turn it", press in Cjop sticks (mini stamps for clay) bring clay on board to Miss Hellen, she puts it in bowl and cuts it, any left over clay can be played with (not eaten!) or put away (for re-use) and students are allowed free time.
12:45-1:45 Kindergarden - same as first group
1:45-2:45 2nd grade - same as first group
2:45-3:00 clean up/talk
One thing I noticed, probably because it is fall time, you can see the Hell's Angels' "clubhouse" from the north side of the building, considering the building is a block wide, longest on the north and south sides, almost half of the classrooms have this view. That is a scary thaught when you consider the number of minorities in the school, if they even know what the Hell's Angels are.
Ark Charter School
11/6
I was supposed to observe Helen today but she ended up calling in sick so I observed Molly again instead. Apparently my presence in the classroom has an effect on each of her classes because she said that Thursday (Halloween) went surprisingly better then she thought it would and both Friday and Monday went well too.
Today was the same as last Tuesday (the 30th), students carried on with projects, the second grade graded their color tests (they all got 100% because they where allowed to correct them as they went).
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