Where has professionalism gone?

While I don't find myself in the exact profession that I had so desired as a young child (unfortunately the fear of blood and needles quickly squashed the neurosurgeon and cardiologist dreams among the many others), I still attend to my job with the utmost respect and diligence to the field. People will argue that education is THE answer to solving many of the blights on our country's record: poverty, racism, unemployment, intolerance, financial crises.

One would likely conclude that in order to bring education to the forefront and proclaim its healing effects to the world, those who are behind the doors of this miracle potion would be steadfast, strong individuals who reflected the purity of the institution.

Wrong.

As an educator, it can become quite easy to mirror the sentiments of the students, mimicking the "I didn't do it" mentality that frustrates all of us on a daily basis. During a discussion with a fellow teacher at lunch today, she proclaimed that using her cell phone during class was her right because she wasn't paid enough and she had to eat her lunch standing up.

Excuse me?

First, this is completely faulty logic. No single connection exists between your actions on your mobile technology and your salary. Perhaps that only connection is how expensive of a cell phone you may purchase on your teacher's salary. But, this marks a tangent to your original argument of personal responsibility (or lack thereof).

The constant battles facing educators today is overwhelming. Contraband items that are approved in some classrooms and not others; behavior that is deemed acceptable by some teachers and reviled by others. Without a sense of uniformity, how does the system succeed?

It will not until the professional attitude of teachers is revitalized. Teachers should not be texting during class. Teachers should not be using Facebook during an exam. Teachers should not stoop to the same immature behaviors and petty arguments that they forge against in their classrooms. Salaries are palsy, but if you signed up to be a teacher for the money, you most certainly belong in a different institution.

Snow Day 2009

Although it was only a workday (and one that I had previously requested off-- lucky me), today was a celebrated day here in North Carolina. While (most of) the rest of the country watched the inauguration of our 44th president, some of us found more childish joy in the simple weather fixture of snowfall.


This was Blake's first major interaction with snow, and I delighted in watching him take such joy from the occasion. It was quite romantic laying in bed this morning while the snow whipped through the trees and danced on the windowpanes. It made me wish so badly that I could just stay and not have to return to the Henderson life.



Alas, I have returned. The final semester starts on Thursday. 90 days and counting.

Adoption

Blake and I have taken the plunge and made our first adoption. Unlike most other people, we didn't bring a new animal into our house. We certainly didn't take in a child either (which sometimes could be considered an animal, but regardless).

No, Blake and I have actually adopted a solider who is stationed in Afghanistan. Our requirements are to send a letter each week and to send a care package once a month. We though this would be a great opportunity to brighten the life of someone who has put theirs on the line for the United States.

We wrote our first letter this week, which (as the agency said) would be the most difficult to write. What do you write to someone that you don't know anything about outside of their name and rank?

We've also talked about having my students this semester write letters, which I think would be fabulous. There's not a great chance that the solider will be able to write back, but think of the learning strategies (as well as humanitarian emphasis) a project like this could provide!

It's been a long time...

I'm not sure when the time started to slip away but I'm several months in the hole from my last post and much has transpired.

Life in Henderson continues to progress. When we return from break, we will have six more days of the semester and four days of exams to follow. Then, I will be OFFICIALLY halfway done. I can't believe it. This has become a far stronger motivational tool than perhaps I would care to admit.

My students seem to have progressed both academically and behaviorally. One of my least favorite students was suspended prior to the break-- what a Christmas present. I think I may achieve the "significant gain" label this year. On some levels that really irks me from last year. I worked SO HARD-- and to achieve...what? Nothing, according to TFA. Well, I'm not letting the organization dictate to me what level of success I may or may not achieve.

Things with Blake and I are still going incredibly well. We celebrating Christmas Eve together, which was wonderful. I've never actually celebrated Christmas with a significant other for the entire day. He tried to make it as special as possible (he was quite successful). I was excited for him to open his presents from me. Being the neurotic female that I can be, I tried to make my gifts thematic: a red dress shirt and tie, a gift card to dinner at Sullivan's steakhouse and tickets to the NC symphony in February. He totally surprised me with an iPod Nano (to go with my Nike shoes and the adapter so now I can TRULY train for my half-marathon in March!), a new digital camera and the DVD of Wall-E. Dinner consistent of lyonnaise potatoes, honey-baked turkey, steamed sugar snapped peas and Brussels sprouts (yum).

I traveled back out to Arizona on Christmas Day and have been celebrating with my family since. Yesterday I had the opportunity to ride the NEW light rail in downtown Phoenix-- how fantastic! While the last trip was utterly crowded and stressful, overall I enjoyed the new technology available in this city and hope that people take advantage of it.

Year 2 Commences

Well, by commences, I'm referring to the start of week 4. I have become lazy in the world of blogging (at least not in other areas of my life).

This year started out leaps and bounds better than last year. I have a majority of the same students, which is both a blessing and a curse (just for a few though).

What's Changed:

-My non-nonsense approach to discipline-- sending students out right and left, calling parents in front of the class on my cell and demanding they talk to their students

-Accountability on organization: students must keep folders organized in my class at all times

-Participation: Students earn stamps by coming and participating everyday; this has worked like a godsend

-New location: I'm down in the belly of the beast of our school; in a lot of ways, it's nice to be in a more secluded area. I'm not disturbed by high volumes of traffic or the numerous fights that have taken place thus far this semester. Of course, if and when we do need security, it can take a little more time than we would like.

-the students have more opportunities to work in the community and the school this semester than last, which is fantastic since they count on these hours to earn them a high school diploma

Overall, I feel that the school year is going well. Of course, there have been numerous instances of me wondering why I am doing this to myself again for another year. Luckily, those moments are far and few between.

We have a lot of new Teach for America teachers at our school this year (7!), and I've tried to become a resource to them, especially to the two assigned to EC. I understand their struggles as first-year teachers, especially in a challenging area. However, I feel that a few of them aren't reaching out in the ways that they should and need to. It's a tad frustrating from my perspective, but perhaps the second years felt like that last year.

Outside of school, I'm spending every weekend with Blake. I've spend the majority down in Cary thus far due to the fact that he's transition as far as housing locations. Plus, coming down Cary is such a treat for me-- I realize how essential it is for me to leave Henderson (unlike what I did last year at this time)

I've been diligently training for my races as well. I completed a 5 mile run this week, which was fantastic. Looking to do that again this week.

It's amazing how Google Calendar can make the time seem to fly by. Less than 170 days left...

Soakin' up in the sun in the desert...

I have returned to the Valley of the Sun for a brief vacation to celebrate numerous family birthdays and to reconnect with close friends and relatives. So far, my visit has been incredibly enjoyable. We celebrated my aunt's birthday yesterday with various salads (including a delicious wild rice/blueberries/walnuts/chicken salad) and games (a riveting game of Guesstures). Today I had the opportunity to visit with Mike and Joelle before they begin their trek to Michigan tomorrow morning. I have some projects of my own that need attention, and eventually I'll end up at my dad's house later in the week to celebrate his birthday (and Ryan's from two weeks ago). Laura and Dani will both be making appearances next weekend, which is fabulous since I didn't think I was going to have the opportunity to see either.

I will admit-- it's hard being away from Blake. I have gotten so used to seeing him at the beginning and end of every day; this is more of a reality check for the upcoming school year.

Speaking of which, I cannot believe how prepared I already feel for this school year. I certainly have much more to do since I have to basically start over in my classroom. However, the prior knowledge I have makes me feel much more relieved about where I need to take my students (as far as academic and life skills gains). I have some new creations to add to this years mix (some thanks to my ingenious boyfriend). For example:

-Classroom visual tracking charts where students will be able to see their progress against the rest of the class
-Individual tracking sheets
-80% Wall of Fame
-Classroom Blog
-More accountability for mailboxes
-Weekly quizzes (every Friday!)
-Guest speakers
-More field trip opportunities
-Review game in a box

and more...

Of course, I still have apprehensions about this upcoming year. I'm going to be down in the basement of the school (great place to put the EC Department). This means I will have to be more aware of my surroundings as security and the administration will be much further away. I hope the other new 8 TFA teachers at my school have a positive experience, and I want to do anything in my power to make it so.

I will be posting pictures from our Asheville trip soon.

A much overdue post

June 11, 2008 marked the official ending of my first year of teaching. I survived.

The last few weeks up until the final day were a whirlwind of activities and emotions. One of the hardest parts was that a student of mine from the previous semester, who had been battling leukemia for months, finally passed away in the comforts of his home with his family present. I felt a sense of so much injustice; unfortunately, there's always more lurking around every corner, so it's not healthy to become too vexed.

My classroom resembled more of a tomb in the last week as all the color and life were stripped down from the walls in order to administer state exams. The halls were quiet (for once) and the teachers almost downright giddy. Of course, EOC and VoCats had all of us on our toes. Our scores did improve from last year but not to the level we had hoped. The Extend-2 scores (the tests that my students take) will not be back until the fall, so we'll have to wait and see how they did.

Summer started with a bang: Blake and I were off to Monterey, California for his best friend's wedding. After many hours of traveling, Blake and I enjoyed ourselves immensely; we ate delicious seafood, walked along the infamous Cannery Row (now I'm reading Steinbeck's account of the bustling seaport), toured the aquarium, did some window shopping, and, ultimately, attended the wedding, which took place at the Post-Graduate Naval Academy. While the wedding was small and a bit chaotic at times, it was overall very nice; I had the opportunity to sit with the groom's parents (as Blake was part of the wedding party) and had an interesting conversation between them and the priest.

Since we've been back, I've been keeping myself busy with projects around the apartment, cooking, baking, reading, working on exams/long-term plans/lesson plans for next semester, exercising, and relaxing. We're going camping this weekend, most likely at Carolina Beach State Park. I've never been camping at a beach, so this will be a first in that regard for me; Blake's NEVER been camping, so he's trusting himself completely to my knowledge this weekend. I knew I did Camp Wildcat for something.

At this point, I couldn't be happier. Summer vacation has taken on a COMPLETELY new meaning, and I'm soaking up each moment of it before it fades away.