My Classroom

These last three weeks sure have been crazy. I received my job, and then everything got crazy. We moved into the apartment about three weeks ago now (it was three weeks Saturday, actually). We spent Saturday moving in and had almost everything unpacked by Sunday. I had Monday and Tuesday to relax, and then the chaos began. I had new teacher orientation that Wednesday and Thursday, and then had my first official day of work on that Friday where the new administration (which is all four of the principals) introduced themselves and we did some team building things.

The whole next week was staff development, which was an over flow of information and stress since HR was behind and I had still yet to sign my contract (which does not happen until Tuesday evening) so I could not log into the computers, check my school email, or anything else that might be necessary in order to properly work. Then, this week was the first week of school.

Now, someone had to move out of my classroom in order for me to move in. He had been in that room about nine years, and was not AT ALL thrilled about moving despite getting put into a better room. So, naturally, he decided to make me miserable about it. So, he took his sweet time moving his things out, meaning I could not start moving anything in until Thursday, as in, about four days before the kids were going to be there for their first day of school. So that Thursday, after he moved out, my room looked like this...

Now, it might look bad, but you should have seen it before he began to move his things out! I was so overwhelmed and had no idea how I was going to get everything done. Luckily, I had a great group of people helping me out! My parents did a lot, and were even gracious enough to buy some things for my classes, and Michael was a huge help. His mom laminated everything for me, since she can do it all herself at her school, and when Michael brought it home the stack looked like this...

It was overwhelming just to look at that stack of stuff! I'm thrilled with all of the owls and everything, but I had no idea how I was possibly going to get it all cut out in time for me to get it all on the walls. Luckily I had a great helper and breaks during staff development to do some cutting. Then, they were kind enough to give us the Friday before school started as a "work day" which mostly meant that I worked on my room all day so that I could get plenty done and would not have to spend my whole weekend at the school finishing up. In the end, I am thrilled with the way that it looks...

I decided on the owl theme when I went to Mardel and saw all the great things they had, and then decided to go with the fall colors since they are pretty gender neutral. The kids keep talking about the owls and how they're cute, so I would say they're a success! With having 7th grade, I was a bit worried it would be too young, but that does not seem to be the case.

So there it is, my very first classroom!

-Tiffany

I apologize!

Hello all! So sorry I've been so horrible about posting, but things have been crazy. I guess it is true when they say you either have nothing at all going on, or everything at once. The whole, 'everything at once' has definitely hit, and I'm trying to find time to catch my breath. Between moving into an apartment with Michael, starting my first year of teaching, and finishing up wedding plans, things have definitely been a bit hectic. However, I am sure that things will begin to slow down soon, and I won't feel quite so overwhelmed.

This was my first week of work, and it definitively felt incredibly long. Human Resources has been really slow about the whole process, and so all of the new teachers at my school (which is quite a few because of new administration and everything) have been without our emails or any other technology because we do not have any log ins. Luckily, we go next Tuesday night to sign our contracts and everything, so that will fix all of that. I have some pictures of my classroom that I will share very soon as well, perhaps tomorrow.

Our apartment looks great as of now. There are still some things I would like to do in order to make it a bit more homey and like us, but for now I am happy with it. I feel like it's going to be impossible to constantly keep it picked up completely, and I've decided that I'm okay with that. It's not something that I am going to stress myself out about.

I've done a lot of the cooking since we moved in, and I'm feeling pretty confident in it now. Well, more so than at first, at least. I did not know how to cook much before, so I've just been using recipes that I've collected and things, and so far I haven't made anything that we haven't liked. I count that as a definite plus! Hopefully in the future I'll be able to share some recipes, as well :]

Anyway, thank you for everyone that has stuck around through my absence, and all my new followers! I will go through soon and check out all of your blogs as well! :]

-Tiffany

What's been going on around here...

Sorry it's been so long since I've updated, things have been pretty crazy around here, and mostly in a very good sense. It really is amazing how a couple of things can change everything around for the better, and the future is looking pretty great at the moment.

So lately:
* I got rejected for a job that I was feeling really good about. I had some great connections and everything, but it just didn't work out for me.
* Michael began his job with Lockheed Martin, and I couldn't be more proud of him. It seems slow for him right now, but he thinks it's going to pick up pretty soon, which is great.
* We have picked out an apartment that I love, and we move in August 11th, which is really soon!
* We have found a lot of great furniture at great prices to fill our apartment with.
* I had three job interviews last Wednesday. After the first one in the morning, I got a call to go back and see the head principal. When I went back that afternoon, I was offered a job! Starting next month I'll be teaching 6th grade English.
* My bridal shower is this Saturday, and then we are celebrating my parents' 30th wedding anniversary. It's going to be a great weekend. (one of my best friends is coming into town for the shower too, yay!)
* Now I'm just waiting for HR to call to confirm the job and everything, and have started packing up stuff to move.

That's about everything that's going on right about now, at least that I can think of. Hope everyone is doing well!

Interview #1

As most of you know, I have been working very hard to get interviews and things for open teaching positions for the next school year, and it has not been easy at all. I filled out a million different applications for districts and then sat around waiting for calls for interviews. In the meantime, friends from school were posting all over Facebook about how they were getting tons of interviews and I could not help but wonder what I was doing wrong.

You see, at school they did not give us many tips about what to do once you're actually done with college. They never told us how to go about trying to get the jobs and everything. They told us not to email principals, that they would come to us. They could not have been more wrong, though.

I went to dinner with two friends last week, who both happen to be in my wedding coming up very soon. We met in middle school and have quite a bit of history and have been friends since that point. We ended up at the same college, and the three of us graduated the same day. It was wonderful, and I enjoyed going to dinner and talking to them. That day they had both had interviews though (for the same job, eek!) and told me that they had been emailing principals like crazy, and that was how they were getting their interviews. Boy, did I feel behind!

The next day I began emailing principals. It took awhile, since most of the districts have sixty plus schools, which means sixty plus principals that needed to get emails. I was feeling pretty good, even with all of the "Thank you for your interest, but we do not have any openings." responses coming back in reply. However, some asked for my resume or said they would keep my information on file.

Then yesterday, I got a call. The lady assured me that they did not have any current positions but wanted to have a pool of people in case something did open up. I believe I was the first person they called, since they gave me the earliest time this morning, and I was thrilled despite not having any openings at the moment.

I'm not sure that the interview could have gone much better. I left the office feeling wonderful about the whole thing. The principal was nice, as was the secretary. He loved that I was about fifteen minutes early (though I was sitting in the car for about fifteen before that as well). We talked, and he seemed happy with my answers, and at the end he told me he was very impressed with me, which definitely made me feel great. He said a position might just open up, one I'm certified for. I love the school and it's close to the area we want to live, so it would be great.

This is just interview number one, and while it might not be too promising since there are no current openings, I'm already feeling a bit better. Hopefully this will be the start of many more interviews and a future teaching job!

-Tiffany

Today Was a Good Day...

Honestly, it's very exciting for me to be able to title a post with that. Lately I've been feeling so, well, "blah" for lack of a better term. With Michael living away right now to work back at school and not having any calls about interviews, I've been a little bit down. Sometimes a lot bit, but that's neither here nor there. Today was a good day though, a very good day.

I went and took my generalist certification exam bright and early yesterday. I got there at about 7:15, since I had to be there by 7:30, and got to start my test pretty much right away. They give five hours to take the test, but luckily it only took me about two. I don't think I could keep my sanity if I took a test that actually needed five hours! They said that it would take two to seven days for my score to post, but then I got the email this morning telling me that my grades had posted and I could log on to look.

Now, let me tell you, I was not feeling very good about this test at all. My specialty is Language Arts and Reading. I took the test for that before my student teaching when it was required and had no problems, but this test had math on it. MATH. I am horrible at math. It definitely had me stressed out. I sat staring at a couple of questions for a good ten minutes and then realized I had no idea how to even make an educated guess on the questions. Luckily, I did better at guessing that I thought and only missed four out of the twenty-eight math questions.

So, I passed the test! and by quite a bit actually, which was pretty shocking! I am incredibly thrilled that I won't have to take it again since it does cost one hundred and twenty dollars each time (ridiculous!). Now, I just have to take my ESL test and I can have my teaching certificate updated and update the billion job applications I have out there. I'm really hoping having my generalist certification will open up many more opportunities for me.

So, then there was more good news! I called the lady I did my initial interview for the school district I would really love to work in. You interview with her, and then she can help get your name out there when there are openings that you qualify for. I called her to update her on my test and what not, and since she said to just occasionally check in with her.

I am sure glad that I did!

Apparently the principal from the school I did my student teaching with has an English opening, and that is what I would really love. She had already passed my information to him this morning, and he had already mentioned really wanting to hire me if he had an opening. I'm hoping that this will turn into an interview and some possibilities. That would be a very nice thing!

One more GREAT thing happened this morning, too, but I think I'll hold off on that until tomorrow. Keep you on your toes....Oh, alright. I'll give you one hint.

Until tomorrow!

-Tiffany

Job Applications = Stress

 
I guess I never really thought about what it would be like after I graduated from college. Four years seemed like such a long time. It felt like I had forever to worry about it, and then suddenly it was right on top of me and I wasn't sure how to feel. Now it's over, and I'm even more stressed than I ever had been during my courses or student teaching. Not at all what I had expected.

I started applying for school districts back in March, after dealing with people at the University. At the job fair they practically forced me to go to the previous semester everyone had told me to start applying the first of March. However, we needed a letter of approval from the school in order to say that I would, in fact, be getting my degree to teach. Did I have said letter by March first? Naturally not. So, I was able to pull some strings, and they did give me something temporary, which was nice.

Later that month, it was cleared that I would pass (not that I was worried) and I was approved to apply for my teaching certificate. So, after filling out the information and forking over seventy-seven dollars (can someone explain that amount to me?), I could officially change the status on my applications from unavailable to pending. (Woo! Right?)

So, naturally, I assume that shortly after I graduate, which was last week, I would have my certificate emailed to me and everything would be wonderful. However, then we get another email. Now, I must wait for the school to officially post my degree date, then the school must approve and submit my request, and then the state of Texas can finally email it to me (because we obviously don't believe in paper mail anymore). Needless to say, I've been a bit irritated and stressed about the whole thing. Four years of hard work, and it's a nightmare to get the piece of paper. They just have to submit a date, I can give it to them if needed...

Unfortunately, that's only half of it. Then I get to the actual application process, and it's so long and drawn out. And then I find myself wondering, "Should I have done more? Will I even look good to them yet? They said I would have calls by mid-May, but nothing yet." I know, I know. School isn't even out yet. They don't have all the resignation letters until June, but it is definitely the most stressful thing to deal with.

So, the gist of this rant, was to let me get out how stressed and frustrated I am with the whole job process. I want to have my own classroom next year so badly. I feel like I would make an incredible teacher, and I just want the opportunity to show that. To make an impact. To finally run things my way, and have my own students to work with. I really don't think that's too much to ask for.

So, here's me, hoping I get calls for interviews soon. Wish me luck!

My day was crazy...

Today had so many ups and downs, it was literally like being on a roller coaster. Ironically enough, that was just what I needed to have something to write about on here. Turns out craziness makes my life much more interesting than it usually is!

You see, it actually all began yesterday. I was making copies in the morning for my lesson today, since we like to make them a day in advance and Mr. Taylor, the principal, was walking by and then back tracked to come talk to me. He had received and email from one of the services managers (or whatever her catchy title is) saying that she wanted to set up an interview for me. Since this is the district I really want to work in, I was super excited! Naturally, I had to wait to call until the end of the day to call, and then she was gone for the day. It just so happened that she had emailed my mentor teacher too, so this morning when I got there, she allowed me to quickly call back.

Wait for it...

I have my first job interview next Monday! I am so thrilled to be interviewing for the school district that I really want to teach in. I am hoping all goes well.

Naturally, at that point the day was going pretty well. I was excited about my interview, and was sure that the day could not go wrong, despite having to do one of my observations during second period. Turned out my supervisor loved my lesson, and the whole thing was a piece of cake; she had nothing negative to say. The rest of the day seemed to be going alright, slow, but normal.

Then fifth period rolled around. It is our team conferencing time, so we had a parent meeting that did not last too long, which was nice. Then we went back to hang out in my mentor teacher's room, like we usually do. I had Mrs. Koerner at the beginning of the semester, so she and I have gotten really close, and we talk a lot during that time. We were all chatting, watching a funny youtube video and then all the sudden...what?

The tornado sirens start going off. Not the ones inside the building, but the ones around outside the school. Since we did not have kids in the rooms at the time, and had no idea about the weather, we were very surprised to hear it. Everything was crazy from there. Weather was bad all around us, and we weren't sure what was going on. We watched the radars online, and they said they would keep us updated from the central office. At 1:30 we got the kids back again, assumed everything was alright. They were going crazy, but that was not unusual.

Then at 1:45 they make the announcement, we had to get all of the kids in the hallway and in the right position in case we were to get any tornadoes or anything. We get them in the hallway, and spend the next hour or so trying to keep them quiet as some of them joked around, others cried out of fear, and they constantly asked us when the storm would be over (clearly sixth graders believe we are all weather people). By the time we were going back to the classroom, we hoped that would be the end of the bad weather.

Not quite.

About five minutes before school was to end there was another announcement; any of the kids who walked home or rode the bus were not allowed to leave the building. They could only leave if they knew their ride was there. We listened as they all complained about being stuck at school after hours, like we were thrilled about it. We had about sixty kids between our four classes left, spread out in our different classrooms. Then we are told a tornado has touched down close by, so we must go to an interior classroom, and we all end up in the science classroom across the hall with our science teacher and her kids. Sixty kids in one classroom, with five teachers. A mess!

One-by-one they made announcements, only calling the students to leave when their parents were there to pick them up. The bell rings at 3:25 everyday, but at this point it was well passed 3:45, and just getting later. It was 4:10 before the buses finally arrived and were able to take the kids home. After that, we only had a few left. By the time we only had a five students left, they moved them all to the cafeteria and we teachers were finally able to leave. While we were there until about 4:30, thirty minutes longer than usual, we did earn a jeans day for tomorrow for everything we had to deal with!

So, that is the craziness of my day. I hope anyone else that is from Texas is safe and well.