They offered me the job.
NOW what?
Monday, October 29, 2007
Tuesday, October 9, 2007
Kitty Hawk
DH (Dear Husband) and I went down to the Outer Banks the other weekend. It was a "get melanie recharged for student teaching and everything else that she'll be doing" trip. And it worked!
We stayed in an ocean front room (but we couldn't really see the ocean over the dune..but it was named the Colony IV...so I don't know if the Colonies I-III were washed away..thus the HUGE dune!). It was fairly nice. We ate in Manteo (at a bad restaurant) and then shopped a little.
We slept in separate beds Saturday night. There is a reason! Neither of us had really been sleeping very well...and we saw the opportunity. Stephen has had trouble getting used to sleeping with me (see this post about the sleeping habits of Katie's DH...that's me too) , but it has gotten better. Well we woke up the next morning...and neither of us had slept any better. Which is kind of a relief..cuz we only have one bed, and I would have hated to have woken up to hear, "MAN, I slept well!".
Sunday we went to a great breakfast at Western Sizzler (we couldn't remember the last time we had eaten at one of those. Maybe when it was in Williamsburg, which was about 15 years ago). Then we went between Mileposts 9 and 14 about 10 times!! We went down to Kitty Hawk Kites. And then back to 17th Street Surf Shop. Then to another surf shop (in search of Reefs for DH). Then BACK to Kitty Hawk Kites to get me some Crocs (greens ones...so incredibly comfortable). Then back to 17th Street to get the pair of Reefs DH really wanted (which happened to have a bottle opener on the bottom of each flip-flop. As they say in the Guiness commericals, "BRILLANT").
Then it was back to VA, for a long week (semester).
We did sit on the beach Saturday night. It was incredibly breezy, and a little chilly. But it was perfect. The beach was empty. And we just watched the clouds and the moon and the waves. Incredible.
A few pictures:
Can't wait to go back. Maybe we can make this a yearly trip!?
We stayed in an ocean front room (but we couldn't really see the ocean over the dune..but it was named the Colony IV...so I don't know if the Colonies I-III were washed away..thus the HUGE dune!). It was fairly nice. We ate in Manteo (at a bad restaurant) and then shopped a little.
We slept in separate beds Saturday night. There is a reason! Neither of us had really been sleeping very well...and we saw the opportunity. Stephen has had trouble getting used to sleeping with me (see this post about the sleeping habits of Katie's DH...that's me too) , but it has gotten better. Well we woke up the next morning...and neither of us had slept any better. Which is kind of a relief..cuz we only have one bed, and I would have hated to have woken up to hear, "MAN, I slept well!".
Sunday we went to a great breakfast at Western Sizzler (we couldn't remember the last time we had eaten at one of those. Maybe when it was in Williamsburg, which was about 15 years ago). Then we went between Mileposts 9 and 14 about 10 times!! We went down to Kitty Hawk Kites. And then back to 17th Street Surf Shop. Then to another surf shop (in search of Reefs for DH). Then BACK to Kitty Hawk Kites to get me some Crocs (greens ones...so incredibly comfortable). Then back to 17th Street to get the pair of Reefs DH really wanted (which happened to have a bottle opener on the bottom of each flip-flop. As they say in the Guiness commericals, "BRILLANT").
Then it was back to VA, for a long week (semester).
We did sit on the beach Saturday night. It was incredibly breezy, and a little chilly. But it was perfect. The beach was empty. And we just watched the clouds and the moon and the waves. Incredible.
A few pictures:
Can't wait to go back. Maybe we can make this a yearly trip!?
The First Student Teaching Post
Yay!
Student Teaching (ST) is going INCREDIBLY well. Better than I expected, actually. I had never taught anything besides 2-3 year old Sunday School. So I was a little apprehensive going into the classroom. I knew there would be expectations (grad student/William and Mary). I knew that I wasn't a very social person, therefore I thought meeting people would be hard for me. I had never been in the school that I was ST in.
BUT...it has been great. I have met people very easily (hopefully it's me, and I'm getting through some of those social "problems"...but more than likely, it's the awesome teachers at Stonehouse Elementary!). The two teachers we work closest with (2nd grade and 3rd grade general education teachers) are amazing. Each one has a great outlook on teaching, as well as life. You can just tell that they love their jobs. My Cooperating Teacher (Kathleen) is amazing as well. She knows her special ed, I can tell you that! Meeting people has not been a problem.
I have an excitement about me each morning that I don't know where it's coming from. I am actually waking up before my alarm (almost an hour before this morning). I am getting there, ready to go!
The kids are wonderful! Kathleen has 16 kids on her case load (that's a lot for a case load). We're in a tiny resource room, but they manage.
I absorb my first subject tomorrow: Phonics ('fä-niks) It's pretty much a direct instruction piece (where I just read from a book and just go in the order they suggest). But it will be mine! Then I'll absorb one subject each week. Until finally, I am teaching everything. Then I'll teach full time for about 2 1/2 weeks (around Thanksgiving).
1 week down. 9 weeks to go.
Student Teaching (ST) is going INCREDIBLY well. Better than I expected, actually. I had never taught anything besides 2-3 year old Sunday School. So I was a little apprehensive going into the classroom. I knew there would be expectations (grad student/William and Mary). I knew that I wasn't a very social person, therefore I thought meeting people would be hard for me. I had never been in the school that I was ST in.
BUT...it has been great. I have met people very easily (hopefully it's me, and I'm getting through some of those social "problems"...but more than likely, it's the awesome teachers at Stonehouse Elementary!). The two teachers we work closest with (2nd grade and 3rd grade general education teachers) are amazing. Each one has a great outlook on teaching, as well as life. You can just tell that they love their jobs. My Cooperating Teacher (Kathleen) is amazing as well. She knows her special ed, I can tell you that! Meeting people has not been a problem.
I have an excitement about me each morning that I don't know where it's coming from. I am actually waking up before my alarm (almost an hour before this morning). I am getting there, ready to go!
The kids are wonderful! Kathleen has 16 kids on her case load (that's a lot for a case load). We're in a tiny resource room, but they manage.
I absorb my first subject tomorrow: Phonics ('fä-niks) It's pretty much a direct instruction piece (where I just read from a book and just go in the order they suggest). But it will be mine! Then I'll absorb one subject each week. Until finally, I am teaching everything. Then I'll teach full time for about 2 1/2 weeks (around Thanksgiving).
1 week down. 9 weeks to go.
Tuesday, October 2, 2007
I think I may have found my sub-calling...
Working with kids with ED (Emotional Disturbance) and Behavior problems.
Now I may not be ANY good at it AT ALL. But something feels right about it.
I visited a day school for these students this morning. It was just to be an observation of what ED looks like for my independent study.
The federal definition of ED is:
"...a condition exhibiting one or more of the following characteristics over a long period of time and to a marked degree that adversely affects a child's educational performance--
(A) An inability to learn that cannot be explained by intellectual, sensory, or health factors.
(B) An inability to build or maintain satisfactory interpersonal relationships with peers and teachers.
(C) Inappropriate types of behavior or feelings under normal circumstances.
(D) A general pervasive mood of unhappiness or depression.
(E) A tendency to develop physical symptoms or fears associated with personal or school problems." [Code of Federal Regulations, Title 34, Section 300.7(c)(4)(i)]
As defined by the IDEA, emotional disturbance includes schizophrenia but does not apply to children who are socially maladjusted, unless it is determined that they have an emotional disturbance. [Code of Federal Regulation, Title 34, Section 300.7(c)(4)(ii)]
To give you a picture of this particular school:
They had about 45 students (mostly male), the doors to the classrooms were locked, they had four time-out rooms (which they called "the box", basically a plywood walled room with a separate "cell" that can be locked if they are too uncontrollable), three adults per classroom (one content teacher and two mental health counselors for behavior control) and every child had to be kept up with.
Sounds exactly like the place where I wouldn't want to go. But for some reason, I just felt "right" there.
It would probably be like throwing me to the wolves over there, but I want to give it a try.
There's a chance of student teaching there. We'll see how that goes.
---------
In similar news, I start student teaching at the elementary school tomorrow! No more sleeping in. No more afternoon naps. No more of that. For 10 weeks. I'll get some time off for Thanksgiving...but that's about it.
2nd and 3rd graders...that don't have NEAR the problems of the kids I saw today. This is going to be simple!
Now I may not be ANY good at it AT ALL. But something feels right about it.
I visited a day school for these students this morning. It was just to be an observation of what ED looks like for my independent study.
The federal definition of ED is:
"...a condition exhibiting one or more of the following characteristics over a long period of time and to a marked degree that adversely affects a child's educational performance--
(A) An inability to learn that cannot be explained by intellectual, sensory, or health factors.
(B) An inability to build or maintain satisfactory interpersonal relationships with peers and teachers.
(C) Inappropriate types of behavior or feelings under normal circumstances.
(D) A general pervasive mood of unhappiness or depression.
(E) A tendency to develop physical symptoms or fears associated with personal or school problems." [Code of Federal Regulations, Title 34, Section 300.7(c)(4)(i)]
As defined by the IDEA, emotional disturbance includes schizophrenia but does not apply to children who are socially maladjusted, unless it is determined that they have an emotional disturbance. [Code of Federal Regulation, Title 34, Section 300.7(c)(4)(ii)]
To give you a picture of this particular school:
They had about 45 students (mostly male), the doors to the classrooms were locked, they had four time-out rooms (which they called "the box", basically a plywood walled room with a separate "cell" that can be locked if they are too uncontrollable), three adults per classroom (one content teacher and two mental health counselors for behavior control) and every child had to be kept up with.
Sounds exactly like the place where I wouldn't want to go. But for some reason, I just felt "right" there.
It would probably be like throwing me to the wolves over there, but I want to give it a try.
There's a chance of student teaching there. We'll see how that goes.
---------
In similar news, I start student teaching at the elementary school tomorrow! No more sleeping in. No more afternoon naps. No more of that. For 10 weeks. I'll get some time off for Thanksgiving...but that's about it.
2nd and 3rd graders...that don't have NEAR the problems of the kids I saw today. This is going to be simple!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
