A Year Gone By

Unfortunately, I did not keep up with my blog through my final year of school, so many of my challenges and success stories will go untold, but I may share a few highlights of the past year.

The last two semesters of college were very satisfying, but required a lot of hard work and dedication. Fortunately, (and also sadly) I had few education courses left for the fall semester as my focus had remained on them through my four years. Instead, I challenged myself to complete a writing degree and a music minor. It may be a blog post for another time, but I truly believe that my struggle with my music minor will make me a better teacher to understand my students and their feelings of frustration. 

Puppies at the Humane Society during a field trip.

Spring semester brought me to the most exciting part of my college career--student teaching. My college requirement was 14 weeks, which looking back was no time at all. I loved my students and I loved teaching them. I even looked forward to creating lessons during my weekends. What I didn't look forward to was grading; it seemed to remind me that the best way to understand learning was through their personal reflections, but how do you put a number on that? A letter grade? I'll continue to learn and adapt my practices so that I feel more comfortable with my procedures and the grades I give.

Other than that, I felt the most stressful part of student teaching was knowing that someone was continuously watching me. My cooperating teacher wanted me to succeed and offered constructive criticism when appropriate, but I never felt like I could truly try my own teaching style that required high energy and active engagement. It wasn't what the students were used to and the teachers there had very different styles. I know this wasn't the intended feeling, but it's the stress of knowing that it isn't truly 100% your classroom and that in the end, I was a guest.
My university supervisor encouraged me to not only explore my own teaching style, but to learn from those around me. Though it was frustrating to absorb so much information and different styles, I quickly learned that there are many ways and practices to be an effective teacher. Overall, student teaching was a successful, positive experience, and I learned a lot about the practices of teaching along with my own style.

In mid-March I began my search for a teaching job. This may sound early, but it was recommended to me by several administrators. I'm so glad that I took their advice. Before sending any applications, I researched the schools and decided what type of community (rural/suburban/city) I wanted to teach and live in. Though I would be happy teaching anywhere, I knew my heart rested in rural areas, so that's where I focused my attention. As part of my application, I included a cover letter specifically for each of these schools and let my personality come through as well as highlighted areas of common interest between me and the school district. I sent out two applications that month. The first I knew would arrive late (but I thought getting feedback would be worth it!), and the second application arrived a day before the due date.

The second application was my golden ticket to a job interview! April 7. A Monday. There was more involved than my application though. The principal knew teachers where I was currently completing my student teaching. He made that phone call and asked if I was worthy of an interview. Thankfully, my cooperating teachers in my department gave me a positive review.

Dressed for success for my first interview in April.

The day of my interview came and I dressed to impress. I wore a suit with a collared shirt and put a smile on my face. I arrived in the town of the interview almost two hours early. My mom drove with me, and together we explored the town for possible housing and had lunch at the local diner. It was a rural town, so there wasn't a lot to explore. My mom knew exactly to take me to the park where I could read a book to calm down before my interview. Golden ticket.

I walked into the school fifteen minutes before my scheduled interview. I'm so glad I did. I was able to get a tour of the school before and got to see students interacting in the hallways during passing time. Even more importantly, I saw how the principal interacted with the students. He smiled and had conversations with them. He called each of them by name and asked specific questions. That was the caring environment I knew I wanted to be in.

The interview was hot. I was warm in my clothes, but I still didn't regret my decision to dress impeccably. My nervousness came out as sweat, but I don't think those interviewing me could tell. Six faculty interviewed me: two English teachers, the principal, two counselors, and one secretary. I came with a binder of example lesson plans, my teaching believes, letters to parents--everything I thought I might mention. I referred to these lessons and shared them with the panel. This showed them that I was prepared; however, I think they cared more about my believes of students, their achievements, and the extreme importance of building relationships.

As I left the building, the principal thanked me for coming in and asked if this was my first interview. Could he really tell? "Yes," I admitted. He smiled and said I'd hear from him before the end of the week. Is that good or bad?!

Just under twenty-four hours later, I received a call. I stood in my classroom (after school, of course) shaking with anticipation. What would he say? My cooperating teacher told me to calm down because it was a job offer, but I couldn't accept that. Who receives a job offer on their first interview? I hardly knew the answers before the words tumbled from my mouth.

Indeed, it was a job offer. Again, the principal proved to me this was the school for me. Not only was it rural with an extremely positive school environment, but he was understanding. Without asking, he gave me the rest of the week before I had to make a decision. No rush. 

Two days later, I accepted the job. I've loved my new job (which I haven't started yet) from the moment I walked into that school for my interview. I can only hope that all first year teachers could have such a positive and welcoming experiences.

My best friend with me at graduation.

All that remained was my grading from student teaching, and yes, graduation. The day came, and I relaxed more than I thought I would. No anxiety attacks about being a grown up. Instead, I felt ready and proud of my accomplishments and those of my classmates. A large percentage of us have accepted job offers and are vigorously planning and decorating our classes this summer, so there is much to celebrate.

Thanks for catching up with me, and I hope you stay tuned!