The end is near...

The final week of summer classes is finally here!!! Horray! I have enjoyed my classes this summer but it has been a bit overwhelming. I look forward to my student teaching experience in the fall and am very thankful that I have completed all of my other classes.
As far as blogging goes, I'll have to admit that I don't think I will continue. I do however write in a journal every night. I'm a traditional person and I like to keep my thoughts and ideas private. I like the idea of blogging and see how I might use it when I get my own class. I will definately encourage my students to use it. Since children are so technologically driven these days, I'm sure it will be a success.

Parents????

As I sit by the pool I wonder were all the childrens' parents are. I have seen very small children running wild by themselves. I have also seen children diving into the pool were it is way to shallow. It makes me extremely nervous! I feel like I'm the lifeguard or something. lol. I can't help but watch in hopes that no one will get hurt.
I know that I don't have any children of my own now and I shouldn't pass judegement on others. It just seems that there is a lot of adults drinking and a lot of children running around like wild animals.

Family Vacation

This week my husbands family is visiting. They have a condo in orange beach at the Caribe. I love love love going there. There is like 9 or 10 pools, a lazy river, slides, etc... I really need some time to relax and collect my thoughts. I am excited there are only 3 weeks left of school but feel rushed to complete all my assignments. I plan to catch up on all the assigned readings this week though.

Oh and I just got my student teaching assignment. I am so excited to be in kindergarten at Cahaba Heights Elementary in Vestavia Hills!

House hunting

Presently I am in Birmingham looking for a house to rent. This process has been horrible! I can not find any houses that meet my standards. The problem is that I find a house in a good neighborhood but the house is tacky or I find a nice house in a bad neighborhood. It is extremely frustrating. I have so much school work to do as well as find a house here, rent my house in Daphne, pack all our belongings, schedule movers, get everything moved and settled in Birmingham, all in the next 3 weeks. My husband is absolutely no help because he has been working away from home the last couple weeks and will only be home 4 nights in the next 3 weeks. I'm a little stressed if you can't tell.

Dressing the part...

Some schools seem to have more strict rules on teacher attire than others. My personal opinion is that if you are going to expect respect from you colleagues and students then you should look professional. I hate going to a school and seeing teachers with no make-up on, hair up in a pony-tail, in a t-shirt and blue jeans. They have made absolutely no effort to get up and get ready for work. I feel it is a disgrace to other teachers for these few teachers to make no effort. Now don't get me wrong on Friday if teachers want to wear a school t-shirt and jeans fine but it shouldn't be a habit. I feel that dressing the part not only makes teachers feel more confident but also makes administrators and parents feel more confident that their children are at least in the hands of someone who gets up early enough to look good. Just my personal opinion:)

Relating to others

My fourth of July weekend was awesome. My husband and I went to Sandestin where we stayed at the Hilton spa and resort. They had an awesome fireworks show and many other amenities that we enjoyed. While laying out at the pool on Saturday I began talking to a woman who was about my age. We had a lot in common so we ended up having dinner together with our husbands Saturday night. Throughout the day we learned about each other and our commonalities. She was also a student getting her masters degree in secondary education. She taught at a high school in upstate New York. Hearing the adversities and problems she faced made me realize that teachers everywhere are facing similar problems we are facing in Alabama. After discussing all the negative issues that are out there we began talking about the many advantages and privileges of teaching. It was really nice to meet someone who I shared so many career and educational prospectives with.

Holidays!!!

As the weekend approaches I think of how wonderful it will be to have a teachers schedule. I look forward to being off every weekend, holiday, snow day, etc... I know that I will be working on stuff for school from home but the idea of working 198 days a year is fabulous. Some people think that it's so easy to be a teacher and they are so lucky to have summers and holidays off. What I want to ask them is.. could you handle being around children whom you are trying to encourage, love, and teach monday through friday from 8 till 5? I think not! Teachers need a break so that they don't get discouraged. I know that while in the middle of the semester I always look forward to having a break from school work. However, I am ususally rejuevenated and ready for the next semester to start when time comes around. I hope that this cycle will continue when I start teaching. I know each year I will be eager for school to start and end:)

Building classroom community

My class has been talking about building a sense of community within the classroom. I feel this is a very important topic. I hate to see classes that are divided and believe me there are. Unfortunatley I worked in a school were racism is still a very touchy subject. The girls didn't have issues but the boys definately do. I think that in these situations it isn't always the childrens fault. They come from homes were moma and daddy think and talk in such ignorant ways and so the children come to school and model the parents' behavior. This is hopefully where we can come in and encourage friendship, understanding, and a sense of community. I hope to make it very clear that those types of behaviors will not be tolerated in my class at the beginning of the year. Right after making that statement I hope to give the students multiple opporutnites to work with different groups so that they learn about each other.