Well...We'll Call it Halfway

So at the end of this week I will officially be halfway through with my first semester of student teaching...time has FLOWN! I feel like I'm just starting to build meaningful relationships with these kids and pretty soon I'm going to have to leave...but I'll worry about that later.

I had my evaluation by my university supervisor on Monday...let's just say I don't think she quite gets my situation. She wants me to put on all of these bells and whistles with the kids and teach the way educational books tell you how to teach. NEWSFLASH: That WILL NOT work with these kids! I know my students, and what she's telling me to do WILL NOT work for them. But...I learned from the experts when it comes to dealing with bureaucratic crap (my parents) and I just sat there, nodded my head and said okay. When she comes in for her second visit I'll make sure those bells and whistles are there...since her recommendation is 35% of my final grade for student teaching, but what I do when she's not around frankly isn't her concern.

On a different, and better, note...my kids are finally figuring it out! They are finally realizing what it takes to do well in school and that they are going to have put some effort in to pass the class. I'm getting some really good quality work from my students and I can tell they are really, really trying. The content is not easy...but they're doing their best. I'm giving them my test tomorrow and I'm really anxious and excited to see how they do! In the meantime...here's some pictures (finally)!

Here's a 3D model of an animal cell that one of my students made...so creative!

A couple views of my classroom and the view of the garden outside my windows. Also, there's another 3D model of an animal cell that a student made using food...love it!

The Teaching Begins: Rough Starts and Rough Stories

So I started teaching Monday...it was rough. I didn't realize how much classroom management I would have to utilize to keep control of the class. I came home defeated and asked my parents for advice (by the way...I don't think I could get through this without my parents...they literally saved me). So, per my dad's advice, I made a compromise with them on Tuesday. There are two bells...one that starts class and one that ends class. The compromise is that I get one bell and the students get one bell. The chose the one that ends class (obviously the one I wanted them to choose) so I got the first bell. That means that they get to leave when the bell rings to end class, regardless of what we're doing, but when the bell rings to start class, they're in their seats, doing their bell work quietly. So far so good! I set the tone for the entire week and I'm finally starting to get the hang of this teaching thing (especially the classroom management part).

I'm still struggling with the fact that most of the kids don't have some of their basic needs met. They may go without a meal, or clean clothes. Today, during fourth block (this is the one class my mentor teaches that I'm not going to teach...a Care of Athletes class) and there's this young man in the class who is incredibly talented at baseball. I was sitting next to my mentor when he started talking about his family's money problems because his dad is out of work and his mom went from working two jobs to working one job. He has a baseball tryout this weekend and he told me his parents are dropping him off at the tryout and then they're going to a barbecue with their friends...they're leaving their son at an important tryout to spend time with their friends. He went on to tell me more things that I'm not going to share...but just listening to him completely broke my heart. Here's a kid that is beyond talented...has a chance to play in the pros and he's not getting the support from his parents that he should be. I keep going back and forth on my opinion of teaching in an urban district. On the negative...budget cuts, bureaucracy, and test scores. On the positive...I have the chance to impact a kid's life in a unique way. I'm torn. Maybe by October I'll be more opinionated...but for now I guess all I can do is give my students as much support I can.

First Week: Surprises and Realizations

So I survived my first week at Wyandotte...except, there wasn't much to survive. Now, it wasn't all unicorns and rainbows either. There were a fair share of fights in the building...none on our floor though. I think it will be an anomaly if I ever see a fight during my time at Wyandotte. We had all of our students start on Monday, and by Tuesday I had realized something: these students are exactly the same as any other students in any other school district. I had started this experience thinking these students would be different than others I had encountered because they were "KCK Public School Kids." I had done exactly what I shouldn't have done...I judged my students before I even met them. And I think a lot of that judgement came from my own fears. I was afraid I wouldn't be able to build any sort of meaningful relationship with my students because of our different backgrounds. I couldn't have been more wrong. We've had students for five days and I'm already bragging about the students in my class. I love watching them learn...they're like sponges just soaking up all of this information (when they want to of course). And I know it seems silly, but every time I hear a kid say "Miss Riss" my heart sort of jumps a bit. I've waited four years to be in a classroom teaching students, and now that I am it seems sort of surreal. My fears have started to subside, and as I'm starting to plan lessons my excitement is growing. Next week will most likely be last week of observing and then I'll start to take over the classroom full time. All the doubts I had about being able to be a successful teacher are gone...I'm ready!

First Day: Gang Bangers and Vera Bradley

Yesterday was our first day with students...freshman only, so not too intimidating...or so I thought. At 7:00, the students started filing in through the metal detectors and headed downstairs to the cafeteria. I was watching the students as they passed by me I was thinking about how young they all looked...and then I looked at one of the students, looked down at his feet, and saw an ankle monitor. All I could think about was Martha Stewart on house arrest...not quite the same as a fourteen year old high school student, but whatevs! Next comes the real fun....I'm going over the roster (quick note: my class sizes are huge! Thirty-three, thirty-one and twenty-eight) with my cooperating teacher (who by the way is awesome...so supportive and positive) and we come to this one name. He stops, sighs, and says, "Now this kid just got out of juvy. He's one of your gang bangers." I was just like....okaaay. And then he proceeds to teach me about gang graffiti to look  for on students' papers and the type of gang clothing students will wear. All in all it was a pretty informational first day.

Regardless of the culture shock of the school, the first day really was great! The teachers in my small learning community are amazing! They are beyond nice and I managed to make a connection with a few of them on the first day. One of them happened to be a fellow Olathian and graduated from the same high school I did. Another shares the same unhealthy obsession with Vera Bradley that I do. We were eating lunch in the teacher's lounge and she saw my Vera lunch bag and made a comment about it. I noticed she had a Vera lanyard with her ID badge on it and told we'd have a good  working relationship. And in that moment I came to the conclusion that I found a good home for the next two months. Oh...and in two weeks I'll be teaching full time and the classroom will be in my full control...no biggie right?

The Story of Lurch and Killer

I thought I'd share a story from the halls of Wyandotte High School...

A young English teacher in his first year at Wyandotte was in the middle of teaching when a man walked into his classroom. (I say "man" not "student" because this guy was 6 feet 5 inches tall, full beard, and a black trench coat that hung to the floor.) The young teacher asked apprehensively, "Sir, can I help you?" And the man responded in the lowest, gruffest voice you can imagine, "Yeah, I'm in your class." The young teacher responded with a look of surprise and asked the student his name. The student responded, "You can call me Lurch." (Don't forget the rough, low voice coming out of this student as well as his appearance.) The young teacher responded to this by saying, "Well I don't have a Lurch on my list. What's your name?" The student responded by saying his name is Jordan Sands (name change!) and then asked what he should call the young teacher. The young teacher responded, "Well my name is Mr. Riss." And what comes next is probably the best part of the story. The student responded to that by saying, "Well I'll call you Killer. Where should I sit?" And the young teacher responded with, "Anywhere you want!" At this point the rest of the class has heard this exchange and can't contain their laughter anymore. And for the rest of the year, without fail, Lurch called my dad Killer.

I heard this story for the first time a few days ago. Turns out Lurch was 20 years old and was trying to get his high school diploma. He needed half of a credit of English. Lurch only lasted 6 weeks in my dad's class...not enough for his diploma. It was after Lurch dropped out that my dad found out he was a known drug dealer. Not incredibly suprising considering the area. So while I enjoyed hearing about the exchange between my dad and Lurch, it still brought home the fact that the students I'll be teaching are coming from a completely different world than myself. It'll be hard in the beginning...I'm a white girl from the suburbs...I don't know anything about their lives...but I'm willing to learn.

We All Deserve...

Happiness. Two days ago, I watched two of my friends get married. I don't know if I've ever seen two people happier than they were. I watched them smile the entire night. It's human nature to look at two people like that and believe that you deserve the same thing. Last week, I was having a conversation with my mom about friendships and relationships. She was telling me about when she and my dad first started dating...he asked her what she wanted and she said, "I want it all." And he gave her everything. And by everything, I don't mean material things. He was always (and has always) been there for her and given her his time and his love. She told me that in any relationship I have and in any friendships I have (because I think the same things that are required in a relationship are required in a friendship) that I deserve to have the other person give me everything. That I deserve to be happy. And she's right...but who am I kidding, my mom is always right. I deserve to have what my two friends have, what my parents have...happiness. That's what it all boils down to...being happy. I know that when I find myself in situations where I'm not happy (whether it be an unequal friendship or even a crappy job) that I have to get out...I have to realize it's not good for me and it's not what I deserve.
I wanted to put these thoughts into words because I know I'll be more likely to believe them. Everyone deserves happiness...so if you're not getting it...step back, figure out why, and change it.

Just a short list of things that I turn to when I need a little happiness:

Family (they double as comedians...my dad especially...best impersonator...EVER)

Music (my go to songs right now...Andy Grammar "Keep Your Head Up" and Jessie J "Price Tag")

Exercise (I know what you're thinking...UGH! But as someone who is finally getting back into the swing of running, a good run is the best way for me to get a clear head...and a clear head, is a happy head!) 

Russell Brand (his British accent and crazy hair get me every time)

Pictures (takes me back to truly happy moments)

Friends (it's amazing what an hour of talking and few a drinks can do)

The First of Many

So here it goes....
I decided to finally join the blogging world. I'm starting my student teaching in the fall and I wanted to take the time to document the moments I have with my students so I'll remember them. I'm going to be teaching Biology to freshman at Wyandotte High School in August....go ahead, laugh, or say "Oh...honey" For those of you that don't know Wyandotte is an urban high school in Kansas City, Kansas. Me and the word urban don't go together, but I requested an urban district for my first semester of student teaching, so I got what I wanted.

On Thursday, I went to visit my teacher and see the school and classroom I'll be teaching in. When I left I had a this huge mix of emotions. At first I was excited...my mentor teacher is great and he'll be an awesome resource and a great role model. Then I thought about the classroom layout....what have I gotten myself into? I want to teach science, and this is not a science classroom. Maybe it was by Wyandotte standards, but by Amanda standards it was definitely not a science classroom. I must have been spoiled after seeing my mom's classroom (she's also a science teacher) but boy oh boy what did I get myself into? But I try to always look at the positive.....so here it is



The building is beautiful! Don't tell me you wouldn't love teaching in a building that looks like that! There are fireplaces in the main entrance by the office (my dad tells me they actually light them in the winter...he used to teach English at Wyandotte) and all of the bathrooms have original marble....pretty legit. I know this next semester will be totally different than what I'm used to, but I'm going into it with the expectation that I'm going to learn something from the experience EVERY single day.

Alright, now I want to make it known, this isn't just going to be about my student teaching, it's going to be about my other life experiences as well. It's summertime right now and I plan on making the most of it. Postings will probably be pretty sparse during the summer, but expect the ride to get very bumpy starting in August!