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It’s hard to believe that my two years as a corps member are up already. It’s been a very interesting and very rewarding experience, and I’m definitely a different person now than I was two years ago.
That’s all very cliche, I know–but it’s true.
I’m sitting in my classroom one last time–everything off the walls, a small pile of recycling in the corner, all of the desks and chairs stacked against the wall. I’ve saved my files, sorted my resources, and dragged almost everything out to my car.
I wrote notes to all of my students this year–to let them know how proud of them I am and how much I care about them. I gave them my phone number and email; I hope I’ll hear from some of them in the future. Even if I don’t, I know that a lot of them appreciated that the line is open. I was not expecting…
So it’s been a while. Whoops? Students often find it necessary to comment on what I wear. I tend to wear a lot of skirts and dresses, so comments like “Geez, Miss! Do you just really like dresses or something?” or “Why do you wear dresses all the time” are pretty common. I also have…
read more »When I talk to parents, I hear all sorts of interesting things. Today, I was chatting with a student’s mother… Mom: Oh, sweetheart, my son told me that you asked to see some work before he went to the restroom. Me: Yes, that’s our policy. Mom: And he showed me all of his math work,…
read more »Though this post has very little to do with teaching or my classroom, I think it has everything to do with what corps members (at least those coming straight out of college) experience. I have more freedom now than I ever have before in my life. Until now, my life has been fairly well laid-out–or,…
read more »I have a new favorite game. Integer War. It’s played like regular War (the card game): everyone flips a card, the person with the highest card wins, play until someone gets all the cards. But all the cards represent an integer: black for positive numbers, red for negative, and all the face cards are…
read more »When I first learned that i was assigned to the Special Ed section of remedial math, I was a little disappointed–or, more accurately, scared. I have very little experience with Special Education–the modifications, the IEPs, the ARDs, the other acronyms. Furthermore, I was scared that I wouldn’t be able to reach the students or that…
read more »It’s amazing how different teaching is the second time around. It’s almost like I know what I’m doing. My classes are structured much differently this year: All 7th graders 3 classes of 20 students or less, for 2 periods at a time I have a co-teacher My students are in my class because they either: …
read more »It’s the first week of school, so I keep running into old students–sweet seventh graders turning into enormous eigth graders!–in the halls, cafeteria, etc. Today, I ran into my
read more »So I have this kid, right? He’s a total goofball, but it’s 95% adorable. A couple weeks ago, he declared “Miss, I’m going to be a pain in the butt this week!” He can’t even compare to his classmates on the “pain in the butt” scale, but it’s cute to watch him try. So today,…
read more »Fourth period can be the most ridiculous, frustrating, and also hilarious class sometimes. Lately, they have been very very difficult to quiet down–particularly when we come back from lunch. Yesterday, the following ensued (before lunch): D: Miss, you married? Me: Well, am I MISS G, or MRS G? D: Miss… Me: So no, I’m not…
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