LAUNCH

Hi there,

We’re about three weeks out from the 1st day of school for the upcoming school year. I’m sitting here, and I have a thousand thoughts running through my mind. One of those thoughts being that I haven’t blogged in what seems like forever (176 days to be exact). A lot has happened in that time frame, and I just kind of wanted to reflect on some of the major things. My hope is that this will kickstart me back into blogging more. I just read the majority of my posts from my first year of teaching, and it was really cool to see the progression. Here goes nothing…

Obviously the biggest thing, in my mind, was that I finished up my second year of teaching. This past year has been quite interesting, and of course, it didn’t go exactly how I planned it. I think overall, though, it was a very successful year of teaching. I was blessed to be able to develop different relationships with a whole new batch of kiddos, and I loved doing it. I survived another stressful round of STAAR testing, and my kiddos did pretty well, so that makes me happy. I was able to do a lot of really interesting things this year, and I think my students really enjoyed it. On the flip side, there were definitely things that I can still improve on. There are things that I didn’t follow all the way through on, topics that I may not have covered as well as the year before, & situations that I could have handled in a better way. I don’t have any regrets though. We all learn from our experiences good or bad, and I think this past year really helped me grow and become a better teacher. One of the hardest things, however, was saying goodbye to the group of 5th graders as they move onto middle school. If you don’t know, this group was my first group of kiddos and they will always hold a special place in my heart. Now I’m man enough to admit that I cried like a baby that last day as they walked out, and I’m so lucky that parents were able to capture this 25 year old man crying in MULTIPLE pictures… It really just hit me that they were growing up and moving on and how much I’ll miss them. I just hope that I made a lasting impression on those kids for the better. They were such a great group of kids, and they better come back and see me. I'm also going to miss having this year's group of kiddos too. Fortunately, they'll still be at the school for me to continue to bug them.

Now, summer has come & pretty much flew by. I can hardly believe that it’s already August, but for the second year in a row, I’m ready to go back. I’m sure I’m crazy and out of mind. Like how could I want to go back already?? I love it. I love what I do, and I love being at that school. It's my happy place. I’m sure there are people that might think, “Oh, you’re still young… just wait.” You’re right, I am young, but this right now is the most important thing in my life. I’m not married. I don’t have any of my own kids. I don’t even have a girlfriend, so this is the biggest thing I’ve got going on in my life. But, I still think (& hope) that my passion and drive for this profession won’t dwindle away with time. I’m about to start my 3rd year of teaching. I have heard that your 3rd year is where you have a really solid handle of things, and I have to say I agree. I know exactly how I’m going to do certain things. I have some awesome ideas that I can’t wait to try out. I’ve gone through the curriculum twice now, and I really have a good handle on what I’m supposed to be teaching. I’m honestly kind of giddy with how excited I am to get this year started. I’m pumped for a new group of kiddos to get to know. I hope this new group is fired up and ready to get started. I think this year is going to be filled with a lot of great things. We have a new member to our team that we’re really excited about. I’m intrigued by the possibility of being somewhat of a mentor for her. I just want to be someone that she can go for advice or just to vent. It wasn’t too long ago that I was going through my first year, so I have a good idea of what are some of the potential things she may be going through. The Whitney’s are back, and we’re all aware of how incredible they are. I’m excited. I think it’s going to be a great year.

We’ve got two weeks until we report for inservice week. My plan is to enjoy those last two weeks as much as I can. Yes, I still enjoy summer. Got some new shirts I’m excited about wearing ;) Jk. I can’t wait to get back to the routine of being a teacher and getting to spend time and work with some of the best teachers in the district. I hope you’re ready 2017/18 school year, we’re coming for ya, and it’s going to be outta this world!

What's Your Good Thing?

So this past week in the exciting adventures of Mr. Mouton, Mr. Mouton survived the first full, normal week back since Christmas break. The first three weeks have been filled with two 3-day weeks and an early release day on the other week. Naturally, I was ready for the normal weekly routine to kick back in. Well, let’s just say that it was an interesting week. This week was packed full of things. Some good & some bad. To say the least, it was a bit stressful, but we all made it through like we always do. No matter how stressful it may seem to get, we just have to take it one day at a time. Eventually, you get past the struggles and some good starts to peek through.

Now, I’m not just blogging to talk about a normal work week. The week ended on a such a positive note for me that I just felt I had to share.  

So, a little background…

When I was in high school I took a class called Teen Leadership. This was class was designed to teach you how to be a better person and build a classroom community between the people in the class. By the end of the course, you really got close and developed relationships with everyone in class. I loved it. Coach Kilgo taught the class and that only made it better. My brother was also in the class which was hilarious and awesome. It was one of my favorite classes that I took in high school. One of my favorite things that we did was called “Good Things”. Each day we started out by telling the class one good thing that had happened to us the day before. It didn’t matter how big or small the something was, but the idea was to make you realize how lucky and blessed your life was, at least that’s what I took from it. No matter what circumstances a person may face, there’s always a positive. Even if that positive is that you woke up that morning to fight another day. It was awesome. I always enjoyed hearing what everyone else would say. Mine always consisted of I ate something amazing for dinner or did something awesome during football season, but we all got to share everyday and it was a great way to learn about our classmates.

I have done this a few times in class a few times with my kiddos. I wish I would have done it more. I usually do it with my homeroom kids on Mondays. I tell them to tell me one good thing that happened to them over the weekend. Their responses usually consist of I played with my friend, had a sleepover, or got some game or toy. But, I had only ever done this with my homeroom kids. Well, I have 5 different groups of kids that I see everyday. Each group has it’s own personalities and uniqueness.

This past week the topic taught in class was fractions. Fractions is one of the most difficult things we do in my opinion. Last year, I felt that fractions was the most difficult thing for me to teach. I just didn’t feel like did a good job communicating the skills, and I felt that I didn’t provide my kiddos with the best learning possible. I have made it a priority to be better this year, and I’ve changed things and come up with different strategies. This past week I felt went pretty well teaching wise. They had on Friday over the topics that had covered in class. Now, I have a kiddo that doesn’t always perform that well in math. Math is a struggle for him, and sometimes I feel like he doesn’t enjoy my class. I just haven’t been able to make that connection with him that I have with most of the kiddos. So, he took his quiz and turned it in. I always grade the quizzes in class that way the kids know what they scored before they leave. I went to grade his, and wouldn’t you know… He made a 100! I was pumped! I even got up to show another teacher on my team. I just had to call him up and let him know what an awesome job he did. He walked up, and I acted like I had bad news and covered his score. He got to my desk, and I looked up and revealed his score. The smile on his face was the reason I teach. I had never seen him smile like that in my class. He was overjoyed and proud of himself. He went “Yes!!” and pumped his fist. I told him I was so proud of him, and gave him a high five. It was awesome, and when he went back to sit down you could tell how excited he was.

There was about 10 minutes left before school got out, and all of the quizzes had been turned in and graded. I let all of the kiddos know what they got, and he again was pumped. I’m not sure why “Good Things” was on my mind, but I felt like it was something that we should do. I told the kids to pack up, and have nothing on their desk. I explained that we we’re going to try something we had never done before. I have a little minion that sits in my paper clip holder. I explained that whoever is holding the minion was the only person allowed to speak (besides me). We were going to pass the minion around and each share one good thing that had happened to them this week. I just felt that it was a long week for all of us, and I thought that it would kind of good to reflect on the week. So, the minion is going around. The responses are typical 10 year old responses, “I had cocoa puffs for breakfast”, “I signed up for M&M”, “I got to hang out with my friend after school”. You get the point. The minion finally got to the boy that scored the 100, and his good thing surprised me. He said, “My good thing is that you made fractions simple and easy for me to understand.” I was shocked. I never thought he would say something about math class as his good thing. It made my heart feel really good. I know that I had the biggest, cheesiest smile on my face. My week leading up to that point had been super stressful, and at that moment all the stress went away. That single moment of when he said that made my week awesome. It made me think, “Man, this was a good week”.

Isn’t it crazy how much of an impact something so small can have? Just by having the kiddos share one good thing that happened to them, my whole outlook on the week was changed for the better. He could have said anything, but he chose to say that. That’s why I love my job. His excitement and pride for his learning is why I do my job. No matter how stressful your week may be… There is always something positive you can take away.

What’s your good thing?

One Word

The night before we return back to school from Christmas break, I’m sitting here on my couch thinking about a lot of things. I keep seeing people post their resolutions for this year. The thing about resolutions is that we all know they seem to kind of fade away after a little bit. We all start out with great intentions to do these amazing things and change our lives, but somewhere down the road it fades away. For me, it’s incredibly frustrating to have this happen over and over. I think one of the issues with it is that we set these lofty goals that seem like a great idea, but it takes a drastic life change to achieve them. Now, I’m not saying resolutions are pointless or unattainable. A person may not drastically change his/her life, but there is some good to make resolutions and reflecting on yourself each year.

One of the things I kept seeing on Twitter was the hashtag #OneWord. I decided to look into to see what it was all about. What I took away from it was that you set one word that is going to drive you. One word that you’re going to reach. This idea is from Jon Gordon. I didn’t go too deep into, but from what I saw I thought it was a great idea. I decided was going to choose my one word and that word was going to be the driving force behind me this year. I just wanted to take the chance to kind of explain my word and why I chose it. I’m going to my word on my mirror that way everyday I start out by seeing my one word.

My #OneWord for 2017 is: Grow

Grow. I started out by looking up the definition of grow, and the first one pertains to physically growing and maturing. Well, that’s not exactly the grow I’m looking for. I dug a little deeper and found two that I liked. You know, I’m not that great with ELA stuff, so the example sentences below helped tremendously. ;)

Grow -  to arise from as a natural development from an original happening, circumstance, or source.

-  to increase gradually in size, amount, etc.; become greater or larger; expand.

I think we all know the type of grow I’m talking about. It’s not physical growth, but it’s more emotional growth. There are many different aspects of my life that I want to grow in. One of the areas I want to GROW in is as a teacher. One of the most important aspects of my life is my job. You all know that I’m a teacher. I’m smack dab right in the middle of my second year of teaching. My goal is to continue to grow and become a better a teacher. I don’t know everything there is to know about teaching 4th grade math. Do I think I do a decent job at? Yeah. I would want my own child in my class, but I know that there is so much room for improvement. I don’t want to fall victim to complacency and think I know everything. I don’t. As a teacher we should never stop trying to learn new things, and I want to learn new things. I learn new things everyday at work. I want to continue that, and the word GROW is vastly important to me as a teacher. I want to listen and take in advice from other teachers, but I also share knowledge and experiences that I have with other teachers. I believe that I have some great knowledge that is worthy of sharing with teachers that are just starting out. That’s a big step for me, but I want to grow in that way of being a teacher.

Another area I want to GROW is my relationships. Each day I encounter hundreds of people. It just happens that a majority of those people are children. My students are one aspect of relationships I want to grow. We have already finished half of the school year in what seems like a blink of an eye. I know there are kiddos that I haven’t reached or that I haven’t really developed that relationship with this year. I want make that a focus for the second half of the year. I want to reach those kids that I might have missed, but I also want to continue to develop the relationships that I do have with kids. That doesn’t just mean current 4th graders. I love seeing my old kids from last year. I want to continue to grow with them. There are younger kids that I see all the time that know who I am, but I don’t them. I want to take the opportunity to learn their name and something about them. It’s my favorite part of the job, and I want to develop the relationships with my students as much as I can before they’re gone!

A big aspect of relationships is my family. I’m very fortunate to have such an incredible family that is supportive and amazing. We all get along, and that is a rare thing. We all have our health and we’re all off doing amazing things. I love my family, and I love the relationships that I have built with each member. But, that doesn’t mean I can’t grow with them. I’m lucky to live 5 minutes from my parents. To some people, that may be terrible and not far enough, but I can see my parents anytime I want to. That’s a blessing that not everyone can say, and I love spending time with them. So, when I just come over on Saturday morning just because, I cherish it because I get to spend time with them & talk with them. I’m also very lucky to have a brother and sister. I think most of you know that I love my sister, and I would do anything for her. She’s awesome, and my best friend. What gets lost in the shuffle, is that I feel the same way about my brother. The relationship I have with my sister is different from the relationship I have with my brother. I love my brother. My brother is a complete and total badass, and I have been his number one fan forever. My favorite thing to do was to watch him in high school do his thing, and I was so proud of him. He has grown up to be a great man, and I like to them I played a little part in that. Unfortunately, I don’t get to see him as often as my sister. That’s partially my fault. I haven’t made the best effort to attend his out of town games (car issues), but that’s no excuse. I want to grow in both my relationships with my brother and sister. I love them both very much.

Lastly, I want to grow in my personal relationships. I’m a huge homebody, and the idea of sitting on my couch alone doesn’t deter me in anyway. I like have some alone time, but it has hindered my personal relationships. I want GROW in my relationships with my friends. I don’t see them that often, but a lot of that falls on me. I want to be more active and be willing to go out more places with them because I’m missing out on a lot of things. I would love to have a girlfriend. Someone that I can just talk to all day and never get sick of it. Someone just to do life with. Problem is it’s hard to meet someone while sitting on the couch. So, I also want to just GROW as a person. I don’t want to spend my life alone. I want to get out there and meet people, and that involves me taking risks.

I have no idea what is in store for me in 2017. What I do know is that I’m going to focus one word: Grow. I want it to drive me in everything that I do. I want to become a better teacher, son, brother, & friend. I’m almost 25 years, but I know that I have a whole lot of room to still grow in every aspect of my life.

What’s your one word going to be?

Letter To Myself

So, I was watching a bunch of sappy, feel good videos about teachers and education, and I came across one that really stuck out to me. It was a video of teachers writing to themselves before they started their very first day ever! It was really interesting to see what they would say, and I thought it would be a cool thing for me to do. I’m only a year and half removed from my first day ever, but there’s a whole lot that I wish I could tell myself back then. Here goes nothing…

Dear 1st year Mr. Mouton, Mr. Moomaw, Mr. MooMoo, Mr. Crouton, Mouton, Mr. Crazy Socks, Mr. Minion (you have many names)

This is your future self. You are about to embark on the most exciting chapter of your life. You may think you know what lies ahead of you, but I’m happy to say you don’t. You have no idea what you’re getting yourself into. I’m proud to say that it’s going to be better than you could have ever imagined. You’re going to spend countless hours up at that school on Sunday. Your team is incredible, and the relationships that develop with them are priceless. You’re going to wear a Minion pajama suit and skirt. You’re going to buy this thing called a POP that’s going to lead to slight obsession. You’re going to experience some of the best times of your life, but you’re also going to experience one of the worst. It’s all apart of this crazy thing you do everyday with your life. It’s called being a teacher, and you’re going to love it. Now, let me just give you some advice.

First off, you can’t be afraid to ask for help. You’re a first year teacher, the only math teacher in 4th grade, and you’re starting out from scratch with nothing. The three ladies you work with are incredible, and they are all smarter than you. It is better to just admit it now. They are three of the best teachers, and they will give you so much advice throughout your first year. So, don’t be stubborn and get off your high horse. There is no shame in asking for help. That was one thing we struggle with this year. We can let our ego get in the way, and this only causes more stress for us. No one is perfect, and we all need help from time to time. You’re just fortunate to have some of the best team members around. So, use them! :)

Secondly, you’re first year is going to a roller coaster of success and failures. Just like with most things, you’re going to have your ups and downs. All of the notes and lessons you make at the beginning of the year… Yeah, it’s all garbage. Don’t worry though, you’ll redo them all next year. Let me just save you a headache now. You need to use PowerPoint to make your stuff. Miss A will tell you to use PowerPoint, but you’re so stubborn you’ll use Word. Don’t do that. Word is so much harder to use. When it comes to long division, you need to have patience. The first two days of it the kiddos are going to look at you like you’re speaking Chinese. Then through a miracle, you’ll change how you’re teaching it and they’ll all become masters at it. Like seriously, long division ends up being one of the best skills we learn this year. They’re like little Jedi division masters afterwards, so be patient. Now fractions, I’m sorry to say, we’ll just be a struggle the whole time. We’re going to have to revamp it in your second year. The important thing, though, is to not let the struggles keep you down. You’re going to do some amazing things this year, and some things that are going to bomb. All that matters is how you handle the things that tank. You can either let them keep you down, or you can assess the situation and come back to work the next day prepared to be better. It’s all about your attitude. Like seriously, you will do some amazing things. For example: fantasy football, math olympics, geometry town, long division (crazy I know), the menu project, trashketball, and many other things. So, you need to keep the mindset that you’re going to give it everything you got everyday!

But teaching isn’t all about the content. It’s so much more than that. The most important thing to us (you) is the kids. You’re going to have an incredible group of kiddos, and that first group of homeroom kids will steal your heart. The relationships that you make this coming year will change your life forever, and I’m so excited for you to experience it. You’ll love it and not to toot our own horn, but the kiddos will love you too. One of your favorite things to do will be to play soccer at recess. You will have a big group of kiddos out there playing with you, and some of the kiddos that play will surprise you. You’re also going to love seeing the Kindergartners. We’ll eat lunch with them, and they’ll quickly learn who you are. They’re just so dang adorable. Embrace all of it. That’s what makes this job so special, and I know that’s the reason you decided to be a teacher. Well, I’m here to tell you that you made the right choice. I know what you’re thinking… Do our old kiddos still come talk to us? You bet they do. You make a lasting impression.

I want to talk about the hardest thing you’ll face in your first year. You’re going to have a great year, and your team will nominate you for 1st year teacher of the year because they’re awesome in that way. Like seriously, they have to do so much to fill that out and get it turned it. They’re incredible for doing it, and we’ll be forever grateful. And, I gotta say you deserve to be nominated. I’m your biggest fan, so I know how hard you’re going to work and how much you will care about those kiddos. You do. You deserve it. You’re going to write the best paper you have ever written (with the help of Miss A) persuading people to make you a finalist. You’re going to think you’re a lock for a finalist, and there’s no way they can’t pick you. Then it happens. You’re going to get the email, look for your name, and see three other names as the finalists. You’re not chosen as a finalist, and it is one of the most soul crushing moments you’ll ever have. To make matters worse, you read the email standing in front of the class, and we’re not very good at hiding our emotions. Try to read it not in front of the kids. I’m not going to sugar coat it, it honestly is one of the most defeating things you’ll experience. You’re going to want it so bad, and to know they don’t pick you is hard. I know that it’s your goal to not only be a finalist, but to when 1st year TOY for the district. It’s going to feel like you failed. BUT, I’m here to tell you forget about it because it doesn’t matter. The people that you want thinking you’re a great teacher, they do. They think you deserve it, and that’s all that matters. You will make a difference, and you are an incredible teacher. Are you perfect? Absolutely not. But, teaching is what you’re meant to do, and you make a difference! You rock your first year of teaching, and you don’t need that award to validate it for you. Through the relationships you build with the kids and the experiences you have along the way, those will validate your first year as a success. I need you to remember that.

Your first year is going to be successful. I’m not saying everyday will be rainbows and butterflies because it won’t be. There will be hard days. There’s going to be days where you don’t want to go. There will be days you will think that you’re not making a difference, and no would even care if you were there. You’re wrong. That school is EXACTLY where you’re supposed to be, and you’re doing exactly what you’re supposed to be doing. Impacting kids’ lives is what you’re meant to do. So when the going gets tough, suck it up because it will get better. Keep going to work everyday with the mindset that you’re going to make a difference because you are. Because, Mr. Mouton, you love the heck out of your job and those kids.

Sincerely,

Your older self.

P.S. If I had to sum up your first year and a half in two pictures, these would be it. Enjoy every moment!

1 Down 3 To Go

It’s been a good chunk of time since my last blog post. To me, however, it doesn’t feel that long, but it’s been over 9 weeks. 9 weeks… How has the first 9 weeks of school already come and gone? It seems like yesterday that it was the first day of school, and I was getting nervous to start the year. The days are just flying by!

The reason I haven’t really been blogging is I didn’t really know what I wanted to talk about. I’ve said that before, but if you know me, you know I’m not a huge writer. So, great ideas don’t just come to me to write about. I figured with the 9 weeks ending, I could kind of recap the couple of months of school.

My biggest takeaway from the beginning of school is… I was not a very good teacher the first few weeks of school. I remember coming into this year thinking I’m set because I’ve got all this stuff that I made from last year. I won’t really have to make anything! Boy, I was naïve. Everything that I made at the beginning of the year last year was just terrible. I remember looking through it thinking oh wow there’s no way I used this. Trust me, it was bad. I was a rookie. I didn’t have anything, and I was just starting out. I am glad to say the rest of the year was way better. So, the thought that I wasn’t going to have to make much stuff ended very quickly.

I think it’s a good thing, though. As a teacher, you don’t want to become complacent and do the same thing over and over again. I feel that I should always strive to become a better teacher. Is there going to be things that I do multiple times? Yes. But, there’s also going to be things that I’m constantly changing for the better. I’ve always heard that self-reflection is huge. I need to really to do that after each unit. I need to think about what worked and what didn’t. If something worked, I should do it again. If something bombed, I should definitely try something else. Regardless, I think it’s important to look over everything you did, and see if there is any way to improve. It’s important to keep the mindset that, as a teacher, I never stop learning. I’m still a student just as much as my kiddos are. I learn new things every day.

My second big takeaway is that each group of kiddos is different and unique. The group of kids that we have now is completely different from the kids we had last year. There’s a whole new realm of strengths, weaknesses, and challenges, but I love this new group. I’ve really enjoyed getting to know all of them these past 9 weeks. Has it always been rainbows and butterflies? No, but overall it’s been great. Don’t get me wrong; I totally miss my old kiddos too. I’m very fortunate that they are just down the hall. It’s an awesome feeling when they’re still so excited to see you and want to say hi to me in the hallway. I love those kids. They will always hold a special place in my heart with them being my first group. I’m just glad that they still want to talk to me ;)

One really cool thing that we did this first 9 weeks was the Menu Project. I did this project last year, and I loved it. More importantly, the kiddos loved it. So, I decided to do it again. Of course, I went through it and made some necessary changes to make it better. In a nutshell, the kids are in groups and they are challenged with creating a menu for a restaurant that they create. They can pick any theme that they want, and they come up with the food choices for their restaurants. They make menus, and at the end we have our “dinner” session where the groups “dine” at other restaurants. Each group has to calculate the total bill and change for each customer. It’s just away to kind of have a real life application of adding and subtracting decimals. The kids loved it, and it was so cool to see the amazing things that they came up with. They were excited to come to class everyday, and their menus they made were incredible. We were also fortunate to be chosen for showcasing for the whole district. McA was the school of the month, and the district chose the Menu Project as something they wanted to highlight. Of course I thought it was awesome they picked it, but I was really more excited for my kiddos worked to be seen all over the district. They’re the reason I do what I do, and for their work to be shown off really meant a lot to them. I was so proud of all their hard work. If you would like to read the article here is a link to it: http://tinyurl.com/hk4mhdu

It’s been an eventful start to the school year. It’s a cliché, but it’s had its up and downs for sure. I love what I do, and that hasn’t changed. I’m looking forward to the rest of the year, and I can’t wait to further the relationships with this group of kiddos. It’s a lot of hard work, but I’m up for it. There’s nothing else I’d rather do.

If you’re still reading this, you rock. Thank you for the support. :)

Back At The Starting Line

I'm sitting at home on the couch watching the Olympics. First of all, how addicting is watching the Olympics? Michael Phelps & Katie Ledecky have to have been dolphins in past life. Anyways. It's been an interesting day. My family and I attended a funeral today for my uncle's dad. Funerals always make you think about everything! There's a ton of things on my mind, but there are a few that really stick out to me.

My uncle spoke at the funeral, and it was a very emotional, heartfelt speech. What I loved about it was his final thought. He challenged each one of us listening to reach out to our loved ones and let them know how much we care about them. We don't when we won't be able to talk to our loved ones. Don't we all have someone that we could reach out to, but we always find a reason not to. There's a person in my head right now that I need to reach out to. I'm definitely going to accept that challenge, and I would like to extend that challenge to anybody reading this.

One of the other things pressing on my mind is the upcoming school year. How could it not be? The first official day back for teachers is in less than 48 hours. This is my last non school night of the summer! To be honest, I'm SO excited to get back to work. I'm ready, and I've really been ready for a couple of weeks now. I'm looking forward to this upcoming week. I get to be back with my team and working with them, and also with all the other wonderful ladies (& Coach Baker) that I work with. Then I also get to meet my knew group of kiddos. I was looking online at the kids that I got and they are all adorable. They're all adorable in the beginning though ;) I can't wait to meet them. I think that they have found out who their teacher will be, and I hope that they are excited to have me. I know that I'm excited to have them! I can't wait to get working with my homeroom kiddos and the whole 4th grade group.

Which brings me to my last thought. I'm thinking about my kids from last year. I miss them (they better come say hi to me on Tuesday!!) On Facebook, there's a group of all the parents for the class of 2024 which is the group of kids that I just had. I'm in the group, and I got a notification today of two 5th grade teachers requesting to join the group. The first thought that crossed my mind was, "I'm not their teacher anymore." I was like woah. As great as that first year was, it's on to the next one. Everybody is talking about who their kids teacher is, and I'm so excited for all of them to be 5th graders this year. It's such a great group of kids, and I was very blessed to have them as my first group of kids. What I really took away, though, was that I will NEVER forget that group of kids. They were my first group, and I've got a really good memory ;) They have left a lasting impact, and I will never forget them. I have our class picture framed on my book shelf at my apartment. I'm a bit of a nostalgic kinda guy. I love those kids. All of them not just my homeroom. I can only hope that I left a positive lasting impression. But you know what the best part is? I'm about to get a whole new group of kids to make an impact on. That excites me! That first group will always hold a special place in my heart, but I'm so lucky that I'm going to continue getting new kiddos each year to work with.

Summer is over, but that doesn't mean the fun times have to stop. I can't wait to get working, and I can't wait to make an impact on this next group of kiddos!

Strive For Greatness

It’s the fourth week of my first summer vacation as a teacher, and I have learned two things.

1. I definitely needed a break. Teachers deserve a break, and I am thoroughly enjoying the chance to sit back and relax a little.
2. I already miss it. I miss my kiddos, my team, my co-workers. I miss all of it.

I miss waking up at 6:04 everyday to get ready. I miss the Chick-fil-la drive thru to get my Dr. Pepper that helps get me ready for the day. I miss kiddos walking in and and saying hello. I miss working with the students and my team members. I miss it all. I’m crazy right? It hasn’t even been four weeks yet. How can I miss it so much? It’s simple really. I love what I do.

I haven’t posted in awhile, and I didn’t really know what I wanted to talk about. If you are choosing to read this post, I greatly appreciate it. There’s a good amount weighing on my mind, and I just want to talk about a little bit of it.

The thing that I miss the most are my students. Were they starting to drive me a little crazy there at the end? Yes. Was I starting to drive my students a little crazy at the end? Probably. It’s been a little over three weeks, and I haven’t seen any of them. To say I miss them is an understatement. They’re the reason I get up everyday and go to work. They’re the reason that I and teachers everywhere work so hard for! Our job is to shape young minds and help them grow and mature. In the summer, there’s no kids. I wake up everyday, and there’s nothing to do. Don’t get me wrong. I’m enjoying the break, but I feel like I’m lacking a sense of purpose. During the school year, I had 80+ kiddos depending on me, and in the summer, I don’t. It’s a weird feeling. I think about my students all the time, and I miss them. I only hope that some of them miss me too. That’s the impact we want to leave behind isn’t it?

An extremely close second on the list of things I miss: my team. I don’t know if you know, but I had a phenomenal team. We rocked. I may be biased, but you have to be your biggest fan. I couldn’t have asked for a better team for my first year of teaching. We worked so great together, and I loved everyday I got to spend with them. I just miss being at school with them and collaborating together. Those three ladies are incredible teachers, and they’re some of the best in the district. I would argue that with anybody!

Our team for next school year is going to look a little different. AB retired, and I hope that she is taking full advantage of being retired and enjoying every single day. She definitely deserves it, but it’s safe to say she will be severely missed. But.. I am incredibly excited for our new team member. I haven’t had too many interactions with her, but from I have had, she seems incredible too. I’m excited about what next year will bring for our team, and I can’t wait to start working with her. I’ve already heard so many great ideas from her, and she’s pretty hilarious as well. I think she’s going to be awesome!

I was asked a few days ago, “What is your favorite part of your job?” I thought about it for a second. I feel like a lot of people would say teaching the kids and watching them grasp that super hard concept, or watching them grow in the classroom and become better students. Not me. Now I love watching my students understand a new math concept (like long division). But, my favorite part of the job is what I like to call the “Mr. Trevor” part of my job. I LOVE all of the informal time that I get to spend with the kids. That could be a ton of things. It could be talking with the students in the hallway in between classes, when I grab the microphone at lunch, and they would all yell for me to start singing, interacting with them at recess, or seeing them at the talent show or Chili Cook Off. Any chance that I got to spend with my kiddos outside of the classroom that’s what I love. I love building relationships with all of my Ss. All of those opportunities are when the students can be themselves, and I just love getting to spend time with them. I still love helping my Ss become better learners, and I love teaching them math. But I love interacting with them when the pressures of learning standards aren’t at the forefront of their minds.

I just finished up a book study for the book Teach Like A Pirate. It’s all about ways that you can improve your classroom, and make it exciting for you, your students, and colleagues. I found the book to be very useful. One of the things that really stuck with me was to always strive for greatness in the classroom. Teaching requires a great passion and enthusiasm for working with kids in order to be successful, but it also takes an incredible amount of hard work. I can’t just wake up and wing it. I have to work at it, and I’ll always have to work at it. Last year when I started, I had nothing. I had no 4th grade math lessons, worksheets, or projects. You name it, and I didn’t have it. I had to come up with everything as the year went on. It was a lot of work. Now going into my second year, I have all of that stuff that I used last year. I could do the same thing I did last year, and it might be successful. But I’m already licking my chops to improve on what I did last year. I want to make it all better and more successful. I want to be a great teacher. I know I’m not the only one. I doubt any teacher does anything the same way year in and year out. But, I’m so excited and ready to get back to work to improve on what I did last year. There were things that I did last year that rocked, but there were also things that kind of bombed (stupid fractions…). I can’t wait to make it all better, but I can’t do it alone and without a little bit of hard work.

I’m excited at the prospect of what my second year of teaching will bring. I’m ready for a new group of kiddos to work with, and I hope they’re excited to work with me. My old kiddos better come back to visit because you know I’m going to be bugging them and their big bad 5th grade selves. I’m excited to work with a new team and to see everyone that I work with. We should all strive for greatness, and it’s okay to be a little crazy in the process.

If you’re still reading, you’re a trooper. I’m curious as to who reads this far, so if you are still reading… Tell me who your favorite superhero is in the comments. (If you want lol)

Mine is the Hulk.