Better or Crazy?

I started teaching at a high school this week. I can't decide if it is going to make me become a better teacher and person, or just drive me crazy...

Welcome to Maple Mountain High--home of the Golden Eagles:


I am excited for the rest of the time I get here. My cooperating teacher is way chill-Lou Crandall. The students like him, he is very knowledgeable, and he is helping me to feel really comfortable with the whole student teaching situation. He didn't just dump his classes on me-- he is helping me ease into it. Which is wonderful because teaching at a high school is completely different than an elementary school. I'm hoping that because of all these things, I'll be able to become better.


That being said, there are things that are already driving me crazy:

- Being here is making my subconscious really uncomfortable. I will be walking down the hall and feel like I am one of the students when I am actually the teacher...
-High school maturity levels create rather stupid jokes. And flirtations. Sometimes it's funny, sometimes it's just painful to listen to...
- Girls wear these:

ok, so it is kinda cute. but weird... look it up.

- They also wear leather jeggings. (don't look that up...)
- A majority of the students are rather wealthy, and they flaunt it.
- Lunch is at 10:30. AM!
- Been here a week and I can barely keep my eyes open when I'm not at school. I went to Benihana's on Wednesday and was falling asleep while eating.


The classes that I teach are all digital and every student has a computer. It makes it difficult to manage what is going on, however, when all the students' screens are facing the back of the room and you are in the front. But, I can always just stand in the back and make sure that most the class is on task.

The biggest peeve I have is students talking while I am. Maybe it's because I just came from elementary school where you have to manage them so they are not talking while you are, but it drives me crazy that students will be talking to one another while I am telling them what they should be doing. Lou is so chill that he doesn't particularly mind. His mentality is that if they want to do well, they will listen.

I hate it.

However, maybe this is what I need to learn. I don't mind talking at all, as long as it isn't when I am teaching. So, while it is driving me crazy right now, I hope in the end it means I will be a better teacher.

Or maybe I'll just end up crazy...

Avocados

Call me a nerd, but I remember the first time I had avocado.

My mom would take Emily and I to see our sister Janet sometimes and go out to eat. I remember a little restaurant on Center Street that we would have to walk through a small store, and into the back in order to sip herbal tea and eat overpriced sandwiches. I felt so grown up. Eating out with mom and sister. Drinking tea of all things. Who does that besides grown-up British ladies? (a lot of people I've since learned, but it was so great then...)

It was there that the beauty of the avocado was introduced to me. Now Colin and I can't get enough. We love avocados. Our most recent experiment was this:



Chicken Avocado Eggrolls: courtesy of Food Network. Thank you. You reminded me of the very first time.

Amy's Birthday

It was a wonderful day. Colin spoiled me.


Best comments from second and third graders on that day:

"You're married?! How many kids do you have?"
"None, right now."
"None?! You can have me!!!"
(from little James, who I would take home in an instant if I hadn't already helped him to write a Valentines letter to his dad. He loves his dad. Dang it...)

"How old are you now?"
"How old do you think I am?"
"A teenager."
"(laugh) I'm 24 now."
"You're 24?!? That is so old!" then "That isn't as old as my mom. She is soooo old. She is 31."
(Oh my, I thought I would die laughing...)

So, while I couldn't take James home, and I felt really old for turning 24 (which I know I'm not, it just sounds so old when third graders say it...) I had a wonderful day.

We started by reading this book in the morning. I. Love. This. Book. Love.

My second graders, along with my cooperating teacher, threw me a party at school. Doubly special because they were having their Valentine's party. Complete with balloons...

...a large birthday card...

...and every student in Mrs. Anderson's class made me a birthday card. :)
(I'm "coot")

Colin surprised me with flowers! (note: this is a big deal for Colin)

We finished the night with fondue, family and friends. Love.

Birthdays

This is my mom.



It is her birthday today! She is the most wonderful mother. I will make a list of why I love her, but know that it is abridged because there are too many reasons:

- She takes funny pictures
- She loves to travel
- She will do anything for her family
- She is stronger than cancer
- She taught me how to cook. And she is a great cook.
- She got me through school
- She came to every single performance and competition of my life. Most times to every single performance of the same show.
- She drove Emily and me to practice weekly
- She made Emily and me go shopping when we didn't want to. (helping us to be well-dressed and well shoe-ed. We hate shopping...)
- She loves the church
- She and Dad taught me to pray
- She enjoys old movies and musicals
- She enjoys new movies and musicals
- She cares about how I am and what I am doing

- She is my mother.

I know I have a birth mother out there that I need to thank for giving me to the best mother. I am who I am today because of her and my father.



Love. :)

Aggravating Belligerence

I know, I made up a new word with Belligerence...

I was so exasperated today. How can classes go so well one day, and be so awful the next?

Exhibit A:
Yesterday was great. One class was amazed I was a Mrs.

"You're married?!?"
"Yes, I am."
"Wow!" and "You look too young to be married."
"How old do I look?"
"Like a teenager." and "You can't be married (trail off, mumble mumble)"
"What did you say?"
"You're too young. You're pretty. When your old, you're not..." (This last sentence, I could tell, this girl knew as it was coming out of her mouth was wrong, like she wanted to swallow her words after she said them.)

I told them that was not true. My cooperating teacher, Charlotte, is beautiful and married for longer than I have been, for example.

How can such a lovely class, that all thought I was young and pretty go to what happened today?


6th graders. They know they are the top of the food chain. However, I still am older, and the authority figure in the classroom. So I thought...

Majority of them were good. They listened. They cleaned up. But the minority made today so awful! They made a disaster of the room, and then ran to their real class. I ended up having to go to their teacher and tell her that I needed the boys to come clean up their mess, because they left the room in shambles. She didn't look too pleased. I hope she chewed them out after they came and cleaned up.

There was more to what made them so awful for the day. The lack of cleanliness was just the last problem of their class. But it the start of a headache day. And I got to wondering, can I even handle older students? Maybe I'm only good with elementary students younger than 5th grade. Does that mean I'm going to fail at my student teaching at the high school? And if so, does that prove Miranda (that one teacher...) right in any way?


Anyway, I found this picture and wanted to share:

The Blue Mosque in Istanbul, Turkey
(I know the balance is off somehow... But it's a pretty building even if it isn't a pretty picture. )

Beautiful

Last week, I had the best comments from a little girl as we were walking down the hallway--

"You are the best teacher in the whole world!"
"Oh, (small laugh) thank you. (smile)"
"I like the other teacher (meaning my cooperating teacher) but you are just so pretty."


I laughed. I like elementary-schoolers.

Assessments

I never announced my Praxis score to the world. Here it is: 183

I needed 157 to pass. Don't ask what it was out of, or how it was scored, cuz I don't know. But I passed!


Tomorrow I take the GRE. I wish I had a score that I had to pass in order to know I did well. One nice thing is, I will know my score right after I finish. So I can announce that tomorrow.

Wish me luck!