Becoming a Teacher

My co-teacher has been mentoring the wife of one of the upper school teachers, Mrs. H; she's currently working toward her teaching credential.  This week is her lead teaching, and she's reached out to me several times since she knows I can relate to the student teaching experience!  This morning she came in and sat down to ask a few questions, and she got a bit teary.  She apologized profusely, but I assured her that there was no need for apologies!  My own student teaching is still fresh in my mind, and it's truly an emotional roller coaster -- Mrs. H agreed.

Not long ago I read this article, and I related to it so deeply.  It and my recent experiences with Mrs. H led me to reflect on my own teacher preparation.  I had two absolutely amazing mentors in the classroom during my student teaching, and I wouldn't be the educator I am today without their wisdom and guidance.  Alongside them, I'd worked with three incredible professors at my college who were endlessly supportive and patient from day one.

The teacher education program at my college demanded incessant reflection.  At first, these reflections seemed annoying and a waste of time.  As I moved through the program, I came to understand their importance and value them.  I saved them all on my computer and recorded activities I liked, questions I grappled with, management strategies to keep in my back pocket, and classroom decorations I hoped to emulate.  Now as a teacher, I am constantly metacognitive.  I think back on each aspect of my lesson and think of what I could do differently and better to serve my students.  A teacher is never done learning.

During my student teaching, I remember being completely overwhelmed on my first day.  I watched in awe as Mrs. M led her students through their daily routine, chatted with her best friend as she wolfed down lunch (that day I learned teaching makes you SO HUNGRY), attended an RTI meeting, ran reading assessments, and prepared parent communication to send home.  She had me sit with her during small group lessons and debriefed with me during recesses and preps on what she was doing with each student and where they were academically.  Mrs. V did the same thing when I joined her three weeks later.  They invited me to faculty meetings, grade-level meetings, recess duty, field trips, parent-teacher conferences, report card writing, and professional development.  I was a part of everything they did.

But that wasn't all.  Each of them gave me about three days to sit and watch and assist with individual and small group work, then had me start teaching lessons.  Mrs. M gave me a full day of lead teaching in my third week.  Mrs. V added pieces one at a time -- morning meeting every other day, one reading group per day, and math once a week; then every morning meeting, two guided reading groups, and half the math instruction.  By the time my supported lead teaching came around, it was a relatively seamless transition.  I got to plan lessons, manage transitions, reflect on my students' successes and where I'd fallen short.

I am a teacher -- a good teacher -- because of my college and my mentors.  I am still in touch with all of them, and express my gratitude at every opportunity.  Even though I have officially been able call myself a teacher since receiving my license in July, I will never be the perfect teacher.  I will never be done learning.  My students have so much to teach me every day, as do their parents, my colleagues, and my supervisors.  As much as I am a perfectionist in some areas, I've learned to be patient with myself as a teacher.  The perfect is the enemy of the good, and I am constantly improving.  I hope one day soon, when I have grown into the kind of teacher I really want to be, I can return to that same school and mentor young aspiring teachers from my college.  I only hope I can support them as well as my advisors did me.

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Currently reading:  I am inundated in book recommendations from students!!  Can't wait to check out the school book fair tomorrow :)
Current high:  first day of my Theatre and Improv Games exploratory today was SO MUCH FUN
Current low:  at work 6:45am - 7:45pm, just having dinner at 9pm

Long Days, Happy Days

With winter slowly but surely approaching (at least in this hemisphere), it seems like the days are getting shorter overall.  (And winter is DEFINITELY near in Songdo...after a rainy Saturday it has been incredibly chilly.)  But the hours I spend working or at school just get longer and longer!  For some this might be overwhelming and a source of additional stress, but for me, they're days that are filled with things that I love and am passionate about.  Everything I do feeds my soul, so I can draw energy from it.

I was chatting with one of the school administrators today, and she asked about how a recent scheduling snafu was resolved.  I reassured her that I had managed to get what I needed, and we agreed that being a cross-division faculty member is hard work sometimes!  At the end of our conversation she explained, "Well we all love you and we all want you," which is why it feels like tug-of-war sometimes.  Even though things get crazy at certain times of year, I don't mind being caught in between two things that I love.

Take the last two days, for example.  As always, I got to school super early (just before 7am), and on Mondays, that means assembly prep.  I dropped my things off in my classroom and headed straight to the theatre to check microphones, set lighting, fire up projectors, and coordinate with presenters.  After assembly I spent the morning planning the week with the TD of the theatre and then finishing the lighting focus for the fall play.  After a quick lunch, I scurried back to third grade for science lab.  We introduced bottle rockets and the kids got to work on their own designs.  As soon as we went the last group back to their classrooms, I gathered my backpack and coat and headed to the theatre once more for two and a half hours of play rehearsal.  Last night, after a somewhat hectic weekend, I came home, ate some leftover taco salad, and went to sleep before 8pm!

Today, a similar day.  The school day was a blur of supporting our classroom's student teacher (who is lead teaching this week!  woohoo!!!), setting up the tech table in the theatre, a meeting with my grade level team, and hanging with my students.  The day concluded once more with play rehearsal (only 45 minutes this time!).  I scooted right out to catch my PD class on teaching ESL students in mainstream classrooms, which I actually really love.  Once I got home, I visited my next-door neighbors, who I'll be babysitting on Friday night.  I hung with their kids to get them re-acquainted with me and wound up staying for a delicious dinner.  After a few minutes at home, right back to it -- babysitting for another family two floors up!  Since they went to sleep I've been alternating between catching up on TV and homework for my PD class.

Several years ago, I spent my summer doing sports ministry.  My head coach during my first and last sessions became a dear friend of mine and is incredibly wise.  The ministry program worked us hard, and I dropped into bed bone-tired at the end of each day.  My friend DH told me once that he loved that feeling of being exhausted when climbing into bed; it meant he had given everything he had that day.  So even though there are some days like Monday where I pat myself on the back for even making it home, I reflect on the day and am happy with how my energy was spent.

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Currently reading:  still The Boleyn Deceit...my students challenged me to read for an hour tonight, let's see if I manage it between that and my PD homework!
Current high:  days filled with purpose and passion
Current low:  between early bedtime and homework, we had very limited time for Nerf Wars tonight!

I Have Had Singing

As many of you probably know, I love to sing.  I've been singing in choirs since the age of six, and my longest period without a choir was during my gap year.  It was one of the things I missed most about being in school, and it's one of the things I miss most now.  Last year was a serious choral high point:  I was president of Chorale, the choir I'd sung with since my first semester at college, and I was in Chamber Singers, an elite ensemble with some of my favourite women on the planet.

My last choral performances were the weekend of commencement, and we had a program that really tugged at the heartstrings.  I Have Had Singing is a gorgeous a cappella piece that we had also sung at Baccalaureate my sophomore year.  The Storm is Passing Over is a gospel piece full of soul and promise and optimism.  Lechkhumuri maqruli was another familiar favourite for us, a Georgian song about a woman bringing light into a new space.  Our senior song, Parting Friends from Sacred Harp, was the perfect farewell to our choral sisters.  We closed our first concert with Goodnight Song, a traditional college song written nearly a century ago.  Finally, at Baccalaureate, right before my speech to my fellow graduates, we sang The Road Home, which also closed Vespers my junior year.  The zinger of that one:  "there's no such beauty as where you belong."

Thanks for indulging my trip down choral memory lane; and I swear, I have a point.  Today wound up being a weird day.  Usually Friday means science lab all morning, a bit of time in the theatre in the afternoon, and closing out the week with my kiddos.  Not so this week -- I got a text from the TD of the theatre this morning that he was going into Seoul with the purchasing folks from our school to get us a digital sound mixer, and could I take care of setting up for this afternoon's assemblies?  No problem.

This wound up being no small task.  The US music teacher and I were setting up in the atrium for her choir's performance, and I had to run over to the theatres at least three times for various cables and adapters and gear.  On one trip back, I was near the MS choir room and I heard the strains of a familiar and much-beloved piece -- they were singing The Storm is Passing Over!  I paused for a moment, closed my eyes, transported myself back to senior week.  I was standing next to my best friend; I was smiling out at our director, my dear friend; I was surrounded by warmth and filled with joy at being part of such an incredible musical community.  A deep breath, then I opened my eyes and plunged back into reality.

Later in the afternoon once everything was finally up and running, I ran sound check for the choir.  For the first three pieces I was in sound engineer mode, fully absorbed in listening for a good mix.  Finally, during the last piece they rehearsed (For the Beauty of the Earth), I got to stand back and listen for a while.  I saw teachers, students, and visitors wander into the hallways to listen, drawn by their pure tone.  I watched one girl in the front row, her joy in music so apparent in her face and body.  It reminded me of watching my best friend sing, full of joie de vivre.  Suddenly tears filled my eyes, and my heart truly ached for my choral past.  An hour later, they performed brilliantly for their peers -- students from pre-K to grade 10 were rapt as they sang, and I rejoiced in the role that music has in bringing a community together.

Conclusion?  This is a sign from the universe, people.  Starting when I get back in January, I need to get my butt back into a choir.  Come hell or high water, I will find a way to sing again!  But for now, I'm grateful that I can have a role in helping others to enjoy music.  As my college's director told us before each performance, "Someone out there needs this concert."  Today, it was me.

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Currently reading:  The Boleyn Deceit
Current high:  my college's Founder's Day!  Meaning one year ago today was another of my favourite performances, singing To Walk Beyond Dreams with Chamber Singers at the 175th anniversary celebration :)
Current low:  crazy busy day meant no time for lunch and very little time with my kids!

You Tolerate a Headache

Within the PYP, there's a lot of jargon -- the learner profile, the concepts, the transdisciplinary skills, the attitudes, and so on.  For the most part I love the language they use, encouraging students to be open-minded, reflective, empathetic, and more.  The PYP hopes to shape not just 21st century minds, but also thoughtful global citizens.  However, there is one word among all the lingo that I think falls short of their goal, and that word is tolerance.

Tolerance is one of the twelve attitudes that the PYP guides students to develop.  But is tolerance really something to strive for?  Someone once said to me, "You tolerate a headache."  Human beings are not headaches, and I as a person do not want to be tolerated -- I want acceptance instead.  A quick internet search tells me that to tolerate is to "allow the existence, occurrence, or practice of (something that one does not necessarily like or agree with) without interference."  So you won't get in the way of someone doing what they want or being who they are, but you don't necessarily work to understand or support it.  To accept, on the other hand, is "to receive with approval or favor."  In this case, you are welcoming and open to difference.

To be fair, I believe that when confronted with diversity, tolerance is an important step along the road to acceptance, and I don't want to discount that.  There are certainly things that others do that I may not fully understand or support, and I do believe that we all have varying levels of internalized sexism, racism, and other prejudices.  But as an ideal to strive for?  I think tolerance is aiming rather low.  Yes, being accepting of all human beings is a challenge, and I'm certainly not there yet.  But an attitude of acceptance implies open-mindedness, compassion, kindness, and love.

One of the most beloved teachers from my high school closed his 2006 baccalaureate speech with one of my favourite quotes:  "Be kind, for everyone you meet is fighting a hard battle." - Ian MacLaren

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Currently reading:  just finished Speak by Laurie Halse Andersen, about to start The Boleyn Deceit.  Also just read this article on benevolent sexism.
Current high:  spent the morning subbing in kindergarten, and the trip to early years was so good for my soul!
Current low:  coming down with a horrible cold :(

Teaching Changes Lives

Sometimes, teachers will have long days.  I know I've had a few slumps even in my short career.  But once in a while comes a day or a moment or even a sentence that reminds us why what we do is worthwhile.  On days like today, it's important to reflect on that.

The other day during rehearsal for the middle school play, the director and I were chatting with my assistant stage manager, JL.  He asked us, "After this play is over, can I just stage manage for the next one?  And the next one and the next one until I graduate?"  "Of course!" we told him!  (He's great.  He's a dream.  I love training ASMs.)  Our team has thrown around the idea of putting on a full-school musical next year, and he was super excited about that.  He made some suggestions of plays he likes and we chatted about favourite shows.  Then he dropped this gem.

"I used to want to focus on studying history.  But after this?  Theatre and stage management."

Words like that touch a teacher's heart.  I reached out to this kid, told him what a stage manager is, trained him in running rehearsals, taught him how to record blocking.  The director and I are hoping to have him call the show for one of the final performances.  And it made a difference in his life.

Will he go on to be a Broadway stage manager?  Maybe not -- he is only 13, and could change his mind a million times.  (I know I did!)  But maybe he will.  And even if he doesn't, he has found a passion for the arts and for management that will follow him throughout his life.  So whether I one day get to watch a professional show he worked on or see that as a businessman he lends financial support to the arts, I am so proud to think that I may have in some small way contributed to that.  I know I am eternally grateful to those who gave me my start in the arts -- and I never dreamed I'd be here.

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Currently reading:  just started Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson...favourite quote so far:  "[Art] is where you can find your soul, if you dare.  Where you can touch that part of you that you've never dared look at before."
Current high:  RED SOX WON THE WORLD SERIES
Current low:  scheduling nightmares, the saga continues

An Aesthetic Eye

My friends will be quick to tell you that I am not artistic.  My one major creative outlet is theatrical directing, which also has a really technical side to it, which I think is why I'm successful at it.  "But you sing!" people tell me.  Sure, but I don't compose!  Give me a paintbrush, charcoal, a lump of clay, and I will look at you like you have three heads.  And then proceed to make something wildly subpar.  Even when it came to decorating my college dorm room, my friend AB did most of it last year -- and what she left behind never made it onto the walls.

But here's what I've learned:  in the classroom, visual aesthetics are crucial to creating a positive, welcoming, and fun environment.  Uh oh.

Fortunately, as we discovered in Mindset, a book I read and reviewed some time ago, nothing is fixed!  Intelligence, creativity, and other traits are not quantities set in stone -- we can improve anything if we work on it.  (See also:  Vygotsky's Zone of Proximal Development.)  Teaching has given me a great opportunity to practice creativity.  Here's a few things I've learned (plus examples from my classroom!).

1.  It doesn't have to be perfect.  Are my third graders likely to notice that, since I used scissors instead of a paper cutter, the edge of that piece of paper curves up in the middle?  And even if they do, will they care?  Probably not.  A big challenge for me is letting go of my inner perfectionist.  The perfect is the enemy of the good.

Definitely not straight lines.  Definitely no students care.

2.  Visual arts not your strong suit?  Become friends with some word processing software -- I'm a Microsoft Office girl myself.  Using MS Word I can find fun fonts, cool effects, and nice straight lines.  For me, this is so much less stressful than writing bubble letters and trying to make my title perfectly centered!

Much more fun to look at than just a black and white piece of paper!

3.  Need something bigger than a piece of A3 paper?  See if your school has a die-cut machine and make it do the work for you.

So much less stressful than writing block letters -- just roll and stick!

4.  If it's colorful, you're well on your way.  Displays should be vibrant, exploding with color!  Instead of printing out something with black text on a white paper and sticking it on the wall, use a colored font with a glow effect, and matte it on a piece of construction paper.

5.  Pinterest is an incredible resource.  Even though I'm not a superstar artist, there are a lot of teachers out there who are -- and they share!  Do a quick search for what you're looking for and in no time flat you'll have a hundred resources at your fingertips, and a million ideas to make your own.

A sign for one of the learner profile attributes, encouraging students to try new things!

6.  Does the idea of writing on the board make you squirm?  I know a lot of teachers, myself included, dread this task.  Look into a document camera, which can project an image of what you're writing on a non-threatening piece of paper in real time, or hook your computer up to a projector and type instead.

Awesome idea I saw in one of my school's kinder classrooms -- put your timer under the document camera so students can see how much time they have left.

7.  Last but definitely not least -- employ the students.  It's their classroom, so invite them to take ownership of the space.  Have them contribute to making displays, labels, and signs.

In the middle is our central idea, "The solar system is comprised of unique and interconnected parts."  The index cards have facts that students have found out about space.  They splatter painted the backdrop and colored the planets.

Creativity takes practice and time.  Some do have a natural aptitude for it, but others of us need to put in a little more work!  And apparently, it's paid off -- to the likely shock of my college buds, all my friends here have commented on how well-decorated my apartment is :)

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Currently reading:  this article, sent to me by a coworker
Current high:  Halloween with my kiddos!
Current low:  scheduling nightmares

Life Hacks

Life hacks are one of my favourite things.  For those who don't know, "life hacks" are little ways of making daily life a little easier.  (Learn more at lifehackable.com!)  As a new adult and a new teacher, I've been finding a few of my own -- not necessarily life hacks, but positive life choices.  Some are teacher-specific, others are living-on-one's-own-specific, and a few are general tips for your well-being!

• Routines are your friend.  Train your body that as soon as you wake up, you get out of bed and hop in the shower, and that those 20 minutes of reading in bed mean it's time to sleep.  It can do wonders for your sleep schedule.
• Wake up relatively early, even on weekends.  The temptation to sleep until noon on Saturday after a crazy week is nearly overwhelming -- resist the urge!  It'll make you stay up later on weekend evenings, and then when you're back to going to bed at 10pm on Sunday night, you'll be staring at the ceiling for hours.  Don't screw your Monday morning, wake up by 9am on weekends.  (At this point, my body wakes me up by then anyway...sigh!)
• Speaking of waking up early, set your alarm for 15 minutes earlier than you actually need to be awake.  If you wake up right on time, you can be leisurely in your morning routine; linger over breakfast and take some time to cruise your Facebook.  If you're dragging, hit the snooze button, but you won't be pressed for time.
• One last sleep tip -- check out the Sleep Time app (definitely available on iPhone, not sure about other platforms).  This app will track when you are awake, in light sleep, and in heavy sleep.  The alarm will wake you up at your lightest point of sleep up to half an hour before you set your alarm for.  (Admittedly, I usually still snooze it until I have to get up...but I love those few extra minutes knowing I still have time to rest!)
• Give yourself time before students arrive in the morning.  I know there are some teachers who rush in five minutes before the kids come in, and I guess that works for them.  For me, I always take the earliest shuttle to school so I can take some time to prepare for the day and enjoy the quiet of the space before my students come barreling in!
• The importance of self care cannot be understated.  Take at least an hour a week for something that's just a little indulgence for you -- for me it's often a weekend bubble bath with some trashy TV, or an at-home manicure.  Even little things like squeezing in a trip to the gym do wonders for me.  Whenever I don't have another event or class after school, I'll spend an hour working out and I feel great afterward!
• On that note, be good to your body.  Drink plenty of water (and strategically plan in bathroom breaks throughout the day), eat food that makes you feel good.  I'll take a couple of weekends a month to cook up a storm of healthy and tasty meals (soups are my favourite!) and pop single-serving containers in the freezer or fridge so I've got easy lunches and dinners ready to go.
• Say yes more.  When someone invites me to do something, my brain jumps to a million reasons to say "no."  I'm too tired, I have a headache, I need Me Time.  Sometimes these things are true -- but 90% of the time I need to grab some coffee, pop an Advil, and reschedule my introvert hour.  My favourite memories of life in SKorea so far have been the hours spent grabbing dinner after a trip to the gym, or drinks to celebrate an accomplishment with my grade-level team.
• Don't play the "just one more thing" game.  I am the worst at this.  I'll stay after school to copy just one thing for Monday...then I figure as long as I'm there I can grade some student work...plus freshen up that bulletin board...and then before you know it it's 7pm.  Set yourself a deadline, and even if you're in the middle of the task, pack up and go home.  It'll still be there in the morning, I promise.

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Currently reading:  ...guys my addiction to Scandal is getting really serious.  Don't worry, I'll catch up soon and hopefully get back to doing some book reviews :)

Current high:  Thanksgiving break in Taipei with YC and EB is booked!

Current low:  just put all the concert and play rehearsals for November and December into my calendar, and things are looking INSANE.