I'm a TEACHER, What's Your SUPERPOWER?!?!

Happy Friday : ) As I wind my evening down and reflect on the week, I can sit here in front of my computer and smile about my day. I'm going to be honest and admit.....my job is HARD. However, I can not imagine doing anything else : ) Fridays are never-ending for me. I give up my prep (which is the last period of the day) to do service-learning with my students. As a teacher in the Need In Deed teacher network, I am committed to providing my students with the opportunity to identify an issue in the school community or neighborhood that they would like to learn more about. As we research the issue chosen by the students, we are exposed to a variety of classroom visits by individuals who are experts on the topic. Eventually we plan and facilitate a service that addresses the issue the students have identified. I give up my prep every Friday because, as a teacher in the School District of Philadelphia, my day is JAMMED-PACKED with corrective reading and math, literacy and math blocks, lunch, and prep. I integrate our social studies and science into reading workshop because our schedule is so tight (I prefer to teach it this way anyway). There is no time in my regular schedule to do service-learning so that it is meaningful and purposeful. With that said, instead of going to a special on Friday afernoons, my students are with me learning about how they can single-handedly change the world! Keep that in mind as I explain to you that I removed my students from the cafeteria for the next couple of days during their lunch period. Becuase there have been so many conflicts and behavior problems that have developed in the lunchroom, I decided that my entire class will be eating lunch with me until furter notice. After they eat their lunch, students with appropriate classroom behavior are invited to play a board game or visit a center. But the other students.....they must sit quietly until the lunch period is over! They hate this and it is an effective way to redirect inappropriate behavior. In the meantime, I don't get a break....Now remember I told I gave up my prep. So today I literally kept my students with me for the entire day today. Not to mention the group that wasn't ready to leave at dismissal and opted to stay after school to, are you ready for this....."keep me company" 8 ) Needless to say, the frst time I could just sit in silence didn't come until almost FOUR THIRTY PM! Despite this, I had a very productive day! So....what is my superpower? I have stamina. I am committed. I have a way of teaching each and every child in my class so that they each feel as if the lesson was designed just for them. I can make lightbulbs magically appear over students' heads!

Teaching is an art and a science and I have been blessed with the ability to  master both! If you follow this blog not only will hear random stories about my beautiful students, I will also share my ideas, bulletin boards and other resources, routines, materials, videos, etc. that have helped me to become a NOT SO WIMPY TEACHER!

Stay posted!