I haven't blogged in a while, and I haven't really known what to write about. Nothing seems more appropriate or cliche than kind of wrapping of the year. The year 2015 has been an eventful year. This year started with me working temporarily at one school, and ended with me working at my full time job.
I started out working at Huffines and teaching 6th grade Math & Science. It was a long term sub position and I was there for the entire Spring semester. This job did an incredible job preparing me. I had no idea where I was going to get a full time job, and I always thought that it was going to be in Middle School. The semester went on and I really cherish the time I had working with those kids. That job was definitely not easy, but it was worth it in the end.
The time came for me to really start looking for a job, and I started the interview process. I think I had like 5 interviews. The first few I didn't get the job, and that can really bring a person down. You go in pour your heart out, and they decide to choose someone else. It was honestly a let down the first couple of times. This whole time I had been talking with JM about everything, and keeping her in the loop with how everything was going. Then one day she contacted me about a possible position that may be opening up. It wasn't for sure. If you have never heard of McA before, just know that it is an incredible school. The idea of having a job there was awesome, and I was all for it. But... that wasn't a sure thing. I went in to talk to who I thought was going to be her, but ended up being the 4th grade team that I would be working with. I went from calm to extremely nervous in about 2 seconds. This is an intimidating, incredible group of teachers. I left that meeting with them not feeling the most confident about it. They also wanted to come watch me teach, so WP and JR came to my class and watched me. That was probably the most nervous I had ever been. Nothing like teaching to convince people to hire you. Now it was the waiting to game to see if they wanted to hire me and to see if it the position was actually going to open up. While I was waiting to hear back from McA, I had another interview for a 7th grade position that I ended up getting. I had to make the tough decision, and I decided to turn down that offer in hopes of the McA one. Longer story short... you all know that I ended up at McA. Thank God I did.
Its December 31, and I'm thinking back to all the things that happened in the first semester, and I gotta say I love my job. It is insane to think that the first half of my first year teaching is already over. This whole time I have just been trying to do the best that I can, and keep up with my incredible team. These 3 ladies are insanely good teachers, and sometimes I feel like I don't belong. I just keep trying to work as hard as I can to do the best that I can. I feel like I have done some good things thus far. One of my favorite things that I have done was Fantasy Football. That was a lot of fun to do, and the kids really bought into it. Every week they were excited to do it. Unfortunately, that has come to an end. The relationships with all of my students has been another thing I am proud of. I feel like I have gotten to know almost all of the students, and I think that all of them know that I love them. They may drive me crazy, but I wouldn't trade em for anybody else. I like to think that they all enjoy coming to my class everyday. Well as much as a 4th grader can enjoy going to math class (;
I have two goals for the rest of the school year. 1: I want to further my relationships with my students, and try to connect more with those students that I may not connected with too much the first semester. 2: I want to finish the year strong, and keep my students excited about math. I feel like I have done a decent job at getting those kids to enjoy math more. I know it's math, and I know that not all of them are going to love it. But if I can continue to make them enjoy coming to my class then maybe they can learn to love it like I do.
If you're still reading by now, thanks. This year has been incredible, and a lot has happened. People have come and gone, but I don't regret anything. All the events of the year shape me into the man that I am today. I know that 2016 will be another year full of exciting times!
Thanks for reading, and God Bless!
Thursday, December 31, 2015
Friday, November 27, 2015
Plenty of things to be thankful for...
I was sitting at home with family thinking about all of the things that I'm thankful for because you know it was Thanksgiving. It has been awhile since I posted on here, and I felt that it was a great opportunity to talk about the past few weeks. The main thing I want to get across is that I have so much to be thankful for. From my family to my job, my life has been truly blessed. This post isn't necessarily going to be just about school, but rather about what's on my mind.
First, I want to talk about my family. I feel like my family is that annoying All-American family. We all like each other and get along. My brother is a college athlete. My sister is on the drill team and involved with her church and various honor societies. My parents have been married for over 25 years now, and then there's me. I have been fortunate enough to play sports my whole life and got the opportunity to play in college. I've graduated college, and have this amazing job. There honestly really hasn't been a huge flaw. I can't tell you how amazing that is and how thankful I am for that. I don't want to sound like I'm bragging because I'm not. It is just amazing to look back over the years and see the many blessings God has given us. I know that not every family situation is a lucky as we are, and again I'm so thankful. Each family dynamic is unique, and I love the family that I have.
Next I'll actually talk about teaching. I have officially made it to Thanksgiving break with all of my kiddos still alive, haha. I can't even believe that it has already been a little over 3 months. The past three months have been incredible. I may just be the naive first year teacher, but I love my job and I wouldn't want to do anything else. Of course, not every day is perfect, and I don't leave thinking wow today was awesome. There are going to be those days that you come out exhausted, but it is how I handle those days. After having a day like that, I try to come back the next day determined to make it better than the day before. It's a simple mindset, but it works for me. My students are pretty awesome in their own right, and I'm so lucky that the majority of them love coming to my class and actually want to participate. I know there are some teachers out there that don't have that luxury. That just tells me that I have to make the most of the eagerness of my students and really strive to have them grow. Though some days they drive me crazy, I can't wait to see their little faces when I get back on Monday.
Finally, I don't know if I would survive without the people that I work with. I've said this before and it won't be the last time, but the group ladies that I work with are truly incredible. I still feel like I don't belong with them, and I'm just trying to keep up. The team that you work with is so vital in whether you not you enjoy your job. I am blessed to get along with all of them, and love coming to work everyday knowing they're by my side. Not only do I have the greatest team, but I have the greatest principal. I'm willing to argue with you about that if you think otherwise. The environment that she creates at school is, in her terms, "fabulous". There is so much fun going on, but there is no shying away from learning. Yeah it can be crazy at times, but we go right back to learning. She puts an emphasis on you gotta work hard to play hard, and I couldn't agree more. I also had my first PDAS evaluation by her, and I was extremely nervous. It's intimidating to have someone come into your class and watch you do your thing. Long story short, she made not such a stressful thing, and her evaluation was pretty good. It's always nice to have reassurance that what your doing is working, and that they like having you work at their school. I'm thankful that it's over though!
This week off came at a great time. It was just the perfect timing to get rejuvenated to go back for the next three weeks and knock them out before Christmas break. There are many things that I have to be thankful for, and I thank God everyday for all the blessings that he has given me. I'm very fortunate to have a great job and family, and I can't wait to see what the future holds.
First, I want to talk about my family. I feel like my family is that annoying All-American family. We all like each other and get along. My brother is a college athlete. My sister is on the drill team and involved with her church and various honor societies. My parents have been married for over 25 years now, and then there's me. I have been fortunate enough to play sports my whole life and got the opportunity to play in college. I've graduated college, and have this amazing job. There honestly really hasn't been a huge flaw. I can't tell you how amazing that is and how thankful I am for that. I don't want to sound like I'm bragging because I'm not. It is just amazing to look back over the years and see the many blessings God has given us. I know that not every family situation is a lucky as we are, and again I'm so thankful. Each family dynamic is unique, and I love the family that I have.
Next I'll actually talk about teaching. I have officially made it to Thanksgiving break with all of my kiddos still alive, haha. I can't even believe that it has already been a little over 3 months. The past three months have been incredible. I may just be the naive first year teacher, but I love my job and I wouldn't want to do anything else. Of course, not every day is perfect, and I don't leave thinking wow today was awesome. There are going to be those days that you come out exhausted, but it is how I handle those days. After having a day like that, I try to come back the next day determined to make it better than the day before. It's a simple mindset, but it works for me. My students are pretty awesome in their own right, and I'm so lucky that the majority of them love coming to my class and actually want to participate. I know there are some teachers out there that don't have that luxury. That just tells me that I have to make the most of the eagerness of my students and really strive to have them grow. Though some days they drive me crazy, I can't wait to see their little faces when I get back on Monday.
Finally, I don't know if I would survive without the people that I work with. I've said this before and it won't be the last time, but the group ladies that I work with are truly incredible. I still feel like I don't belong with them, and I'm just trying to keep up. The team that you work with is so vital in whether you not you enjoy your job. I am blessed to get along with all of them, and love coming to work everyday knowing they're by my side. Not only do I have the greatest team, but I have the greatest principal. I'm willing to argue with you about that if you think otherwise. The environment that she creates at school is, in her terms, "fabulous". There is so much fun going on, but there is no shying away from learning. Yeah it can be crazy at times, but we go right back to learning. She puts an emphasis on you gotta work hard to play hard, and I couldn't agree more. I also had my first PDAS evaluation by her, and I was extremely nervous. It's intimidating to have someone come into your class and watch you do your thing. Long story short, she made not such a stressful thing, and her evaluation was pretty good. It's always nice to have reassurance that what your doing is working, and that they like having you work at their school. I'm thankful that it's over though!
This week off came at a great time. It was just the perfect timing to get rejuvenated to go back for the next three weeks and knock them out before Christmas break. There are many things that I have to be thankful for, and I thank God everyday for all the blessings that he has given me. I'm very fortunate to have a great job and family, and I can't wait to see what the future holds.
Sunday, November 1, 2015
Talk About A Crazy Week...
This week was packed full of things that I had to get accomplished.
First off, it was Red Ribbon Week. This means that there was a different dress up day each day of the week. If you know me at all, of course I dressed up as everyday! It was always exciting and cool to see how the kids showed up to school. The best day was Friday when it was Circus themed costume day. I dressed up in a Minion pajama suit. It had to be circus themed, so I bought a rainbow wig, rainbow suspenders, and rainbow bow tie. I looked good, just saying. It was so funny walking around the school seeing the kids reactions. We even had a costume parade where each grade displayed their costumes. It definitely made for a crazy day.
Second, it was conference week. I had the pleasure to get to meet with my students parents. I was really nervous about this because I had never had one before. I think as the week went on I finally settled in a knew what to do. There were definitely some interesting meetings to say the least. I also had a couple of parents that didn't show up to their scheduled time. I think the conferences went better than I had imagined they would. I think I will be more comfortable next go around. Hey... I didn't have any parents yell at me or really have any complaints. Overall, successful.
Lastly, it was Marquette Family Dance week. I got to dance with my sister last year, and I was lucky enough to get to dance with her again this year. We had rehearsal after school on Monday, and I didn't practice again until rehearsal the day of the game. I wasn't very prepared to say the least. Dancing is not my thing, and I was a little worried about performing in front of thousands of people. Halftime came and went and I only messed up twice on the dance. My performance could have been better, but I'll live. The thing that really got me the most was when the dance ended. I went to hug my sister, and that's when she buried her head into me and started to cry. This killed me. She's leaving in 9 months, and it is going to be incredibly sad. What I thought was going to be a simple hug turned into a release of emotion for the departure that lies ahead. I'm going to miss her like crazy, and I'm pretty sure she is going to miss me.
I would say by the end of the week, I had nothing left in the tank. Turns out I had to find something because I had the Marquette 5K Saturday morning. I'll keep this part short. I don't recommend running a 5K willy nilly that you haven't even prepared for. My legs are hating me for sure!
First off, it was Red Ribbon Week. This means that there was a different dress up day each day of the week. If you know me at all, of course I dressed up as everyday! It was always exciting and cool to see how the kids showed up to school. The best day was Friday when it was Circus themed costume day. I dressed up in a Minion pajama suit. It had to be circus themed, so I bought a rainbow wig, rainbow suspenders, and rainbow bow tie. I looked good, just saying. It was so funny walking around the school seeing the kids reactions. We even had a costume parade where each grade displayed their costumes. It definitely made for a crazy day.
Second, it was conference week. I had the pleasure to get to meet with my students parents. I was really nervous about this because I had never had one before. I think as the week went on I finally settled in a knew what to do. There were definitely some interesting meetings to say the least. I also had a couple of parents that didn't show up to their scheduled time. I think the conferences went better than I had imagined they would. I think I will be more comfortable next go around. Hey... I didn't have any parents yell at me or really have any complaints. Overall, successful.
Lastly, it was Marquette Family Dance week. I got to dance with my sister last year, and I was lucky enough to get to dance with her again this year. We had rehearsal after school on Monday, and I didn't practice again until rehearsal the day of the game. I wasn't very prepared to say the least. Dancing is not my thing, and I was a little worried about performing in front of thousands of people. Halftime came and went and I only messed up twice on the dance. My performance could have been better, but I'll live. The thing that really got me the most was when the dance ended. I went to hug my sister, and that's when she buried her head into me and started to cry. This killed me. She's leaving in 9 months, and it is going to be incredibly sad. What I thought was going to be a simple hug turned into a release of emotion for the departure that lies ahead. I'm going to miss her like crazy, and I'm pretty sure she is going to miss me.
I would say by the end of the week, I had nothing left in the tank. Turns out I had to find something because I had the Marquette 5K Saturday morning. I'll keep this part short. I don't recommend running a 5K willy nilly that you haven't even prepared for. My legs are hating me for sure!
Sunday, October 25, 2015
1 Down, 3 To Go
Nothing like ending the week with a 9 week party with two of your four team members not there. Little chaotic, but we all survied haha! This week ending marked the end of the 1st 9 weeks. I can hardly believe that I already have already completed 9 weeks. It seems just like yesterday that I was sitting in my First Year Teacher meetings.
I feel like the past 9 weeks have been a success. A whole lot has happened in such a short period of time. There have been times where I have been super stressed, but I would say for the most part that everything has been pretty good. I have made it a point to do exciting things for the kids in class. I feel like that most of them are enjoying math (as much as a 4th grader can). I have learned that there are times that you are going to have to adjust on the fly, but everything is a learning experience thus far. There are things that I have really enjoyed doing that I will definitely do again, but there are definitely things that I am going to have to change next time around.
This week coming up is packed full of stuff. It is Red Ribbon Week which means a different dress up day throughout the week. There is Fall Ball Frenzy where the teachers are playing the parents in a softball game. That is going to be crazy fun. There is also the Marquette Family Dance on Friday. I have two practices during the week that I have to go to. Oh and not to mention... It's conference week. I have to meet with all of my homeroom kiddos parents. I am super nervous about that. I can talk to kids all day, but give me their parents and boom I'm deer in headlights. I just gotta relax, and take it one parent at a time. It's going to be a busy week, but I'll get through it and do the best that I can at everything that I do.
The first 9 weeks has flown by, and it is safe to say that I love my job. I love the kids, the people I work with, and my school. All of us put together really make of The Greatest Show on Earth. You would be hard pressed to find a school that is more passionate and enthusiastic about it's students having a great learning experience.
I feel like the past 9 weeks have been a success. A whole lot has happened in such a short period of time. There have been times where I have been super stressed, but I would say for the most part that everything has been pretty good. I have made it a point to do exciting things for the kids in class. I feel like that most of them are enjoying math (as much as a 4th grader can). I have learned that there are times that you are going to have to adjust on the fly, but everything is a learning experience thus far. There are things that I have really enjoyed doing that I will definitely do again, but there are definitely things that I am going to have to change next time around.
This week coming up is packed full of stuff. It is Red Ribbon Week which means a different dress up day throughout the week. There is Fall Ball Frenzy where the teachers are playing the parents in a softball game. That is going to be crazy fun. There is also the Marquette Family Dance on Friday. I have two practices during the week that I have to go to. Oh and not to mention... It's conference week. I have to meet with all of my homeroom kiddos parents. I am super nervous about that. I can talk to kids all day, but give me their parents and boom I'm deer in headlights. I just gotta relax, and take it one parent at a time. It's going to be a busy week, but I'll get through it and do the best that I can at everything that I do.
The first 9 weeks has flown by, and it is safe to say that I love my job. I love the kids, the people I work with, and my school. All of us put together really make of The Greatest Show on Earth. You would be hard pressed to find a school that is more passionate and enthusiastic about it's students having a great learning experience.
Sunday, October 11, 2015
Take PRIDE in Your School
It's been a couple weeks since I've blogged. There really hasn't been too much to blog about prior to this past week. The unit we're currently working on is Adding & Subtracting Whole Numbers & Decimals. I feel like the kids are getting the concept, and so I wanted to do something that was kind of fun.
Everyone loves money and eating, so I created what I call the Menu Project. The kids are responsible for creating their own menu with the food items that they want. They have to price the items, but they have to include decimals. The cool part is that they are actually making their menus with pictures and everything. Once the menus are made, then the kids will "dine" at other groups' restaurants. Groups will come to your restaurant, and the kids are responsible for calculating the total cost of the bill. They also have to calculate how much change they owe their "customers". So, the kids are still practicing working with decimals, but this way its more exciting and relevant to them. They were so excited when I told them they got to choose whatever food they wanted for their menu.
It was really cool to see the menus the kids came up with. One group did a Rangers themed menu, and all their items were named after actual Ranger's players. The creativity behind that is awesome. Some groups have amazing drawings in their menus, so it was very cool to see the artistic ability of some of my kiddos. When they finish their menus, they all run up to me and are so eager to show me their menus. They were all extremely proud of what they had come up with. This upcoming week we will "eat" at the restaurants, and I am very curious to see how it goes with the kids behavior and their ability to work with decimals.
A fun thing that happened this week was on Thursday during Adopt an Athlete. JM comes on overhead and says you have 15 minutes to find whatever you can to dress your teacher up as a clown. My first thought is, I have no clown stuff in my class. Well that didn't stop my kids. She said go, and they all took off. Everyone is running around and throwing things at me left and right to put on. With the lack of clown stuff, I was pretty impressed with what the kids came up with. All the teachers headed to the cafeteria where we are shown off to the whole school. She shows off each teacher one by one, and I was pretty happy with the cheers that I got. My class represented well. I ended up winning the competition (didn't really deserve too...) and my kids won a popcorn party. It is just really cool that I work at a school that loves to do such exciting things, but everyone is back to work as soon as it ends. We definitely work hard to play hard at McA. I definitely take pride in my school, and I love working there!
Everyone loves money and eating, so I created what I call the Menu Project. The kids are responsible for creating their own menu with the food items that they want. They have to price the items, but they have to include decimals. The cool part is that they are actually making their menus with pictures and everything. Once the menus are made, then the kids will "dine" at other groups' restaurants. Groups will come to your restaurant, and the kids are responsible for calculating the total cost of the bill. They also have to calculate how much change they owe their "customers". So, the kids are still practicing working with decimals, but this way its more exciting and relevant to them. They were so excited when I told them they got to choose whatever food they wanted for their menu.
It was really cool to see the menus the kids came up with. One group did a Rangers themed menu, and all their items were named after actual Ranger's players. The creativity behind that is awesome. Some groups have amazing drawings in their menus, so it was very cool to see the artistic ability of some of my kiddos. When they finish their menus, they all run up to me and are so eager to show me their menus. They were all extremely proud of what they had come up with. This upcoming week we will "eat" at the restaurants, and I am very curious to see how it goes with the kids behavior and their ability to work with decimals.
A fun thing that happened this week was on Thursday during Adopt an Athlete. JM comes on overhead and says you have 15 minutes to find whatever you can to dress your teacher up as a clown. My first thought is, I have no clown stuff in my class. Well that didn't stop my kids. She said go, and they all took off. Everyone is running around and throwing things at me left and right to put on. With the lack of clown stuff, I was pretty impressed with what the kids came up with. All the teachers headed to the cafeteria where we are shown off to the whole school. She shows off each teacher one by one, and I was pretty happy with the cheers that I got. My class represented well. I ended up winning the competition (didn't really deserve too...) and my kids won a popcorn party. It is just really cool that I work at a school that loves to do such exciting things, but everyone is back to work as soon as it ends. We definitely work hard to play hard at McA. I definitely take pride in my school, and I love working there!
Sunday, September 27, 2015
Kid At Heart
This past week was a good one. It was one of those weeks where I look back and realize how blessed I truly am.
First off... It was the second time for Fantasy Football. I can already see the kids getting really into it. Most of the students were asking me if they could switch players to better ones. They were looking at their stats and realizing that certain players were getting more points. Mental math was happening and they didn't even realize it. It was extremely cool to see the kids so engaged and excited for Fantasy Football. I do have to mend the broken hearts of those teams that don't have a win yet, but hey, it's a long season.
The week definitely ended with a bang. Field Day! As a student, I loved field day! I was just as excited as my kids were about it. Field gave me an opportunity to not only see the kids in a less strict environment, but also for the kids to see me in the same way. I was able to act crazy, and run around and have fun with them. I'm a big kid at heart, and I think my students really got to see that Friday.
Little recap of the events...
First event was the tug-of-war. Team Mouton escaped victorious! Of course I was screaming and hollering like a big fool, but it was awesome. We came in second in the next event, which involved spelling. It wasn't our strong suit, but we did pretty well. We then broke up into different teams to play multiple games. I was running around cheering on each of my teams trying to motivate them. It seemed to work because we won two more events. Unfortunately we lost to WA's class in the relay... Of all classes to lose too... The overall winner for field was my class. We had the most victories. I don't care what anyone says, haha!
There was also water events with slides and a dunk tank. You know I climbed up on the dunk tank, and got drenched from head to toe.
It was just an all around fun day, and I was so exhausted by the end of it. Looking back on it, I know this was the job God intended for me, and I wouldn't want to be anywhere else than this amazing school with my amazing team. It's great to have a team where we all get along and work so well with each other. We all tailgated before the Aggie game yesterday, and if you're seeing your coworkers on the weekend then you know you like each other. I am very blessed, and so grateful for this wonderful opportunity!
First off... It was the second time for Fantasy Football. I can already see the kids getting really into it. Most of the students were asking me if they could switch players to better ones. They were looking at their stats and realizing that certain players were getting more points. Mental math was happening and they didn't even realize it. It was extremely cool to see the kids so engaged and excited for Fantasy Football. I do have to mend the broken hearts of those teams that don't have a win yet, but hey, it's a long season.
The week definitely ended with a bang. Field Day! As a student, I loved field day! I was just as excited as my kids were about it. Field gave me an opportunity to not only see the kids in a less strict environment, but also for the kids to see me in the same way. I was able to act crazy, and run around and have fun with them. I'm a big kid at heart, and I think my students really got to see that Friday.
Little recap of the events...
First event was the tug-of-war. Team Mouton escaped victorious! Of course I was screaming and hollering like a big fool, but it was awesome. We came in second in the next event, which involved spelling. It wasn't our strong suit, but we did pretty well. We then broke up into different teams to play multiple games. I was running around cheering on each of my teams trying to motivate them. It seemed to work because we won two more events. Unfortunately we lost to WA's class in the relay... Of all classes to lose too... The overall winner for field was my class. We had the most victories. I don't care what anyone says, haha!
There was also water events with slides and a dunk tank. You know I climbed up on the dunk tank, and got drenched from head to toe.
It was just an all around fun day, and I was so exhausted by the end of it. Looking back on it, I know this was the job God intended for me, and I wouldn't want to be anywhere else than this amazing school with my amazing team. It's great to have a team where we all get along and work so well with each other. We all tailgated before the Aggie game yesterday, and if you're seeing your coworkers on the weekend then you know you like each other. I am very blessed, and so grateful for this wonderful opportunity!
Monday, September 21, 2015
Success!
Last time I posted, I was writing about introducing Fantasy Football. I have been waiting until after we had finally done it in class. The whole week I was so excited and ready for it to be Fantasy Football Friday. I compiled all the necessary stats, and had it all ready to go for when the students walked in. They all knew what day it was, and I could tell that they were excited.
Overall, I thought it was a great success. There was a brief period where they had to be reminded how to calculate their score, but that was expected since it was the first time. As the weeks go by, I think the process of calculating the score will become much easier and more of a routine. It was cool to see the kids get so excited when they found out they won, but that was quickly masked by the sorrow of the losing team. Many teams wanted to ditch the players they picked, but I told them give it another week because Fantasy Football is basically luck. That didn't cheer them up much...
With the help of Miss A, I had made four anchor charts with the teams logos printed out on them to show the number of wins each team has. I decided to place football stickers for each win that the teams earn. Once I found out who won each game, I placed a sticker above their logos. The kids were so amused looking at the charts and seeing all of the logos. I'm glad that I have something set up in class so that they can see the progression throughout the season.
I already can't wait for this Friday!
Second topic is we had our first test today. Our first unit was over Place Value, and I had heard in summer training that this was a difficult topic because it introduces them to decimals. I was a little nervous about what the scores would be on the test. My feeling going into it was that most of my students seemed to be understanding the material, but had that nervous feeling in the back of my mind. I graded all the tests before I went home. The results were awesome. I have around 85 students, and all but three of them passed. The scores I did have were all relatively in the 80's and 90's. I had multiple 100's. Tests scores aren't the only way to judge a student's success, but it is a good feeling as a teacher to see that your students pass the test. I'm not going to sugar coat it, I was very happy with how the results. Of course this is only just the beginning, and I have a long way to go. This was a good start, and I can't wait to build off the progression each student has made thus far.
On a side note...
We had a parent conference after school with the team. One funny little takeaway. The mother told us that her child rated his teachers from favorite to least, and I was the least favorite... My initial reaction was wow I can't believe she just told us that. It was then followed by her saying that there was a disclaimer... it was because of the subject that I teach, math. I knew people didn't like math but wow. However, two people in the meeting with us were quick to step up and have my back. I thought it was really fun. Hey, you win some you lose some. I'm not going to let it stop from impacting my students!
Overall, I thought it was a great success. There was a brief period where they had to be reminded how to calculate their score, but that was expected since it was the first time. As the weeks go by, I think the process of calculating the score will become much easier and more of a routine. It was cool to see the kids get so excited when they found out they won, but that was quickly masked by the sorrow of the losing team. Many teams wanted to ditch the players they picked, but I told them give it another week because Fantasy Football is basically luck. That didn't cheer them up much...
With the help of Miss A, I had made four anchor charts with the teams logos printed out on them to show the number of wins each team has. I decided to place football stickers for each win that the teams earn. Once I found out who won each game, I placed a sticker above their logos. The kids were so amused looking at the charts and seeing all of the logos. I'm glad that I have something set up in class so that they can see the progression throughout the season.
I already can't wait for this Friday!
Second topic is we had our first test today. Our first unit was over Place Value, and I had heard in summer training that this was a difficult topic because it introduces them to decimals. I was a little nervous about what the scores would be on the test. My feeling going into it was that most of my students seemed to be understanding the material, but had that nervous feeling in the back of my mind. I graded all the tests before I went home. The results were awesome. I have around 85 students, and all but three of them passed. The scores I did have were all relatively in the 80's and 90's. I had multiple 100's. Tests scores aren't the only way to judge a student's success, but it is a good feeling as a teacher to see that your students pass the test. I'm not going to sugar coat it, I was very happy with how the results. Of course this is only just the beginning, and I have a long way to go. This was a good start, and I can't wait to build off the progression each student has made thus far.
On a side note...
We had a parent conference after school with the team. One funny little takeaway. The mother told us that her child rated his teachers from favorite to least, and I was the least favorite... My initial reaction was wow I can't believe she just told us that. It was then followed by her saying that there was a disclaimer... it was because of the subject that I teach, math. I knew people didn't like math but wow. However, two people in the meeting with us were quick to step up and have my back. I thought it was really fun. Hey, you win some you lose some. I'm not going to let it stop from impacting my students!
Thursday, September 10, 2015
Fantasy Football Fridays
So I know it's not officially the end of the week, but I was strongly encouraged by one of my team members to post this on my blog.
I think most people know that I love sports, and if you spend 5 minutes looking at my classroom you can figure that out. I have loved sports my whole life, so I wanted to incorporate sports as something fun for my classes. With it being football season, it was an obvious starting point. I was sitting at home Sunday night, and I was trying to think of a way to incorporate football into my class. It dawned on me that I love doing fantasy football, and there is so much math involved with that. It's clearly more complex for 4th graders to be able to do, but I was determined to think of a way to simplify it. So this is what I came up with.
I started off by asking the kids what they knew about football and the different positions. They would answer, but I made sure to emphasize the different positions (QB, RB, WR, etc). Following that, I showed them my actual fantasy football page that I do with my buddies. The description I gave was that fantasy football is a way to live out my dream of being an NFL even though I am so retired and way to out of shape to play anymore. I talked about all the different players that I had drafted, and how the point projections work. There are three main ways the points work in fantasy football:
1. Yards - Whether its passing, rushing, or receiving yards.
2. Touchdowns
3. Turnovers - Interceptions/Fumbles
I told the kids that their tables groups are going to be their teams. They are in charge of their team, and the players they pick. First, we had to figure out what their team names would be and what logo they would choose. It was funny to hear the names they came up with. I love the Minions, and a lot of them wanted to name their team something with Minions. That makes a guy feel good, ha! After setting up our teams, they were going to pick three different positions: Quarterback, Running back, and Wide Receiver. I had compiled a list of the top ten players at each position. I have a spinner in my class, and had a member from each group spin for the order of the draft. They would look at the list, and they had a limited time to choose a player. It's funny to see some of the boys have an idea of who players are, and then the majority have no idea who any of them were. They picked each position, and kind of felt a little worried about the fact they had really no idea who they picked. I decided that I would go team by team and show them the players that they had chose! It was cool to hear their reactions to the pictures of the players. Like, "Oh he looks really good!" or I even got, "Oh, he's kinda cute!"
The next step was to show them how they were going to score each week. This is math class, and there should and will be math involved. The points are all based on the yardage gained, number of touchdowns, and number of turnovers. They picked real NFL players, and so we are going to use their real stats from their games each week. I set it up like this:
1. 1poinst/yard gained
2. 10 points/touchdown
3. -10 points/turnover (turnovers aren't good)
We went over a practice scoring. I made up numbers, and we worked out how many points each player would have earned. I made sure that they knew the steps involved in the scoring process.
Now why is this fun for them? Well in real fantasy football, you compete against another person or team to win that week. So in class, each group will go up against another group trying to win each week. I'm going keep track of the wins each team earns. I will have anchor charts on the walls with their team names and logos. I'll turn this into a dot plot with the numbers of wins they earn throughout the season. I told them this is going to last all football season, and that's until January. The team that wins the most games will earn a reward of some sort. I haven't decided, but I was thinking like an ice cream party or something. I've got until January to figure it out, ha! The kids like the mystery. They seemed really excited about, and even the girls seemed excited about football. I heard them talking at lunch about going to class,"have you been to math today?!" It's awesome to hear that they are excited to come to math class.
Fantasy Football Friday is going to be apart of my classroom for years (I hope), and I am so excited to get started with this next week! I think this is truly going to be a fun way to end each week, but still doing math at the same time. Hopefully they see it as something fun, and not something that is just more math.
I think most people know that I love sports, and if you spend 5 minutes looking at my classroom you can figure that out. I have loved sports my whole life, so I wanted to incorporate sports as something fun for my classes. With it being football season, it was an obvious starting point. I was sitting at home Sunday night, and I was trying to think of a way to incorporate football into my class. It dawned on me that I love doing fantasy football, and there is so much math involved with that. It's clearly more complex for 4th graders to be able to do, but I was determined to think of a way to simplify it. So this is what I came up with.
I started off by asking the kids what they knew about football and the different positions. They would answer, but I made sure to emphasize the different positions (QB, RB, WR, etc). Following that, I showed them my actual fantasy football page that I do with my buddies. The description I gave was that fantasy football is a way to live out my dream of being an NFL even though I am so retired and way to out of shape to play anymore. I talked about all the different players that I had drafted, and how the point projections work. There are three main ways the points work in fantasy football:
1. Yards - Whether its passing, rushing, or receiving yards.
2. Touchdowns
3. Turnovers - Interceptions/Fumbles
I told the kids that their tables groups are going to be their teams. They are in charge of their team, and the players they pick. First, we had to figure out what their team names would be and what logo they would choose. It was funny to hear the names they came up with. I love the Minions, and a lot of them wanted to name their team something with Minions. That makes a guy feel good, ha! After setting up our teams, they were going to pick three different positions: Quarterback, Running back, and Wide Receiver. I had compiled a list of the top ten players at each position. I have a spinner in my class, and had a member from each group spin for the order of the draft. They would look at the list, and they had a limited time to choose a player. It's funny to see some of the boys have an idea of who players are, and then the majority have no idea who any of them were. They picked each position, and kind of felt a little worried about the fact they had really no idea who they picked. I decided that I would go team by team and show them the players that they had chose! It was cool to hear their reactions to the pictures of the players. Like, "Oh he looks really good!" or I even got, "Oh, he's kinda cute!"
The next step was to show them how they were going to score each week. This is math class, and there should and will be math involved. The points are all based on the yardage gained, number of touchdowns, and number of turnovers. They picked real NFL players, and so we are going to use their real stats from their games each week. I set it up like this:
1. 1poinst/yard gained
2. 10 points/touchdown
3. -10 points/turnover (turnovers aren't good)
We went over a practice scoring. I made up numbers, and we worked out how many points each player would have earned. I made sure that they knew the steps involved in the scoring process.
Now why is this fun for them? Well in real fantasy football, you compete against another person or team to win that week. So in class, each group will go up against another group trying to win each week. I'm going keep track of the wins each team earns. I will have anchor charts on the walls with their team names and logos. I'll turn this into a dot plot with the numbers of wins they earn throughout the season. I told them this is going to last all football season, and that's until January. The team that wins the most games will earn a reward of some sort. I haven't decided, but I was thinking like an ice cream party or something. I've got until January to figure it out, ha! The kids like the mystery. They seemed really excited about, and even the girls seemed excited about football. I heard them talking at lunch about going to class,"have you been to math today?!" It's awesome to hear that they are excited to come to math class.
Fantasy Football Friday is going to be apart of my classroom for years (I hope), and I am so excited to get started with this next week! I think this is truly going to be a fun way to end each week, but still doing math at the same time. Hopefully they see it as something fun, and not something that is just more math.
Monday, September 7, 2015
Cherish Every Moment
Week 2 has come and gone, and the students and myself have survived our first week of rotations. This was first time that we really had a routine going. The first week of school we were all getting our feet wet and getting to know one another. This second week we hit the ground running and I began teaching.
My feeling was that it was a very successful first week. There was one little hiccup in the middle. I was teaching a lesson on place value relationships, and I had created a presentation to go with it. In my mind, the presentation was great and made total sense. That first group showed up, and I started going through it thinking it was great. Problem was all of the students had the deer in headlights looks on their faces. I knew what I was talking about, but they had no idea. I had to quickly adjust on the fly, and basically scratch everything that I had in the presentation. I just started talking and writing my own thoughts down in the simplest way for them to understand, and it surprisingly worked. It's just funny how you find all these ways to present information and you think it's going to work, but then it just bombs. It was great learning experience though, and I'm glad I caught the problem before I spent the whole day doing the same exact thing and have no one learn anything.
We had curriculum night this week too. I am not the most comfortable speaking in front of adults, but give me a room full of children and I can ramble all day. So I was extremely nervous going into the night. It ended up not being that bad, though they could probably tell I was nervous which may have given them sympathy towards me. I did have multiple parents come up afterwards and tell how much their kids enjoyed being in my class. It was a cool feeling to have these parents tell me their kids liked me because everybody wants to be liked. Now, I know not everyone is going to love me...
That day was a busy day, and after curriculum night I went out to eat with the Whitney's. It was just great way to take our mind off of school, and really kind of get to know each other better. I'm still the newbie learning the ropes, and it was fun to just get to hang out with them outside of school.
My biggest takeaway from the week, though, is to cherish every moment and take advantage of every opportunity. You never know when it's all going to be gone, and you would hate to look back on things and have regrets. It's so important to make sure that the people in your life know that you care about them and love them. Make sure you cherish everyone in your life because they are there for a reason. I'm blessed to have a wonderful family, good friends, and 100's of students that I have been able to work with. Love and cherish each and everyday you get on this Earth.
R.I.P Colonel
My feeling was that it was a very successful first week. There was one little hiccup in the middle. I was teaching a lesson on place value relationships, and I had created a presentation to go with it. In my mind, the presentation was great and made total sense. That first group showed up, and I started going through it thinking it was great. Problem was all of the students had the deer in headlights looks on their faces. I knew what I was talking about, but they had no idea. I had to quickly adjust on the fly, and basically scratch everything that I had in the presentation. I just started talking and writing my own thoughts down in the simplest way for them to understand, and it surprisingly worked. It's just funny how you find all these ways to present information and you think it's going to work, but then it just bombs. It was great learning experience though, and I'm glad I caught the problem before I spent the whole day doing the same exact thing and have no one learn anything.
We had curriculum night this week too. I am not the most comfortable speaking in front of adults, but give me a room full of children and I can ramble all day. So I was extremely nervous going into the night. It ended up not being that bad, though they could probably tell I was nervous which may have given them sympathy towards me. I did have multiple parents come up afterwards and tell how much their kids enjoyed being in my class. It was a cool feeling to have these parents tell me their kids liked me because everybody wants to be liked. Now, I know not everyone is going to love me...
That day was a busy day, and after curriculum night I went out to eat with the Whitney's. It was just great way to take our mind off of school, and really kind of get to know each other better. I'm still the newbie learning the ropes, and it was fun to just get to hang out with them outside of school.
My biggest takeaway from the week, though, is to cherish every moment and take advantage of every opportunity. You never know when it's all going to be gone, and you would hate to look back on things and have regrets. It's so important to make sure that the people in your life know that you care about them and love them. Make sure you cherish everyone in your life because they are there for a reason. I'm blessed to have a wonderful family, good friends, and 100's of students that I have been able to work with. Love and cherish each and everyday you get on this Earth.
R.I.P Colonel
Sunday, August 30, 2015
I Survived!
I waited all week to say this... I survived my first week of teaching! All the time spent in school and trainings finally came to fruition this past week. People always say that the first week of school is so tiring for teachers. Let me just tell you. Those people are right. I went home everyday so tired, and found myself in bed by 9 at the latest.
I said that I survived, but I really think that I did more than just survive. My feeling toward the week was that I did pretty well. There were definitely moments during the week where I felt like my head was spinning from all the information and things I had to do, but I think (and hope) that most teachers feel that way during the first week. The week was just filled with so many things. The first two days without rotating went by so quickly, but in that time I got to know my homeroom kiddos pretty well. I already know all their names, and I kept asking them silly questions like, "What's your favorite sport?" I love asking them questions, and getting their answers, and I love telling them about myself. It's so important to build those relationships with those kids if you expect them to learn anything from you during the year. Personally, those relationships are my favorite part of being a teacher. I made it a point this week to get to know each of my students, and I would say that I did a decent job of achieving that. I'm pretty sure I know every kids name in the 4th grade (I'm pretty proud of that...).
Wednesday we starting rotating for the first time. The last three days of the week really went by fast. I only have an hour for each rotation, and that time just flies by. There was one rotation that I wasn't ready for. We thought that there was only going to be like six third graders coming to 4th grade math. Well it came time for them to come to class, and it turns out there were eleven of them. I didn't even have enough seats for everyone to sit down. I was definitely thrown for a second, but I had to deal with it and run the class as if nothing was wrong. The plan for that class went out the window, and I changed the class into a "get to know you" day. There were 30 kids in there, and by the end I knew all of their names, favorite sports, and animal.
Other than massive influx of third graders, the rotation days went pretty smooth. Most of my students seem excited to come into math class, and I love working with them and joking around with them. My goal is for them to be excited everyday to come to class. If anything, I want them to be excited to see me. I know a lot of kids don't love math like I do, but if they love me maybe they'll learn to love math too.
Overall, I think the week was a total success. Although there was a lot going on, I felt natural being the teacher, and I wasn't too overwhelmed at any point. I think the big part for me is going to be planning and making sure that I'm prepared for whatever happens each week. It was a week that I will never forget, and I'm so excited to see where this year takes me! Another huge thing was how awesome my 4th grade team is. They really are amazing teachers and were such a huge help in keeping me calm. They were always checking on me, and I really feel like they care about me. I'm still just trying not to let them down, and work to be a viable part of the team. But I'm so excited that I get to work with these three ladies because they seriously rock!
On a side note... I live close to the school. In this first week, I saw four of my students out in public. It was funny to see them freak out when they see Mr. Mouton not in school. At least they were excited to see me!
I said that I survived, but I really think that I did more than just survive. My feeling toward the week was that I did pretty well. There were definitely moments during the week where I felt like my head was spinning from all the information and things I had to do, but I think (and hope) that most teachers feel that way during the first week. The week was just filled with so many things. The first two days without rotating went by so quickly, but in that time I got to know my homeroom kiddos pretty well. I already know all their names, and I kept asking them silly questions like, "What's your favorite sport?" I love asking them questions, and getting their answers, and I love telling them about myself. It's so important to build those relationships with those kids if you expect them to learn anything from you during the year. Personally, those relationships are my favorite part of being a teacher. I made it a point this week to get to know each of my students, and I would say that I did a decent job of achieving that. I'm pretty sure I know every kids name in the 4th grade (I'm pretty proud of that...).
Wednesday we starting rotating for the first time. The last three days of the week really went by fast. I only have an hour for each rotation, and that time just flies by. There was one rotation that I wasn't ready for. We thought that there was only going to be like six third graders coming to 4th grade math. Well it came time for them to come to class, and it turns out there were eleven of them. I didn't even have enough seats for everyone to sit down. I was definitely thrown for a second, but I had to deal with it and run the class as if nothing was wrong. The plan for that class went out the window, and I changed the class into a "get to know you" day. There were 30 kids in there, and by the end I knew all of their names, favorite sports, and animal.
Other than massive influx of third graders, the rotation days went pretty smooth. Most of my students seem excited to come into math class, and I love working with them and joking around with them. My goal is for them to be excited everyday to come to class. If anything, I want them to be excited to see me. I know a lot of kids don't love math like I do, but if they love me maybe they'll learn to love math too.
Overall, I think the week was a total success. Although there was a lot going on, I felt natural being the teacher, and I wasn't too overwhelmed at any point. I think the big part for me is going to be planning and making sure that I'm prepared for whatever happens each week. It was a week that I will never forget, and I'm so excited to see where this year takes me! Another huge thing was how awesome my 4th grade team is. They really are amazing teachers and were such a huge help in keeping me calm. They were always checking on me, and I really feel like they care about me. I'm still just trying not to let them down, and work to be a viable part of the team. But I'm so excited that I get to work with these three ladies because they seriously rock!
On a side note... I live close to the school. In this first week, I saw four of my students out in public. It was funny to see them freak out when they see Mr. Mouton not in school. At least they were excited to see me!
Monday, August 24, 2015
First Day at The Greatest Show On Earth!
Today was the big day. It was the first day of school, my first day of teaching, and my students first day with me. I would say the emotions were kind of all over the place, and I felt it necessary to recap the first day of school. I mean, that's a big day of the year?
I really think this was the most nervous that I have ever been about something. I could hardly fall asleep last night, and the nerves this morning were insane. I was feeling overwhelmed and felt the need to get to school early. Luckily, Miss A pulled up right as I was getting there, so I didn't have to cross the threshold by myself. The last minute housekeeping kept my mind off was about to happen. Then before I could blink, the kids were already there. They all came in and started working on what was laid out on their desks. The question, "Who's nervous?" left my mouth followed by the hand of the majority of the students. I really felt like we were in the same boat, and I just told them I was nervous too. From then on, everything just felt natural.
My time at Huffines really helped prepare me for this day. I knew that I could teach, and I knew that I would have the attention of these students. What I wasn't ready for was how quickly the day went by. After what seemed like 30 minutes, it was already lunch time. The day seemed to go by in the blink of an eye.
Of course, I spent the first half of the day trying to get a feel for my students. Right away you could tell the students with the personalities and some of the shy ones. All of my kids seem sweet, and were well behaved for the first day. I hope that trend continues. The one thought going through my head all day was that I just hoped that they like me at least a little. I had them laughing and contributing to the class discussion, so I feel like I made a good impression.
As we were lining up to dismiss from school, I had one student tell me, "I like you. You're a good teacher." That right there made the whole first day worth it. It was an exciting, fast-paced first day, but I know that I made the right career choice. I can't wait to go back for day two! :)
I really think this was the most nervous that I have ever been about something. I could hardly fall asleep last night, and the nerves this morning were insane. I was feeling overwhelmed and felt the need to get to school early. Luckily, Miss A pulled up right as I was getting there, so I didn't have to cross the threshold by myself. The last minute housekeeping kept my mind off was about to happen. Then before I could blink, the kids were already there. They all came in and started working on what was laid out on their desks. The question, "Who's nervous?" left my mouth followed by the hand of the majority of the students. I really felt like we were in the same boat, and I just told them I was nervous too. From then on, everything just felt natural.
My time at Huffines really helped prepare me for this day. I knew that I could teach, and I knew that I would have the attention of these students. What I wasn't ready for was how quickly the day went by. After what seemed like 30 minutes, it was already lunch time. The day seemed to go by in the blink of an eye.
Of course, I spent the first half of the day trying to get a feel for my students. Right away you could tell the students with the personalities and some of the shy ones. All of my kids seem sweet, and were well behaved for the first day. I hope that trend continues. The one thought going through my head all day was that I just hoped that they like me at least a little. I had them laughing and contributing to the class discussion, so I feel like I made a good impression.
As we were lining up to dismiss from school, I had one student tell me, "I like you. You're a good teacher." That right there made the whole first day worth it. It was an exciting, fast-paced first day, but I know that I made the right career choice. I can't wait to go back for day two! :)
Saturday, August 22, 2015
Mr. Trevor to Mr. Mouton...
I have just wrapped up my first official week on the job, and I was talking with our principal after a full day of working. During the conversation, she had mentioned the idea of creating a blog to write about and remember my first year of teaching. The idea of creating a blog had never crossed my mind before, but I really liked the idea of being able to go back and see the progression of the school year. The plan is to write at least once a week recapping the events of the week prior. The emotions, events, ups & downs from the week are going to be the main focus of each post. A lot of people always talk about how awesome it is to be able to just write your feelings down. I'm not the best writer (hello.. Math teacher), but I'm going to give this a shot.
So here goes nothing...
I had waited all summer, and the week was finally here. Butterflies in my stomach is an understatement of the anxiety I was feeling. I was blessed to have earned a job at McAuliffe Elementary teaching 4th grade math. Everyone knows what an amazing school McA is, and how great and fabulous the principal is. So when the idea of working there became a reality, I pounced on it quickly.
I was so excited to start working with my 4th grade team, but also extremely nervous. These three women are truly the best teachers that I have ever been around. It's only been five days working with them, and I can already see the incredible amount passion they have for teaching and working with kids. They never stop working and thinking about how they can make everything better than it was last year. I have learned so much from them already in a weeks time.They truly want to create "The Greatest Show on Earth".
So where do I fit into this team? I am one of two male teachers at the school. The other guy is the P.E. teacher, so I won't necessarily see him too often. I'm surrounded by women (not complaining). It's my first official year of teaching, and I'm stepping into a team with accomplished fabulous teachers. Everyone keeps telling me how great I'll be, and how lucky McA is to have me. But why? I guess I don't get the hype about me. I'm very confident in myself and I truly believe that I can be an excellent teacher, but I haven't proven myself in the classroom. I think the thing I'm most anxious and nervous about is letting my team down. The bar is set extremely high, but I will do everything that I can to reach it. Come Monday I'm going to have a classroom full of kids ready to learn. My fear of failing and letting my team and more importantly my students down is what is driving me to be the best teacher I can be. If anything, I'm going to love these kids, and cherish the relationships that I build with each and everyone of them because I know I'm good at that. I love working with kids, and there is nothing else I'd rather be doing.
This first week has been packed full of professional learning, setting up the classroom, and getting ready for the first day. I got to meet most of my students at Meet the Teacher on Thursday, and that only made me more excited for first day. It was a stressful week, but my team was so incredible and did everything they could to make it comfortable for me. There isn't any other group of teachers that I would rather be working with. They are an amazing supporting cast, and I have complete trust in them. It's up to me to work hard everyday, care about my students, and make positive impacts on their lives. I am determined to not only live up to high bar set but to go past it.
I'm so excited and ready to get this year started. It's what I've worked so hard for the past 5 years. This group of students coming Monday is the first of many that Mr. Mouton will have a positive impact on.
So here goes nothing...
I had waited all summer, and the week was finally here. Butterflies in my stomach is an understatement of the anxiety I was feeling. I was blessed to have earned a job at McAuliffe Elementary teaching 4th grade math. Everyone knows what an amazing school McA is, and how great and fabulous the principal is. So when the idea of working there became a reality, I pounced on it quickly.
I was so excited to start working with my 4th grade team, but also extremely nervous. These three women are truly the best teachers that I have ever been around. It's only been five days working with them, and I can already see the incredible amount passion they have for teaching and working with kids. They never stop working and thinking about how they can make everything better than it was last year. I have learned so much from them already in a weeks time.They truly want to create "The Greatest Show on Earth".
So where do I fit into this team? I am one of two male teachers at the school. The other guy is the P.E. teacher, so I won't necessarily see him too often. I'm surrounded by women (not complaining). It's my first official year of teaching, and I'm stepping into a team with accomplished fabulous teachers. Everyone keeps telling me how great I'll be, and how lucky McA is to have me. But why? I guess I don't get the hype about me. I'm very confident in myself and I truly believe that I can be an excellent teacher, but I haven't proven myself in the classroom. I think the thing I'm most anxious and nervous about is letting my team down. The bar is set extremely high, but I will do everything that I can to reach it. Come Monday I'm going to have a classroom full of kids ready to learn. My fear of failing and letting my team and more importantly my students down is what is driving me to be the best teacher I can be. If anything, I'm going to love these kids, and cherish the relationships that I build with each and everyone of them because I know I'm good at that. I love working with kids, and there is nothing else I'd rather be doing.
This first week has been packed full of professional learning, setting up the classroom, and getting ready for the first day. I got to meet most of my students at Meet the Teacher on Thursday, and that only made me more excited for first day. It was a stressful week, but my team was so incredible and did everything they could to make it comfortable for me. There isn't any other group of teachers that I would rather be working with. They are an amazing supporting cast, and I have complete trust in them. It's up to me to work hard everyday, care about my students, and make positive impacts on their lives. I am determined to not only live up to high bar set but to go past it.
I'm so excited and ready to get this year started. It's what I've worked so hard for the past 5 years. This group of students coming Monday is the first of many that Mr. Mouton will have a positive impact on.
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