Summer Vaca!

Hi everyone!
Sorry it has been a while but I have a lot to share now to get caught up. I recently got a full time job at a charter school teaching middle school science!! Yaayyyy! I'm so happy! I started in April and worked finishing out the last 6 weeks of school. I really like it. I like the school, the staff and faculty, the program itself, and I just feel at home there. I felt that way from the beginning of my interview! That is a major thing with me: I can tell a lot about a school by how comfortable I feel there and how everyone there makes me feel like family. I've been to several schools like that, which is wonderful, but I have been to some where I couldn't wait to get out of the door! This was my first interview with a middle school. I was not at all familiar with working with middle schoolers other than at the private school where I worked previously. Thank God for that job because it really prepared me for this one! Middle schoolers are something else! LOLL. I believe it was a great experience for me. A lot different than my 3rd graders during my student teaching, but I loved them all the same. I have a way of finding something special in each and every student and it came in handy at my new school. Some students didn't believe they had anything special about them and just didn't care about anything. That attitude irritated me like crazy but once I observed and interacted more and just pried into their running wild brains and saw them from within. I would tell them what I like about them and what made them so cool. Even those that would try to talk their way out of doing their work. I would tell them how they are so clever with words and would win at a science debate game...if they completed their assignment so they would know WHAT their talking about during the debate. I always had to be a step ahead of them and I'm proud to say I was but it would (most of the time) be with a smile because I wanted them to use their whits for positives and for getting by. I would give students different jobs to fit there personalities to let them know that everything about them is okay and there really is a time and place to talk, play, run around, draw, WHATEVER! Plus, I got respect and if I didn't have that I would have been in trouble. I'm the type that will get on to a student that is disrespecting another teacher. If I see it, I will let them know I don't like it and they will apologize (along with any other appropriate consequences if necessary). But overall, my students really enjoyed me as their science teacher (some even drew pictures for me which I didn't expect from middle schoolers) and I can tell how much excitement I brought them regarding science. I set up a mini lab in the back of the room so students could go and grab a folder filled with materials and work with them at their desks as they finished their work. The mini labs included simple experiments that fit with the standards. I put the materials in a manila folder, name the experiment (something fun and catchy), put the directions on it, and added to the pile. Next year, I will have a basket to put them all in and it will be the MLB (Mini Lab Basket). So simple. I also plan on adding a sign-in and out sheet with a lab question to make sure students are not just playing and getting the point of the experiments and to account for all materials that may end up missing. Teaching science itself is pretty cool. It's my favorite subject. I actually started out as a Chemistry major before changing over to Education (my whole life's dream). There are so many creative ways to get the points through and give examples. I'm excited about my projector also. During my student teaching I had a SmartBoard. I don't have one now but the ceiling projector hooked to the computer works just fine! I can create all sorts of things to show or present or include the class in an online interactive game such as the one I did with ecosystems. Perfect. I had the students tell me what to do as I was at the computer. I asked questions and even though they were not up and clicking anything themselves, they were participating and THINKING. I love what I do! And I never give answers. I will walk them through until the answers come from them. I believe the content sticks better that way. It has a better impact. The cool thing about science is I get to ask WHY? and HOW? And more difficult questions like Why do think...? They hate it but I love it because IT WORKS!

Anyway, the school year is over now. I got to start at the end of the year when the students are the most wild and crazy. The other teachers all assured me that it was only this way because it was the end of the year (last day of school was a nightmare!! LOL). So I look foward to next year. I was offered the same position there for next year. I also had a training at the district office about the new online grading system (PowerTeacher) and I get to train the faculty and staff at my school. I'm so excited about that! Both training and using the new grading system. I used Intergrade Pro during my student teaching and this new one is suppose to be an upgrade from that (but still has its flaws). I'm just a big bubble full of excitement. As for the summer, my school is having a summer camp for kids ages 5-12 and we will have all sorts of activities for them to do. I'm doing the science station of course! Been planning my activities and just ready to get started. We had this week off and we begin on Monday the 15th. So I have the rest of the evening and tomorrow to relax then it's back to work!! Which is fine with me because it gives me something to do (and it's fun) and I can continue to save up through the summer. I've already said that next I'm taking it off (but we'll see how that goes lol). So I'm really happy right now. My vacation is almost over but I will get two more before school starts back. Going to Six Flags and Detroit, both for the first time so I'm super excited about that too.