3 MORE WEEKS!!

Wow, Jessica and I have been MIA lately.  I guess that's a sign of our busy lives.  I've missed blogging about all things life, but I see the blogging routine increasing about mid December!!

THREE WEEKS until I graduate, and about a month until I say "see ya later" to my sweet second graders.  I can't believe how quickly the last several weeks have gone.  It feels like just yesterday I was getting nervous to start my first day teaching.  Now it is routine to teach all day every day with the wonderful guidance of my CT.  

Some highlights and updates from the past few weeks:

Last week I finish teaching my 7 week habitat unit.  I learned so much about planning a unit, and teaching the content.  I found myself having to rearrange on a weekly basis due to our rotating specials schedule and several "weird" days like days off and field trips.  The science and social studies block is scheduled for the last 30 minutes of the school day, but we only get about 15-20 minutes to teach because of transition time and end of the day clean up.  It was a struggle to get too creative with my lessons because there just isn't time.  Luckily the topics are embedded into their reading and writing curriculum, so the kids are able to make content connections all day every day.  

One habitat activity I ended up doing almost ever week was a QR code scavenger hunt.  It's a sign of the times when the kids are able to wonder around the class scanning QR codes with their iPads to learn more about a topic.  They asked often if they could do their scavenger hunt during free time, and it was especially flattering to get complimented by the other second grade teachers.  Though the QR code learning isn't my idea, I came up with all of the rhymes and riddles to guide the class and created questions to go with each code.  It was fun to introduce to the class!

I began job hunting a few weeks ago, starting with a job fair.  I made a few connections that day and had a few meetings since then.  My goal for spring, as I may have mentioned before, is to find a long term sub position or some sort of para or aide position.  This would be ideal to ensure full time work in spring and to give me an opportunity to get to know the school and/or district I'm in before accepting any full time teaching positions next fall.  If I'm unable to find a good fit, I will just substitute teach through the spring.  I had a meeting with one principal about a possible long term 3rd grade sub position.  He seemed very interested and really wants me to start subbing for their school so they can get to know me and I can get to know their community.  

Last week I had my first "real" interview.  Wow, that was intimidating.  With a panel of 6 people, the largest group I've ever interviewed with, it was definitely a test of my nerves and confidence.  Luckily, they were all SO warm and welcoming and after a few minutes I felt like I was just chatting with a group of coworkers.  It is a charter school in our area, and they're looking to hire a few para's for the spring. This will likely lead into a full time teaching position in the fall.  I felt really good about my interview, but as a new candidate to the education field, who knows if a great interview will be enough.  Sometimes years of experience is more important.  I'll hope for the best, at least so I have an option for spring!

The end is near:

It's November 24th and there is so much ahead of me in the next few weeks.  My teacher work sample is due by December 1st so that my advisor has time to review it before we submit it.  That means I'll be finishing that TODAY (that's the goal at least).  It will feel SO wonderful to get that off of my to-do list!!  My Capstone presentation is December 8th so I have about two weeks to finish up my unit plan and create a board for the presentation.  At this point, the only thing against me is time.  I've gotten past the difficulty of deciding what I want to create, and the lit review which was like pulling teeth for me to get through!!  The rest is simple to complete, just very time consuming!  If I can complete everything between today and Wednesday, that would be a miracle!

I am SO excited for this next chapter of my life! I never expected to pursue a masters degree as a bachelors student.  I'm so thankful and proud that I did, and that I found a field that I truly love.  I'm excited to put all that I've learned into practice and to create my own exciting learning environment for my future students!

Until next time!
(Which could be a few weeks, hah!)

11 Weeks Down 7 To Go!

…and halfway through the 12th week!

Another 3 weeks came and went in a blink of an eye.  A lot has happened in those three weeks between student teaching and personal life.  

The biggest accomplishment I completed with my second grade team were our conferences.  It was the school's first year doing student led conferences.  There was a lot of push back from families, they were worried they would not get any one on one time with the teachers to discuss their child's progress.

We began preparing for conferences the week before fall break, and the week after is when we began coaching the kids.  They filled out several goal sheets for math, reading and writing, and charted their progress on bar graphs.  We helped them compile a file folder of their work and they rehearsed it several times.  It was pretty cool to see how positive this process was.  Students were proud to share their work with their peers when they practiced, and really took ownership of everything they have accomplished this far in the year.

The moment of truth was conference day when they came in with their parents, and led the whole conference. My CT and I stood back, and only jumped in to answer questions or point out something the student may have forgotten.  Parents were happily surprised at how the conferences turned out.  They were proud to see their children take the lead roll and acknowledge their own work.  They seemed especially impressed with the students personal evaluations of themselves.  They had to choose which behavioral areas they were good at and which they needed to focus on.  EVERY student made an honest evaluation of themselves, and some of their parents were blown away that they were able to honestly reflect on their behavior and performance in the classroom!

Overall, student led conferences seemed to be a success.  I am glad I was able to be apart of this type of conference, I now have experience in traditional conferences and student led…all experience is beneficial for my future as a teacher!

We had a week of fall break a couple weeks ago!  I forgot how necessary the scheduled breaks are. They always seem to come at JUST the right moment.  I was beginning to feel excessively overwhelmed, and the break was just what I needed (and I know the rest of the school needed the break as well).  I was able to spend time with my family and boyfriend, hang out with my cousin who came to town, and love on my parent's new puppy.  On top of that, I caught up on a lot of TWS work, and my Capstone!  But of course, I will feel like my head is just above water until I graduate and ALL of my assignments are submitted!

Yesterday I had the opportunity to attend a job fair at UNC.  I hadn't been back to Greeley since I graduated in December of 2009, wow did 5 years go by in a flash!  I met with a few counties and schools, and overall had a VERY successful visit.  What I'm most excited about is the connection I made with a local charter school's principal.  We talked casually for a bit about my background and what her charter school was about.  As we progressed, it hit me who she was…my 6th grade teacher from way back when!!  Small world, isn't it?!  Before we realized our connection, she seemed very impressed with my SLP & Aud. background and wanted me to come back a little later for a more in depth conversation.  When I went back, she told me about a paraprofessional position opening in January, which could potentially lead to a 2nd grade teaching position in the fall!  She wants me to come into the school for a tour and interview with the rest of her team.  I can't explain how EXCITING this is!  It could be a perfect situation, to have time in the school getting to know its community and culture before (1) deciding if I want to take a full time teaching position there, and (2) taking on a classroom for my first time.  It would make the transition into my first year teaching a lot more graceful already knowing the school and the people!  I'm keeping my fingers crossed, saying my prayers, and telling the universe what I want…I hope it all pans out, and I can finish student teaching and jump right back into a school!

Halloween is Friday (in case you weren't aware, haha!).  I can't wait to share our teams Halloween costume with everyone.  It sure is cute, and the kids are going to LOVE it!!

Just a few more weeks left and so much to do…back to work I go…!

8 weeks down 10 to go!

As I wrote the countdown in my title just now, it came to me why I've been feeling like butterflies, frogs, volcanoes and cry babies have been hanging out in my body lately!  I'm at that point on the mountain where I've been climbing and climbing, and I'm getting pretty warn out, but I'm so close to that down hill turning point.  

There's no point in pretending that it's all grand, the honey moon period is over!  Well wait, I shouldn't say that…I'm still in love with teaching, still love my class and 2nd grade team, and my CT is awesome.  Thank goodness for all of that.  What isn't as romantic is juggling full time teaching (and not getting paid), a TWS, a Capstone project, after school babysitting, and a personal life.  Let's just say the stress and the constant pit in my stomach from being overwhelmed has set in.  I have no problem crying it out though, and moving on.  I'm good at working myself up and feeling like life is crazy and scattered, but I always manage to get things done that need to get done, and I will continue to push through the second half of fall semester!

What's been put aside while I've been juggling the other stuff:  Exercise, a healthy diet, water, deep cleaning, hanging with friends… hah, all the things that probably keep me sane!!  The result: a few extra pounds on the scale, those awesome back muscles I was building are slowing going away, breakouts constantly (due to stress, diet, lack of water…), and probably contributing to my emotional state!  Hey, at least I'm aware of it…right?! haha

My goals for this week:  

-Try to work in at least a little bit of exercise, I need to start somewhere and a little is better than nothing! 

-WATER WATER WATER…man I need water!  

-I will devote time after work on my projects, even if it's only 30 minutes.  A little every day adds up and I need to push myself through it in order to get these projects done.  

-A healthier diet…I'm so good at eating healthy, but I'm also really good at eating what's convenient when I'm busy--or eating all the treats in the lounge at school.  I will do my best to make healthier choices, then I know my body will start to crave the good stuff again, and my skin will clear up a bit! 

-Taking a deep breath, and taking one step at a time-Because really, that's all I can do!

I needed to whine and pout and make personal goals public.  It's a coping mechanism I suppose.  Also, knowing I'm not the only person going through this program helps.  I know my classmates are feeling a lot of the same feelings.  WE will get through it and be proud that we did!  AND graduation day will be that much more rewarding knowing the amount of time, work, commitment, and money we put into our future!

Now I can move on and get the job done!!  

Besides the excessive stress, everything is great (bahaha!).  I began teaching my TWS unit which is a 7 week unit on habitats.  I'm learning how low on the totem pole science and social studies are.  It makes sense, because the other subjects are foundations for so much.  But it's also pretty sad because these subjects are the ones we usually get to do extremely hands on and interactive lessons with. 

By the time I get started teaching after math and factor in about 5 minutes to clean up at the end of the day, I end up with about 20 minutes to teach science!  I'm learning a lot about the stresses of teachers and how they struggle to fit in content throughout the day, and why science and social studies planning is definitely not a priority…and sometimes skipped all together!  On the flip side I've learned how important it is to embed multiple subjects into lessons.  Our school uses a reading program that embeds a lot of the science and social studies into it, thank goodness for that!  Our kids seem excited about the content though, this age LOVES learning about animal habitats!

I had my first "formal" observation by my university advisor.  That went well.  She had great things to say about my teaching style.  It's nice to get that kind of feedback and to be reassured that you're good at what you love!  I know Nick will be surprised to hear that she loves my voice and presence in the classroom.  I know that sounds like a weird compliment, but I tend to speak quietly and have to make a real effort to project my voice.  She said my demeanor is one that the kids will soon love and trust if they don't already, what a compliment!  

I know I have so much more to learn and that much of my learning will not happen until I get into my own classroom.  I cannot wait to have that responsibility and that is a stress I will welcome!  

That's all for now, have a wonderful week everyone! Hopefully by my 10 week check in, some bricks will have lifted off my shoulders…there's a good chance since week 10 is fall break! WAHOOO!!!!

Pick a keep calm, any keep calm.  But really, I just need to KEEP CALM! :-p

6 Weeks Down 12 To Go!

Well I experienced this today! Feels so good to get over a hump and move on to the next step!

The countdown is how I track my progress.  I can look back at another completed week and give myself a pat on the back for getting through it!  Not that it's a negative struggle, but it sure is a LOT of work and a lot of exhaustion!

The past two weeks were probably one of the hardest yet.  There was just SO much going on, I felt like I needed an IV of coffee and a group of cheerleaders to cheer me on.  HAH, funny thing is…we did have a group of cheerleaders come by for spirit week!

Let me explain the current events of my life:  Well, EVERYONE I love most was out of the state at one point, and at least two "parties" gone at a time.  I never knew how lonely that would feel, even though the only person I see on a regular basis is Nick.  My parents left for a trip out of the country, my brother was in Florida for work, and as soon as he got back to Colorado, Nick left for a business trip to New Hampshire.  It made for an extra emotional week knowing my biggest supporters wouldn't be close.  It's weird that during a typical 2 week period, I may not see my brother or parents once…but knowing they're all out of town makes my heart heavy, and miss them more than normal!

So, while I was busy being emotional because my dear ones were too far, I was also juggling after school babysitting, house sitting for my parents, spirit week, the realization that I need to get cracking on my TWS (teacher work sample) and Capstone, and the realization that no matter how confidant I feel as a teacher to be, there is still SO MUCH to learn that I won't be able to learn until I get my own class.

Let's just say I've had the biggest pile of bricks on my shoulders, the largest frogs and butterflies having a party in my throat and stomach, and all the while I've been SO HAPPY and EXCITED for every day of school with our class.  I guess that's proof that I'm on the right path..that no matter the stress, I'm still glad to be doing what I'm doing! (or maybe I'm just giving myself a pep talk via my blog post, baha!)

After all of that these past few weeks, TODAY I finally felt some relief.  Both my brother and Nick are  back in town so that's a bit of weight lifted.  My parents get home in a couple days, which means I can worry less about them and won't have to house sit anymore.  AND TODAY I finally found some clarity for my TWS and Capstone and cannot wait to get going on them!  Just the clarity of my ideas is enough to calm my nerves.  Thank goodness I can breath a little better now!

Other teaching news:  I had my first of 6 observations, an "informal" observation.  I taught our normal morning routine, and was observed doing "Daily News" with the class.  Every morning we sit in whole group on the floor, one student comes to the easel and reports on their news.  Together we write it as a class and practice grammar, punctuation, phonics, etc.  This is a time for our students to build community by learning about one another, feel a sense of pride to report in front of their class, and to practice A TON of aspects of writing that they need to know and use on a daily basis.  Daily news is fun for me also.  My CT has so many fun names for long vowels, short vowels, word patterns, silent letters, etc… So it's fun to practice those with the kids.

I've begun teaching reading and writing groups on occasion.  I love small group because it's a good time for the kids to get to know my teaching styles and expectations without my CT around, and for me  to get a better glimpse of their progress and how each child learns a bit differently.  It's fun to see their personalities come out in these groups as.  My CT let me plan for our middle (meaning at grade level) writing group for this weeks lessons.  She guided me on their targets, but I was in charge of planning each days work and will be responsible for making sure they are meeting their targets.  I'm glad to take on more responsibility!

Let another week begin!

4 weeks down 14 to go!

Wow, the past month has zipped by, especially the last two weeks.  Every day in the classroom I feel more and more sure about my decision to become a teacher.  I wake up in the morning excited to see our 22 smiling faces, and look forward to learning from our 2nd grade team.  I love that even though our daily routine doesn't change, each day brings something new and different!

I began leading morning work about two weeks ago.  Every morning when the kids come in, they have their routine "check in" procedures (making lunch choices, handing in HW folders, etc.), and then they sit down for morning work.  This is either a poem to read, questions to answer about the poem or DOL's (daily oral language, this is reading and writing practice).  From a teaching standpoint, this is easy.  I just monitor the students, to be sure they are on task and trying their best.  Then, we all go over the work as a class.  Easy, right?!  WELL, this is where being a teacher REALLY comes to play.  Finding these routine moments to insert extra learning.  I feel like I'm constantly on a game show, trying to come up with good questions to ask the students, and how to relate it to past lessons or connections to the real world.  This part takes some practice, you have to be on your toes and ready to expand the student's learning.  It's fun, sometimes challenging, and I feel like I'm part of an improv show!

Another great milestone was my first full day of teaching!  My CT was gone and so it was me and a substitute.  The sub works at our school, and for my CT on a regular basis so she's pretty familiar with the routine.  She was so kind in letting me take over, and just stepping in where it would be beneficial to have two teachers!  She was great to work with, and complimented my teaching, which meant A LOT!  Since then, I only take over here and there throughout the day.  The students are learning routine a bit still, therefor so am I.  The things that don't change much each day, are the things that I typically lead since I'm familiar with them. In about 2 weeks I will hopefully be doing 75%-100% of the teaching on a daily basis.

My class helped me celebrate my 27th birthday on September 4th!  It was the most exciting birthday song I've ever had!  I passed out cookies, the kids sang to me, and I got 27 "high-fives" from them.  They sure know how to make someone feel special!  In the mornings the kids with birthdays get to announce it on the intercom.  My CT sent 3 kids up to announce my bday.  They each said "Hi my name is ___" then they said "and today is Ms. Fat-nellys, I mean Fanelli's birthday!" hahaha, it was pretty amazing!

A gift from PTO, a candle and Panera gift card!

We went on our first field trip this past Friday.  I never thought a field trip would be more exhausting then a full week of teaching.  Holy cow, manning 3 boys with selective hearing was a lot.  They taught me more about patience and reasoning, and they made me appreciate our school routine that much more.  With that said, it was a FUN day at the Highlands Ranch Mansion.  We learned about our towns history, and got to participate in some cool activities like a hay ride, a petting zoo, and crafts!

Check out the size of this bunny at the petting zoo!

Adding their art to this map

As I've said on Facebook, the teaching is the part that gets me up and going in the morning.  I'm thrilled  that I'm so motivated for an 8 hour day on my feet, watching these munchkins expand their knowledge every day.  What doesn't thrill me as much, is our TWS and Capstone project that have added some stress to the weekly schedule.  TWS stands for teacher work sample, and it's basically a formal unit plan we have to create and teach.  We did a MTWS (mini teacher work sample, right grad friends?! I've forgotten already lol!!) in one of our classes, so the format is familiar.  The difference is the size of this particular project.  I'm doing my TWS focusing on habitats.  This should be interesting because its a science lesson, and we all know how much of a priority science and social studies take in the classroom these days (not!).  My CT said we will make it a point to fit it in when I'm scheduled to teach, though.  Wish me luck!

I've also finally settled on my Capstone project.  Our capstone is a big final project that incorporates pieces of everything we've learned while in our grad program.  We have the option of several different project types, and just before graduation, we present our project to our peers and professors.  I am doing a literature review of Backward Design. Backward Design is a specific way of lesson planning that is HUGE within the district that I'm teaching in.  I figured I should educate myself on the topic, from from to back, so I can go confidently into an interview with this district and show them how much I know!  I have A TON of reading and writing ahead of me, but I am sure I will finish with a very informative piece of work!

Here's to another month of school, and another month closer to accomplishing a huge goal in my life!

Ted, he's cute.

2 WEEKS DOWN, 16 TO GO!

Rockin' my school spirit! GO EAGLES!

My first two weeks student teaching came and went in a flash!  I am glad to report that I am so completely happy with my school location, and Cooperating Teacher (CT) assignment.  It feels so good to finally be in a classroom full time, where I can get to know my students better…and I'm feeling especially lucky to be learning from my CT and her 4 other 2nd grade team mates! Here is a brief recap:

My CT:

She is absolutely amazing.  She has 14 years of experience, and definitely knows how to run her classroom successfully!  She is super laid back, and the good kind of sarcastic ;-)  She seems happy to have me in her class, and after only two weeks I feel like we mesh well together. After my first week she gave my the sweetest card, it's the small things that mean the most!

She let me take over a few of the fluency tests (they're super simple to do, but I'm glad she's trusting me to take over with assessing so soon!).  Overall, I know she will be my biggest influence of my masters program, and I will learn the most from my time spent in the classroom with her!

Our students:

I'm feeling incredibly lucky to join her class this year, the students are AMAZING!  Seriously, they seem so mature and self sufficient compared to other 2nd graders I've worked with in the past!  They seem so eager to learn and are (for the most part) SUCH good listeners.  I love the unexpected diversity of our class, too.  They each come from such unique backgrounds which makes every day fun-to learn more about them.  

I was able to learn MOST of their names in the first day, and after day 2 I knew them all.  I was pretty impressed with myself because learning names is something I struggle with.  It helps that we don't have anyone with the same name.  

I received my first love note on my very first day.  I will keep it and look at it on my down days.  Not only is the message sweet, but her spelling is what makes it awesome! haha!!

"Ms. Fanelli You are the bust techer"

Funny Stuff:

I was pretty impressed with how quickly the kids were able to remember my name.  BUT, I was also quite impressed with the versions of my name that I heard.  Instead of Ms. Fanelli, I heard:

- Ms. Finally

-Ms. Finy-elly

-Ms. Financy

-Ms. Fritelli

-Ms. Felly

-Ms. Frinelli

-Ms. Frilly

I bet there's a few I'm missing.  The creativity is awesome!!  I heard "Ms. Financy" the most from the same little girl, so much that my CT accidentally called me that once.  I finally started telling kids that I'm Ms. Smelly Fanelli (to help them remember)…but then I quickly stopped that when I realized what I was getting myself into, whoops!!

Week 3 begins tomorrow, and so does the beginning of the REAL stress this semester.  My teacher work sample and capstone project.  These will be the things that keep me up late at night, and possibly the things that make me go into hiding until graduation…we'll see how I end up handling it! 

Teacher To-Be

“Ms. Fanelli” here…Back in 2011 I decided to head back into the classroom to get my teaching license.  The process has taken a bit longer than planned because a semester in, I decided, why just get my license when I can get my Masters degree?!  So the adventure began!  Skip forward to the present, and in a few short weeks I will begin my final semester as a grad student.  This will be the most beneficial semester yet, as I will be doing my student teaching in a 2^nd grade classroom.  I’ve decided to document those 16 weeks on our blog, because I imagine it will be filled with stress, excitement, creativity, exhaustion, and most importantly the comedy only to be found when amongst a bunch of second graders J 

Anyone in the teaching world knows how much we love to beg, borrow, and steal teaching techniques and creative ideas from one another.  I hope my ideas will benefit other teachers out there, and I hope that the ideas I steal from other amazing teachers can be passed along via our blog!

Keep an eye out for more about my teaching journey, to be continued the second week in August…AAHH! I think I just had a heart attack!

Me, being all teachery!