Investing in our students!

Oh my how time flies!

The past couple of weeks have been busy with meetings, appointments, homework and work work. By the way if I haven’t said in a previous post, I’m a graduate student working on my specialist degree in Educational Leadership. I will be finished in August and can’t wait.

These last couple of weeks have been taxing to say the least.

I was listening to a video for one of my graduate courses and it was to say the least empowering. The video is from speaker Dr. Jeff Duncan Andrade. In the class we just finished discussing how our students are human capital.

As I watched the video of Dr. Andrade’s presentation, I could not help but think of the student who died a couple of weeks ago. He was murdered. His funeral was this past Friday and many of my students did attend. This was not the first time I had a student die during my tenure at Lake Taylor High. I could not help but to think what our students face outside of school. They are under lots of stress. Some mornings while on bus duty, I overhear conversations about neighborhood fights and shootings and and that their father, brother, sister, mother, or someone close to them have been affected. Students need a caring adult to help “navigate through this toxic stress.”

This video has reminded me of why I became a teacher in the first place. I wanted to make a difference and let students know they can decide their future. I want to provide students Hope! They can be whoever they want to be.

Even after they leave high school, I have students contacting me and coming up to the school to thank me for being there for them. Frankly, I was shocked that a couple of the students thanked me because if you saw them in high school and asked them about me, they probably would have responded “Mrs. Porter is mean, she is hard on me.” (Maybe they would have used some other adjectives but you get the point).

I think this video should be viewed to those teachers who are about to give up. It may have them recall why they started in this profession.

Back to normal?

Back to Normal?

So, when Winterstorm Grayson came through, my school district closed for 5 days. At my house we received 12 inches of snow with drifts that were higher. 

 

Due to the days off from the snow, I had to go back through and redo my pacing for the rest of the semester to make sure the content is covered. I have to admit I expected to be out of school for three days but not for five. We returned to school on Thursday and now have a three day weekend in remembrance of Martin Luther King, Jr. Tomorrow we return to school and the weather is predicting another snowfall for Wednesday or Thursday with possible accumulation of three inches.

Is the schedule going back to normal? The teacher side of me hopes so because I want to get through the rest of the semester without rescheduling my lessons. The snow loving side of me is saying “let it snow.”

Teachers have to be flexible. Not only with their students and those that work with, but also with circumstances which changes the teaching schedule.

By the way, this morning at 5am I received the call for no school. So far this month the attendance has been 5 days present, 1 holiday, and 6 snow days.

Impending Snow and Being a Teacher

Who is more excited? The students or the teachers?  I would say the teachers because we do not have to get up really early.  I enjoy my sleep especially when my own kiddos keep me busy in the evening. Since the beginning of the week after coming off of the Winter Holiday, students have been talking about snow and no school. Snow ❄️ is unpredictable. In the Hampton Roads area, schools declared a two hour early release in preparation for the snow. Total accumulation could reach 12 inches.

When the news was released!

As I was starting my 6th block class conferencing about grades, a couple of my students informed the class that area schools were closing early.  They received the news through text messages. Then of course I received a message from my daughter's school district that they were being released early. About half an hour into class, the security guard came to my class and discreetly informed me that the school system was releasing early to dismiss the students to lunch early at the next bell.  The students received the news first! I was happy to have the news because I am excited for snow.  I mean who isn't? 

After I informed students about going to lunch early, they were asking if they could leave immediately.  Of course they couldn't! Needless to say my 90 minute lesson was cut into about a 30 minute lesson on Napoleon.  At the same time, my students were not paying much attention.  Every question I asked they had to associate it with snow or closing of school.  I had a quick activity on who they considered a hero and a tyrant and they mentioned for heroes the meteorologists and the principal. 

Now what to do.

So, not only did we leave school 2 hours early but their is no school tomorrow.  In past experiences we were usually out of school for at least two days because of the icy roads.  I am going to take the time to redo my pacing for the rest of the semester.  The fall exams are the last week of January and in the Honors World Studies II class (6th block), I need to have covered through the unifications of Italy and Germany. 

Schedules and pacing usually change compared to the original layout from the beginning of the semester.  Sometimes I want to spend more time on a topic like Henry VIII (I do a soap opera, story time lesson) other times school mandated testing like the PSATs, SATS, ASVAB day and then the Quarterly benchmarks interfere.  Pacing may also change due to student progress in class. Teachers have to be flexible.

It will be nice to sleep in and relax working in my PJs tomorrow!  Here's to snow days.

Going Back to work after vacation

You know it is then end of winter vacation when HGTV has the Tournament of Roses Parade! I watch it every year!

This last week and a half has been wonderful, for the most part. Got to spend time with my dear loved ones for most of the break but now For that last couple of days I have been sick. Thank goodness I wasn’t sick for the entire break.

I, as many other educators, will be returning to work tomorrow the 2nd of January. During the break I did not do any school work. It was heavenly! I feel recharged and ready to tackle anything which comes my way. The semester is starting to wind down. Only one more unit to teach in each course prior to exams.

This school year, I am teaching three different courses; 1 block of Honors World Studies II, 2 blocks of AP US Government, and 3 blocks of World Studies I (which are all collaborative classes). Lesson planning for all three courses can be difficult, because of not only the different content areas but the types of students I teach. Tomorrow when I return to work, I will be teaching my AP class and my World I class. It is and easier day because I’m not transitioning through all three classes. Plus I have a planning block between my AP class and World 1 class!

Hopefully my students will feel as rested as myself and will finish the semester strong.

First posting

With a new year comes new ideas. I have created a blog to write about my successes and growths. I didn’t want to say failures because that sparks negativity. Everyone no matter what profession will have set backs.

I am going to begin my second to last semester on my educational leadership degree. Through the courses I completed so far, I have learned a lot. This blog will be used to share those ideas and everything else that goes on.

Not only that I’m a high school educator, I’m also a mother to two girls and wife to a wonderful husband. There is a lot to juggle. Time is an issue to do everything I want and have to do. I’m thankful for my digital calendar. All schedules are posted and color coded.

I know this posting was a bit random. Thanks for reading.

Please follow me on Twitter @kporterED07