Genre Reflection #2

How to Be Defeated From the Start: The Beginning of the End

(Genre Reflection #2)

First, try sleeping. Toss and turn. Try counting. Count the days of school you have left. 187. The beginning of a new year. Fall asleep. Turn off the blaring alarm. Roll out of bed. Grab your crooked, half broken glasses. Put on pants. They’re inside out. Try again. Look at the clock. Fifteen minutes left. Go time. Turn on the coffee pot. Burn the coffee. Grab a water bottle. Slip on your flats. Race for the door. Forget that you left the dog outside.

Enter into the desolate hallway. Smile politely at the janitor. Get stopped by the principal. Who decides to discuss the new Common Core Standards.  Listen to his ignorant commentary. Keep smiling. Just. Keep. Smiling. Slowly creep away. Mutter something incomprehensible.

Inspect your list of newcomers. Note the ones you’ve heard stories about. Have visions of desks being thrown. See a “Kick Me” sign in your near future. Prepare for battle. Get out syllabi. Open the door. Smile warmly at the sour faces. Ignore the kid who stepped on your shoe and spit gum on the floor. Breathe. 186 days left.

Talk about the importance of grammar. Listen to the boy in the back snore and smack his head on the desk. Laughter erupts the room. Keep calm. Continue on. 64 days left.

Admire the spring trees bloom outside your window.  The countdown is on. Bump into a student in the hallway. Take notice of the tears coming down their eyes. Sense frustration.  Ask the student if they’re okay. Look into their eyes. Feel compassion. Know something is not right. Invite them to your class. Let them speak. Let them be heard.

Realize students are human beings. Recall the reasons why you went into teaching. Allow the faint distant memory of the moment you knew.  When you once felt a passion for what you do. Try not to forget, students are human too. The difference starts with me and you. Try not to be tainted by the everyday view.

Organization...And Other Attributes I Wish I Possessed Blog #3

Blog Post #3

Various articles and books I have read say that organization is one of the number one indicators of success. First off, let me start by saying I am the last person who needs to be giving out advice on organization. Papers are piled on my desk; I find sticky notes on my clothes from time to time. I live in “organized chaos”. I’m confessing my greatest weakness to all of you in confidence that, prior to teaching, this unfortunate attribute to my personality will be gone by the time I become a professional teacher in my own classroom. What can I do to combat against my nature? I recognize this as a fatal flaw, and so I decided to speak to veteran teachers and colleagues on what they do in order to stay organized, effective, efficient, and not temporarily lose their minds in the process.  

The first step: Write in your planner.

 Daily, and stick to it.  This is a struggle for me. I begin every year religiously copying down every task and checking off every item as I complete it. As the semester progresses, however, I become less mindful. I realize that as a teacher I will have to become much more proactive with my planner and have materials planned ahead of time, ready and prepared to battle any mishaps, interruptions, or potential needs for a sub along the way.

The second step: Have your space organized. 

My books clutter my car, tossed into an oblivion of a dark hole that I must go digging and searching for the last place I had read it. Perhaps it’s in the back seat of my car, I recall reading it prior to class in the parking lot? This is a common trend of thought for me. A word of advice from my colleagues and mentors is to have a specific bag, place, and an organizational technique that becomes a habit. Not only does it allow me to locate where the book is, but it creates a pattern of organization. A habit that will lead to successful , clear thought. Imagine that. 

The third step: Be prepared. For anything. Ahead of time.

Again, I always start off strong at the beginning. The middle is always alright, and the end smacks me in the face. It’s because I do not prepare ahead of time. When the curve ball is thrown at me so to speak, I am not ready for it. This is not acceptable as a teacher from what I’ve been told. One must be flexible, have material ready to go in case the lesson runs short or be able to condense important material in a short amount of time because a fire drill may have interrupted your class, leaving you with half the time you had planned on having.

I have recognized my weaknesses. The number one being organization, an essential key to a successful career and life. To be scattered and all over the place will no longer be acceptable. It’s time for a change. So here’s to beginning a journey of student teaching with a new mindset and preparing to work on my weaknesses and turning them into strength. Fierce. Ready. Like a warrior. Like a teacher. For anything. 

 What’s your weakness, and how will you make it your strength?