Slammed

"If everything seems under control, you're just not going fast enough." -- Mario Andretti

I can't say life has been full of control lately, but it sure picked up its pace last week. I have been trying to catch-up these past few days because there was no extra time to get anything done in the blur of last week.

I should have known last Monday how the rest of the week was going to be. Ya know that errand outfit post? Well, I wore that to go to Powell's Bookstore so that I could get some Dr. Seuss books for the class I was going to sub for. I did not plan for this expense, but the teacher suggested that I bring some in for an activity she had planned. $38 dollars later I had 7 used books (enough for one per table group). Unfortunately, the books were not useful for what she had planned and there was little time to use them. Siiighh... They will come in handy later on though.

So, I subbed in a 3rd/4th grade class for three days. I honestly don't know how the teacher manages do teach them every single day. Now, the kids were just fine- no big issues there, but it is the curriculum that makes your head spin in 50 opposite directions. In the morning, I taught part of a lesson to 4th grade to keep them busy, then switched to 3rd... then back to 4th. Then we all did the same writing activity (making fun poems for  Dr. Seuss hats- it was Read Across America Week), thank goodness. After students' special and lunch, then it was time for the real challenge of the day: math. Oh. My. Word. Something has got to change with the current curriculum! The lessons are so poorly written that it took me a good 30 + minutes a day just to figure the goal. Then like the morning, I would go back and forth with the grades, which amounted to skimming here and there. Believe me, it was exhausting (in addition to all of the activities going on that week).

I certainly have been thinking quite a bit about curriculum and split grade classes. Experiences like this mold my teaching philosophy and make me even more passionate about teaching. I enjoy the problem solving aspect of it all and thinking through how I might approach things if it were my classroom. I am excited to gather experience and make adjustments in curriculum when it is necessary.

Oh yeah, I ended up subbing that Friday for a first grade teacher. I was quite impressed with their behavior and had a fun time with those lil kiddos. I also had the help of a retired teacher in the morning, she volunteers every Friday. We had a great time together! The day went smoothly, all besides the earthquake/evacuation drill that occurred while the kids and I were across the hall watching a movie. When the principal announced the drill, it literally looked like 30 squirrels scattering all at once (of course, I told them in a real event of an earthquake that would NOT be okay). The day ended with library and music back-to-back. Fridays in that room are pretty darn sweet!

The craziness continued to Saturday in which I took a the test for getting my reading endorsement. Oregon has the highest score to pass and have heard that many do not obtain in it in their first attempt (it's only a $130... no big deal right?!). I feel like I did well but am not totally confident that I passed. I'll find out my scores a month from now, so long to wait.

If these big events-- subbing and testing didn't fill up my time, my sister left Thursday to go to Georgia to see her husband and on Saturday my mom left for a work trip to China. Without fail, whenever someone has a ticket to fly somewhere, someone else goes! Lots of coming and going in this house!

This is all to say: this is why I have been so silent. I will admit that times like this make it super easy for me to get off the blog-writing-horse and let dust accumulate on its saddle. I have been focusing a lot on school this week since I got nothing done during those hectic days. Such is life! Only 10 more months to go until I have this degree... the end is in sight but distant.

I have another post (an outfit one!) to put on here but I must get ready for tutoring now.

Happy Thursday!

FPC, Day 22: Where You Work

February Photo Challenge

Day 22

"Where You Work"

one of my many work places-- tis the life of being a substitute teacher!

Oh how I lucky I was to be able to take this picture today! I had thought about doing this picture in advance in case I didn't sub today, but of course I forgot last week. I've been too busy to fret about accomplishing this photo challenge so it worked out well that I had to play teacher for the day. I don't think I am allowed to take a picture of my other job at the tutoring center. However, I would rather focus more on the fact that I'm a substitute! It's a tough job some days but also very rewarding. I have subbed for 2 years now and have enjoyed it for the most part. I think I am getting to the point though where I am ready to have my own space to grow, make mistakes and to experiment with what I have learned. 

Where will I first land....

An ELD (English Language Development) classroom....

A Reading Specialist position....

A mainstream classroom using both endorsements....

Or somewhere totally unexpected?!

It's exciting! I hope that I will love my future classroom/teaching position wherever it might be. :) Like everything else in life, and what I have learned from subbing: "one chunk at at time" (quoted from a wonderful teacher- the first lady I subbed for). 

FPC, Day 10: Self Portrait

February Photo Challenge

Day 10

"Self Portrait"

Well, here I am on a Friday night after having two kinda nutty sub days! I will admit that (1) I put on makeup prior to taking the pictures (this was one of those roll out of bed days-- only had time for some mascara before heading out).... (2) my camera was all TOO nice in showing every blemish on my face so I decided to use my low-quality iPhone cam.... (3) even though I did the above two things, I still look tired. 


I am pleased  that I survived a day in which the teacher had warned me beforehand about the kids being a "little naughty" this week. I was also instructed to give a lecture on not using magnets as body decoration (lip and tongue rings) as older students in the school have been doing so. Unfortunately, I forgot to give this lecture as I was a bit caught up in taming about 25  young "beasts." haha 


I have to say though the highlight of my day was reading part of the book Crash by Jerry Spinelli. At one point he is describing a character, a little 6th grade girl who has blush on so dark it looks like a black eye and hair covered in white bows.. to the point he describes her looking like an old lady. Oh it is a hilarious! Totally caught me off guard and I got the case of the giggles. Kids thought it was pretty funny too! I had a hard time composing myself to keep reading the next few pages because I kept visualizing that character in my head... Spinelli is such a genius!


Happy Friday everyone!

A Simple Substitute Outfit

I'm going out on a limb here and posting a picture of myself in an outfit! haha Didn't think I would do this till later, but I feel pleased with what I wore today-- it was fun for teaching, very comfortable, I received several compliments from students, and I even wore makeup along with it all!

Cardigan: H & M, recent purchase ($14.95)

Scarf: Fred Meyer's, gift from Mom for b-day

Underneath T-tshirt: White from Old Navy (old)

Slacks: Black from Old Navy (old)

Sis took this pic, she's a lil shorter than me-- as the camera angle shows.. haha

Earrings: from the Made in Oregon Store - I love jewelry there! Local and beautifully made. Lots of different jewelers to pick from :)

Teacher Angela learned this today (or was reminded of a few things)::

-- Kids notice EVERYTHING

-- Within a few minutes of seeing the kids, they commented on what I was wearing... recieved compliments on my earrings, my coat (a teal pea coat) and scarf.

-- One girl commented on that she liked my makeup

-- For this class, it is a good idea to keep them on their feet. Maybe I'll keep their attention better if I'm wearing interesting things. I felt really good with how I looked and confidence is important when you're a teacher!

-- I can make a great "don't you even think about it..." looks to kids when I wear good eye make up (haha!)

-- Putting together this outfit was super easy. It's not award worthy by any means but it is definitely an upgrade to my usual blah looks. Amazing what a scarf and makeup will do!

-- H & M rocks, I am so pleased with the quality of that cardigan

** With all this said, it's NOT all about the clothes and looks. I know I am yakking about that a lot these days but they are not what make a person truly successful. I think looking nice can gain one more respect and in the classroom, all eyes are on the teacher. I remember when I was in the 5th grade, I just loved my teacher and I loved the way she dressed. I was always interested in what she would wear each day. One of my favorite outfits of hers was a soft flowing matching top and bottom outfit. Both parts were light green and they fit her slender body beautifully and on the waist there was a bow-- think the top part kind of had that wrap look to it. I loved how my teacher looked so good each day, made her extra lovely. I even wrote a note in my journal one day complimenting her! She was a fantastic teacher and you could see her personality in everything she did-- the way she dressed and carried herself. 

I think dressing nice adds in that extra sensory element; it's good to be a visually appealing teacher. Besides, it's fun to surprise kids every now and then! :)

Lessons from Heart Shapers

Credit: Marianne Lo Monaco, her shop at Etsy

In these past two weeks I have been very busy with my reading practicum and had one day of subbing (at my fav school). This means I have spent lots of time with kids! Some days have been pretty good and others have been the type where you ask, "how many hours are left?" Needless to say, I have been learning a lot from those youngins.

Less than two weeks ago I subbed in a first grade class after being in a 3/4 split in he morning. Unfortunately I was not feeling good that day -- literally felt like my thoughts were moving through sludge or super thick molasses. Anyhow, the afternoon was totally off kilter. The kids were riled up and then one of them threw up in the sink while I was reading a book about Martin Luther King, Jr. The custodian came to clean the mess. The custodian told me her machine was loud so I took the kids out for a recess. In which, of course, someone fell down and had to go to the office. At that time I was getting a serious lesson about flexibility. I always learn about that whenever I teach but boy did I get an intensive lesson that afternoon! Getting better at dealing with what comes along...

After "recess," once I got the kids settled and an argument resolved. I continued with reading the book about Martin Luther King, Jr. This was the part of the day that glimmered and sparkled. Whether it was driven by my state of tiredness or not, I dug into the heart of MLK's legacy (or a piece of it that is). I talked to the kids very seriously about MLK and really wanted them to understand that his story is real. When I got to the part of blacks and whites being segregated I reinforced the fact that this injustice happened in our country. The kids, those that were paying attention, were in disbelief and in their own way, disgusted. I contrasted in telling him that things are different-- skin color doesn't ban a child from school (if these were older kids you could pose the question if things have really changed). Thanks to MLK.

When got to the part where MLK was murdered they were quite emotional about it -- they didn't understand why that would happen. One boy in particular kept responding to the text aloud and I didn't stop him from blurting out. Purposefully. He had such complex thoughts on the event and he was trying to wrap his head around the tragedy. He kept asking "Why would someone kill someone who was so nice and good?" and just didn't know why on earth a great person would be killed. I was almost awestruck with his comments. I didn't know how to respond either but my only answer was that while it is so sad we can make sure that we never hurt someone else like that. That we treat each other with love and kindness. And to keep MLK's dream alive.

I think what I learned from this is that it's not necessarily about the questions we ask but that we ask them in the first place. Injustice needs to be questioned or it will never be changed.

I hadn't given it much thought until that day but I am a fighter against social injustice. I'm an advocate, first, for children and then for those that are treated unfairly (won't get into specifics tonight).

I learned too that though I honestly don't know that much about MLK's life I do know about his story. I feel his frustrations and can share in his heartache. I also know there is much work to be done-- his dream is not a complete reality yet.


Just this week I had a run in with the choice, "Do I firmly discipline this child or do I encourage him with assistance?" It was a matter of Love and Kindness. Not that firm discipline isn't loving but this child was getting out of hand and needed some quick redirection and I was debating on going about it gently. The poor child was just having an awful time following task directions and felt incapable of being able to do anything. After watching him struggle I sat down with him, put my arm around his shoulders and told him I would do part of the work if he did the rest. He needed that gentle encouragement and felt good about his efforts afterwards.

Sometimes that is what we need, an arm around us and a strong voice telling us we CAN. A child taught me that lesson.

I almost wonder some days who the teacher is! I think a lot of teachers could and do say the same thing. Kids are heart shapers. They sure know how to change mine.

Smoothie, Subbing & Sinks

"Think left and think right and think low and think high. Oh, the thinks you can think up if you try!"                   --Dr. Seuss

Okay, this is my mixed bag post! I have a little list of things I want to write about, but don't want to do two or three separate posts.

As I am writing this, I am sipping on a smoothie, thinking about this whole discombobulated week (love that big 'd' word, for its looks, it is Angela-ish - not real fond of feeling this way tho). I will be honest in saying that I have been disorganized, fairly lazy (I have been joining in with my sister as she is on her break in between terms), distractable, and strangely, all that the same time, very inspired. How that all goes together, is beyond me! ha ha

Well, okay, I may have one itty bitty idea... Um, I am going to confess something here: I have just discovered the wonderful world of PINTEREST. Yes, I don't normally write things in caps as that means you are yelling, but this is worthy of those big letters. I have seen this website mentioned on a few blogs (believe Flower Patch Farmgirl was one of them...) and decided to check out... Oh my, I am not sure if that was a good idea or not!! On one hand I feel incredibly inspired and mentally rejuvenated, on the other hand and foot-- I am so horribly addicted... So bad that I even got my sister hooked on it! ;-) Anyhow... at least I did end up making something, the smoothie:

This is called a Green Monster Smoothie, which comes from Sing For Your Supper blog via Pinterest. For the most part I like this smoothie, I mainly taste the banana and strawberries (I used 5 big strawberries). I think next time I will add more yogurt (I used honey flavored Greek yogurt since we don't use honey much). Also, this would be much better if mango was added. I think this needs more sweetness and tanginess. Overall though, not bad. You don't taste the spinach at all!

Now that you know what I am sippin' on (actually it is all consumed now), I will continue with the rest of what I have to say: Today was a subbing day! I subbed in the same classroom from last time (4th grade), but only in the afternoon. I was a bit apprehensive about it being Friday and the afternoon, but the kids surprised me! They were pretty good for the most part- I was the one that made them get riled up at one point... ha. ;-) So, the kids were working quietly on their writing and one suggested that I put on music. Knowing that their teacher has done that in the past, I thought it would be a nice idea. Unfortunately, she doesn't have any calming tranquil CDs.... Sooo I made the huge mistake of putting on a CD with the first song being the "YMCA." Um, yeah. As Sara says, fail. Okay, it wasn't that bad though they all started doing the hand motions.. obviously, not writing... So I let them have about a minute of it and then told them if they continued to do their work and stay on task, they could have music time later. Whew.... Rest of the afternoon was just fine, thank heavens.

... On to a totally different topic, sinks. As a way to procrastinate on writing an annotated bibliography and other homework, I decided to unclog the bathroom sink that my sister and I share. I have been wanting to deal with it but hadn't decided how to go about fixing the problem. So, thanks to Tidy Mom via Pinterest I was reminded of an easy, simple, green cleaning solution: vinegar and baking soda! I knew I needed something that would effervesce (in college I unclogged a drain with Mentos and Coke). Unfortunately, our sink was very clogged so I had to use a few tools in addition to B & BS. It took big tweezers, a flashlight, little tweezers, and some hot water (and several B & BS rinses). I am still not completely done with it. Last night my uncle gave me this nifty tool to dig under the plug. I think I will go mess with that now...

Isn't it beautiful?! I should have done a before pic but just know that it was very clogged. 

Always good: Vinegar and Baking Soda. Natural  & economical.

*Dad came over on Saturday and showed me how to take out the plug. Now our bathroom sink flows even better!

Happy Friday to all!!!

Substituting Season Begins

Note I got from a 3rd grader last year

Yesterday I started back into subbing for the school year! I subbed at a new school that is close to home (but for a teacher I know from last year- she got moved this school due to budget issues).

Last year this teacher had second grade and this year she has fourth. It is quite the switch but I am excited to know this age group of kids better.

I am thrilled to say it was a positive experience overall. The kids were good (thankfully!) and didn't test the boundaries too much. I had tricks in my bag (literally) but didn't need to pull them out. I think I will use one of them next time I sub, but we shall see. As a sub it is important to always have backup plans and well, bribery. haha

One thing I am always intrigued with is how fast time passes while I teach. Perhaps that is because I have learned to just look at one piece of the day at a time. Before I know it I am getting the students organized to go home!

(side note: I was going to finish this post hours ago and then had to pick my sis up... so pardon the disjoint)


My day was very kid involved since I had to tutor in the evening as well. For the past week I have been working two hours in both nights versus three. Of course, on the day that I sub I end up getting scheduled for three. I didn't mind too much because 1) I get to sit in a comfy chair, 2) time goes fast there as well and 3) the kids pretty good for the most part.

The second hour of tutoring was quite the handful, however. I had two middle school students, one of which is new to the center. Oh heavens, that new kid (a raging hormonal 7th grader) was a talker! I was thankful that only once the two kids got real chatty with each other. Most of the time the one student was trying to figure out "cinnamons" (synonyms) and antonyms. In between helping him, the new kid told me about how he won a contest with his friends. They competed to see who could drink the most Rockstar energy drinks in the summer. Apparently he had a total of 200... Um, summer break isn't that long... It wasn't a surprise to me when he mentioned getting into a fight earlier yesterday. Suppose withdrawal symptoms had anything to do with it?! Needless to say, I was quite amused.

Kids, kids, kids! I love working with them but am sure glad to come home at the end of the day. :)

Two Special Sub Days

"You teach best what you need to learn." --Richard Bach

As I mentioned in my previous post, I had two great days of subbing at my favorite school. I subbed in a 2nd grade classroom, one that I have subbed for several times this school year. Whenever I sub, I always learn about myself as a teacher. However, I feel like I have grown the most with this class simply from all the time I have spent with them. I have enjoyed being with the students and getting to know each of them. I have also seen them change in many ways during the school year. As they have changed throughout the school year, I have had a variety pack of sub days with them. Those days have varied so much that they might as well be packaged and branded with the Heinz 57 label.

But these two days I'm referring to were different than all the others and a complete 180 from the last day I subbed for them. They weren't just good they were great.

With this 2nd grade class I have found myself disappointed at times-- either in myself or with them. Though they are just kids, very young kids, I know that I have high expectations for them (as I do for all students!). The biggest frustration has been when the morning goes smoothly and then it "falls apart" in the afternoons. The afternoon issues are fairly common when subbing and really it is understandable: the kids have had lunch and have more energy. For some reason though, it has bothered me the most with this class. I have tried various approaches to minimize the behavior problems (like putting heads down at certain points, using reward tickets for a drawing later in the day, talking with them etc....), but they have only helped a little bit.

After subbing for these kiddos, I always come home thinking of how to make future days more successful. It finally hit me not too long ago that it wasn't always their fault for the breakdown in the afternoon-- I needed to change something within me. When I reflect, I do think of ways that I could do better but this was a much deeper thought process than other times.

I finally concluded that I needed to change my expectations. In changing my expectations, I didn't lower them but decided to approach the day differently. For example, I decided that I would treat the morning and afternoon as two distinct times. That way I wouldn't feel like the whole day was bad if the afternoon had a few rough patches. Further, I gave myself permission to be understanding in students' afternoon behavior. Yes, students will be more talkative and need more kinesthetic activities at that time of the day. I decided to change my whole thought process from, "They were SO good in the morning and now look at them-- they ruined the entire afternoon!" to "They were so focused and good at working quietly in the morning. This is the afternoon and they need to get their work done but they also need to have opportunities to talk with their peers." Boy, this change made a big difference in how I felt about teaching that class! I had positive attitude all day and didn't worry when they arrived back from lunch recess. This thought process gave a plan and options for teaching math and other subjects in the afternoon- for example, I made sure to adjust the activities to give them time to interact with their peers.

Another change came from the knowledge I have gained about these second graders over the course of the year. Without consciously recognizing it until now-- I have learned so much about the culture of the class. I have learned about their interests, their learning styles, and how they all work together. One of the biggest things I have learned is that this class loves to share about their lives. I think this is also a big part of their developmental stage too,  "Early-elementary children are wrapped up in themselves" (Purdue website). In knowing this, I made plenty of time for sharing. I sort of used it as a reward for them but also as a way for them to express themselves. They really enjoyed getting time to share, I know it made the days much better.

In addition, I was even more firm in making sure that students stick with the classroom procedures. I always make sure that students are quiet before going into the hallway, but I was even more particular this time. I made sure they were totally ready before going to another location. I think reminding them of the procedures helped quite a bit.

Lastly, I added in a little reward system as a way to compliment certain students. I learned about this idea from my friend Andrea and decided to try it out. She tells the students at the beginning of the day that she will be looking for "Super Students." At the end of the day the students get to choose a prize to go along with their compliment(s). Basically, it's for students who are consistent in following directions, doing their work, helping out etc... Generally this is what I looked for when choosing the students but I also did it a little differently the second day. On the second day I chose two students who I felt needed encouragement and who did manage to get some work done (they have learning disabilities too). With that said, I chose four total students (2 boys and 2 girls) and jotted down 2-3 reasons on a little square of paper as to why I picked them. I would read off my reasons to why I noticed them, gave them the compliment paper, and let them choose a prize. This took place at the end of the day so it was a nice conclusion. This also allowed for a quieter/more efficient transition into getting ready to go home. Anyway- students really enjoyed this, liked picking out a prize (of course!) and even clapped for each other. Thank you Andrea for this awesome idea!! (two exclamation points for you.. hehe ;-) )

All these four changes drastically improved my two days with these sweet kids. I loved leaving on a positive note and giving some students room to have fun. These two days have greatly changed my outlook on subbing and I will continue to look for ways to improve my teaching. I also have to remind myself that while these were two good days and these changes helped- sometimes things just happen. But that's why schooling and teaching isn't about perfection... it is about the process- that wonderful experience of learning and growing.

P.S. I will write more about the topic of subbing in the future- I must note, though, I have had many other fabulous days of teaching but I wanted to highlight these two because of my personal changes and how they affected this class. :)

5 on Friday: Summary of Week

Well, here it is... Friday already. It is also June! What a crazy, crazy week. For this week's "5 on Friday" I am going to just summarize what happened in these past few days.

• Substituted on Wednesday (1st) and Thursday (2nd) in the 2nd grade class at my favorite school. I have subbed for this class several times this year so I know the routine well. I'm so happy to say that these were the best two days I have had with them all year. I give them credit as well as myself ;-) I intend to write a post soon about substituting and will explain more about why these were two good days.
• In addition to subbing, I tutored at Sylvan in the evenings on Wednesday and Thursday. Whew! That means I worked a total of 21 hours in two days. Very exhausting but lucrative.
• Bad news: Mom broke her right wrist on Wednesday. She was walking with a friend during their break at work and were in a crosswalk. Some truck cut in front of them (something like that) and Mom was trying to get the driver's attention-- so she was waving at them. In the process of avoiding getting hit and yelling at the driver, my mom fell down hard and literally broke the fall with her wrist. Thankfully the break isn't in need of surgery. Needless to say, it is interesting around here! That was crazy to come home to after a long day of working. Whew, again.
• I woke up today with a stuffed nose and sore/swollen tonsils. So many sick bugs going around! My sister is close to being done with her cold. I feel thankful that I don't have the flu-like bug that's out there. Hope to avoid that!
• Seriously loving the sunshine & blue skies today. Praise God! I wish I could be out on some adventure but I'm still enjoying it. :)

Happy Friday to all of you!! 

_____

Because I'm paranoid, I want to note that I do not take credit for the picture used in this post. While I strongly prefer to use my own pictures, I found this one through Google Images and wanted to use it. The full res picture is on Flickr - photographer is Rune T. You can see it here.