"Don't be sad that it is over, be glad that it happened."

It is quite surprising how fast the semester goes by... Upon looking back, I rarely posted about the incredible events and moments that I would have loved to document on my blog. These moments will always be with me in my heart, and I would have been more grateful to have shared those experiences to the greater community.

The final weeks of the program were bittersweet. There were joyful and relieved faces that finals were done, yet there were melancholy faces that the study abroad experience was coming to an end... At the Graduation Ceremony this past Friday, 130 young adult Japanese college students finished an intensive 10 month American Studies Program in Salem, Oregon at Willamette University. Majority of the students flew back to their hometowns in Japan Saturday morning. Their experiences in the States will always be a part of them whether they are conscious of it or not. Their time in another country, culture, language allows them to grow and stretch in ways they would never have been able to do if they did not take that step to journey outside their safety box. I appreciate the bravery, creativity, and spirit of these students...

すみません。

こんばんは。

Good evening.

I always think about posting a new POST, and I'm not sure why I don't! So many great things happen everyday, and I learn new things about teaching EVERYDAY.

I'll give you the "quick & dirty" rundown:

• Vocabulary Class: we visited the Mill Museum, played kickball on Sparks Field
• Volunteerism Class: we interviewed the principal and coordinator at the volunteer site, volunteered with the kids in the daycare
• ZUMBA!!!
• Learning Japanese - meeting with my Japanese tutor once a week, and started a Japanese class
• Tutoring
• Building language with context is the most memorable way to learn a language
• The importance of modeling, the giving gradual release of responsibility, and scaffolding
• "Love what you do, and do what you Love."

ありがとうございます。

paparazzi photos!

Guess who's the dork in the blue on the left with her mouth wide open?? Yep!! Me!!

Officially on the TIUA Website under the Faculty Tab on the BOTTOM click GTFs!

Where's Eva? 10 points if you can find me.

This was taken back in June when we were in Tokyo for the reunion...
The Willamette University Reunion is this weekend!!! :)

A day in volunteerism class...

What a great start to the week! Today I led majority of the class time in several activities in the Volunteerism class.

We worked on predicting skills, word fluency, vocabulary, comprehension skills, identifying main ideas, and pronunciation. AND we ran out of time to review and have a closure activity. :( I will continue to finish reviewing and check for understanding on Wednesday.  Time went by so quickly!! Some activities did take longer than expected, but I am getting used to that. There are things I would like to improve in my teaching. How I word my questions, and how I check for understanding.  I think I could have done better by asking questions that show the students comprehend the article, and I could have had them fill something out as we read the article about each paragraph.  In the end they would do a summary of the whole article. Do you think that would help??? 

Anyhoo... The more that I am guiding activities in the classroom the more I am able to learn what could work and what I need to do better. In the back of my mind I am constantly thinking about what to do that could work when I am in Japan teaching. I am getting more and more excited, and with that I am still nervous!! I am very grateful for these months of training at TIUA before I head out to TIU. It is such an amazing experience!! 

New beginnings...

My apologies for the lack of posts!! The summer came and went so quickly...

Visiting Japan was absolutely a blessing! It was amazing to have the opportunity to travel and network with many great people.

Yes, the school year has started over here at TIUA/ Willamette University in Salem, Oregon... We are moving into our third week of classes tomorrow!! Who would have thought?

I am co-teaching Vocabulary Building Strategies, and Volunteerism with a Focus on Teen Pregnancy. I am working with two amazing mentor teachers from TIUA, and I am very lucky to have such wonderful mentors that are so great! The past few weeks have been a big adjustment to working with Japanese students, working with mentor teachers, learning about campus-life, getting used to my work schedule, and of course the great balancing act between work and life outside of work!  I am fortunate to live close to work and I can commute with ease. Very very lucky... I am learning a lot from my coworkers, mentor teachers, students, and administrative staff! Everyone is very helpful and want us to get a good experience working at TIUA.  I think that the experience for the fall semester is worth all the work!!! There are still some unknowns, but I have faith that all will work out... it always does... [7amdolah]

Let the countdown to Japan begin!

COUNTDOWN CLOCK WIDGET

transition phase

Here is a snapshot of my trifold from the Teacher Research Symposium! It was quite the day. It was wonderful to hear and learn about what others saw in their teaching practices. I found it beneficial to hear from my classmates and what they tried in their classrooms. :)

My oldest sister is now a doctor of pharmacy! She graduated June 8th from University of Washington in Seattle. It was quite the joyous event. Four years of studying is quite the endeavor! Congrats Cheryl!

My last day with my middle school students was on Wednesday, June 13th. It was great to send off the kids for summer. They were totally ready for the end, and so was I!! haha. It was a great experience working with these kiddos, and I am looking for a way to continue working with them in the fall school year on top of working at Tokyo International University of America (TIUA).

Speaking about TIUA, we had our first official meeting yesterday. I gave them all the paperwork, they gave us all these handouts to look at. I got to meet my whole team in one setting, which was great!  We have another meeting on Tuesday afternoon before we fly out Thursday to Tokyo. :)

Final Conference DONE!

Hey there world!

I have just completed my final conference for getting my teaching license!!!  :D It feels amazing to be on the homestretch.

The only few things left to do are...

1. Teacher Prospectus Paper
2. Teacher Research Symposium
3. Edit Work Sample
4. ML Language Arts Test

I have a job lined up right after finishing school, and it is fantastic to believe that my goals and dreams are coming true... if only my body was not feeling weak and sick. I woke up this morning heavily congested. I tried to wash it all out when I took a shower, but no good.  It has stayed all day.  I took ibuprofen in the morning, and this afternoon I took Advil.  Still feeling the pain... Hopefully, I will be better tomorrow. I have my test!

Anyhoo... that is what is happening in my little world. :)

peace.

Dreams do Come True!

It has been a few weeks since I have blogged about my teaching journey... It does not mean it has been uneventful... It actually has been FULL of many things...

Since the end of the last post, I finished my Work Sample, went to the ALL-District Track Meet to support my kiddos, I had my 6th Formal Observation, I accepted the Global Teaching Fellow job at TIUA, I was called for another teaching job position and had to decline, I went to the Oregon Coast for a friend's Bridal/ Bachelorette Party, my boyfriend Graduated with his MBA, I completed my last Methods course, I found a roommate for August, and I am packing for my trip to Cabo San Lucas for my friend's wedding!!!

Many, many great things are happening, and more will be happening as well... Last night I took a moment to think about my journey thus far, and I have accomplished a lot for my 25 years on the earth.  Sometimes I think I should be doing more!!! I guess that is my spirit of adventure talking... since I have already traveled to 18 countries, accepted a job right after Graduate School, and I will be going to live in Japan for 2 years starting March 2013.  oh my...

I am continually humbled by the graciousness of the path that has led me through all the ups and downs,  and twists and turns. I am ready to continue this journey of life full of passion and desire to be a better teacher, be the best human being possible, and to be a content, grateful, strong woman full of peace and love.

Last Day of 5th Quarter!

Today was the last day of the 5th 6 weeks of the school year.  Tomorrow is grading day/ professional development day.  We had a "Carnival" today for the students.  They had a choice of attending different activities throughout the school... except the students who had to attend study hall because of their grades.  It was a bit chaotic having students run around the school with no accountability of being anywhere.  I roamed around the school a little to see the activities in action.  It seemed like majority of the students were in the gym for the dance, and I did not want to go in there so I walked by it. haha... I had to break up one couple sucking each other faces during 4th period in the hall. haha.  It was quite awkward, and please don't do that in school!!! Especially in the halls... so awkward to see middle schoolers making out... O_O"    I was shocked... It looked so weird. I yelled, "Stop it, [student's name] Go to class!!!" Yes, I knew the boy kissing the girl. hahaha. 

Anyhoo.... on another note!  Teaching has been going well.  I am going to have new seats starting next week, and will use a new system for students participating during the Warm-Up.  I have everything ready today for Monday, which is nice not to worry about during the weekend.  50 more days until Graduation!!! Just keep swimming...

School/Facility Visit!!!

This morning I went to visit MacLaren in Woodburn.  It is a correctional facility for youth, and I went to visit because I applied for a math position at the school in the facility.  It was quite the experience.  I worked in a correctional facility before, but this was different.  The were younger, and held here for hard crimes from all over Oregon.  I met with the Principal, and he showed me around the grounds and we chatted about the "students."  It was interesting... They application process ends this Friday, and then they will hold interviews the first week of May... I think it was interesting to see how the education is handled in the facility for the youth to attain their high school diplomas and some their college degrees.

interview. :O'

Yesterday evening I had my interview for being a Global Teaching Fellow in Tokyo, Japan.  I was very nervous.  I had 6 people interview me!  It was a round table interview, and they all asked me one question. It was a bit intimidating, but I think I did okay...  They said they will contact those who interviewed in about two weeks to inform us of the school's decision.  They will pass on the recommended candidates to Tokyo International University, and hopefully will hear back soon!  After hearing more about the program, and what I will do... I was getting more excited about this opportunity.  Before I was thinking if it is a good idea to stay in the U.S. and get my teaching experience built up here.... NOW I am all on board to go on this next adventure...

Finding beauty in the storm...

Yesterday was a furlough day, which is a cut day because of the budget cuts. Today we went back to doing our teaching, and it is crazy to think there are only 8 weeks left! Some students said 7, but I am pretty sure 8 including this week. That means there are...

-8 weeks until Graduation
-7 weeks until my oldest sister graduates from Pharmacy School
-5 weeks until Ashley's Wedding in Cabo
-5 weeks until my Prospectus Research paper is due
-4 weeks until Saud graduates from Willamette's MBA program
-3 weeks until my Work Sample is due

There is a lot to accomplish in the next two months, and it is crucial to take the time to acknowledge the good things about the things we do day in and day out.

+Today, one student who usually is off-task and is gone for ten or more minutes during class came back on-time and was doing his work!!! I acknowledged his timely manner and work effort in class. :)

friday----

What a week!

I am glad it is Friday and nervous about the work I need to get done this weekend. I plan for it to be a productive weekend full of yoga, good food, sleep, work sample, homework, job applications, and teacher research. Woohoo!!!

(:

Observation #4

My advisor came to observe me in my fifth period math class. It was weird to be observed after being gone for two days. There are always things to improve on, and I am a fixer... He asked what i did well... and I always struggle with answering that question!!!

Overall, it went well today.... Two more formal observations to go. Hopefully i can get some administrators to observe me as well. And the instructional coaches too.... That means I need to spend more time on my lessons, which would be a good thing. :)

I applied to the Lincoln County math position and the Willamette ESD math position today. Applications are a lot of work! More job apps to fill out... Never ending work to do... Gotta keep my mantra to get things done. :)

I can do it.
:D

Visiting my Portland Students...

First stop was at L.E.P High School, which is located in East Burnside in Portland.  I have a few of my students that I worked with from last school year now attending school here after Marshall was closed.  It was nice to catch up with them, and hear that school is going well.  They still feel upset about Marshall being closed, and wish they could go back to school there... One of my former coworkers teaches at LEP and I sat in and observed her class for a bit... It was nice to be in another school and see how things run compared to my daily life at the middle school.  It gave me some ideas about how to adjust my teaching, and reminded me to keep in mind what to do to prepare my students for high school!!

 

Next stop was at Madison High School!!! Where I got to see my other wonderful students from my first year of tutoring, and another student from my second year with Step Up.  My oh my... it was great to catch up with all of them.  One asked "So... they call you by your last name? That is weird!" because for Step Up they would call me by my first name. hahaha. It was a great reminder as to why I am working to become a teacher... the STUDENTS!!!! :)  It was also nice to catch up with former coworkers that are doing inspirational work...

Even though I did not have any interviews today with the districts/ agencies from the Educator Fair yesterday, it was wonderful and inspiring to chat with my Step Up community... Also, I checked my e-mail once I got home and I received news about conducting a formal interview for teaching in Japan.  Today was a much needed day of inspiration... now to keep the motivation going!!! 2 months until graduation...

ORegon EDUcator Fair

Yesterday was the educator fair in Portland.

I left Salem around 7am and arrived to the fair about 8:30.  There were lots of people looking to find jobs, and it was quite the experience.  I was intimidated and nervous at first, but then I jumped right in.  I spoke with people from...

• Vancouver Public Schools
• State of Hawaii Public Schools
• Clackamas County
• Gresham-Barlow SD
• Hillsboro SD
• Lincoln County SD
• Ontario SD
• Salem-Keizer SD
• Willamette ESD
• Federal Way Public Schools
• Doha-Qatar
• Silver Falls SD

It was quite exhausting.  The two that were promising were Federal Way and Willamette ESD.  They have job positions currently open for teaching math, and they encouraged me to apply online.  They were not holding interviews.  I did get some practice doing screening interviews with Vancouver, Hawaii, and Hillsboro.  What a day!!!

I am still waiting to hear about the Global Teaching Fellow position for TIU... I should be hearing back sometime this week if I get an interview!!! Must be patient....

Peace.

Spring Time

This past few weeks have been going by...  Spring Conferences on Wednesday was canceled because of SNOW.  Yes, SNOW!  And it is Spring.  Today it finally stopped raining, and the sun has graced its presence in the NW!!! A very much needed break from the rain.

Teaching has been going pretty well.  Spring break was a nice break to relax and get caught up on sleep.  This week I struggled with getting out of bed. I got used to waking up late and taking my time in the morning.  It is not the same this week since I have to be at the Middle School by 7:15....  I was really pushing how late I can get out of bed this week. haha. I plan on being better next week, but next week I will be going to the Oregon Educator Fair in Portland on Tuesday.  My goal is to get practice interviewing with as many districts/ agencies as possible.  Practice Practice Practice.  If any of the interviews lead to a possible job opportunity... I would not mind. :)

We'll see what happens... Happy Saturday!

Pi

3.14159...

Happy Pi Day.

I brought three small pies to school today, and gave it out to students after school. It was quite a hit! No pie leftover!!

Teaching will always have its challenges, and I am up for the challenge. Bring it on. :) I have noticed a change this week in my classrooms. It is a nice change to be able to teach and get the students listening. Feels damn good. Of course it is not perfect, and there were moments I would change what I did so that i can improve my teaching... But overall I think it has improved from when I first started!!! :)

Tomorrow is another day... ;)

First 6 Weeks

Can you believe it?  Six weeks have already passed by since I started going to the Middle School full-time! Today was a half grading day at the school, and no students were there.  It was a slower paced day. Too slow! I was very tired, and did not have much to do without any Internet access. I was able to make some docs that I will use next week, but then there was a slight change that I need to fix for the next few weeks to get my students better prepared for testing.  Overall the grades have a few A's, majority in the B's and C's, some D's and F's.  The one's who have D's and F's have irregular attendance and low test scores. Sadly, since they miss school they miss the information. So what can I do to get them caught up? Practice problems? Have them stay after school? Spring conferences with the students will be in about a week and a half. It leads us right into Spring Break.  Time to make phone calls.

On another note. Lincoln County School District (it is located on the Oregon Coast) is hiring teachers!  The Human Resources Manager and an Assistant Principal came to give an Information Session and interview us!  I was caught a little off-guard about the interview, but I gave it my best.  I know there are things I could improve on.  They held the interviews yesterday at Willamette, and there were about 20 people that attended.  I interviewed with the HR Manager and she asked if I was attending the Oregon Educator Fair in April, and I said yes. She mentioned a person's name to talk to at the fair when I go. I saw on EdZapp that they opened the positions.  I just need to polish my EdZapp a bit more before applying!  Did I mention that I am now thinking about getting endorsed in Language Arts now? After I passed my ESOL Exams, it made me think about becoming endorsed in LA.  I am going to look into it before signing up for the 95$ test!  A lot to think about....

Trying something New...

There was a substitute teacher yesterday, and I took the reign on the lesson and teaching it on my own. It was different because I usually watch my cooperating teacher teach the Math classes before me and take notes on how he teaches.  Things that went well were student participation and engagement.  Things that I would change would be a closure activity or something to keep all students at a table helping others.  Overall yesterday and today was better than it has been. I have been reading a book that my cooperating teacher lent me to read on Classroom Management when it was a Snow Day last Thursday.  [://www.consciousteaching.com/book-conscious-classroom-management/] Being a teacher is a lot of hard work, and it takes heart too.


On another note, I PASSED my ESOL tests!!!  I took it last month, and I received my results yesterday! This is the last test I have for the Endorsements that I was working on. Now I am debating to take the Language Arts NES Exam to be endorsed in Language Arts.  Also, I am thinking about getting the Reading Endorsement!  That is the great thing about being an educator... it means being a life long learner. :) Also, I applied to my first teaching job last week.  The partner university of Willamette, Tokyo International University, is hiring 10 Willamette MAT teachers to teach English in Japan.  I applied, and I won't know if I get an interview until the first week of April.  It's time to apply to jobs, and get this career started.

SNOW Day...?

I guess there was enough snow and ice on the ground in certain parts of Salem to call for a snow day at 430am. The car was frozen when I went outside around 9am....

I got a decent start on my Work Sample, and now time to plan some lessons!! Also, i have to write a paper. Oh, the life of a full-time grad. student! :) never ending work...

Formal Observation #2

Today I was observed for the second time, but from a different advisor.  It was in a different class from what I was observed in last week.  It was the last period of the day, and I think there are things that I could improve on.  Overall, the class went more smoothly than usual.  We did our mental math warm-up for the day, and then we did some review from yesterday's work.

Anyhoo... Tonight there was an event at the middle school. Math & Science night.  I think I am going to start helping out the teacher next to my class on Wednesdays after school the week before Spring Break because they are planning to sell baked goods to fund their classes.  It is a cooking class, and they only get a small budget for the year.


It was quite the day.... I am super exhausted, and I am familiar with what I need to do to improve. Now I need some action plans/ steps to do it.

peace.

Observation #1

I am sorry Blog that I have been ignoring you. I think I bit off more than I can chew, and I may be choking a little... Figuratively speaking of course. :)

I have been overwhelmed with teaching three classes, taking two online classes, and taking in person classes on Monday nights. I need to write a cover letter and spruce up my resume as well. Anyhoo... That is what my life revolves around right now. Go go go. I do try to do things to take care of myself to stay sane. Haha. Okay where was I? Oh, today was my first observation for the semester by my university supervisor. Yes.

It was a hectic day. Well the period after lunch does get out of control. I have moved students. I will need to move more tomorrow. I think I will need to send out a couple who were not working today... I like the students, and I am struggling with disciplining the in this period that I was observed in. I know I am doing them a disservice and I need to get it together so that I can get them following along to learn the material... Tomorrow is another day!!! Let the good times continue. :)

The Week of Valentines...

What a week!

Even though it was a short week I am exhausted! Everyday I would come home and pass out. I think I am getting used to teaching three class periods though. :)  It was Valentine's Day on Tuesday, and since we did not have school on Monday (Furlough Day) we got to start the week on a sweet note. :)  The students were excited to get their Val-o-grams.  I did not pass it out until the end of class. Last Friday was a bit hectic as well because they had the Valentine's Dance on Friday! All the students could not stop talking about going to the dance.... These holidays and breaks is something that I did not quite think about before.  I wish I could go back to my middle school self and remember what it was like for me as a middle schooler. Unfortunately, my brain has a hard time remembering those days... or I must have done a good job of blocking those memories out. haha.  Anyhoo... On Wednesday they were all tired.  My usual chatty 5th period were quiet and unresponsive! I even mentioned to them that I was surprised how quiet they are and if was because of all the sugar they had the day before.  Most said yes. haha.

Anyhoo... it wasn't a bad week. I think they are getting used to me being their teacher.  I think some did not realize that I was their new teacher! One student asked me today... if my mentor teacher retired. haha. No, he did not. He is still around the school, and I am just a student teacher. Oh... good times! :)

OAKS Testing: Part 1

Standardized testing - It has been a learning experience as I have been helping students with their state testing. This is their first try with the test. There will be two more tries before the end of the year. If students do not pass, they will lose an elective class and have a math intensive class. A lot of pressure to pass the state tests!!!

On another note teaching = draining! I have been teaching the ESL Class for a week and a half. It takes time to write lesson plans, make sure I have all the materials, and teach! Haha. This student teaching experience is a crucial learning experience!! I am thankful for the opportunity...

Second Semester Planning Day+

It was a quiet day without all the students around the school. I met with my cooperating teachers about my plan for this week, and what not. It was quite the day! I was feeling motivated to write my lesson plans, but I decided to go work out before class. I went to school about half an hour early to print some things out, and that is when my laptop screen went black... Yes, my laptop died today. It is perfect timing because I start teaching this week, and my data is all safe. Sadly I did not back it up, but at least it is still there right? I am teaching tomorrow, and I am trying to stop being so negative and sad!!! :( sigh... Things happen unexpectedly all the time, right? It'll be okay... One can only hope...

Salem-Keizer Educator Fair

Educator Fair! Mock Interview! Coffee! Resume Review!

I actually enjoyed the Educator Fair. I am grateful for the opportunity for the practice of having a mock interview with the Principal, and Assistant Principal from Crossler Middle School.

It was tremendously helpful to hear their feedback and advice!!! I will have to send them a Thank You card.  I met the Assistant Principal from Roberts High School who reviewed by resume. Very specific details what to change to improve my resume.  I better do it soon so I don't forget all the great advice and tips! I had my mock interview with the Middle School administrators.  Maybe I should have had another with the high school, but I was tired and done after one. eesh.  I went early for the breakfast to get to know other Administrators throughout the Salem-Keizer District.  It was neat to chat with different people, and see familiar people from North and Waldo at the fair.  This year the fair was at McKay High School.  It was a great opportunity, and I think it will prepare me for the Oregon Educator Fair in April.

Hump\\Day

Today I was able to use the Salem-Keizer wifi at Waldo.  It was very beneficial to be able to have some time to do my homework, which jump started some ideas of activities that I would like to do in some of my lessons.  I was in Period 3 with my ESL II kids, and it might turn into a Social Studies ESL class next semester.  Which is fine because we will still use ELL writing, reading, speaking, and listening strategies to support their strengths and needs.  I just wonder what we need to cover.  I will meet with my ESOL cooperating teacher tomorrow after school before our School Partner Workshop at 4:30pm at Willamette.  Today I recorded my 5th Period Math warm-up, but I haven't looked at it yet.  I will do that later this evening.  I will need to figure out how to upload it from my phone, which I think won't be too hard. I hope...  6th Period Math was a bit rougher.  Some of the students are just chatter boxes. I moved one, and had to redirect a three.  Overall they are not a bad group, but they were particularly chatty after my cooperating teacher left.  I also think that I went over the warm-up too quickly, so some of them could have been frustrated from that.  They were working fine on the warm-up, it was when we reviewed it that was a bit of a struggle.  Yesterday, was about the same as well.  I need to figure out a different strategy to try to get more students to participate and come up to the Smart Board! Tomorrow is another day that I can try something different with them. There is a Literacy Night at Waldo tonight, but I won't make it... I have a meeting with my Teacher Research Critical Friend's Group at 6pm! Meeting online. haha. We'll see how that goes... or if anyone remembers? haha.

More Practice Teaching

Today I taught for almost half the class period in both my math classes.  Teaching is hard work! I tried recording myself go through the warm-up, but the memory became full. I need to record myself teaching a warm-up for my Math Methods class.  Eventually I will record myself teaching for a whole class period. Even though it is an assignment for my Graduate Seminar class,  I think it will be very beneficial.  It will be painful to watch too! haha.

Another Manic Monday... not really.

  Today was a calm day.  I think this week will be calm in comparison to all the events that Mother Nature planned from last week.  I am taking on some more roles as the teacher. Today I led the warm-up and a quiz with the last two Math 3 periods.  I am getting a bit more comfortable with the classes.  It helps me remember students' names when I walk around helping students and when I am teaching.  This is the last week in the semester and grades are due next Monday.  There was a PLC meeting after school to discuss how the week will look like, and what next week will entail.  I should start teaching next week, but we'll see because there is some material to be covered before the students have the OAKS test (State Testing).  I think it will be better to take over after the OAKS, but I also think that by taking on more of the teaching helps me become more comfortable before I take over fully.   I was very sleepy this morning, and I wanted to find a hiding place to take a nap. Instead I was trying to stay awake, and was falling asleep in my chair.  Good times! I better go to sleep early tonight.  It is going to be a long week!!! >:D

FLOOD DAY!

Not a snow day, but a flood day!

KATU News - Salem Flooding

hurricanes, earthquakes, floods, oh my!!!

Actually... there are no hurricanes or earthquakes... just flooding!!  Check out the photo above.  It has been week filled with peculiar weather.  Snow Monday night, leaving us with a 2 hour delay for school on Tuesday.  Pouring down rain yesterday and today... leaving us with insurmountable amount of water on the roads and grounds.  What a week!  The Salem-Keizer School District declared that :

It has been quite the week to be back at the Middle School! On another note I helped out in the ESL Newcomer class, and supported my ESOL cooperating teaching in the ESL II class.  The ESL class has been discussing natural disasters, and it was quite fitting for this weeks turn of events.  Most students wrote about flooding today! haha. 

 I also led the warm-ups for the last two periods of the day (The classes I will be taking over in two weeks!).  The first class had more students and were more willing to volunteer.  They stayed focused and quiet even when my cooperating teacher stepped out for a moment.  The other class had less students because most were picked up by their parents.  Even though it was smaller I had to pick on students to participate for the warm-up, and when my cooperating teacher stepped out they were more talkative.  I will get more classroom management practice with the three classes I will be teaching.  :) I feel that I am ready to start teaching, and I am looking forward to it.  Time to start planning lessons and getting organized with information, grading, papers, lessons, activities, etc.

Back @ Waldo!!!

Ahhhhh!!! I am back at Waldo!!! Now I will be here full-time until JUNE!! It was quite the day to be back at the middle school. We had a 2 hour delay because of the snow.  I was hoping that it would be a snow day, but it was still nice to get a few hours more to stay in because I had trouble sleeping the night before.  I do not think tomorrow will be a 2 hour delay because it is not cold enough for the snow to stick and it is more like slush than snow.  It is still very cold though!!

It was an interesting day because not many students showed up! We started school with 3rd period, and I was in the ESL II class that I will take over next semester.  There were only 3 students in the class.  Even though it is a small class... students slowly trickled in throughout the morning.  I like being at Waldo, and I like the students there.  I received the textbooks that I will need to start some of my planning for next semester.  I will start taking over some smaller roles to ease into transitioning my role as the teacher by 2nd semester.  I will let you know how it goes!! :)

Today there was a shortened staff meeting because of the weather.  Teachers shared their work with each other through a gallery display, and there were a few updates.  I think staff meetings reveal a lot about the teacher/admin relationship and culture.  I do enjoy observing how they all interact with each other. 

Hope for a 2 hour delay tomorrow. :)