My First Challenge as a Teacher: Motivation!!

Ok so now I'm teaching Math, Science, and Social Studies at a secondary private school. I'm realizing my work is cut out for me. I'm teaching middle school and high school. Planning and grading is chaotic. I'm sort of stuck on an issue. My students are behind in social studies, specifically history. I have started routines for math and covering what needs to be covered with great lessons and motivating activities. Science seems to be the biggest inteterest to my students so it doesn't take a whole lot to catch their attention with that, not that I don't try. But social studies is coming off as super boring already and I'm not sure what all I can do the make it more interesting. I did a game the other day where students had index cards with terms and definitions regarding the causes of World War 1 and the alliances. It was great practice and they really had to pay attention and listen. But while doing another activity where I had the students analyze a map with dots representing the population distribution in the US to help with critical thinking, I realized that I may have to take it further back. I had a student ask if slavery was in the south. I was stunned because to me it's obvious, but to someone who does not have the knowledge, it may not be and I just never considered that before. Now, I'm trying to figure out how to find the right resources for my classroom and school, make social studies way more exciting, give all my students all the knowledge they need to succeed in college and the career world, and provide them with the proper awareness of their surroundings and world, of themselves as involvled citizens and to grow as professionals. This issue is mostly with my high school students because I have lots of hands-on and exciting lessons planned for my middle school students. It is just difficult trying to reach my high school students without giving them "kiddie" stuff. I'm also trying to figure out how to get my students to come to school. Each day I have at least two students that do not show up (out of 9 high school students total). So I'm trying to come up with some sort of incentive or policy to help improve the attendence. My students are at this school because they struggled in public school because of distractions and behavioral issues. I can tell who my hard working students are and those who haven't quite realized how important this is. THOSE are the ones I'm really trying to motivate. I've been online all day trying to find ides and so far no luck. But I'm still trying and will continue until...well I won't because it's my job! I enjoy what I do so much, no matter the obstacles and challenges. They only make it more interesting.

And The Career Kicks Off

Hello everyone! Heres an update on what's going on with my career. I recently put in my two-week notice at the daycare I have been working at for almost 5 years. It's so hard to say good-bye to what has pretty much been a family to me, but hard times and changes in my life now require a little more than my part-time minimum wage paycheck and to something more in my field, what I really want to do: TEACH! I love my children dearly and have watched them grow up from learning how to sit up, crawl, and walk to climbing monkey bars and singing the abc's and months of the year. I will come back to visit them though, but it is time to move on.
I am currently on call for substituting and will begin another position as a GED instructor/tutor working with students in grades 6th-11th. I'm so excited! I will be getting great experience in the classrooms while subbing a few days out of the week and tutoring the rest of the week. I'm getting all of my resources together and continuing to do research and find anything that may benefit me and my students (I love to read). I'm also looking foward to getting a position as a long-term sub at a charter school teaching middle school history. All of these things going on has been an eye-opener for me. I realize that there is so much I can do and expand my skills to so many areas to the point that my dreams have been re-arranged to endless possibilities. I have no idea exactly what I want to do! LOL I'm not sure if I want to go into Special Education, Psychology, or Secondary Science (preferably Chemistry) or do it ALL!!! I know I eventually want to go back to school and get my Masters and Doctors and I also want to go into administration in my later years but there's no telling what eye-openers I will have by then!! Right now I would like to be nationally certified but not sure as to how to go about doing so and preparing. If anyone knows, PLEASE LET ME KNOW!!! But I'm just at a point where I'm just excited and ready to get to work and help improve some wonderful lives in the community. Hopefully I will land a contract position for the 2009-2010 school year. I may have to look out of town and commute until I save enough to move, with how things are here in Aiken.
So, that's what's going on with me. I'm searching for some good resources I can use for middle/high school math, science, and social studies; how to go about being natioanally certified; and finding an elementary position for the 2009-2010 school year in or around Aiken, SC (anywhere in SC, maybe even Georgia and North Carolina). Well, be back soon!