Let's Recap

Here is a quick run down of what has happened since I first moved to NC almost three months ago:

• I interviewed for a teaching position at one middle school.

• Not even a week later I had a second interview.

• I was offered the the second position exactly one hour after my interview.

• I am now currently employed with Lincoln County School District.

• I received a rejection letter in the mail from the first interview (it was for the best!)

• I attended two days of new teacher orientation.

• I met a lot of amazing educators.

• I have been preparing my classroom for a week now (it looks amazing, though I am not sure the students and parents are in love with my Pittsburgh Steelers Theme... I'm not in PA anymore that's for sure!)

• I have experienced numerous professional development days.

• Today we held open house for the students and now I am even more excited for school to start Monday!

All in all, it has been a whirl wind of an experience.  I really cannot believe that summer is over and school is starting in 3 days.  I just might be the only person in the who is happy about that...


Thought of the day:  A little perspective and a positive attitude can make a world of difference!

Classroom Organization

I have been thinking a lot lately about my future classroom, and the physical environment I would like to create.  As the physical set up of the classroom can affect student learning, I want to create a space that is organized, engaging, fun, and allows for a lot of movement.  Now, this is difficult since I do not have an actual space to work with, but the ideas are burning through my head like wildfire!  I began searching for ways to put my ideas to good use in the classroom and I cam across an article from www.scholastic.com that I wanted to share.  The author of the article, Nancy Jang, had some wonderful ideas and pointers that I think any teacher could use (or modify to fit their needs).  You can find this article, "Organizing and Reorganizing Your Classroom," under "Resources and Other Bloggers" to the right of this page.  I hope you find it as helpful as I did.

Thought of the day:  "Truly great teachers teach from the heart, not from a book."

Hindsight is Always 20/20

Today I was lucky enough to have my first interview for a teaching position.  I guess luck doesn't have much to do with it though... I worked hard through school and obtained all the skills needed to be an amazing teacher.  I believe the interview went well.  I have confidence in my abilities and I know I would be a good fit for the school; I'm hard working, enthusiastic, and want nothing more to make a difference in my students lives.

However, if you know me, then you know my nerves and hyper-energy kicked in during the interview.  Maybe it is because I am so passionate about teaching, maybe it is because I know the answers and want to get everything I possibly can in, maybe I just have nervous energy in a situation that could determine the rest of my life (come on, who wouldn't?)--I don't know.  Hindsight tells me, that I should have slowed down.  Actually, even while speaking I thought, "Courtney, slow down!"  But I couldn't; I was just to excited to stop.

If my rate of speech is the only negative they saw in that interview, then I know I will be fine.  I can work on my pacing.  After all, teaching is a continual learning and growing process.  So, keep your fingers crossed for me, and I will keep you posted on which way this road ends up going...


Thought of the day: "The unreal is more powerful than the real. Because nothing is as perfect as you can imagine it. Because its only intangible ideas, concepts, beliefs, fantasies that last. Stone crumbles. Wood rots. People, well, they die. But things as fragile as a thought, a dream, a legend, they can go on and on. If you can change the way people think. The way they see themselves. The way they see the world. You can change the way people live their lives. That's the only lasting thing you can create." — Chuck Palahniuk (Choke)

Spread the Word to End the Word

I am not sure why I have not posted this before now, but it is definitely important to me to get this up on the blog...

The "R-word: Spread the Word to End the Word" campaign works to raise awareness about the harmfulness of the use of the "r-word" (and other derogatory words).  I personally signed my pledge to remove the "r-word" from my everyday vocabulary over four years ago.  The word had become such a part of my everyday speech that I didn't even realize I was using it, nor did I understand the true harm it can create.

I know what people say, "it's just a word.  It only has meaning if you give it meaning."  Well, it may not have meaning to you, but it definitely has meaning to those you encounter on a daily basis.  You may be using it to tell someone how stupid the price tag on a tee shirt is...but to the girl behind the counter, who's brother is intellectually disabled, it is your way of saying that her brother doesn't matter or is inferior to other kids.

You don't know everyone's full story, you don't know their struggles, so please, please, please, do me a favor and think before you speak. You may not mean for your words to be hurtful or hateful, but they can still have that effect.

*For my information on the "R-word: Spread the Word to End the Word" campaign, go to my "Resources and Other Bloggers" tab to the right and click on the "Spread the Word to End the Word" link*

Tomorrow My Whole World Changes

Ladies and Gentlemen, the day has finally come! Tomorrow my husband, our two dogs (Charlie and Olly), and I will be packing up what is left in this little apartment to start our journey to Terrell, NC.  I am terrified, excited, happy, sad, nervous, thrilled, and every other contradiction of emotions you can possibly think of all at once... and here is why:

I was lucky enough to spend this past weekend with my entire family (and if you know me my family is pretty large, because we are not all blood--it's complicated) and everyone seemed to have their input on Joshua and my decision to move.  The top five comments included 1.Apparently Pennsylvania isn't good enough for you anymore.  2.You're young, go while you can before you have kids to prevent from you moving.  3.That's wonderful, now we will have a place to vacation. 4. You will love it down there! and 5. I give you a year before you come back.  Those were only the top five comments... it was a lot to take in to say the least.  Half of my family had me crying because they were so supportive and the other half had me crying because they had me thinking I had made a horrible decision.  The truth is, I am still not sure.  I don't have a job lined up so I am taking a big risk, but I don't have anything here in Erie holding my back either.  Of course I will miss my amazing friends and family, but as for teaching... there are no opportunities for me here.  I would rather take the risk than be stuck in a part time job, that I loath, in Northwestern, Pennsylvania!

I am good at teaching, and that is not meant to sound vain.  For the first time in my life I am truly good at something; something that makes me feel important, valuable, and accomplished.  If I stay here, however, I won't get to have that feeling.  I have a better chance, and better options, in North Carolina.  So... goodbye Erie, see ya later friends, and I will miss you family.

I hope you are ready NC, because this teacher is in full force and ready to make a difference in your school system!

The Roads We Do Not Take

I know... I know... I know... it has been a long time since I have posted. Months in fact. My life has been crazy busy; four classes, wedding planning, getting married, having a marriage, work, and planning our move to North Carolina.  I wish I could make this blog more of a priority, but life seems to be getting in the way.  At least, in retrospect, that is my rationalization.  Which leads me to the reason for this post...

In class the other day we explicated Robert Frost's poem, "The Road Not Taken."  It is amazing how wrong and right a person can be at one time.  On the surface, Frost seems to be speaking about certainty, "I took the one less traveled by,/And that has made all the difference." It is a beautiful poem that I thought was about making choices and taking the road that is best for you.  However, I was reminded to look at the title of this poem, "The Road NOT Taken."  It was not just about the choice to take a specific path, but about the path that was left...the one the speaker did not take.

So, what was Frost saying? What was his purpose in creating this philosophical question in the context of his story? His story.I think that is the genius of Frost--he created a story that I got wrapped up in; I saw what I wanted to see.  My response, to his poem, proved his very point.  Everyday we make choices.  Most of these choices are minor (do I really need a cinnamon bun for breakfast? Which shirt should I wear? etc.), but some are life changing (where to go to school, the career we choose, the person we marry, and so on).  We make these choices, we live with them, and then we rationalize that if it were not for our choices we wouldn't be who, and where, we are today.

The truth of the matter is that it is difficult to pinpoint the exact decisions that got us to where we are today, because we cannot go back and make the other choice; we will never know how things would have turned out had we taken that other road.  I believe what Frost was trying to teach us is that you cannot go back and relive the past, and you have no way of knowing what the future holds.  All we have is here, now, this moment...and this moment will pass us by very fast.  So, grab it while you can.  Do with it what you can while you have the means, because tomorrow it will be gone and you will never get this moment back.

*19 days until graduation
*32 days until the big move to NC

LIFE IS GOOD.

Realization of the Day

I found myself this morning driving past one of the schools I student taught at, while drinking out of a travel mug that the students from that very school bought me, and I realized how much I truly miss being in the classroom.  Don't get me wrong, I love learning and I think teaching is a life long learning process, but that could never compare to the feeling I get from educating young men and women.

I miss the sound of students filing into the classroom. I miss that first hand flying into the air with a question or a comment. I miss walking around the room as students "think, pair, share" and hearing their great ideas. I miss that moment when a student shares a perspective you never thought of before.   I miss that "ah ha" moment a student gets when something finally clicks.  I miss sharing my passion for the written word with a new group of young learners.  Most of all,  I miss going home at night feeling like I did something that truly matters; I missing having that feeling that I made a difference today.  

I need this semester to fly by, not because I am so in debate I can't pay for school anymore, or because I am burnt out and tired of being the student.  I need this semester to fly by so that I can graduate and find a teaching position.  Urban or rural, public or private or charter school, college prepatory or mostly ESL classes... I don't care!  I just need to be teaching.  I feel like part of me has been missing since I left my last student teaching placement.  I have a passion for teaching that runs so deep that if I am not teaching... well, I just don't feel completely like myself.

It is funny how one small moment in time can make a person realize so much.

One down, 111 to go.

Well, day one of my last semester as a graduate student at Edinboro University of Pennsylvania has come and gone.  I only had one class today, History of the English Language, which I know is going to be both a difficult and rewarding class.  I do believe that attitude is everything...

When you have a positive and encouraging attitude, it rubs off on those around you.  From the moment I walked into class today the professor was so positive and passionate about the material we are going to cover this semester. She loves the English Language so much that her attitude encouraged me to read the material right way.  I hope that when I have a class of my own I can have the exact affect on my students.

I know this post is short, but after class today I had to talk to the secretary in records and registration, file my "intent to graduate" card, get my books and parking pass, go to the doctor, drive to Warren to have dinner with my parents, drive back to Erie, and I am just now getting to sit down while I write this little piece of wisdom for all of you.  It has been a busy, tiring, and rewarding day.  I am off to bed.  Goodnight world.

A positive attitude can make a world of difference.

Words of Wisdom from Mark Twain

Unfortunately, I was judged harshly yesterday for creating this blog.  A young women in the teaching profession told me (and the rest of the world) that, "Blogging for a teaching job =lazy. NO school cares that you can type a blog," and many other harsh, discouraging things.  Now, I am not naive.  I know this blog will not magically get me the teaching position of my dreams. 

The truth is, I have created a strong portfolio that highlights my skills, I have obtained letters of recommendation from two co-operative teachers, my student teaching adviser, and my academic adviser (who recently took over the head of the Graduate Program Department at Edinboro University of Pennsylvania), I have busted my butt for good grades, while working to put myself through school.  This blog may just be extra work I am putting on myself, but I don't think it will hurt me either.  After all, it is extra work that I am willing and want to do.

At first, I was very hurt by the things that one individual had to say about my attempts to "put myself out there."  She was suppose to be a friend, and a role model for those trying to enter the teaching profession.  And here she was putting me down for taking a different path, a different route, a different ROAD than she did.  I had three choices: get angry and say rude and hateful things back, walk away with my tail between my legs, or hold my head high and use this experience as a lesson.

I decided to take road three.  I realized that not only can I learn from this encounter, but others could too.  The reality of this world is that everyday someone or something is going to get in your way, or prevent you from accomplishing your goals.  Events happen that are out of our control, but we always have a choice to take the high road.  Mark Twain once said, “Keep away from people who try to belittle your ambitions. Small people always do that, but the really great make you feel that you, too, can become great.” I am taking Mr. Twain's advice.  I am going to work to be the type of person who encourages those around them.  That means everyone around me: family, friends, students, colleagues, and even strangers.  

Great things can happen when we help others realize their full potential. 

The Roads We Take

It is the beginning of the end.  Next week I will start my last semester as an Edinboro University of Pennsylvania Graduate Student.  I am excited, but I would be lying if I didn't tell you I am nervous as well.  I know my education at Edinboro has supplied me with all the necessary skills to be a successful teacher, but as soon as I graduate I will be moving to Terrell, NC with my soon to be husband.  New home, new town, new state... that's a lot of "new" and it would intimidate anyone.  However, my "teaching tool belt" has acquired all the necessary tools over the past two years; I am more than ready.

It is my hopes to use this blog not only as a networking tool (to bounce ideas of other educators and find the teaching position of my dreams), but also to document my last few steps down the road of my formal education, as I make the turn onto the road of my professional life; "The Road to Teaching" if you will.  The inspiration for creating this blog came from my "Technology in the Classroom" Professor, but the theme behind it was inspired by Robert Frost's poem, "The Road Not Taken."  My journey has been one of  twists and turns, grass and gravel , peaks and plateaus.  I have made decisions others might not have been able to make, and faced adversity others will never have to overcome. I couldn't have done it alone, but I always did it with my head held high.  

Having said that, I will leave you with Frost's inspirational words about choices:

Two roads diverged in a yellow wood,

And sorry I could not travel both

And be one traveler, long I stood

And looked down one as far as I could

To where it bent in the undergrowth;

Then too the other, as just as fair,

And having perhaps the better claim

Because it was grassy and wanted wear,

Though as for that the passing there

Had worn them really about the same,

And both that morning equally lay

In leaves no step had trodden black.

Oh, I marked the first for another day!

Yet knowing how way leads on to way

I doubted if I should ever come back.

I shall be telling this with a sigh

Somewhere ages and ages hence:

Two roads diverged in a wood, and I,

I took the one less traveled by,

And that has made all the difference.

-Robert Frost