It's Only the Beginning...

Who knew how easily a week could go by without time to touch the keys of my computer.  As I mentioned before, this week began my official journey into student teaching.  The week started out with two PIR (read teacher work time) days, followed by the students arriving on Wednesday.  I still have a full day ahead of me, but I wanted to post a picture of the bulletin board I created for the first day of class.  

As you can see (hopefully), it is a crossword puzzle with the word,s Welcome Back, English, Spanish, and Schumacher (for the name of my CT) hidden in the puzzle.  I was fortunate to receive multitudes of ideas from fellow teachers from across the country.  (THANK YOU!)  In the end, I chose this simple design for the small bulletin board in beside the doorway.  However, I'm still working on creating a longer-lasting board that is across the hall from my little piece of educational heaven.  I hope to create an interactive board that every student in the high school can participate in. (all 25 of them!)

Today is Friday!  The week went fast, but admittedly dragged by during several hours.  I think because I am still eager to start actual teaching that I at times feel as though seconds are crawling because I'm envious of the busy schedule my CT keeps.  Although I know in good time that prized schedule will soon be mine.  Please check back in with my blog this weekend for a full update of my adventures as the rural school teacher.

Everyday Inspirations

Two of my friends over in Kent, Ohio (hi Ryan and Amy) grow beautiful and delicious gardens.  To my delight they often shared their vegetables and let me sit among their gorgeous and scent-pleasing flowers.  Both have often told me about their gardens and the satisfaction they receive from spending time in the dirt and watching their hard work grow.  Today I found myself digging weeds from my single flower bed while cursing myself for not paying more attention to the quickly escalating problem.  It wasn't long though before my mind set into a more meditative state and as I pulled the weeds from the dry Montana dirt I began to see how a garden parallels so many other areas in our lives.

Ryan and Amy, both different and wonderfully inspiring people, create similar produce, but fashion their gardens as they see fit.  However, they can both agree that like many areas in our lives, if not all, take time, dedication, and planning.  I dug my nails under the roots of my weed-bed and began to think about what this mass of chaos was teaching me.  Recently I read a response to a sad news story about two young adults losing their lives because of a fatal decision to race their vehicles.  In his/her post the responder lectured whoever was reading about how today's youth live without knowing respect for themselves, or others, and that they  haven't been taught how to be "good" people.  Whenever I read comments about how troubled our youth are, or how they lack any real skill to benefit our world my heart sinks and my gut rages.  I think of all the youth that are spending their energy doing wonderful things for their families, schools, and community right here in the Gallatin Valley.  I think about the people who put our future leaders down as though all adolescence have nothing to offer the world; and then I have to wonder if the responder has ever taught anyone anything, especially about respect.  Just when I thought my flower bed was too messy and the soil was too dry I found a worm and I knew that among the mess something beautiful could still grow if I simply took the time to care about it.

It isn't only teachers that teach, or parents that nurture, doctors that heal, and farmers that grow...we are all responsible for teaching.  What are you teaching the people around you, young and old, when you make everyday decisions?  I often think about the teacher I want to be, and forget about the teacher that I am.  I feel pity in my heart for those who don't believe in our youth, and maybe even in their own children.  It spurs that unexplainable desire I've harbored for years to step into the classroom because I believe it is where I will make the most positive impact.  Last semester my cooperating teacher for my practicum experience told me that 10% of what she is teaching her students is English, and the other 90% is about life.

Who knew that the task I loathe the most could produce such incredible thought and revelations about the bigger picture of life?  Seeing the worm wiggle through the soil reminded me even among the bleakest environments all hope is not lost and change is possible.
What are you teaching those around you today?

The Final Countdown...

Bannack, Montana
Photo Courtesy of Trisha Jones Photography

In exactly one week I will be living within the eve of the first day of school.  In my experience, the first day of school holds a special power that doesn't fade and cannot simply be explained.  Despite how many years older I grow or the number of "first days" that I subject myself to I always end up with that funny feeling inside my gut that is a mixture of nerves and excitement; indeed I am a true nerd.  However, the first day is still a week away and my gut is already rumbling with something that I hope is excitement!

I've had the opportunity to visit my new school and speak with the staff, high school teachers, and most importantly my cooperating teaching.  Just last week the superintendent/principal/teacher (remember I'm at a small rural school) armed me with teacher and student handbooks, my class schedule, a printout of my students' information, and a trip to my future classroom.  I'm grateful for all of the information, but I must admit that something is missing...and I'm afraid it is my confidence.  Sure, I've breezed through lesson plans, unit plans, in-class teaching to peers, a million pages of reading, and even a practicum experience where I was allowed to practice my teacher-magic on real live specimens (teenagers), but this student teaching business is different.

Admittedly, I am nervous about my relationship with my cooperating teaching.  At first I thought, how could she not love me?  I'm eager, excited, mature, knowledgeable, and perhaps most importantly, passionate, but what if that isn't enough?  Or, what if she decides that she doesn't want someone marching into her classroom and shaking things up?  In all of their wisdom and kindness my professors tell me to not worry and just be my rockin teacher self (in so many words) and that I can't possibly fail, but let's face it...we've all heard horror stories of how student teaching has gone terribly wrong.

In my communications to my CT (cooperating teacher) I have tried to be mindful of her busy schedule, but all the while I'm obsessively checking my email hoping to find a response that will enlighten me of the ways of the teacher.  After two weeks of waiting I finally received my first response (this began last May) and was slightly disappointed.  Very little information was given to me and I chalked it up to "end of the year craziness" all the while slightly lowering my expectations.  A very prescribed method of how to appropriately contact your CT was bestowed upon my brain while at MSU, but clearly such a prescription doesn't always give accurate results.  What should I expect from my CT, even in the early stages?

I was invited to attend the end of the year teacher days (PIR days) in June shortly after school was dismissed for summer break and jumped at the chance to be involved in "real teacher duties."  This would also hopefully allow me the opportunity to meet my CT and pick her brain as to how I can use the summer to prepare for the upcoming school year.  There were many items on the agenda those few days and in the end I only received a hodge-podge of information and a promise that I would get an all-telling email later in the summer. Patiently I waited, but as my fellow English Education peers received their placements and then curriculum outlines I began to wonder just who my CT is.  So, I'm not overly prepared for student teaching, but is that as big of a deal as my nervous-excited-semi-freaking-out gut tells me?  I've spent years, if not my entire life preparing for this by not only attending classes, but reading and reflecting.

Student teachers can't expect their CT's to be mind readers, or to drop what their doing to go over every detail of how they run their classrooms and day-to-day activities.  I'm prepared, but not over-prepared.  In some ways the unknowing is a clever disguise for keeping me on my toes and ready for what happens, and not what I've prepared to happen.  In upcoming blog entries I will continue to explore the ST-CT relationship and the coulda, shoulda, wouldas of preparing for this leg of the journey.

Just Start Somewhere...

Write.  Write everyday.  Write anything.  Write something.  Just start writing.  It's what we tell our students, and often what we tell ourselves.  However, how often do we, the teacher, actually follow our own advice?  Just getting this blog up and running was a struggle that I didn't anticipate, but I am soon going to expect my students to anticipate deadlines, research challenges, "writer's block" and a plethora of other obstacles that may get in their way of crafting the perfect piece of writing.

Perhaps I should back up a little now that I've gotten the first few words down.  This is my first blog entry of what I hope to be many that chronicle my days as a student teacher; and then hopefully employed first year teacher.  Throughout my education at Montana State University I was exposed to many different publications about student teaching, but none that I felt gave an intimate look into the daily occurrences of the teaching profession.  Last fall my professor Lisa Eckert casually suggested that it wouldn't be a far stretch for any of her students to pursue writing such a piece of literature; so here goes my attempt!

And now a little about me...  I'm a 29 year old student teacher and finishing my last semester at Montana State.  I grew up in Northeast Ohio somewhere between Cleveland, football, and farms.  My passion for reading started at an early age and a part of me always knew that I wanted to be a teacher, but it wasn't until I turned 25 and moved west did the fire ignite.  Over the last two years I've spent my days juggling classes, part-time jobs, and a growing reading list.  I've been fortunate to study under great minds such as Lisa Eckert, Rob Petrone, Aaron Yost, and Dr. Michael Sexson. (And, many more of course!)

On August 22 I will begin the final leg in my journey as college student, but only begin another long and fulfilling chapter as a forever student and life-long learner.  I welcome your comments, questions, criticisms
and hope that in some small (or big!) way my insights and experience can help you gain a closer look into the life of a teacher.

Here we go!