3 years of teaching, check!

One more week of my 3rd year of teaching! Compared to my first two, this one has definitely given me more satisfaction, more enjoyment and more personal growth I think than I had in my first two. Being in a new school, in a new position, new living situation, new friends and family in Colorado, I really think I have clarified a lot of things that were fuzzy before and I know that being a teacher is what I am supposed to be doing. It is excited to see this a bit more clearly and to be able to plan for the next few years to work harder on being the best drama teacher that I can be. This weekend I did a day and a half training for being licensed to teach yoga to kids. I decided to do it in spite of a parent letter I got from one of my students addressing the yoga stretches I teach my kids in drama. They had asked me to not involve their child in any yoga activities whatsoever and so this sparked my curiosity about what it actually DOES mean to teach yoga. I went through a training at a local yoga organization here in Denver, and I am excited to see where this new knowledge takes me. I have a lot of ideas about adding different activities and concepts to my curriculum, and even adding an after school yoga club at my school. The summer is filled with a few visits from family and friends, a trip to St. Louis, a trip to California, and possibly a trip to Chicago. I will also be teaching drama at the Museo de las Americas and preparing to start my graduate program in the fall. Crazy how fast 3 years have gone by, especially this last year. I am grateful for all of the changes that have presented themselves and allowed me to grow and learn and allow Denver to be a bigger and bigger part of who I am and the direction I am taking my career and life!

Everything is falling into place

Lots to update!

- Getting closer to the Shakespeare Festival! First we have a Spring Arts Night to perform our scenes at, so the kIds have been working hard on memorizing their lines and blocking, and I have been running all over the city collecting costume pieces and making sure everything is prepared for the Arts Night. I am proud of the kids and I think they will do great.

- Found out this week that I am accepted to begin at the University of Northern Colorado in the Fall of 2012 in their Master's program in Theater Education! Very exciting news, feeling like I am FINALLY making bigger strides towards learning and growing in my profession, and I cannot wait to get started.

-Got a little summer gig teaching theater at the Museo de las Americas Summer Camp! I volunteered at this camp 2 years ago when there were about 24 kids, and they told me that this year there will be about 90 some kids between kindergarten age and 6th grade! Very excited for the opportunity and to stay a bit busy this summer staying sharp on my teaching skills.

- Brought K home to Chicago for the first time, showed him around the city and he met the family. Very proud of him for getting accepted into school and making a positive splash with my family and friends. He is such a great part of my life right now and it was wonderful to bring him back there and show him that part of me.

- Also just looking forward to an already pretty busy summer of visitors and vacations and working and relaxing. Spring time is the busiest time of the year it seems like, and so the summer arriving and being a bit longer, will be very rewarding. : )


With a bunch of negativity around me this week, my clarifying and SWEATY yoga session tonight motivated me to sit down and hammer out the summer and the rest of the spring, and also gave me some space in my head to reflect on all the POSITIVE things that have happened and that are happening. I am proud of the progress I have made this year and I am excited about all of the possibilites of things that are to come!

"It's not WHO you are, it's THAT you are."

Mini successes in the life of a drama teacher

It's about that time in the year when stress is high, people are tense, kids are a bit stir crazy from being inside all the time, teachers are plagued by the time constraints and pressures of standardized testing... I thought I'd take inventory NOW on the mini success I have experienced recently despite the crazy climate!

*New surge of motivation and inspiration - applied for MA in Theater Education at the University of Northern Colorado, to begin next fall. Set long term career goal to develop and design a Neighborhood Bridges- like program here in Denver! more to come...

* 6 Flip Cams were donated to my classroom through generous donations made through donorschoose.org. My 8th graders this rotation are awesomely inspiring and made some amazing commercials http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tKuFHh6PX8U&list=LLpD9qlY-c5E2HC9hjcsNSpA&feature=mh_lolz.
This has begun my creation of a new unit all about FILM MAKING! These kids are super technological and have such creative ideas.. Stay tuned to more video projects done by my middle schoolers...

*Shakespeare Club is in full swing, and I have adapted 3 scenes from Twelfth Night for about 10 3rd-8th graders to perform in the DPS Shakespeare Festival in May. It has been a bit of an undertaking, but I have to admit that when I hear children speaking Shakespeare, it gives me the chills! I can't wait to teach them more about this story, these characters, and expose them to the curiosity they may find studying this work!

* Stepped up for some more leadership responsibilities at my school, got some compliments that were well needed, and going back to my old school to see old students today and watch my new students play them in basketball.


While things are often discouraging, and the politics of teaching in a public school can sometimes blind us from the work we are doing, I have to continuously take a look at these things that I AM doing and enjoy my students that I have right now. This is what I've been wanting to do all along!

Happy New Year

One week into the new year and one week away from turning 25, feels like a good time to check in!

The holidays were a blur of work, holiday activities, directing and presenting my first student play, (!!!) some time in IL and OH with family and friends, time in the mountains skiing, and back to school again. This time of year seems to fly by, but I feel like I did a decent job of soaking in the time to relax, not get too stressed or frenzied, and enjoy time off with people that I care about.

The play was successful! Didn't think it would go as well as it did, while not perfect, the girls demonstrated to me that at the last minute they could perform! And I am quite proud of the time and energy we put into it. Today was the first day of Shakespeare rehearsals/auditions, and despite anxiety last night about working with some of the other adults or having nightmarish kids show up, it was actually SUPER uplifting and exciting to hear students saying lines like, "if music be the food of love, then play on!"

Even though after sleepless weekends of fun and skiing I really dread getting out of bed and driving 40 minutes to Green Valley Ranch, there are certainly aspects of my job that I am really really loving, especially compared to the last 2 years. I still really miss the companionship of friends from RBN and the comfort there was there of visiting and venting to other friends, BUT I think that I am beginning to develop a foundation at FPW for the kids.

Bring on 25! Still thinking about values to dedicate this time to.. but while I think about that I do have some goals:

-Run the Bolder Boulder 10K in May
-Get Kevin to Grayslake/Chicago
-Get accepted to grad school at UNC

Family & Faith

Sorry I've neglected you once again for a 2 month stint little blog. As I've told myself before, it's so important to reflect as you go, and lately I've just been going and perhaps in the absence of reflecting more frequently, found myself a little bit out of sorts.

Already in my 14th week of teaching drama! Began a new semester this past week with kindergarten, 1st grade, 4th grade, 6th grade and 8th grade. Some things that have gone well, in the midst of constantly changing my speaking register and the arrangement of my room to accomodate 5 year olds to 15 year olds -

-the little ones made character hats before they acted out the 3 Little Pigs. Super cute, super easy lesson and really helped them develop character a little quicker than just character walks and voices. (works well for Kinder and 1st, maybe even 2nd)

-did an impromptu speech project with the older students - they had 30 seconds to present a cold speech from a topic they chose on the spot, then we reflected on good and bad speaking habits. Even though this lesson was rocky at times, I think for me it really did set up a clear baseline of where the kids' confidence is at and it also gave me an opportunity to stress how important it is to be able to have conviction and confidence when you are speaking.

Otherwise, I've been a bit discouraged lately. Maybe it's the point in the year when you're supposed to see some kind of amazing shift in the creativity the students are putting out there, and I'm just not seeing it. Maybe it's the point in the year where I am supposed to be getting feedback about how great I am doing - but I feel like I have received the opposite. Looking for inspiration in Denver is hard, the mountains are a wonderful sanctuary on the weekends to forget about the stress I put on myself related to work. But artistic and creative inspiration is sparse.

For these fallish/winterish months I've decided to focus on family and faith, and see what happens when I trust my roots and the people who root me, more than just my own individual endeavors and ideas. I want to be surprised by what I can actually discover when I put my faith in my family and my family and their faith, first?!

the definition of faith is --- complete trust or confidence in someone or something

To me, this means letting go of instincts that go otherwise than what your heart tells you. Having faith that the future is going to turn out okay, based on the fact that all decisions you've made up to now have created a great life, full of adventures, friends, challenges and triumphs. Letting go of worries and difficulties, and having faith that the people who love you and you loving yourself is what is going to make everything fall into its right place.


the definition of family is - a person or people related to one and so to be treated with a special loyalty or intimacy

Coming from a very small actual biological family, my idea of family includes but extends past just my parents, grandparents, etc. While they are the people who root me, who we have an unconditional and mutual love for each other, when I think about who else I treat with special loyalty or intimacy it definitely includes many friends I've made along the way. These days it includes a boyfriend, who has a large biological family nearby, whom he has so graciously included me in many times now, and provides me with a huge sense of special intimacy. This leaves me feeling super grateful but also with a sense of emptiness and wonder how he'd fit with my family, with my home base, how he can intertwine himself with my roots.

So I am going to ask a lot of questions, give lots of love and attention to family and the faith that they provide me with. Seems appropriate at the holiday times anyways, but has been something that has been on my brain a lot recently. I'll be going back home twice this holiday season, and I am confident that those trips will give me lots of motivation and recharged energy to use in the areas I feel deflated these days.

So cheers to turkey or tofurkey, cheers to snow, cheers to love that comes in many wonderful forms.
C

Commitment & Creativity

If there are any followers out there, sorry it's been so long! Caroline has still been in Denver, but my life is such a super different version than what it was the last time I made some remarks on this little blog. Let's start with the biggies -

-said good bye to some really amazing students, co-workers and friends

- spent 3 weeks this summer teaching THEATER at Denver Camp at my placement school, with 4th-8th graders. Lots of fun, great practice for my new job!

-moved to a new apartment by myself, just around the corner from my previous house, after the other 3 of my room mates and I all went separate directions for new journeys!

-spent the rest of the summer taking trips for college friends' weddings in Sioux Falls and Kansas City, a few trips to Minneapolis to spend time with my bride friend whom I am a bridesmaid for this fall, also taking an epic camping trip to Capitol Reef NP, Bryce Canyon NP, and ZIon NP all in Utah with my fabulous friend and previous room mate, and finally a trip home to see my extended family in Chicago

-met a really great guy who I am still spending lots of time with and is making me very happy

Flash forward to NOW. Working at my new job teaching drama to 2nd, 3rd, 5th and 6th graders right now, but will eventually see almost all 990 students at FPW. LOVING the challenge of creating my own curriculum, the challenge of starting up a theater program at this school, putting together a drama club, potentially putting up some performances, and embracing the every day laughter and joy of being with kids while they create, perform and respond. It is really a great change for me, and every day I learn something new that inspires me to make myself better.

I have not given up on my monthly intentions, I just haven't been as faithful about blogging them. I think August and September has been commitment and creativity.

commitment = dedication; application, a pledge or undertaking

creativity = the use of the imagination or original ideas, esp. in the production of an artistic work.


I have really RE-COMMITTED to teaching after a summer of lots of changes, and specifically been trying to COMMIT to my new placement. Being at a new school is not easy, meeting teachers, getting used to the culture and the kids even. But after about 6 weeks, it feels right being there, and even though there are good and bad days, I feel a sense of commitment to being there and being my best self. I have also needed to commit to the way my life has changed, realizing that a lot of my closest friends are no longer here or close by, but having this new special person in my life to commit to, it's been something to work on for me.

I have also really needed to fuel my creativity, as I see my students for 45 minutes in 3 week or 6 week blocks, so constantly evaluating my lesson plans and how I can transfer creative instincts to my students in that short amount of time. I have already joined some professional communities in Denver to help fuel my creativity, and I have began some, what I think, are creative ideas for my year in theater/drama. So I am excited to continue these efforts to fuel my creativity.

I want to use the blog now to continue to practice my writing, as I have realized that maybe some day I'd consider a career of it (?) but also to provide other theater teachers or aspiring drama enthusiasts or educators, with ideas that have worked for me. So look forward to more posts about creative lessons or ideas to use in K-8 general ed classes and theater classes.

As JP always says, peace, love and learning.

C

Wrapping up responsibilities

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