Here I am again finding myself not having written in a while. I have no job yet, but I have now successfully passed all four parts of the English CSET and have applied for my Single Subject English Teaching Credential. This weekend I am heading to a high school job fair. I have no high school teaching experience but I feel it is worth a try. I would love to teach high school, especially if I could work at my old high school. The next two weekends after this one, I'm headed to an elementary school job fair and a charter school job fair. It is going a busy 3 weeks, but I am ready and determined to make my dream come true this year and find that perfect teaching job.
I've made a number of observations over the past few months but I will share those later this week.
Here's to a successful job hunting season!
Tuesday, March 13, 2012
Friday, January 6, 2012
With Time Comes Clarity
We've all had those times in our lives where we weren't sure what we wanted. We stumbled around trying to find just the right thing to make us happy.
That perfect dress for that special event...The next great book to top the great book we just finished...The perfect outfit for today...Where to send the kids to school...The next Wii game to add to the collection...And so much more....
Life throws us a lot of curve balls. Sometimes it's hard to dodge them and we have to take a couple of hits before we know which path to follow to successfully avoid all of the curve balls and find our niche of safety and happiness.
I've had quite a few interviews in the last few months. While they haven't yielded any jobs, I'm not giving up. Yes, it has been extremely frustrating. I've gotten angry, I've felt sad. It's hurt a lot to hear the rejections. But I'm not letting it stop me. There's a job out there for me.
I've had to change my tactics a bit. When I first started my teaching program, I wanted to be a Kindergarten teacher. I couldn't see myself doing anything else. Then I started going into different classrooms for field experience and student teaching and I found myself falling in love with Kindergarten through Third Grade. They were all my favorites. As I started subbing, I realized that I was really good at teaching Fourth and Fifth Grade. At first I didn't think I'd be happy in those grades but after my first time I was in love.
Then something changed this year. I found myself wanting something more. I love the elementary grades, but I found myself reading and writing a lot. And I was giving some thought to my middle and high school English experiences. Those experiences were truly the ones that made me the passionate reader and writer I am. I wanted to pass on that passion to a whole new generation. At the end of August and into September, I took a class online for teaching middle and high school. It opened my eyes to what I could do as an English teacher. From there I decided to work on my Single Subject Teaching Credential in English. I took the first two parts of the English CSET and passed them with flying colors. Tomorrow I am taking the other two parts. I must say, the experience of getting ready for those tests has been exceptionally tiring, frustrating, and stressful. I will not deny, I've let my exhaustion and my stress get the better of me more than once.
But I see the light at the end of the tunnel. I'm going to be an amazing English teacher. I wish I could have seen that when I first started teaching. But then I realize that if I had made that realization from the beginning I would not have gone on the incredible journey I've been on. I've hit some speed bumps along the way. I've taken some interesting detours as well. But all of those things eventually led to my recent path. I don't know where this path will take me, but I'm excited to start the journey.
That perfect dress for that special event...The next great book to top the great book we just finished...The perfect outfit for today...Where to send the kids to school...The next Wii game to add to the collection...And so much more....
Life throws us a lot of curve balls. Sometimes it's hard to dodge them and we have to take a couple of hits before we know which path to follow to successfully avoid all of the curve balls and find our niche of safety and happiness.
I've had quite a few interviews in the last few months. While they haven't yielded any jobs, I'm not giving up. Yes, it has been extremely frustrating. I've gotten angry, I've felt sad. It's hurt a lot to hear the rejections. But I'm not letting it stop me. There's a job out there for me.
I've had to change my tactics a bit. When I first started my teaching program, I wanted to be a Kindergarten teacher. I couldn't see myself doing anything else. Then I started going into different classrooms for field experience and student teaching and I found myself falling in love with Kindergarten through Third Grade. They were all my favorites. As I started subbing, I realized that I was really good at teaching Fourth and Fifth Grade. At first I didn't think I'd be happy in those grades but after my first time I was in love.
Then something changed this year. I found myself wanting something more. I love the elementary grades, but I found myself reading and writing a lot. And I was giving some thought to my middle and high school English experiences. Those experiences were truly the ones that made me the passionate reader and writer I am. I wanted to pass on that passion to a whole new generation. At the end of August and into September, I took a class online for teaching middle and high school. It opened my eyes to what I could do as an English teacher. From there I decided to work on my Single Subject Teaching Credential in English. I took the first two parts of the English CSET and passed them with flying colors. Tomorrow I am taking the other two parts. I must say, the experience of getting ready for those tests has been exceptionally tiring, frustrating, and stressful. I will not deny, I've let my exhaustion and my stress get the better of me more than once.
But I see the light at the end of the tunnel. I'm going to be an amazing English teacher. I wish I could have seen that when I first started teaching. But then I realize that if I had made that realization from the beginning I would not have gone on the incredible journey I've been on. I've hit some speed bumps along the way. I've taken some interesting detours as well. But all of those things eventually led to my recent path. I don't know where this path will take me, but I'm excited to start the journey.
Saturday, December 24, 2011
Tuesday, December 6, 2011
What Happened?
I noticed something today. The school I was at combined morning recess and physical education together into one 30 minute period. I was taught that physical education should never be combined with recess. They should be two separate periods. While they may come one after the other, one may not be substituted for the other. I witnessed that substitution today. It bothered me but got me thinking.
Children should be allowed to have time to exercise as well as time to run around freely. Exercise is a wonderfully necessary thing, but free exploration is also key. Children need to have the opportunity to freely explore their world in an unstructured way. That is how curiosity is developed, built, and eventually satisfied. And curiosity is such an important thing. It is truly the basis for all of our learning. Curiosity is how we develop and answer questions. How we conduct experiments. How we prove theories. It truly is an important part of our lives.
But there is also something to be said for exercise. Physical exercise is not only good for children's bodies but also for their minds. Movement wakes them up and refreshes them. After a long amount of sitting, time for movement is necessary. There is only so much children can take in before they need to move. That is why physical education and recess must both be provided. When both are provided at separate times, there are multiple opportunities for movement and a higher likelihood that students will retain what they have learned.
The other issue that bothers me in terms of physical education is when schools only offer it two days of week in very long periods. Children need the opportunity to move every single day. As I stated previously, movement is mind refreshing and provides a break from learning. There is only so much children's minds can take in before they need to take a break and relax. That is where physical education becomes so important. It provides the movement opportunities that children need to make their learning all the more successful.
Children should be allowed to have time to exercise as well as time to run around freely. Exercise is a wonderfully necessary thing, but free exploration is also key. Children need to have the opportunity to freely explore their world in an unstructured way. That is how curiosity is developed, built, and eventually satisfied. And curiosity is such an important thing. It is truly the basis for all of our learning. Curiosity is how we develop and answer questions. How we conduct experiments. How we prove theories. It truly is an important part of our lives.
But there is also something to be said for exercise. Physical exercise is not only good for children's bodies but also for their minds. Movement wakes them up and refreshes them. After a long amount of sitting, time for movement is necessary. There is only so much children can take in before they need to move. That is why physical education and recess must both be provided. When both are provided at separate times, there are multiple opportunities for movement and a higher likelihood that students will retain what they have learned.
The other issue that bothers me in terms of physical education is when schools only offer it two days of week in very long periods. Children need the opportunity to move every single day. As I stated previously, movement is mind refreshing and provides a break from learning. There is only so much children's minds can take in before they need to take a break and relax. That is where physical education becomes so important. It provides the movement opportunities that children need to make their learning all the more successful.
Monday, December 5, 2011
Trying New Things
It's amazing how fast the school year is moving! We're already almost up to Winter Break. Today I want to talk about something that I've really embraced this year: expanding horizons and trying something new.
As I've explained in many of my posts, I am having some trouble finding a full-time teaching position. It's been hard to wait, but I'm trying something new this year and I think it's something to be given serious thought in teaching and really truly in any field.
There's a saying that goes, "If at first you don't succeed, try, try again." There's something to be said for doing that. But there is also something to be said for trying again but slightly altering your methods, thinking a little bit more outside the box, and expanding your horizons each time. A position as an elementary school teacher is alluding me. However, this year I am working on getting a single subject credential in English. I will then be able to teach English to middle and high school students. I have also been applying and interviewing for preschool jobs. I must be honest. When I first went into teaching, I never pictured myself becoming a middle or high school teacher, let alone a preschool teacher. Those groups always seemed so overwhelming. Well, this year, I gave them a try and I'm now sure that I can handle them. Thus I am applying for middle and high school as well as preschool jobs while continuing to apply for elementary school jobs.
I don’t know why I hesitated so long to broaden my horizons. It’s really opened my eyes to new teaching possibilities as well as new teaching talents. At first I thought I would be no good with older and very young students. As it turns out, I am actually very good with both age groups. Thus, I would like to encourage you, dear readers, to think outside the box and broaden your horizons. If you open your eyes, you will see that there are a variety of possibilities. Just because we’re not good at, can’t succeed at, or can’t find our way into one thing doesn’t mean that we won’t be good at, can’t succeed at, or can’t find our way into something else. There are so many possibilities out there if we just take the time to look for and explore them. There truly is something better outside the box if we are willing to step outside of it.
Wednesday, November 23, 2011
Happy Thanksgiving!
Happy Thanksgiving!
Since I more than likely will be extremely busy tomorrow, I thought I would wish everyone a Happy Thanksgiving a day early. The last few days and weeks have been very busy. I've had a lot of sub days lately and I am also balancing that with teaching Sunday school. It's been wonderful to be so busy. As we draw closer to the end of the year, I am gradually preparing to apply to schools and districts once more. I am already in the process of brushing up my resume and looking for districts slightly out of my normal search range. I hope everyone has a happy and fun Thanksgiving!
Monday, October 24, 2011
New Avenues and Staying Busy
I'm in my fourth year of subbing. I will not lie, I'm a little anxious to get my own classroom. I want so badly to make a difference like the teachers I sub for do. Right now I'm heading down a new avenue. I am on my way to getting a single subject credential in English. I've already passed the class that I needed to take to prepare to teach middle school and high school. Now I am in the process of preparing to take two parts of the English CSET in November. It is my hope that by getting a single subject credential I will open up even more job possibilities. I'm excited because I love English. I hope I can have my tests passed and my materials into the credentialing commission by the summer.
In other news, it's been a crazy few weeks in terms of jobs. I've worked pretty much everyday in October.
In other news, it's been a crazy few weeks in terms of jobs. I've worked pretty much everyday in October.
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