Snow!

It snowed on Christmas! It didn't really start accumulating until I had to leave to go to work, but this morning when I woke up there was a good two inches of snow. 

Using cherries for his eyes made him look evil.

The rest of my pictures and videos are at: All of my pictures and videos are at: http://www.flickr.com/photos/ryansarah/

Break

I am enjoying my break and having time off. 

I will be working full time through the next few weeks, however, that will still give me more free time than I have been used to lately. The last few weeks I did not get scheduled full time and was actually a little bored just sitting around the house. But, I did get a lot done including the last of my assignments for GSU and got some much needed housework done.

Today I have been feeling 'crafty' (haha) and made a card for one of my co-workers, Lorna. She got me a great present of a hat, scarf, and gloves set. Since student teaching doesn't pay anything we are pretty broke this year, so we aren't doing any presents at all. So, I made her a card out of card making/scrapbooking supplies my mother gave me a little while back. Here are some pictures.

I wrote a note to Lorna on the front inside flap.

Last Day

When I arrived on Friday for my last day at Sweetwater the lights were off and the students were scattered around the room, ducking under their desks or sitting on the floor. When I walked into the room they turn on the lights while jumping up and shouting, "Surprise!"

They had decorated the banner above and had it posted up on the white board. It was very thoughtful and sweet of the students to make and decorate it. I am not sure how well the size is represented in the picture. It is nearly as long as I am tall, and about as wide as my arm.  

There wasn't a lot of fanfare the rest of the day as the students still had work to do. But, at the end of each class I gave a little speech to remind the students that this was my last day. I thanked them for having me and told them that they had taught me a lot, and I hoped they had learned at least a little from me. In each class many of the students gave me hugs, including some who I would have thought would be happy to see me go. 

Moving Up

 I received my assignment for the second half of my student teaching

     This is going to be a VERY different experience as far as the students go. These students come from higher income families (19% free or reduced lunches vs. 75% at Sweetwater), so it will be interesting to see how different that really makes the school.

     The schedule will also be a little different. They run on a block schedule, which means four classes a day as well as something called PRIDE which I cannot find a description for on their website. I have never been in a block schedule, so that will be new for me.

     The teacher does US History classes, which I must admit, disappoints me a little. I prefer World History over an subject, and Geography would be nice as well. US History just isn't as interesting to me, and because I will be there during the spring semester, it will be US History after Reconstruction, which I find even less interesting.

     However, I am very excited to start and see how high school is. I know it will be quite different in many ways.

Gift

My mom gave me this Christmas ornament today:

She was excited to give me my first teacher related gift.
Thanks Mom!

Four More Days

I have this week off for Thanksgiving break. Both Sweetwater and GSU are closed. Next Monday I will be at GSU for a mandatory orientation for my high school student teaching placement. I am excited and hope that I get to stay in Gwinnett and am closer to home.

Starting next Tuesday, it will be my last week at Sweetwater. I have had a lot of fun, and will miss the students. I have learned so much from them, and even when they frustrate me I have enjoyed my time there. 

I told the students on Friday that I would only be there for one more week. The first class seemed a little sad and there were quite a few "awwwws", the second class didn't react at all, and the third class was somewhere in the middle.

Now I am taking this week to try and catch up on some school work, and I am working a LOT. 

Next Year

Teachers seem to love to say, "Next year, in ____ grade, you will be expected to know/be able to ________."

The students take this pretty seriously and this saying becomes a way to coerce students into learning something or acting more responsibly. It is a pretty effective technique, and students really respond. Many times they will start telling each other about other ominous things to expect "next year".

I find it a little humorous that students don't really realize that they hear this every year.

PASSED!!!

Part of the teacher certification process is taking the GACE, or Georgia Assessment for the Certification of Educators. These are content area tests that I must take in order to be certified to teach. I do not take them through GSU, but an independent company/organization and they are pretty expensive. Each subject has two tests and you have to pass both tests to teach that subject. Two tests end up being around $170.

Back in October I took the GACE tests for history. I was really unsure about whether I passed or not. Due to the amount of time I was putting into GSU and Sweetwater, I did not get to study as much as I had hoped. And, although I have my BA in history, I just wasn't feeling confident. 

I got my score today, and (as the title of the post foreshadowed) I passed! Whew! This takes a huge weight off my shoulders. More than anything I was worried about the GACE tests. They do not offer many opportunities to take them and although I can re-take them as many times as needed it would have cost a lot of money.

Now, I just need to decide what I want to take next. The tests I took only allow me to teach World and US History. I can still take GACE tests for Geography, Economics, Political Science, Psychology, and Middle School Social Science. 

Decisions, decisions.

Reading

Reading levels are pretty varied in the classes. Most of the students can read pretty well (which they should be able to, as 7th graders). Some of them read really well and can read quickly. Many of them ready pretty well and may stumble a little. It's good experience for them to have to read aloud and also gives the teachers a chance to informally asses their reading ability.

Last week the class was reading an article on Rwanda. Each student was taking a turn reading a sentence or two. Everyone had to take a turn. One of the students was called on to read. She was whispering and there was no way the class could hear her. Mr. Dorray, standing across the room, couldn't hear her. I could hear her because I was standing near her. She was skipping many words and mumbling most of them. Mr. Dorray told her to speak up. She never got very loud and had a hard time with most of the words. One of the other students gave her about half of them. She either couldn't correctly pronounce words (i.e., recent) or couldn't read some of them at all (i.e., eastern) that she really should know at this grade level. 

Mr. Dorray had not realized that she was not reading at a 7th grade level. We knew she was in the special education program, however, being in special ed does not always (or usually for most of our sped students) mean reading problems.  Once the class was over Mr. Dorray went to find her special ed teachers to see what was going on. Apparently English is her second language and although she can speak it very well (I hadn't even realized she was ESL) she has a hard time reading. He spoke with her special ed teachers in depth to find out what he should be doing to help her, as well as how to treat her in the classroom when students are reading aloud. 

It is surprising how easily students can hid the fact that they are unable to read well. Although students are listed as sped, teachers can easily meet their accommodations without realizing the extent of their impairment. The other students had been helping her hide her reading problems. They would tell her what  the reading was about, or as they did in class that day, prompt her  with the correct words. She has apparently been getting along, however, once she starts taking standardized tests and writing tests for graduation she may not be able to pass. At least she has been identified by the special education department and they are working with her. She is getting help and should be able to improve. 

Video

We are studying African geography. I got to start the unit with my lesson because I was being observed.
I started it out with this video to try to get them interested. The students liked it, especially my first class.

Class Personalities

Each class that I teach has a different personality. Today I will introduce you to them.

Academic One 
The Class Clowns

• Energetic
• Funny
• Loves to participate and contribute out loud
• Easy going but can be rowdy
• Doesn't finish lessons as quickly as the other classes

Academic Two
The Cranky Kids

• Hit or Miss
• Has the most kids that talk back
• Opinionated (Not necessarily a bad thing)
• Longest time needed for test taking
• Lunch - sometimes they can't settle down, sometimes they all seem asleep
• Can be the least participatory

Academic Three
The Smart Kids

• Most intelligent
• Fastest at lessons and tests
• Best behaved (except for one particular student)
• Sometimes this class feels bland because the kids are smart, but not always vocal
• When they feel like participating in a discussion, it is thoughtful and insightful
• I like to be observed in this class

Despite their differences, I do not really have a favorite class. One day I will love a certain class, and the next day they will be monsters. So, how I feel about each class depends on what kind of mood I am in as well as what kind of mood they are in.

Attack Ads, Circa 1800

I am not a fan of attack ads, but they have been around for a long time and are actually better than they used to be. Someone put together a video to explain.