8.25.16

Wow!  It's that time of year again.  I can't believe that summer is over and we have already completed our first day of class.  As all of my friends were posting that it was their "last FDOC" (First Day of Class) yesterday, I had the realization that for us there really is not a Last First Day of Class.  As teachers we will continue to have first day's of class year after year until we retire.  To my friends that sounded crazy, but to me it was exciting because this time next year I will be a teacher with my very own students and my very own classroom with my name on the door. 

Yesterday was a whirlwind of a day!  Not only was it my first day of my senior year but I also met my CE for the first time and even got to meet some of our students.

Right off the bat my CE demonstrated what a teacher leader looks like.  She took me on a tour of the school and introduced me other teachers, the librarian, the custodial staff, the cafeteria manager, as well as the Principal and Assistant Principals.  She also let me know that she is here to support me with this experience, with any questions that I may have, with navigating the school, and working with other teachers.  I can tell that she is willing and excited to help me grow this semester and step into my role as a teacher in her classroom next semester.

I had a really neat experience last night at Orientation/Meet the Teacher with one of my students.  His mother informed us that he was ADD and I noticed that he was distracted by all that was going on in the classroom and unable to focus on talking with my CE and his mom.  My CE has a picture of the Wright Brother's plane hanging in her room and I heard him talking about it so I struck up a conversation with him about how in 4th grade we will be learning about NC state history and how the Wright Brothers and their plane are a part of that history.  His face lit up and he then told me how he had seen a replica of the Wright Flyer at the Aviation Museum in Charlotte.  I did my virtual museum last semester in SSED on the Aviation Museum so we talked about all the planes there.  When he left he gave me a hug and told me he was "so excited for Social Studies and to be in [my] class" because I "know cool things about planes."

To me teaching is about way more than passing a test or a grade it is about shaping lives and building relationships.  Last night I was able to see first hand how making instruction relevant to a student (NCTCS 3d) and by taking time to speak with that student, I made a relationship and now have a connection and respect from him before I have even stepped foot in the classroom as the true teacher.

I look forward to working with my CE and our students to make this a great school year!