Waiting and Praying

I thought for sure that this was the year I would get a teaching job and have my own classroom in a bigger sense than at Kumon. I've been praying all year and even more fervently all summer. I had 11 interviews for 8 jobs and used an entire box (100 sheets) of resume paper mailing out resumes, letters of recommendation, transcripts etc. I have met many great principals who, as lovingly as they could, told me they have chosen a different candidate. I know for one position I was up against 150 others who also desire to have their own classroom. I think the minimum was 12 for one job. The odds are not favorable. I love children and I love God and I know He has plans for my life. He has given me these talents to use, now I'm just waiting and praying that He allows me to use them in a bigger setting. I long to show children a joy for learning, to show them love and see them succeed.

Attention, all teachers and parents!

It is no secret that starting school in the fall costs money. There are clothes to buy, shoes, pens, pencils, folders, paper and all of the other things that are on the back to school lists. Today I found a great deal and want to share it with you. I went to Office Max.

Office Max is great if you are a teacher because they offer a rewards program that rocks! You register for a Max Perks card and swipe it when you shop (not a credit card, it just keeps a tally of purchases). Working at Kumon counts as a teacher (I think even aides could get benefits because they just require a pay stub for proof). For every $75 you spend (in 3 months time) they will give you a gift certificate for $10. But they also have an ink cartridge recycling program (which is how I get most of my rewards). For every empty ink cartridge you bring in, they give you $3 in gift certificates :) Now you do have to wait until the end of the quarter (3 months) to print the certificate and it does have an expiration, but I'll take a few stipulations if they want to give me free money! Ok, now on to my savings! I got everything below for FREE! Ok, so some of the discount was from Max Perks, so if you don't have any perks built up, you will pay some for this, but I combined coupons and store deals and even without the Perks, it is a great deal, let me show you!

1. I printed these coupons (note, coupons expire 7/30):
which made the Office Max filler paper $.20 each (originally $1.79)
and the SCHOOLIO notebooks $.20 each (originally $.99)
2. The filler paper is currently on the Buy one get one free sale, so 3 of them were free!
So without Perks, the 6 packages of filler paper and 6 notebooks would be $1.80
3. Since I had 3.00 in Perks (just recycled one ink cartridge), I picked up the dry erase board as well for $.99 and the total came out exactly to $3.00 (after tax)-so it was free :)
Disclaimer- I did not take the time to figure out the tax and make it perfect, I knew I was about $1 short, and chose the white board accordingly-it just happened to be spot-on :)

So, do you have an Office Max nearby? Cash in on these great savings!!!

Educational Literature

I recently was given a recommendation to read a book on education. I was mildly surprised that I had not heard of it earlier. I know there are many books written on education, and I do not claim to be familiar with all of them, but I have read many and am familiar with titles of others that exist, even though I have not yet read them. Motivated by my curiosity, I went to the local library's website to see if they had it-negative. Since our library has the amazing resource of being able to borrow books from other libraries, I looked at Bloomington library (which is larger than Normal's) and Illinois State University's (which is larger still, and primarily a teaching school)-negative. The closest place that had a copy of the book was an hour away! So I put in for the hold.

Since then I have received the book, The Schools We Need & Why we Don't Have Them by E.D. Hirsch Jr. and have been reading it. When I ordered the book I was aware it held ideas about education that are not taught in public universities, yet I am still surprised that ISU did not have a single copy of it in six floors, with one exclusively designated for education majors. Our professors taught us to challenge what they say and analyses it, yet this book that contrasts the beliefs is nowhere to be found in the library... interesting.

Now that I have begun reading it I am highly interested in what it has to say. The author backs his opinions by multiple research experiments and observations of children and the education system over time. Hirsch Jr rallies for a core curriculum, something I had not heard of in my four years as a student of elementary education. For those who are unaware of what a core curriculum is, it is a curriculum that is consistent and specific. For example: All fourth graders will be able to identify all 50 states within the United States of America, their capitols as well as major landforms including mountains, rivers that span half of a state or more, etc. A core curriculum is very specific so that all the fourth grade students in the school would be entering fifth grade with the same knowledge. By having a core curriculum, this does away with the information gaps between grade levels (and schools if a core curriculum was administered nation-wide).

I am able to see the value having a core curriculum would hold for a school, district and honestly it would be valuable to be implemented nation-wide. Although a nation-wide mandate would be met with much adversary by many teachers, administrators, parents and citizens. It is completely understandable why. As a teacher who has her diploma and state certificate, I was not educated about this until I took it upon myself to do so. How many other teachers have not seen the studies on this? How many administrators are aware of this. What happens when new information is found in science? Who is going to take the time to construct such rigid guidelines for teachers? There are so many questions to be answered before this can fully be put into place.

I'm sure I will post other thoughts spurred from this book, but I want to first leave you with some questions. I am answering them in the way I believe is true, but I challenge you to think about them for yourself.

I believe there are private schools that have realized this value within the United States and are striving for this. Will it ever happen in the United States of America's public education system? I can't answer that. Do I feel it would be beneficial? Yes. Will it take away teachers' creative license within their classroom? Some, but I feel that a creative teacher is still able to teach within the designated curriculum in creative and unique ways. Will it benefit the students as learners? Yes. Will it allow them to learn more within a given school year? I believe so.

Updates

I know it has been awhile, so here are the updates on how everything is going.

My reading goal is going well. Currently reading Mark Twain's Life on the Mississippi. I just started it, but am learning much about the history of the Mississippi River.

The boys I was watching, are doing well. The mother's temporary job ended, so I have a new family now (more on that later). My goals for them were reachable, and many were reached. When I left them, the oldest one had graduated from a sippy cup and both boys were eating at the table. They can now both dress themselves (although each day varied on their willingness to do this). The baby was close to walking when I left him (and is now running, I visited a couple days ago). I was very happy with the progress we made. The oldest has mastered most of the social skills he will need for kindergarten in the fall (at least with his brother, friends may be a different situation).

My new family is a challenge in an entirely different way! I am spending 12 hours a week with them and am enjoying learning what they love to do. They recently moved from Congo, so they speak mostly French, mom speaks less English than the kids. Today we read some easy books (on weather and opposites) in both English and French. The oldest (5) enjoyed sharing the French words with me. They love to sing and dance, so I am looking forward to incorporating that into their learning of English. They also have a 3 month old, who is adorable! Honestly, he is a wonderful baby and only cries when hungry or needing a change.

Reading

I finished Educating Esme, it was a quick read. The book was interesting, as was Madame Esme's personality. While I feel my personality and hers are rather different, I enjoyed seeing teaching from the perspective of someone who has such a different take on life. I am once again reminded how amazing it is that each and every person is unique (both people in general and students).

What am I reading now? Miracles Happen by Mary Kay Ash. Autobiographies have always interested me, perhaps because through them a person can see glimpses of that person that might have been rarely shown to the outside world. Autobiographies also fascinate me because often I learn new things about the period of time the person lived in. This helps me relate better to history, and will be especially helpful when I teach social studies.

Resolve to Read

Today I was garage saling and came across a book that has been on my list to read for some time (a couple of years). Since it was a quarter, I got it and decided I was going to resolve to read it within the month. Now, reading is something I haven't done much of for awhile (other than reading the Bible). It's not that I don't love to read, because I do, I just need to remember to make time for it. Rather than watch a rerun of a television show, I could read.

I grew up loving books. I lived on a farm and aside from the animals (which I wasn't a fan of) there was not a whole lot to do. I read a lot. My mom would tell me to go outside and play and I would smuggle a book underneath my shirt and find a place away from the windows to read (so my mom couldn't see)-I know, I was a terrible child :)

I have so many books for my classroom library (my spreadsheet has a few more then 400 and I need to log a few still) that I had to store them at my parents house until I get a classroom of my own (Kumon only allows certain books within their program, but they do purchase them all).

So what book did I buy? Educating Esme Diary of a Teacher's First Year by Esme Raji Codell. I read Part I tonight. It shares her struggles within the classroom with students, administration, motivating both other teachers and students as well as her sucesses, small and large, and the funny moments (working with children always involves those). All in all, the book is a fantastic insight! I love reading what other teachers write, because it gives me a look into their classrooms and gives me ideas (that's why I read other teacher's professional blogs). But I did have some concern with one part.

On page 69 (in the 2001 edition) she states: I was ambitious in the choreography of the dance routine [for a Christmas presentation]. It had many complicated parts, but under the threat of death and homework my thirty-one charges learned them meticulously, baring their teeth in a mandatory smile all the way. I'm exaggerating; I know they kind of enjoyed the rehearsals, the anticipation of performance and success. They know I would never let them fail. That's why they do what I ask, no matter how much they complain.

Although you probably did not need to know quite that much, I thought it would give you insight to her humor and context is important to understand the overarching point. I wonder about the second to last sentence. Is it entirely the responsibility of the teacher whether a child succeeds or fails? Some might say yes, but I don't agree. I feel that if a teacher applies his or herself and helps a student in every way possible, and the student still fails that this isn't the fault of the teacher. Several factors could play into the situation: the student's study skills or lack thereof, life outside of the classroom (including social time within school and out of school happenings), whether the student slept well the night before or is feeling well, the list could go on and on. I sincerely hope that Esme does not hold herself personally responsible for the success or failure of her students. For that is a heavy cross to bear. That being said, there are many things a teacher can do to aide her students, and they should be done so each student is given a chance at success. On a separate note, failure is also a part of life. It is something students need to have happen in order for them to learn and grow from it. If a student never fails, he or she never learns how to recover from the situation and rise to become a stronger person. I fear for the student that never fails.

The teacher within

"The teacher within this one is strong." is the statement one of my friends made when I was telling her the goals I set for the children I am nannying. A little corny, yes, but still true. If you have been following my blog at all since October, you know that I do a variety of things job-wise and nannying is one of them. Currently, I care for a family of three boys, ages 9 months, 2 and 4. These boys are all boy. They are dirty, like to wretsle each other on the floor and assert their athority. Some of my goals for them (the two oldest) include taking dishes to the sink after meals, learning to dress themselves (with the exception of buttoning pants), reducing the amount of backtalk, increasing the amount of respect for adults and trying things on their own before asking for help. This is my fourth week with them (two days a week, 5 hours a day) and the four year old is making progress, the two year old still needs reminded, but is able to do most things himself as well. This morning I was thrilled when the four year old said (after he was finished eating breakfast), "do I have to scrape my plate if I ate all my food?", I smiled and told him "no, just take it to the sink". But inside I was jumping up and down and clapping in delight. Small steps are still steps~and with feet that little, the steps have to start out small :) I'm happy for their progress and I hope they continue thriving on the journey to independence.