I Hope She Isn't the Kind that Eats People!!!

The Triumph:  It was overall a successful day today!  We got everything done that I had planned, which included several new games and manipulatives throughout the day.  Plus I taught one of the boys the word 'obliterate' and it's meaning!  He was having a grand time making really great battle sounds and pretending that stuff was blowing up and I told him a fancy word for blowing stuff to pieces was obliterate!  He loved it!

The Struggle:  I had a little chat with my darling friend today, who I often have power struggles with.  He had stolen some SillyBands out of another boys backpack, so he was sitting in the Cheetahs, waiting for me.  We talked about what he did, why it was wrong, etc.  He was clearly upset, and then said to me "I'm a bad person."  That put tears in my eyes.  It is so upsetting to hear a kid so young saying something like that about himself, and I'm sure it is the same type of language that he hears at home.  I told him to look me in the eyes and told him that he is a good person, a good kid, but has just been making choices that aren't good.  We talked some more and he told him that he wanted to be good and then came up with some ways that he could be good and could make good choices.  And then he followed through with what he said.

The Ludicrousness:  I overheard two boys talking today, after I told them that the woman standing behind them was my mom.  "WHOA!"  "I hope she's not a witch"  "I hope she isn't the kind that eats people!"

The other two quotes happened after the above student returned from the principal's office.  We were all seated on a letter on our alphabet carpet and I said to the student "Have a seat on the carpet.  Sit on the "U" that would be a perfect spot for you!"  He looks at me and says, "My name doesn't start with 'U'!!!"  

I'm glad he is learning his letters! :)

And a few minutes after the "U" comment, he heard some words that weren't nice and said "I'm going to go tell the prince!"  And another boy says "Who is the prince?! What prince?!"  

Princ-ipal!!

Gotta Have Those Resources!

Today is the first day of this blog, and the first day of my final quarter of student teaching.  I have been in this classroom since the beginning of the year only a few days a week.  Starting this week, I will be there every-single-day.  And I can't wait!  I have been learning so much about myself, as a teacher and as a learner, and would like to document at least one triumph, one struggle, and one ludicrous moment from each day.


Today was the first day of my final quarter of college (for now anyway), and I attended a student teacher job search seminar instead of going to my classroom.


The Triumph:  Through this seminar, I have gained more confidence in myself.  I feel more confident going out into the work field due to the interview tips, the resume writing tips, and the mock interviews.  I have a clearer picture in my mind of what I need to do in order to pursue a teaching job, post-grad, and an abundance of resources to help me along the way.


The Struggle:  I have also realized, mainly through the mock interviews, that I really need to practice!  I need to figure out what my teaching philosophy is!  How big should it be?  I feel as if I could write pages on what I feel about teaching, but what are the main points that I want my future employers to be aware of?  And exactly what type of literacy block would I develop based on assessment gathered from my students?!


The Ludicrousness:  This is a hard one for today.  There were no children blurting out the first thought that came into their heads, no lunch table freak-outs, and no musical instrument outbursts.  However, after the seminar, I decided to google my name.  I have done this many times before, mainly after hearing a family member rant about how awful the internet is and "don't you know, anyone can find you on there!" but today, I came across a lovely gem from a past class.  Our assignment was to use the tool available on xtimeline, where students and teachers can create their own timeline on any subject.  While in this class one of my classmates decided to write a timeline about me.  These events are my favorite in my life (and I hope to see them come true in the future!) :


June 5, 2075 - First Death: Jen succumbs to the ebola virus after contact with an infected gorilla.


June 8, 2075 - Resurrection: Jen is brought back to life by becoming a vampire.


July 2, 3000 - Second Death: Jen succumbs to bubonic plague. Vampires can die from that, you know.


I could not help from laughing at that!