The 2010-2011 school year has finally come to an end! Even though now it seems like this year has flown by, I have to say that as a whole, this school year has really tested my limits as far as patience and balance is concerned. However, I feel extremely relieved and proud of the work I have done this year and in these last two years with TFA, and I would not go back and change a thing.
Last week was full of festivities, beginning with Noel Idol, the talent show, that myself and my other teacher friend organized. While our students are still learning proper audience etiquette, and still developing their singing, dancing and instrumental talents, we got a lot of compliments for the way the show was done and how much work the kids and ourselves put into the show. It was a lot of fun, as the co- emcee, and the highlight for my student may have been when I went to sit down with the judges on the stage, and missed the chair and fell completely on my butt in front of the entire 7th grade.
Wednesday was the 8th grade Continuation, which myself and LM also had a lot of organization and planning energies involved in. The ceremony was nice, similar to last year, lost of families there, over-the-top outfits and tears, balloons, bouquets, but it created a really nice feeling of finality to the year and I was pretty proud of most of the kids who showed up. Our bottom line however, was hoping that these kids and families want MORE of these continuation/graduations ceremonies to happen for these kids, that this was not the last one but the first one of many to come.
Thursday we went to Elitch's (the Great America, or Six Flags of Denver) with the 8th graders, and all of the 8th graders started to add us on Facebook.. That has been interesting to negotiate. . .
This weekend has just been full of fun, parties and being outside, BBQ's, celebrating the end of a solid year and the start of a good summer. My summer is packed full of working here in Denver, moving then traveling around for weddings and having wonderful visitors come to Denver and play music. I am super excited for all of the fun things lined up for this summer, it's going to be great and well-deserved before the next, new crazy adventure of a school year starts up again.
Responsibility in May? Yeah, I think I rocked it. Tomorrow I will check out with Teach for America and Rachel B. Noel officially, and then I think I will feel like my job has been done. I am grateful for the sense of urgency I have developed towards reforming education that working at that school has given me. TFA and RBN helped me to get a clearer picture of what the achievement gap is and put me in a school that feels it and is perishing because of it. Now, it's up to me to guide myself down other paths in continuing to be a part of the solutions to the achievement gap. Hopefully for me, that path is through being a drama teacher, or building and supporting advocacy for arts education policy. I am excited for how this experience is going to always inform the choices I make concerning education and the actions I continue to take to try to close the achievement gap. It's hard work, but it's worthy work.
Until next school year?
Ms. Younts
Monday, May 30, 2011
Tuesday, May 24, 2011
late night thoughts on teaching -
I'm looking at myself in the mirror, the night before 8th graders Continuation, and I come to the ugly realization that 2 years of TFA teaching does the same thing to your face that happens to the president after 4 years in presidency.
yikes, this summer I must de-haggard myself.
yikes, this summer I must de-haggard myself.
Monday, May 23, 2011
Thursday, May 19, 2011
"Be who you are and say what you feel, because those who mind don't matter, and those who matter don't mind." — Dr. Seuss
Weird/offensive/sad/funny/inappropriate responses to the end of the year happening at RBN.
- lots of ditching, unfortunately done by one of my favorite students. We tracked her down and caught her, and at this point in the school year there were no consequence s given to any of them from the administration. ugh.
-Marcus telling me I was the best teacher ever and that they are sad when I am not there and that they are going to miss me a lot.
:)
-My 8th graders spending an entire period telling me I looked like a past (uglier) teacher, and then telling me that I looked like 2 of the other students, basically spent the whole time making fun of me and other teachers. I was trying to read "Oh the Places You'll Go" to them, and got all emotional, and all they could do was make fun of me. I am attesting this to several things: maybe this is their reaction to me being emotional and telling them I am proud of them and telling them how I will miss them and that I hope all the best for them in their futures. Maybe they can't handle the emotion, or they can't handle someone actually showing compassion towards them. Even though it sucked that they were basically calling me ugly and boring, I believe deep down their is some other explanation to their reaction.
- fights resulting in kids in the hospital :(
- two fire alarm pulls
- many Noel Idol talent show rehearsals, with lots of talented kiddos :)
-lots of food, packing, stress, rain, long days and even a few tears.
Definitely time for this part of the teaching journey to come to a bittersweet ending. Interesting to sit back and take inventory of how we are all dealing with the closing of this chapter.
- C
- lots of ditching, unfortunately done by one of my favorite students. We tracked her down and caught her, and at this point in the school year there were no consequence s given to any of them from the administration. ugh.
-Marcus telling me I was the best teacher ever and that they are sad when I am not there and that they are going to miss me a lot.
:)
-My 8th graders spending an entire period telling me I looked like a past (uglier) teacher, and then telling me that I looked like 2 of the other students, basically spent the whole time making fun of me and other teachers. I was trying to read "Oh the Places You'll Go" to them, and got all emotional, and all they could do was make fun of me. I am attesting this to several things: maybe this is their reaction to me being emotional and telling them I am proud of them and telling them how I will miss them and that I hope all the best for them in their futures. Maybe they can't handle the emotion, or they can't handle someone actually showing compassion towards them. Even though it sucked that they were basically calling me ugly and boring, I believe deep down their is some other explanation to their reaction.
- fights resulting in kids in the hospital :(
- two fire alarm pulls
- many Noel Idol talent show rehearsals, with lots of talented kiddos :)
-lots of food, packing, stress, rain, long days and even a few tears.
Definitely time for this part of the teaching journey to come to a bittersweet ending. Interesting to sit back and take inventory of how we are all dealing with the closing of this chapter.
- C
Tuesday, May 17, 2011
noel idol talent
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ecB2JAf-sK8
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AKDR_PH20oc
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AKDR_PH20oc
Sunday, May 15, 2011
TFA Graduated!
Last night was the Teach for America Alumni Induction, where all of the corps members in Colorado for 2009 were "officially" announced as alumni. I was very proud to see all of my peers with smiles of triumph and survival and to hear from them and about them about what they are doing next. It was also very rewarding to hear the following things from speakers last night -
"Whether it be teaching middle schoolers Shakespeare and organizing Holocaust speakers, I have been continually impressed by the endless pursuit of these teachers" (my program director about ME!)
"Thank you for being a teacher" - Taggart Hansen, '93 LA corps member living in Denver
While not perfectly organized and myself plagued with a migraine, it was a pleasant sort of "cap" to the end of these past 2 years as a TFA Corps member. I am proud of being a part of this organization that truly has a unique and strong commitment to closing the achievement gap, and has helped me transition from being a student to being a teacher. As my dad as pointed out, all of the things I am doing are a part of my "body of work" that I am collecting and pursuing as a young adult with a developing career. I am grateful for this experience and how it has truly prepared me for probably any other challenge that awaits me.
2 more weeks of being a special educator at RBN! This week I am mostly wrapping things up with my curriculum, showing my students their grades, giving them last chances to make up missing work, give feedback, tie lose ends. This week is intense of rehearsals for the talent show, then next week is jam-packed with activities, including the talent show, 8th grade graduation, and the field trip to Six Flags again.
I have been pursuing responsibility in many ways, firstly completing TFA, completing the year, but also I found an apartment for next year in the neighborhood I live now, which I love. I also made a decision to continue working for about 4 weeks in June before I move, working at my school at Denver Camp and teaching a 2 week theater class and then going to a conference for art teachers. I am trying to continue my running, though the end of the year makes teachers tired, especially after long days after school with soccer and talent show obligations. But trying to stick with consistent healthy and responsible habits has been on the forefront, and I think I am doing okay.
Lots of people leaving as well, lots of good bye parties and celebrations coming up. May is a busy month!
Peace -C
"Whether it be teaching middle schoolers Shakespeare and organizing Holocaust speakers, I have been continually impressed by the endless pursuit of these teachers" (my program director about ME!)
"Thank you for being a teacher" - Taggart Hansen, '93 LA corps member living in Denver
While not perfectly organized and myself plagued with a migraine, it was a pleasant sort of "cap" to the end of these past 2 years as a TFA Corps member. I am proud of being a part of this organization that truly has a unique and strong commitment to closing the achievement gap, and has helped me transition from being a student to being a teacher. As my dad as pointed out, all of the things I am doing are a part of my "body of work" that I am collecting and pursuing as a young adult with a developing career. I am grateful for this experience and how it has truly prepared me for probably any other challenge that awaits me.
2 more weeks of being a special educator at RBN! This week I am mostly wrapping things up with my curriculum, showing my students their grades, giving them last chances to make up missing work, give feedback, tie lose ends. This week is intense of rehearsals for the talent show, then next week is jam-packed with activities, including the talent show, 8th grade graduation, and the field trip to Six Flags again.
I have been pursuing responsibility in many ways, firstly completing TFA, completing the year, but also I found an apartment for next year in the neighborhood I live now, which I love. I also made a decision to continue working for about 4 weeks in June before I move, working at my school at Denver Camp and teaching a 2 week theater class and then going to a conference for art teachers. I am trying to continue my running, though the end of the year makes teachers tired, especially after long days after school with soccer and talent show obligations. But trying to stick with consistent healthy and responsible habits has been on the forefront, and I think I am doing okay.
Lots of people leaving as well, lots of good bye parties and celebrations coming up. May is a busy month!
Peace -C
Monday, May 2, 2011
Responsibility
For May, I was led to responsibility.
To be responsible means having an obligation to do something, or having control over or care for someone, as part of one's job or role.
To me at first, this really means not slacking off these last 4 weeks of work. Continuing to be 100% present for my students, with work for them, fair assessments to see their growth over the year, and engaging lessons and activities every day. I want to finish my job at RBN as a solid teacher, coach and mentor. So I am dedicating May to doing just that, despite how stressful it has become.
Had a very interesting conversation with my kids today about the killing of bin Laden. At first they thought that he should have just been put in jail for life. Then they changed their minds and decided he should have been blown up. Then later in the lesson, one of my students used our new prefix SUPER- and named bin Laden a supervillain. :) I thought that was cool.
I am also going to own up to my responsibilities to others in my life-
Taking a much needed trip back to Grayslake/Chicago to reconnect with IL friends and my parents. It's been the longest I've been away from home in a while. Learning how to be responsible for being a caring and thoughtful daughter, is something I want to dedicate some energy to, while I am there, in person.
And finally taking responsibility for myself; keeping up with my running habits, reading habits and having fun habits.
Celebrating and caring for all the people in my life who are making big, new steps- whether that be getting married, having a baby, moving to Thailand, moving to South Carolina, getting a new job, finishing their 1st or 2nd year of teaching, finishing grad school, or maybe even just 'continuating' from the 8th grade. I am full of pride and love.
"If you want to lift yourself up, lift up someone else."
To be responsible means having an obligation to do something, or having control over or care for someone, as part of one's job or role.
To me at first, this really means not slacking off these last 4 weeks of work. Continuing to be 100% present for my students, with work for them, fair assessments to see their growth over the year, and engaging lessons and activities every day. I want to finish my job at RBN as a solid teacher, coach and mentor. So I am dedicating May to doing just that, despite how stressful it has become.
Had a very interesting conversation with my kids today about the killing of bin Laden. At first they thought that he should have just been put in jail for life. Then they changed their minds and decided he should have been blown up. Then later in the lesson, one of my students used our new prefix SUPER- and named bin Laden a supervillain. :) I thought that was cool.
I am also going to own up to my responsibilities to others in my life-
Taking a much needed trip back to Grayslake/Chicago to reconnect with IL friends and my parents. It's been the longest I've been away from home in a while. Learning how to be responsible for being a caring and thoughtful daughter, is something I want to dedicate some energy to, while I am there, in person.
And finally taking responsibility for myself; keeping up with my running habits, reading habits and having fun habits.
Celebrating and caring for all the people in my life who are making big, new steps- whether that be getting married, having a baby, moving to Thailand, moving to South Carolina, getting a new job, finishing their 1st or 2nd year of teaching, finishing grad school, or maybe even just 'continuating' from the 8th grade. I am full of pride and love.
"If you want to lift yourself up, lift up someone else."