Stardate 5.124b Professional Development Day

Happy Friday! Well today was a full day of Professional Development hence school day 124b, not a teaching day but certainly I should get credit for working today. Anywho....

I have to be very honest here, I was not looking forward to sitting all day in sessions. Not because I was disinterested in the topics, just because I was thinking about the kazillion things I needed time to do in my classroom. That's the hard thing about teaching, well I guess about any job. The illusion that everything is important, even when it really isn't all that important. So rather than cutting lamination and organizing materials I set off to be a student for the day.

I walked away with quite a bit of new learning about components of the new reading series we are adopting, executive functioning skills and safety training. However the biggest lesson I learned today is that I am still a terrible student sometimes. Easily distracted, a distraction to others, and yet somehow engaged just enough to seem like I'm listening. As a kid the feedback teachers gave my parents was usually "she talks a lot in class and she is very quirky" but I was never a big problem because I was always a high achiever and my humor helped me make friends easily. *kanye shrug* The more some things change, the more they stay the same. At least I am no longer sitting on the floor under my desk to get my work done. At least not for now...

Tuesday Thoughts...

My niece is in the fifth grade and she wants to be a teacher when she grows up. She has been telling me this ever since she was in Kindergarten. When I visit my in-laws she always shows off the classroom she has created in their office. Her attention to detail usually makes me smile and warms my heart. However my latest visit to her "classroom" left me very sad. First of all she is still using a clip chart, I will need to discuss this with her lol. (I do give her credit for going beyond the simple green, yellow, red model.) Secondly, right next to the door is her drill portfolio. A DRILL PORTFOLIO IS PART OF HER MAKE BELIEVE CLASSROOM! Why? Because that is her reality of school. My sweet girl is keenly aware that teachers have to have a plan for emergencies that might require the words "lock down", "code" and "alert". I hate this for her. It makes me sad to think that a certain level of fear has made its way even into her imaginary classroom.

Despite this I am so excited that she still thinks being a teacher is cool. I enjoy talking with her about why she likes this career so much and making plans to come in a read to her students when I am an old, retired lady. That time will be here in the blink of an eye.

Stardate 5.116 - a community of compromise

First of all, hello again. 

Secondly, I have decided that any post about school will be numbered as a stardate (5 = year 5 of my teaching, 116 = school day 116). Yes, I can be a geek, but let's not get distracted. 

I am not always right, nor am I always wrong...

It can be very daunting to be the newbie in a school setting. I have all of these ideas and questions about how things are being done vs. how I used to do them and it's a fascinating journey to have these conversations with my coworkers and Principal. It is very cool to be a part of team that has student success as the goal, even though we might see different paths to get there. 

Thankfully being a year 5 newbie is much easier than being a year 1 newbie. I have a level of self confidence that is tempered by a complete acceptance that I don't know it all...yet. There will always be someone with a better idea, some insight on why things are the way they are, and an alternate perspective. I AM FINE WITH THAT and it doesn't intimidate me like it would have as a year 1 teacher. I know that I have new perspectives and a different background that can be valuable to ongoing conversations about change. 

Well...that's my time for today. 

Ok, let's start a blog...take 3!

Hello out there in digital land! I'm taking the Social Media for Educators course through Eduspire and I've been inspired to try blogging again. This will be my third attempt at blogging. I have a plan to keep it simple, and try to be consistent. Come along on this journey with me...

Let's start with some explanation of my blog name and the three branches of my life I am most likely to discuss (without tons of identifying details because that kind of freaks me out) here.

Mrs. - I am happily married, approaching year 5. 

Mommy - I am a mommy to an amazing toddlerina princess! Everyone told me that the time would fly but I had no idea. Seems like just a moment ago she was a newborn and now shes on the move, running, talking and exerting lots of independence. 

Teacher - I am a Kindergarten teacher, for the third year in a row. I previously spent two years as a first grade teacher. I have a passion for this early elementary age group. It is a difficult time to be a teacher, with safety concerns, strong opinions about how we should do our job from people that have never done our job, budget cuts and increasing student needs. BUT I love what I do and have no intention of switching careers.

Well, that's my time! (one of my strategies to keep up with this is to set a timer for writing, when it's done so am I).