Lesson #22:

Lesson #22: Choose to give:

My classroom is desperate to conclude our project through DonorsChoose.org. We are about $500 short and have hit a wall in donations! I'm trying to spread the word as best I can so here goes, blogosphere:

If you can donate any amount, we would be oh so grateful! You will also receive a handmade thank you card from our class as well as a picture. :-) Click here to donate and THANK YOU! THANK YOU! THANK YOU!

http://www.donorschoose.org/andreaseider

Lesson # 21:

Lesson #21: Nurture Your Passion

I have jugglers in my brain. Juggling multiple batons and adding more constantly, and then more jugglers keep coming to see if they can juggle amongst the hundreds already there and for some reason the Circus Master (that would be me) keeps allowing this to happen.

"Sure! We could ALWAYS use more!!" says I, whilst nervously trying to maintain the jugglers already in progress. Batons keep falling and rolling on the ground and I narrowly escape tripping over several, as I run around scrambling up juggling apparati, meanwhile keeping an air of grace and dignity. And a smile. And jugglers keep chasing after rolling batons as new jugglers come to join the party all excited and fresh and ambitious, showing off their new craze...fire juggling! And at a certain point I think: This can't go on forever.

This is an analogy of how my brain feels. Pretty darn crazy.

I wish I had a picture to inset here of a view of my brain and all its craziness.

Wait...I do...

My Brain. On Jugglers. Note the multiple bottles of wine in the background...a necessity.

Here's a breakdown of that analogy:

The jugglers are the many thoughts that enter my head and decide to set up camp there for a while. For example, I've recently been entertaining the idea of a summer job, one that would also nurture a passion of mine, and that is photography. So, I would like to try my hand at this hobby professionally...now enters the juggler. He has a baton for each class I should be taking, another for each equipment I need to purchase to be "professional", another for books I need to read, another for contacts I need to make, another for time I need to set aside, another for money I need to save to get this going, another for artistic inspiration...and so on and so on. You probably get my drift. That's just one juggler. Some people have a couple of these going on simultaneously. Or maybe more. I don't know. All I know is that I have too many of these. Too. Many.

I literally have spent hours working towards goals such as:
1.Becoming a better photographer (ok, that one is not a silly one),
2.becoming a professional public speaker of some sorts (I was inspired last summer by my ability to give a speech at a wedding and not feel nervous. I think know it was the shots beforehand. But still, I thought of myself for the next few weeks as the next great motivational orator of America),
3.becoming a writer,
4.becoming a songwriter,
5.becoming a mosaic artist,
6.becoming a YouTube sensation: "Girl Playing Ukelele AWESOME!",
7.becoming a professional Ukelele player,
8.becoming a DJ (I'm dead serious about this...I think I can make great mixes. I always get down to my mixes. Plus, I've done some hard core Dj sessions in Best Buy sampling their equipment. I think I've got this one.)
9. opening up my own private school that is Spanish Immersion Montessori based.
10. Traveling the world and writing a blog about it. And directing a vlog about it. And sending vlog to a network and then having them pick it up to start a tv show.
11. Traveling the world to teach English.
12. Traveling the world on photo expeditions.
13. Running a marathon.
14. Joining a dance troupe (for 30-somethings...)
15. Opening up a dance studio
16. Teaching yoga
17. Getting my Phd and becoming a professor of early childhood education

This is not a list of pipe dreams folks. I truly have spent time on each of these goals (jugglers) and I keep adding more for some reason. Oh yeah, and I already have a profession. That of being a Teacher. And that takes up the most time of all.

So...what's a girl to do with all these thoughts running around?

I guess one remedy would be to write them all out. I mean, amongst all these lofty life goals I have, I also have deep, emotive thoughts trudging through it all simultaneously (these are the Circus Elephants). And each ti

Lesson #20:

Lesson #20: Don't EVER Give Up

Teaching is hard. It has been a challenge returning to it after being in the "real" world of business for two years. Teaching, like I explained in my last post, is exhausting, both mentally and physically. This is the main reason that I haven't had time for other interests, including writing in this blog.

It makes me nostalgic for my previous life, one where I showed up to work at 7:30 and left at 4:30 and did not have to take anything home with me. I did not have to be "on" all day every day and I did not have someone constantly watching me do my job and evaluating me. I did not have to stay after work late to catch up before the next day, all the while feeling like I was never truly caught up. I did not have to forgo things I enjoyed such as reading good books, attending classes FOR FUN, making art, music and writing, hanging out with friends, cooking a nice dinner, working out, running, dancing, etc.etc.etc. Basically, feeling like a human.

It was all nice. I felt very well-rounded. But one thing I missed was feeling important. My job was not as essential as being a teacher. As a teacher, I shape and mold minds and people. I introduce worlds that had previously been unknown to my group of 7-8 year-olds. My classroom does not function with the same efficacy without me there. Each day I see my kids and help them to cross from point A to point B and when they struggle I go home, I brainstorm, and I come back the next day ready with a new arsenal of ideas to help get them there. Because I'm not going to let them fall back and be left behind. Because I care about getting them all to the other side. Because teaching is important.

It's true, we don't get paid what we should. So many people like to think that teachers are overpaid, considering their summers off and Christmas holiday. But if you put together all our hours that we put in during the school year (I usually arrive at 7am and leave around 6 or 7pm). I take work home with me and sometimes end up falling asleep with papers lying all around me. Weekends end up being the same. My husband and I spent one whole weekend grading papers in time for Progress Reports. I go to REQUIRED professional development classes after school and during the summer. Not to mention the fact that the job itself is so draining. There's no time or energy for other interests. Granted, there is a bit of a break over the summer, but it is necessary for sanity. Without it there would be no way to get through an entire year and go right into the next. Teachers are still human, after all. All told, the plight of a teacher is a difficult one.

I had a feeling last night that maybe teaching isn't what I'm meant to be doing. And perhaps there are other things I could pursue. But then another side of me came back with strength and dignity and shook me, saying "Andrea! Never EVER give up!". I thought of my kids. I thought of my ideas of ways to make things better. I thought of myself and the importance of what I do. I thought of progress. And I thought of the race.

I used to run Cross Country in High School. There is something very noble about that sport. It's kind of like teaching. There's not a whole lot of glory in winning Cross Country meets. There's a lot of sweat and exhaustion and early morning training and forgoing normal teenage activities during that time of year. But every time I would start the race I got into "the zone" and nothing mattered but me and my own pace and each breath going in and out my lungs in the same rhythm with my legs moving forward, right then left, right then left, right, left, right left. And once I was in that zone nothing could take me out of it. And you get that "runner's high". And sometimes I wouldn't even want to stop once I crossed the finish line because I had entered such a steady pace. I guess you could say that's how I'm beginning to feel about teaching. I'm in the zone. I can't stop now. I can't give up. And even today I'm putting together a new set of Math Centers and I'm organizing a lesson plan to help my struggling students from last week's topic, and I'm redoing a powerpoint presentation for the fourth time to make it even more engaging and informative.

So it is with teaching, and running, and life in general. Don't EVER give up.

I ran and ran and ran every day, and I acquired this sense of determination, this sense of spirit that I would never, never give up, no matter what else happened.
Read more at http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/authors/w/wilma_rudolph.html#WEqIiBQQkPDs5s5l.99

“I ran and ran and ran every day, and I acquired this sense of determination, this sense of spirit that I would never, never give up, no matter what else happened.”     - Wilma Rudolph

I ran and ran and ran every day, and I acquired this sense of determination, this sense of spirit that I would never, never give up, no matter what else happened.
Read more at http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/authors/w/wilma_rudolph.html#WEqIiBQQkPDs5s5l.99

I ran and ran and ran every day, and I acquired this sense of determination, this sense of spirit that I would never, never give up, no matter what else happened.
Read more at http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/authors/w/wilma_rudolph.html#WEqIiBQQkPDs5s5l.99

Lesson #19:

Lesson #19: Exhaustion Doth Not Beget Creativity Nor Productivity

So...I'm returning to teaching. I am excited to be back in the classroom but there is one little thing I forgot about...

The beginning of school is EXHAUSTING!!!

There are a lot of reasons why it is exhausting. I may happen to be a little more exhausted than most this time around.

Here's why...

Setting up a classroom is PHYSICALLY exhausting. There are tables to be moved, cabinets to set up, things to hang from the ceiling, boxes to unload from your car, boxes to reload back to your car. It would be wonderful to have some assistance that first week moving in.

Then there is the mental exhaustion, which I think is draining me more than anything.

I am returning to school after be gone for two years. Not only gone from teaching but gone from this town and state and school. Everyday I've been up at school to do stuff in my classroom, I've found myself seeing someone I haven't seen for two years so I have to play catch up. Then I go back into my classroom and stare at all that has to be done. Then I leave and walk around and talk to some people. Then I come back and fix the border that I had already put up because I didn't like it. Then I leave. Then I stare.

I also have never taught this grade level and I have never been departmentalized (meaning I only teach Math and Science and my classrooms rotate). I don't really know what to set up so my time in the classroom has been slightly unproductive. There are also rules about where things have to go, what things can be seen or not seen, to the left or right of the dry erase board, what tools can be used and which can not (tape is OUT!).

I have so many ideas when I sit at home and think about them but when I get to school I look around and just want to hide all my things in the cabinets and come back another day when I feel more inspired.

EXHAUSTED!

Another reason I am exhausted is my commute.

So, I went back to teach at the school I had been at before because I really loved all the people. They are really friendly and it gives me a sense of camaraderie. Plus I started teaching at this school so it is familiar.

BUT it is a looong way from the neighborhood my husband and I live in. We also like where we live and don't want to move near this school. The commute on a good day is now 45 minutes but in traffic it is close to an hour. And it's not a pretty commute. It is a slam on your breaks, or haul A#$, or close your eyes and cross your fingers you don't die because you have to cross 7 lanes of highway traffic to get to your exit and that's just how it is in Houston, Texas because when the speed limit says 65 it means go 85 and that'll keep you moving with the flow of traffic. Seriously. I got so used to those Pittsburgher drivers who are so slow that now I'm totally out of my element. So by the time I get up to the school I am already frazzled, my nerves are SHOT and I'm ready to go home. So yeah, that part has been exhausting too.

And finally, I am exhausted because I am, by nature, an introvert. That doesn't mean I don't like people, or I am shy, or that I get embarrassed easily (talk to my husband about that...he wishes I got embarrassed more easily). It mostly means that too much social overload can wear me out and I need space and time to rest myself alone to get my energy back. Some people don't understand what being an introvert truly means and I remember growing up falsely claiming that I was NOT one because, for some reason, in our country it is given a bad rap. Like, "Ew, you're an introvert. I'm sorry." It really just gives way to greater introspection and a different way of achieving productivity (I prefer to do work alone then share it with others and collaborate that way rather than all talking and working simultaneously as a group).

But this is a whole other blog topic....the main point here is that I am talking all day long with people and, though I love them all, at the end of the day, with my mind in a million places and physically BEAT from moving and rearranging and decorating and organizing and laminating and copying and writing and hooking up computers and...and...and...well I'm just so tired. And then I have to make my looooong commute back home. Wah wah wah.

(Cue the tiny violin)

All of this is to say that I. AM. TIRED!!!

And all the ideas I have are completely useless when you are so freaking tired.

So what can you do to overcome this???

Today I am taking a day off. I am trying not to plan anything. I'm just resting my mind and hoping that I can really crank it out next week.

Another thing I can do is take one day at a time. Think about getting things ready for Meet the Teacher. Then after that get ready for the First Day. Then start thinking about the following weeks. I know that's not what you want to be doing ideally (ideally you should not be planning day by day and trying to keep your head above water that way...ideally you should be one step ahead, ready and prepared). But that's really just how it's going to be until I get my feet wet again.

One step at a time.

by Iain Macarthur

 "Faith is taking the first step even when you don't see the whole staircase."- Martin Luther King, Jr.

Lesson #18:

Lesson #18:Make Time to Play

 

I was going to make this blog post about my recent professional development coursework which was heavily focused on Smartboard technology, amongst other techie type teacher solutions. 

But then I started thinking (and you know that's never safe...)

So much of our education system is focused on success, success, success at any rate. And I totally agree in working towards success...how would I survive as a teacher if I didn't want that as an end goal? But there is an issue when the drive towards a numeric goal -say, a test score - overrides the importance of developing the person that the student is to become.

I write this now, having been through numerous courses over the past couple of days, that all made me feel a bit nervous about the numbers. Numbers that my students needed to meet,  numbers that the state requires of us, number of hours for this and that, numbers, numbers, numbers! I swear to you, my anxiety as school approaches has skyrocketed! And I'm the teacher! Think about being a student and having those pressures to perform put on you.

Fortunately there have also been many staff development opportunities that have emphasized the importance of a more holistic approach to education. I've really latched on to these training sessions and it has made me feel a bit better. My most important job in these first few weeks of school should be to create an environment that feels safe and nurturing and where the students feel valued and respected.

And where we can play.

I've noticed within myself that I do many things better when there is an element of play involved. Like when I joined a bootcamp over the summer, the days that I found myself working the hardest were days in which the instructor had us play some sort of game (usually tag related). I'm all about playing tag! (And, if you are a teacher or parent or ever have worked with kids, you know as well that tag is the ultimate game at recess. Hands down.)

So it got me thinking about how I can make difficult things (like boring math and science) into games that can be played. Let's play our way through life! Why not!

I'm not the only one focusing a lot on the benefits of play and games. I recently watched a fascinating TED Talks lecture by Jane McGonigal that discussed overcoming a difficult ordeal through the use of gaming.

It seems that creating an element of play can really bring on beneficial changes, some of them we probably never expected.

So, some ways in which I have thought about bringing play into my classroom include:

1. Mystery Hall Walker Reward - As a game- who am I watching the whole time and who gets the prize at the end? Hall walking manners are either a teacher's greatest achievement or worst nightmare. Her class is there on display for everyone to see and her classroom management skills are summed up in the entirety of those 10 minutes it takes to walk her class from the room to the cafeteria. Unfair? Yes. Reason to incentivize? Most definitely.

2. Classroom Bingo -A Bingo Board for the class is created. At the end of each day (or class period) if the class has had no more than 3 verbal warnings for staying on task, keeping voices off, good behavior, etc then they can fill in a Bingo square. As soon as they get Bingo we can have a reward of their choice which has been predetermined - pizza party, extra recess, crazy sock day, WHATEVER those crazy little minds think up.

3. Finishing a task = Dance Party Break - A good student can come up to pick which dance party break we'd like to do for 3-4 minutes if we've made it through a task.

4. Special Chair Incentive - Can be an attendance award, bringing in homework award, bringing in signed permission slip award...may end up changing each week. Basically I will have a cool looking chair- paint, glitter, crazy, tacky stuff- and the person who reaches this goal I set will get to sit in it for a whole day. Kids dig this sort of stuff. Big time. They're so funny.

5. Silent Finger Math - While waiting in the hall I can sign out addition or subtraction problems, they hold up the answers on their fingers. The first one with their fingers up with the right answer (while remaining silent) gets picked to come up and make the next math problem. I haven't actually tried this one, I kind of just thought of it right now. I am always looking for games that have an element of QUIET since there are so many times when the kids have to be quiet and it feels like torture having to tell them over and over again to USE INSIDE VOICES or PUT A BUBBLE IN THEIR MOUTH. If I were a kid I'd be sick of that too.

I'm sure there are many more elements of play that can be added to the school day, or just everyday life!

Care to share? I'm all ears!

Photo By: HeadOvMetal

"It is a happy talent to know how to play". - Ralph Waldo Emerson

Lesson #16:

Lesson # 16: You're a Teacher, So What Do You Make?

Lesson #15:

Lesson #15: Hone Your Craft While Indulging Your Passion

That title was hard to write and perhaps a bit confusing. It's often hard to create a title that encapsulates everything I want to write about in a concise and interest-grabbing way.

What the title could have been is: Things I'm Going to Share With You About Ways to Expand Your Life While Also Doing Something You Love

...that still may sound confusing. Alas, let me just begin. 

Seems I'm on a particular theme here recently, that being TRAVEL. My blog is about much more than just travel, however, I find myself harping on it because it really has helped to form the me that is vibrant, curious, life-loving and a bit more interesting than if I had just stayed at home. And since my blog is about learning lessons and sharing them with the world, why not share some more on my favorite topic! (Travel...if you hadn't already guessed). 

So, you want to finally do it. You've finished school (college or high school) and you are ready to open up your world. You've decided you want to work with kids now you want resources. Here are some tools to help you navigate these opportunities. Other sites I will reference have even more information to help you out. Just do some good research then, BAM, go for it! 

1. BUNAC Work Experience

Bunac is an organization in which I have participated. It grants you a temporary work visa in another country, (those being in the Commonwealth) and guides you in the process of finding a job, housing, and basically setting you up for a 6 month- yearlong work experience in another country. It's FABULOUS but is limited to certain restrictions, depending on the country:

•  Age Restrictions (must be 18+ and often under 30)
• Financial Responsibility (must have secured funds to support yourself for a given amount of time)
• Must be recent college graduate (sorry...you can't go if you've graduated 2-3 years ago)

I'd recommend doing further research on the country you'd like to work in and find out what their requirements are. The advantage to securing this type of working visa is that you have tons of jobs available for you to choose from. They have live job listings available for each country so that you can secure something before leaving.


Check out the current job listings for Australia:

AVAILABLE JOBS

Current Available Jobs = 713

State AllNew South WalesAustralian Capital TerritoryNorthern TeritoryQueenslandSouth AustraliaTasmaniaVictoriaWestern Australia

Generic Jobs 06-06-2013 Housekeeping QLD - Mt Tamborine Required a casual Housekeeper for approximately 24 hours per week. Weekend work is required although no nights/evenings are included. 06-06-2013 Wait staff QLD - Beaumaris Experienced wait person and assistant floor manager for busy Restaurant. Full time and Part time positions. Looking for outgoing and service orientated persons. Must able to work in fast pace environment and have own transport. 06-06-2013 Waitstaff QLD - Cairns Looking for a waiter/waitress Previous experience in a similar role essential. You will be required to; Greet guests Provide full a la carte service Upsell products Offer Food and Wine knowledge Cocktail knowledge Use a POS system Handle cash Work in a team Clean 06-06-2013 Waiting staff QLD - Cairns Seeking waiting staff Experience in contemporary Australian dining and food and wine knowledge essential. Approximately 30 hours a week available for the right candidate with the wage rate $20 - $25 per hour. You will be required to: Greet customers Follow an order of service Share knowledge of Food and Wine Use a POS system Handle money Be a team player Make cocktails 06-06-2013 Short order cook QLD - Sunshine Coast Must be experience cooking fish and chips ,operating 3x deep fryers and grill cooking.Immediate start.

Granted these may not be your dream jobs, but it's just the first few I came across. And, you aren't limited to just the jobs that appear in the job post site. The world is your oyster. 

2.  CCUSA

I have not experienced this organization personally but I have heard about it. If you are interested in working with kids, starting out at summer camps is one of the best routes. You get lots of resume-building kid experience (if that's what you're also looking for) plus it's FUN. This organization seems to have a plethora of camps, located in the USA and abroad. If traveling outside the US is too much at first, why not try a stint in the USA. That way you have it under your belt and maybe the following year, with more experience and know-how, you'll be ready to take that next step. 

3. Go Abroad

This organization links you up to volunteer, teaching or intern experiences. It can also direct you to securing a TEFL teaching certificate in order to teach English in other countries. Seems like a pretty sweet deal to me. 

4.  Great Au Pair or Nannyjob

There are also other resources for Au Pairing, these are just the two that I have used. Please see my post here or here for more information on becoming an Au Pair.  

5. I-to-I

This is another great resource. It has a lot of volunteering options, but can easily connect you to work with kids and can make that part of your travels. If you have money already saved up but would like the experience of working with kids, either for your resume, for your personal well-being, or because you want to give back, this is a great organization. We used them often when I was a travel agent for STA Travel. 

Now that I've given a few resources, here is some personal advice: 

If you feel you don't have any experience working with kids and think you won't be qualified or won't know what to do, try volunteering at a local Boys and Girls Club, school, or church. See if they need help with any of their functions that involve children. Ask a teacher you know if they need help in the classroom or if you can come read to the class one day. Become a mentor. Or a tutor. Of course, be prepared for some no's due to security. Also be prepared to be heavily screened. But that is a necessity and I'd rather go through the annoying screening to know that our kids are being kept safe. Once you feel like you've spent enough time around kids to feel confident (it shouldn't take that long, they're a pretty easy audience) then go out and start applying for some of the jobs listed above. 

What's that? You want to teach kids? As in a profession here in the States? Well...that is a whole 'nother post for a whole 'nother day. But it's a wonderful profession and I'd be happy to share that information in the near future. 

But for now, all you dreamers, wind catchers, wanderlusters, do your research and get out there. The world awaits. 

“Some girls need men to take them places. Others just click their heels, spread their own wings, and fly." - Coco J. Ginger

Lesson #12:

Lesson #12: Don't Be Afraid of Not Knowing

I recently found out that I am going back to teaching at my old school (yay!) but I've been told that I will most likely have to teach a different grade and within that different grade I will be teaching Math/Science (I'm kind of, sort of a more language arts/social studies leaning personality).

When I first found out I will probably not be teaching Kindergarten, but instead teaching 2nd grade Bilingual, I was sad. You see, I LOVED teaching Kindergarten! I loved being their first teacher, I loved seeing them grow so much in one year, and I loved that I got them all to myself that year (no switching classes for different subjects). I also have about 10 huge storage boxes full of Kindergarten teaching supplies (property of yours truly) which I will not be able to take with me to my new grade level.

But...that wasn't what was making me the most sad. The thing that was getting to me the most was that I felt a teeny weeny bit of fear creep up over me.

Fear of the unknown.

I have taught Kindergarten and felt like I really learned how to teach for that grade level. I felt confident at that grade level. I had ideas swirling around in my head for things I would do differently this upcoming year, ways I could teach something in a new way, tons of creative projects...all focused on the Kindergarten curriculum. I was actually becoming very excited about it! Now that I will most likely be teaching maths and sciences at the 2nd grade level...GULP...I feel out of my element. And I don't like that feeling.

So...what to do? Take that feeling and use it as a lesson : How to move on when you are fearful. Putting on your big girl pants. Feeling the fear and doing it anyway.

There's a book about that that I should probably pick up right away and read.

by Susan Jeffers

The point is, every path in life is leading to the unknown. In fact, sometimes living life without introducing scenarios that place you in unfamiliar territory leads to boredom and monotony. And if there's anything I hate more than fear, it's boredom. If given the choice between the two, I think I'd have to go with fear. Fear makes you feel alive, it lets you know you're in the game, and it gives you sort of a rush. Sure, it can also lead to stress and fatigue, but that's where you have to remember the mantra of "Just Do It" and another mantra that can be just as useful : "Roll with the Punches".

So, I'm rethinking my lot in this teaching life of mine. I'm going to start digging into my new role and making the best of it. I won't try to be Super Teacher this year, but I will try to be the best teacher I can.  I will work just like I worked my first year of teaching - keeping my head above water and focusing on being present. By the end of next year I might find that I loved this new grade level so much, I won't want to go back. Who knows? Obstacles are placed in our lives to make us better people, with more perspective, more wisdom and more knowledge. Doing the same thing over and over only makes us dull. 

As Ms. Jeffers says, "Feel the fear and Do It Anyway". Message received.

“There is only one thing that makes a dream impossible to achieve: the fear of failure.” - Paolo Coelho, The Alchemist