It was great to be able to meet with my class one more time and let them know I had a job. I worked very hard to get it - I had business cards printed up, my entire portfolio is online. I thought my effort had paid off and I was very excited.
The first week of June we took a mini vacation and I was able to talk to the music teacher I would be working with on the phone. The first thing we talked about was the class. It's a grade 10 class and it's team taught. Basically we get 60 kids between the two of us. He'll take the woodwinds, and I'll get the brass and percussion, and some days they will be together. He's the department head and really enjoys this form of teaching. I was both relieved and bummed. I really wanted to have my own class that I could do stuff with, but it did take a lot of the pressure off as far as prep for the class. The next thing he told me was about the band trip. Turns out October 4th we are going to Florida on a band trip, and I get to go too! I was super excited. I tried to remain professional on the phone and not sound like a kid, but who am I kidding, I was completely hyped up about it.
The next week I went to the school to see the grade 9 band concert - these would be my kids next year. I met the teacher and saw my classroom. All very exciting. Now I needed to get a summer job. I hadn't worked all year and we were broke.
I found a job teaching ESL to kids on a short exchange from France. I was scheduled to do an 8 day session with them in June and 12 days in July. It was ok money I thought, but the more I got into it, the worse it got. It required a ton of driving with no gas money, but it did give me a bit of experience teaching ESL. The end of June I was offered a job working as a Special Needs counselor with kids at camp working one on one with them. I took the job, even though it would be way more work and with a bunch of teenagers, but I thought it would be ok. I survived.
Just before camp started the Principal called me again. He asked how I felt about teaching English. I told him if he wanted me to stand on my head and teach Calculus I would. I just wanted to teach full time. He told me he was adding a section of English to my timetable - grade 10 applied. Keep in mind I haven't even taken English since High School. I did love English then, I figured why not, it'll be fun!
I was able to get to the high school once before it closed for the summer to pick up resources. They sent me home with a stack. Normally the school is open most of the year but this summer the school was to be closed for asbestos removal. I wasn't going to be able to get in until the last week of August (which starts today actually).
I did prep most weekends - usually a few hours each day. I figured up until the first week of August I probably did 20 hours of prep or so and I still had nothing planned - so far it was all reading the books, making notes etc. The first week of August I had off, and I did prep that week as well. I did about 10 hours in one day alone, about 25 hours all week I would guess. I then took a bit of a break and finished my summer job. So I'm up to about 50 hours this summer of prep, and do you know what I have full planned? 4 days. That's it. It's such a long process as a new teacher.
So now I am starting my last week of summer. Now my blog journal is up to date. On Monday and Tuesday I will do prep. Wednesday I am at a high school in Welland for the New Teacher Induction Program Orientation day. Luckily I met a girl at the board orientation who will also be teaching at my school, so we are going to hook up and try and help each other out. Thursday I am at the school, hopefully doing some photocopying and planning. Friday - Sunday will be prep and hopefully Monday will be relaxing, and then come Tuesday school starts! I can't believe it's that close. I've spent too much time blogging today, off to do more prep.
Sunday, August 26, 2007
Interview
So when I started my internship the very first day I was walking through the halls with my new associate teacher/supervisor and she was showing me around. She turned to one side to point something out and in a half a second I was on the floor. I had fallen over, tripped on nothing really. Stupid shoes. It was fully embarrassing, especially because it was my first day. I did the exact same thing 4th period that day. I felt like an idiot.
When I was leaving for my interview I had been at the school for about 3 weeks now, and I was leaving the teachers were all saying "good luck....don't fall down!" and it came to be a bit of a running joke. I am very klutzy and clumsy and I do fall down a lot or bang into things.
I arrived a bit early for my interview and I spoke to one of the teachers there. The head of the math department turned out to be the father of a friend of mine - a girl I went to high school with. He was incredibly encouraging and relaxed me a bit ahead of time. It also helped that I was schmoozing with a department head in the office in front of the admin. I went into the office with the Principal and we made small talk for a few brief moments, and then into the very formal interview. Now in these interviews I make every effort to appear put together and grown up. I had my suit on, my heels and my hair up in a bun. While we were sitting talking, my hair flipped out of my bun and into a ponytail like a little kid. I didn't know whether he saw, whether I should fix it or not, but I just kept going feeling like an idiot.
The interview finished and I did quite well I thought, for my first Principal interview. I was waiting for him to hand me the key to the school when he said he had about 20 people he was interviewing for this position, and still had 10 or so to see. I was pretty deflated. I walked out of his office and saw another candidate sitting there waiting to go in. She told me good luck, and I said it back. Really, I wanted to kick her. Instead I turned around and talked to the Principal about how great it was to see him again - I wanted to psych her out. Mean, I know, but this is a competitive market! He said I would find out Tuesday when the board postings went up on the internet if I got the job. If my name was beside the posting I did, if not, then I didn't. Pretty harsh way to find out.
So the weekend came and went I and kept looking for a job and sending out resumes. I wasn't overly hopeful about the job, but you never know. Tuesday I got a call on my cell while I was at the school. I could hear it vibrating in my backpack and knew I had a message. Normally I would have checked the message in the teachers office but it was full with people in a meeting. I went to the washroom so I could listen, and could get almost no reception. I had to stand on the toilet, but it was Tuesday, and it was a number I didn't know, so of course I was going to listen. It was the Principal. He said "I'm just calling to tell you........CONGRATULATIONS!!!" He turned into a game show host it was hilarious. I was so excited. The teacher in the Special Ed room sent me home knowing I would be no good to her until I told my husband.
It was fabulous news. Not only did I had a job, but I had a teaching job, a contract, in my field, and before school was even over! It was only one section (full time is 6) but it was a start.
When I was leaving for my interview I had been at the school for about 3 weeks now, and I was leaving the teachers were all saying "good luck....don't fall down!" and it came to be a bit of a running joke. I am very klutzy and clumsy and I do fall down a lot or bang into things.
I arrived a bit early for my interview and I spoke to one of the teachers there. The head of the math department turned out to be the father of a friend of mine - a girl I went to high school with. He was incredibly encouraging and relaxed me a bit ahead of time. It also helped that I was schmoozing with a department head in the office in front of the admin. I went into the office with the Principal and we made small talk for a few brief moments, and then into the very formal interview. Now in these interviews I make every effort to appear put together and grown up. I had my suit on, my heels and my hair up in a bun. While we were sitting talking, my hair flipped out of my bun and into a ponytail like a little kid. I didn't know whether he saw, whether I should fix it or not, but I just kept going feeling like an idiot.
The interview finished and I did quite well I thought, for my first Principal interview. I was waiting for him to hand me the key to the school when he said he had about 20 people he was interviewing for this position, and still had 10 or so to see. I was pretty deflated. I walked out of his office and saw another candidate sitting there waiting to go in. She told me good luck, and I said it back. Really, I wanted to kick her. Instead I turned around and talked to the Principal about how great it was to see him again - I wanted to psych her out. Mean, I know, but this is a competitive market! He said I would find out Tuesday when the board postings went up on the internet if I got the job. If my name was beside the posting I did, if not, then I didn't. Pretty harsh way to find out.
So the weekend came and went I and kept looking for a job and sending out resumes. I wasn't overly hopeful about the job, but you never know. Tuesday I got a call on my cell while I was at the school. I could hear it vibrating in my backpack and knew I had a message. Normally I would have checked the message in the teachers office but it was full with people in a meeting. I went to the washroom so I could listen, and could get almost no reception. I had to stand on the toilet, but it was Tuesday, and it was a number I didn't know, so of course I was going to listen. It was the Principal. He said "I'm just calling to tell you........CONGRATULATIONS!!!" He turned into a game show host it was hilarious. I was so excited. The teacher in the Special Ed room sent me home knowing I would be no good to her until I told my husband.
It was fabulous news. Not only did I had a job, but I had a teaching job, a contract, in my field, and before school was even over! It was only one section (full time is 6) but it was a start.
Internship and AQ
On Monday April 23rd I went to get the mail and low and behold there was a letter from the DSBN. I figured because it got there only 2 business days after my interview I must have really sucked and this was the "you suck" letter. Much to my surprise it was the letter telling me my interview was successful and I was now on the eligible to hire list for Niagara - I could now apply to job postings!
On April 24th I started my Special Education additional qualification course online. April 30th started our internship which is a program that only OISE offers. It's a final placement that you have to find and secure yourself, which can be hard. I was doing mine in Special Ed which I was looking forward to. I hoped between the AQ and the Internship I would have more job opportunities open to me.
While I worked on my AQ and Internship I continued to apply for jobs. Several came up in the DSBN that I could do, but I didn't hear anything. Right before the long weekend in May there was a job posting for a music position at a school in Niagara Falls. It was only 1 section, but it was contract, which was a foot in the door, so I thought I would try. As I looked through the website to find the Principal's name imagine my surprise when up pops a picture of my old vice principal from when I was in high school. He was now the Principal at the school where the music posting was. I emailed him my resume and he emailed me back almost immediately - even though it was the Friday evening of the long weekend. We corresponded back and forth a few times, and as luck would have it, he offered me an interview for the following Thursday. I was super excited just to have a chance. I talked to a lot of the teachers at the school I was currently at and they said often the Principal just offers you the job on the spot. I was very excited!
On April 24th I started my Special Education additional qualification course online. April 30th started our internship which is a program that only OISE offers. It's a final placement that you have to find and secure yourself, which can be hard. I was doing mine in Special Ed which I was looking forward to. I hoped between the AQ and the Internship I would have more job opportunities open to me.
While I worked on my AQ and Internship I continued to apply for jobs. Several came up in the DSBN that I could do, but I didn't hear anything. Right before the long weekend in May there was a job posting for a music position at a school in Niagara Falls. It was only 1 section, but it was contract, which was a foot in the door, so I thought I would try. As I looked through the website to find the Principal's name imagine my surprise when up pops a picture of my old vice principal from when I was in high school. He was now the Principal at the school where the music posting was. I emailed him my resume and he emailed me back almost immediately - even though it was the Friday evening of the long weekend. We corresponded back and forth a few times, and as luck would have it, he offered me an interview for the following Thursday. I was super excited just to have a chance. I talked to a lot of the teachers at the school I was currently at and they said often the Principal just offers you the job on the spot. I was very excited!
Final Days
So when we went back to school I only had 3 weeks left of classes. It didn't seem like much. This chunk of time was filled with tons of assignments though, and I found myself doing big projects very often. In my TES class we had a large assignment due before practicum that was the creation of a field trip. I really enjoyed the project and it was worth 30% so it was a great surprise to get 100% on it. The next big assignment though was a much bigger deal. I felt it was almost bigger than all the lesson plans and silly group projects I had done in all my courses that year. Our portfolio was worth 40% of our mark and this could help us get a job. This was the binder you take with you to your interview to hopefully showcase some of your best work. I worked for days on this - most of the time formatting and fixing the way things were laid out or looked. I was thrilled to get 100% on this assignment as it gave me the little confidence boost I needed.
Back before the beginning of second practicum I started to look at job openings. I applied to 7 different boards through the Apply to Teach website. Lots of the boards wanted supplementary information as well, one of those was the Niagara Board. The DSBN (District School Board of Niagara) wanted your entire application in by March 1st. It was a bit of a scramble, but I did get it in on time - barely. I then tried not to think about all the applications I had floating around out there that I had heard nothing about. March Break came and I headed up to visit my parents with my husband for the week. We had a nice relaxing trip and while we were there I got an email from the board saying they had prescreened my application and wanted me to come in for an interview on April 19th. This was to be my last TES class and I was pretty bummed about missing it, but this was obviously more important.
April 18th we drove out to see where the board office was, and practiced all the interview questions I had been able to get my hands on. I felt reasonably ready, but you never really know how it's going to go. Thursday, the 19th I got there and saw a handful of other people waiting. Every time someone went in for an interview it seemed a new candidate walked in the door to check in for theirs. I finally got to go. I was in a small office with two women and my portfolio. They went back and forth and asked me some standard questions. I answered them all and at one point I thought I was dead in the water. I answered the question in such a way that made them kind of laugh, but I wasn't sure whether it was a "oh I've been there" laugh or a "oh I can't believe she just said that laugh". I screwed up one other question as well but overall I felt ok. At the end I offered them my updated resume and reference letter. While one woman went to get a sticky note for it, the other looked at my portfolio. As far as I understood, no one looked at portfolios in board level interviews. This made me feel good.
I walked out of the board office feeling good, but as I drove, I remembered more and more things that I didn't say, or that I said wrong. The closer I got to home the worse I felt. All day I felt sick. They told me it would be 2 weeks before I would hear anything - I didn't think I could handle that.
Friday was my last day of school before our week off and final internship. I talked to my TES prof who made me feel a bit better, but I was still pretty depressed. Oh well, on to internship.
Back before the beginning of second practicum I started to look at job openings. I applied to 7 different boards through the Apply to Teach website. Lots of the boards wanted supplementary information as well, one of those was the Niagara Board. The DSBN (District School Board of Niagara) wanted your entire application in by March 1st. It was a bit of a scramble, but I did get it in on time - barely. I then tried not to think about all the applications I had floating around out there that I had heard nothing about. March Break came and I headed up to visit my parents with my husband for the week. We had a nice relaxing trip and while we were there I got an email from the board saying they had prescreened my application and wanted me to come in for an interview on April 19th. This was to be my last TES class and I was pretty bummed about missing it, but this was obviously more important.
April 18th we drove out to see where the board office was, and practiced all the interview questions I had been able to get my hands on. I felt reasonably ready, but you never really know how it's going to go. Thursday, the 19th I got there and saw a handful of other people waiting. Every time someone went in for an interview it seemed a new candidate walked in the door to check in for theirs. I finally got to go. I was in a small office with two women and my portfolio. They went back and forth and asked me some standard questions. I answered them all and at one point I thought I was dead in the water. I answered the question in such a way that made them kind of laugh, but I wasn't sure whether it was a "oh I've been there" laugh or a "oh I can't believe she just said that laugh". I screwed up one other question as well but overall I felt ok. At the end I offered them my updated resume and reference letter. While one woman went to get a sticky note for it, the other looked at my portfolio. As far as I understood, no one looked at portfolios in board level interviews. This made me feel good.
I walked out of the board office feeling good, but as I drove, I remembered more and more things that I didn't say, or that I said wrong. The closer I got to home the worse I felt. All day I felt sick. They told me it would be 2 weeks before I would hear anything - I didn't think I could handle that.
Friday was my last day of school before our week off and final internship. I talked to my TES prof who made me feel a bit better, but I was still pretty depressed. Oh well, on to internship.
Second Practicum
Second practicum was much more challenging than the first one for me. History was not my strong subject and required a lot more prep for me. I would spend a few hours each night doing prep. I rarely did marking at home, and I usually did an hour or so of prep at school every day. The classes I taught were both grade 10 applied classes. Applied kids get a bad rep I think in a lot of ways. Behaviourally there are more problems sure, but it's not because the kids are bad usually, it's because they are bored, or they think they can't do the work. In my limited experience I have found most kids are in applied level classes because they are lazy, don't care, or have been told they need to take applied because they can't do academic classes. It's very rarely because they aren't smart or aren't capable. I think all student teachers should teach applied or essential level classes at some point. Teaching academic kids can be a lot easier. They usually want to be there, and are like sponges, they soak up whatever you give them. Applied is more of a challenge to the teacher.
I was petrified going into my second practicum but I really enjoyed it. I had a good AT who was willing to let me try things. The kids would often ask him if they could go to the washroom or for a pencil or stuff like that and he would always say "go ask your teacher" and go back to his book he was pretending to read. He left me alone with the class from time to time which although he wasn't really supposed to do, I appreciated. It's really hard to develop a relationship with the kids if someone is watching all the time. It's weird and artificial. I tried to take his advice and incorporate it. I talked to some student teachers who really did feel they knew enough already and didn't need advice. I do believe I am/will be a good teacher, but I also acknowledge I have a lot to learn. I hope I never get to feel I am too good to take advice.
Second practicum was completed successfully and it was back to school for 3 more weeks.
I was petrified going into my second practicum but I really enjoyed it. I had a good AT who was willing to let me try things. The kids would often ask him if they could go to the washroom or for a pencil or stuff like that and he would always say "go ask your teacher" and go back to his book he was pretending to read. He left me alone with the class from time to time which although he wasn't really supposed to do, I appreciated. It's really hard to develop a relationship with the kids if someone is watching all the time. It's weird and artificial. I tried to take his advice and incorporate it. I talked to some student teachers who really did feel they knew enough already and didn't need advice. I do believe I am/will be a good teacher, but I also acknowledge I have a lot to learn. I hope I never get to feel I am too good to take advice.
Second practicum was completed successfully and it was back to school for 3 more weeks.
Sunday, July 29, 2007
Semester Two
The new year brought some new classes. Only 2, but it was enough of a change to make things a bit lively. As I mentioned in my earlier post, we were less than impressed with our Psych professor. I have to admit she won us over very quickly. She was tough, but she was spunky, had a great sense of humour, and really seemed to appreciate our off the wall ideas. This cohort was comprised of arts students, so we were all a bit wacky, and she seemed to enjoy it.
Second semester seemed a bit easier than first semester to me for some reason. I had more classes, more homework, more days I had to be in class, but I was comfortable in the routine, my profs, my classes, the GoTrain (I was now sleeping 90% of the time on the train), and I was feeling a lot more secure in my chosen profession. My professor had noticed the change as well - I was more confident in my skills and more importantly my ability to look like an adult in front of teenagers! (I learned an important trick in second practicum I'll address later on). This had been a real concern of mine at the beginning of the school year.
Classes were moving along fine until a fateful evening in February. I was lying on the couch on a Wednesday evening watching TV and I pushed up off the couch to adjust my position and felt a twinge in my back. I had quite seriously hurt my back about 18 months earlier and it went out quite easily. I immediately iced my back, took some Advil and did some stretches, knowing Thursday was my long day and I needed to be mobile. I went to bed hoping the sleep would help.
I woke up Thursday morning and felt not too bad. I started to walk down the stairs and Chewie, our German Shepherd ran up behind me and knocked me down the stairs, where I of course landed on, my back. There was no way I was going to get to school. I was worried my professors would give me a hard time and emailed them to let them know. From all but one professor I received a ton of support. I took almost 2 weeks off school and the school was fantastic and supportive. It was so nice to be a part of a community that was interested in your well being.
I focused on recuperating and was back in class by the time we got our second practicum assignments. Second practicum started in mid February with a couple of evaluation days and then was the last full week of February, and all of March. This time, I was teaching History.
Second semester seemed a bit easier than first semester to me for some reason. I had more classes, more homework, more days I had to be in class, but I was comfortable in the routine, my profs, my classes, the GoTrain (I was now sleeping 90% of the time on the train), and I was feeling a lot more secure in my chosen profession. My professor had noticed the change as well - I was more confident in my skills and more importantly my ability to look like an adult in front of teenagers! (I learned an important trick in second practicum I'll address later on). This had been a real concern of mine at the beginning of the school year.
Classes were moving along fine until a fateful evening in February. I was lying on the couch on a Wednesday evening watching TV and I pushed up off the couch to adjust my position and felt a twinge in my back. I had quite seriously hurt my back about 18 months earlier and it went out quite easily. I immediately iced my back, took some Advil and did some stretches, knowing Thursday was my long day and I needed to be mobile. I went to bed hoping the sleep would help.
I woke up Thursday morning and felt not too bad. I started to walk down the stairs and Chewie, our German Shepherd ran up behind me and knocked me down the stairs, where I of course landed on, my back. There was no way I was going to get to school. I was worried my professors would give me a hard time and emailed them to let them know. From all but one professor I received a ton of support. I took almost 2 weeks off school and the school was fantastic and supportive. It was so nice to be a part of a community that was interested in your well being.
I focused on recuperating and was back in class by the time we got our second practicum assignments. Second practicum started in mid February with a couple of evaluation days and then was the last full week of February, and all of March. This time, I was teaching History.
Post Practicum One
I completed my first practicum on a Friday in November, and the following Tuesday had to be back in regular classes. If there was any time I felt like I needed a break, this was it. My Tuesday classes were a bit low, but it was my Thursday class where I really saw the effects of the practicum on other students. We had less than a month left before we broke for the holidays and our class size seemed to be down by almost half. There were people with colds, the flu, bronchitis, you name it. Our professor told us this was pretty normal actually. Not only was it cold and flu season, but we had been exposed to so many more people than we normally were, and teenagers aren't always the cleanest of creatures. With so many germs flying around and our immune systems depleted because of lack of sleep and too much work, we were all quite susceptible to so many things!
Many of us powered through and continued going to classes. I really don't remember missing that many classes before Christmas but I remember wishing I had some days. Because I was coming from Hamilton and commuting to Toronto, just getting to and from school was a 4 hour ordeal every day, so that alone took a lot out of me.
December 13 - 15 there was a conference they called the Professional Preparation Conference (PPC). There were workshops offered every week, all for more money. The school really emphasized the importance of going to these extra conference, so I signed up for a handful of them - only what I could afford really. One thing I made sure I signed up for was the PPC because we kept hearing how fantastic it was. Now one of the problems with OISE and I imagine most schools in general are their overuse of acronyms. On the schedule for the PPC the acronyms were plentiful. I recognized a lot of them, but not all. This proved to be a problem.
The first part of the PPC was on Wednesday and it started in the afternoon. I arrived in time to sit on the steps and listen to a man give us tips on cover letters, resume's and interviews. I don't remember his name or his qualifications, but he was selling a book as well of course. He did have a lot of great information, and it went well with the booklet that we had been given prior to the PPC. I did get quite a bit out of that. The next session was with our cohort (comprised of all the people in my TES, Pysch, and School and Society class) and two Principal's from the TDSB (Toronto District School Board). One of my classmates did a mock interview with them. She dressed the part and answered all their questions. It was fantastic to hear the questions, but her answers really were irrelevant to me, and I found myself wanting to hear more from the Principals and less from the student. This wasn't her fault or anyone's really, just the way it was structured. I did learn some valuable things in hearing the questions though.
Thursday I showed up bright and early for a conference with an acronym I didn't recognize, just to discover it was for the Catholic board students only, which I was not. So I went for coffee with a friend who had also made the same mistake and killed some time. The conferences on Thursday were terrible. I took nothing from the day but incredible frustration directed towards a school that so far I had really loved and gained much from.
Friday I was ready to just stay home but I was afraid to miss something important. Representatives for the different boards of education were all there to meet and talk to, so I thought it would be important to be there. I got the information for all the boards I was interested in (there were 7 of them in total) and came home. I think I was there less than an hour, maybe 2. I came home with a loot bag to go through with tons of information to read over.
This finished off the first term for me, and I settled in for a nice relaxing Christmas. As I've mentioned before this is the first time I haven't worked during school, so this was the first Christmas I've had off in years. It was fantastic. I loved getting all ready for Christmas, attending the parties, church functions, and doing visiting without worrying about getting back for work.
Before we broke for Christmas I met my Pysch professor. She came into our TES class and introduced herself as we'd be taking Psych in the new year. We were less than impressed. She seemed a bit strict - more than I'd had in university thus far, and to make matters worse, she assigned homework, and the purchase of a book before Christmas. The class hadn't even started yet! I have to admit we were ready to tar and feather her by the time classes started up again in January.
Many of us powered through and continued going to classes. I really don't remember missing that many classes before Christmas but I remember wishing I had some days. Because I was coming from Hamilton and commuting to Toronto, just getting to and from school was a 4 hour ordeal every day, so that alone took a lot out of me.
December 13 - 15 there was a conference they called the Professional Preparation Conference (PPC). There were workshops offered every week, all for more money. The school really emphasized the importance of going to these extra conference, so I signed up for a handful of them - only what I could afford really. One thing I made sure I signed up for was the PPC because we kept hearing how fantastic it was. Now one of the problems with OISE and I imagine most schools in general are their overuse of acronyms. On the schedule for the PPC the acronyms were plentiful. I recognized a lot of them, but not all. This proved to be a problem.
The first part of the PPC was on Wednesday and it started in the afternoon. I arrived in time to sit on the steps and listen to a man give us tips on cover letters, resume's and interviews. I don't remember his name or his qualifications, but he was selling a book as well of course. He did have a lot of great information, and it went well with the booklet that we had been given prior to the PPC. I did get quite a bit out of that. The next session was with our cohort (comprised of all the people in my TES, Pysch, and School and Society class) and two Principal's from the TDSB (Toronto District School Board). One of my classmates did a mock interview with them. She dressed the part and answered all their questions. It was fantastic to hear the questions, but her answers really were irrelevant to me, and I found myself wanting to hear more from the Principals and less from the student. This wasn't her fault or anyone's really, just the way it was structured. I did learn some valuable things in hearing the questions though.
Thursday I showed up bright and early for a conference with an acronym I didn't recognize, just to discover it was for the Catholic board students only, which I was not. So I went for coffee with a friend who had also made the same mistake and killed some time. The conferences on Thursday were terrible. I took nothing from the day but incredible frustration directed towards a school that so far I had really loved and gained much from.
Friday I was ready to just stay home but I was afraid to miss something important. Representatives for the different boards of education were all there to meet and talk to, so I thought it would be important to be there. I got the information for all the boards I was interested in (there were 7 of them in total) and came home. I think I was there less than an hour, maybe 2. I came home with a loot bag to go through with tons of information to read over.
This finished off the first term for me, and I settled in for a nice relaxing Christmas. As I've mentioned before this is the first time I haven't worked during school, so this was the first Christmas I've had off in years. It was fantastic. I loved getting all ready for Christmas, attending the parties, church functions, and doing visiting without worrying about getting back for work.
Before we broke for Christmas I met my Pysch professor. She came into our TES class and introduced herself as we'd be taking Psych in the new year. We were less than impressed. She seemed a bit strict - more than I'd had in university thus far, and to make matters worse, she assigned homework, and the purchase of a book before Christmas. The class hadn't even started yet! I have to admit we were ready to tar and feather her by the time classes started up again in January.
Thursday, July 26, 2007
Practicum One
Practicum placements came out the Friday before Thanksgiving around 3:30pm. The school did this for 2 reasons. One, to give us enough time to check out our school before we started and make any travel arrangements necessary, and two (and most importantly I'm sure) so that by the time we got our placements they were out of the building and wouldn't be back until the following Tuesday, which means no dealing with students unhappy with their placements.
I didn't really know why people would be too upset with their placements until I got mine. Apparently there was a placement set up for me in Hamilton and at the last minute the teacher backed out or something and they needed to find somewhere new for me. I was hoping to teach in Hamilton for a few reasons: 1) to build a relationship with as many people as possible in the board, 2) to save money on commuting, and 3) to stay home with my husband who is my support system. I looked up my placement and my heart sank. I had been placed in Scarborough - the east end of Toronto and about as far from home as they could place me. I was very frustrated as I knew the school had a commitment to not place me more than 1 hour from my home and this would be a good 2 - 3 hour drive in traffic every day each way. There was no way I could do this. I contacted the school to let them know I couldn't do this and they said I could petition the decision. I didn't want to rock the boat and I started looking at options.
I went on the website for the high school I was placed at and looked at the Music dept's webpage. This school was incredible. There were 4 full time music teachers plus another one teaching music part time. There were 26 sections of music. The average high school in Hamilton had about 6 sections, maybe 7 - 8. I couldn't pass up the opportunity to be at this school. I arranged to move to Toronto away from my husband for the month (missing part of our one year anniversary as a result) and decided to suck it up and keep the placement. I am so glad I did.
I learned more from those four teachers in those four weeks than I have in a long time. The kids were fantastic. It was a very academic school with very motivated kids, which was fun to see. It's not the norm, but it was a good experience to see full band, vocal, and strings and midi programs along with a small guitar program. I came away with some great ideas, references, and colleagues who I would be honoured to work with again.
During practicum you are being watched most of the time. It can be a bit disconcerting, however I found when the teacher was out of the room to make the most of that time - build relationships with students so when the teacher comes back you are more comfortable working with them, and they with you. One day a few weeks in my Music professor from OISE came to watch me and give me some feedback. During this time my associate teacher was also watching, as was the other student teacher, a very talented teacher and musician. I was nervous enough with these three, but the other three music teachers would wander in and out at any given time. To top it off, at one point in wandered the Principal to have a peek. So practicum can be stressful, but it's a fantastic learning experience. It's also great for references and networking. Don't burn bridges during practicum, it's not worth it!
I had a lot of friends that said they had bad experiences in practicum. The more they spoke, for the most part, the more it sounded as if they were coming across like the brilliant teacher who needed to be taught nothing. I have a feeling they shot themselves in the foot when they walked in the room. As a new teacher, you don't really have any right to be cocky and arrogant. Sure there may be things I know that a veteran teacher doesn't, but chances are there is so much more I can learn from them than they could learn from me at this point, why not take the opportunity and learn what you can? I have so much to learn still, even after graduating. I think to lose sight of that is to short change your students before you even begin.
With first practicum behind me, it was on to finishing the semester and attending the conference, and that was an eye opening experience!
I didn't really know why people would be too upset with their placements until I got mine. Apparently there was a placement set up for me in Hamilton and at the last minute the teacher backed out or something and they needed to find somewhere new for me. I was hoping to teach in Hamilton for a few reasons: 1) to build a relationship with as many people as possible in the board, 2) to save money on commuting, and 3) to stay home with my husband who is my support system. I looked up my placement and my heart sank. I had been placed in Scarborough - the east end of Toronto and about as far from home as they could place me. I was very frustrated as I knew the school had a commitment to not place me more than 1 hour from my home and this would be a good 2 - 3 hour drive in traffic every day each way. There was no way I could do this. I contacted the school to let them know I couldn't do this and they said I could petition the decision. I didn't want to rock the boat and I started looking at options.
I went on the website for the high school I was placed at and looked at the Music dept's webpage. This school was incredible. There were 4 full time music teachers plus another one teaching music part time. There were 26 sections of music. The average high school in Hamilton had about 6 sections, maybe 7 - 8. I couldn't pass up the opportunity to be at this school. I arranged to move to Toronto away from my husband for the month (missing part of our one year anniversary as a result) and decided to suck it up and keep the placement. I am so glad I did.
I learned more from those four teachers in those four weeks than I have in a long time. The kids were fantastic. It was a very academic school with very motivated kids, which was fun to see. It's not the norm, but it was a good experience to see full band, vocal, and strings and midi programs along with a small guitar program. I came away with some great ideas, references, and colleagues who I would be honoured to work with again.
During practicum you are being watched most of the time. It can be a bit disconcerting, however I found when the teacher was out of the room to make the most of that time - build relationships with students so when the teacher comes back you are more comfortable working with them, and they with you. One day a few weeks in my Music professor from OISE came to watch me and give me some feedback. During this time my associate teacher was also watching, as was the other student teacher, a very talented teacher and musician. I was nervous enough with these three, but the other three music teachers would wander in and out at any given time. To top it off, at one point in wandered the Principal to have a peek. So practicum can be stressful, but it's a fantastic learning experience. It's also great for references and networking. Don't burn bridges during practicum, it's not worth it!
I had a lot of friends that said they had bad experiences in practicum. The more they spoke, for the most part, the more it sounded as if they were coming across like the brilliant teacher who needed to be taught nothing. I have a feeling they shot themselves in the foot when they walked in the room. As a new teacher, you don't really have any right to be cocky and arrogant. Sure there may be things I know that a veteran teacher doesn't, but chances are there is so much more I can learn from them than they could learn from me at this point, why not take the opportunity and learn what you can? I have so much to learn still, even after graduating. I think to lose sight of that is to short change your students before you even begin.
With first practicum behind me, it was on to finishing the semester and attending the conference, and that was an eye opening experience!
Saturday, July 21, 2007
School Begins...
I always loved starting school in September. New text books, new notebooks, new computer, clothes, or whatever else I bought. This year was no exception - I was probably more excited than in past years. I was a bit anxious though. I was sure they had made a mistake in accepting me and I figured at any moment someone was going to come to me and tell me I was not allowed to be there.
My schedule looked pretty good. When I went to York you got to pick pretty much your entire schedule so this was new for me. I had my Music Curriculum and Instruction (C&I) course for 2 hours twice a week, same with my History C&I. These were my two teachables and they ran all year. As I was going to be teaching at the Intermediate/Senior (grades 7 - 12) level I had to have two teachables to get into the program. I also had 4 hours of my Teacher Education Seminar (TES) class once a week all year long. I had a 4 hour School and Society class that ran once a week for one semester, and then the next semester that was replaced with a 4 hour Educational Psychology class. The last course I had was a four hour History Wars class that studied issues in history education. That was also once a week for one semester. I then would have 1 month of placement in one teachable, one month in the other, and then a one month internship that I would get to choose down the road. These placements were what we were the most curious about, but we didn't find out about them for several weeks.
I remember handing in my first lesson plan in History. It was part group work, part my own, and I was petrified to get it back. History was definitely my weaker subject. I was elated when I got it back and got 100% on it.
I was so insecure about my abilities as a new teacher and one professor in particular, Dr. Janet Markus, picked this up immediately. She was fantastic, and really got me through the school year. She was my TES course instructor. We all loved her. So my first month was off to a good start. The next hurdle to jump over was placement number one.
My schedule looked pretty good. When I went to York you got to pick pretty much your entire schedule so this was new for me. I had my Music Curriculum and Instruction (C&I) course for 2 hours twice a week, same with my History C&I. These were my two teachables and they ran all year. As I was going to be teaching at the Intermediate/Senior (grades 7 - 12) level I had to have two teachables to get into the program. I also had 4 hours of my Teacher Education Seminar (TES) class once a week all year long. I had a 4 hour School and Society class that ran once a week for one semester, and then the next semester that was replaced with a 4 hour Educational Psychology class. The last course I had was a four hour History Wars class that studied issues in history education. That was also once a week for one semester. I then would have 1 month of placement in one teachable, one month in the other, and then a one month internship that I would get to choose down the road. These placements were what we were the most curious about, but we didn't find out about them for several weeks.
I remember handing in my first lesson plan in History. It was part group work, part my own, and I was petrified to get it back. History was definitely my weaker subject. I was elated when I got it back and got 100% on it.
I was so insecure about my abilities as a new teacher and one professor in particular, Dr. Janet Markus, picked this up immediately. She was fantastic, and really got me through the school year. She was my TES course instructor. We all loved her. So my first month was off to a good start. The next hurdle to jump over was placement number one.
Tuesday, July 17, 2007
Baby steps to becoming a teacher
There were so many forms to fill out, books to buy, things to get excited about. As the first day of school got closer and closer (September 13, 2006) I got more and more excited. And anxious. I'm not the biggest person in the world and I started to worry that my students wouldn't respect me or think that I was an adult. My anxieties increased the closer school got, but so did my excitement.
I was working for a different telecommunications company at the time and was really not enjoying it. I also worried it would impact my studies, as I had to work every weekend, both days, 16 hours, to keep the job. Rich and I talked and he suggested I quit school to focus on my studies. I was thrilled. I hadn't done JUST school since grade nine. Over the summer I bought a laptop, started looking at commuting options, and drafting a letter of resignation (it was a doozy!).
By the time the 13th hit, I was excited and ready to go!
I was working for a different telecommunications company at the time and was really not enjoying it. I also worried it would impact my studies, as I had to work every weekend, both days, 16 hours, to keep the job. Rich and I talked and he suggested I quit school to focus on my studies. I was thrilled. I hadn't done JUST school since grade nine. Over the summer I bought a laptop, started looking at commuting options, and drafting a letter of resignation (it was a doozy!).
By the time the 13th hit, I was excited and ready to go!
BRIEF History up to April 2006
There isn't a lot you need to know about my undergrad or after in order to understand my current situation as a new teacher, but I thought I'd outline the basics; the things I feel are important to remember.
1) I went to York University in Toronto, Ontario. I graduated in 2004 and received my Specialized Honours Bachelor of Fine Arts with a major in Music. I studied both instrumental and vocal, but focused more on jazz vocal in the second half of my schooling at York.
2) I was paying my way through university on my own with the aid of scholarships and bursaries, but they didn't last long. As a result, I started working full time very early on in university. I worked 40 hours a week at a telecommunications company, went to school full time, and taught private vocal lessons part time. I was also pretty involved in my church.
3) During the last semester of school I commuted to Toronto from Hamilton, where I currently live. I moved for a boy. That boy will become very important as the blog progresses.
4) Mostly because of #2, and my lack of effort, I graduated with less than stellar grades. I fell just short of the requirements to get into most teacher's colleges. I had pretty much given up hope of ever being a teacher.
5) I had planned on taking off one year, then trying to upgrade some courses so I had the marks to get into a teachers college in Ontario. My plan was thwarted when the boy proposed.
6) Nov 5, 2005 I married Rich, my husband, the most fabulous man in the world. He encouraged me to apply for teachers college even though I didn't think I would get in. We couriered my applications as we were leaving on our honeymoon.
7) April 3, 2006 I found out that I had been declined from my second and third choice schools. I figured that was it, no way was I getting into my first choice, the University of Toronto. April 5, 2006 Rich called to say he thought I got into U of T. I was ecstatic. The rest as they say, is history.
1) I went to York University in Toronto, Ontario. I graduated in 2004 and received my Specialized Honours Bachelor of Fine Arts with a major in Music. I studied both instrumental and vocal, but focused more on jazz vocal in the second half of my schooling at York.
2) I was paying my way through university on my own with the aid of scholarships and bursaries, but they didn't last long. As a result, I started working full time very early on in university. I worked 40 hours a week at a telecommunications company, went to school full time, and taught private vocal lessons part time. I was also pretty involved in my church.
3) During the last semester of school I commuted to Toronto from Hamilton, where I currently live. I moved for a boy. That boy will become very important as the blog progresses.
4) Mostly because of #2, and my lack of effort, I graduated with less than stellar grades. I fell just short of the requirements to get into most teacher's colleges. I had pretty much given up hope of ever being a teacher.
5) I had planned on taking off one year, then trying to upgrade some courses so I had the marks to get into a teachers college in Ontario. My plan was thwarted when the boy proposed.
6) Nov 5, 2005 I married Rich, my husband, the most fabulous man in the world. He encouraged me to apply for teachers college even though I didn't think I would get in. We couriered my applications as we were leaving on our honeymoon.
7) April 3, 2006 I found out that I had been declined from my second and third choice schools. I figured that was it, no way was I getting into my first choice, the University of Toronto. April 5, 2006 Rich called to say he thought I got into U of T. I was ecstatic. The rest as they say, is history.
Why a blog journal?
I decided to start this blog as a way to journal my experiences up to and including my first year of teaching (and maybe beyond). In the coming entries I will try to document the important parts of my relevant history, my year in teacher's college, my job hunt, and my first year of teaching.
So many new teachers have questions about their programs, how to get a job, and the common pitfalls to avoid. I hope by documenting my experiences someone will be able to benefit from them in the future.
I love teaching, but I have yet to really start. Hopefully by this time next year I feel the same!
So many new teachers have questions about their programs, how to get a job, and the common pitfalls to avoid. I hope by documenting my experiences someone will be able to benefit from them in the future.
I love teaching, but I have yet to really start. Hopefully by this time next year I feel the same!
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