A teacher wears many hats. Some teachers have so many students and so many responsibilities, and still manage to keep their instruction excellent. This ability to juggle makes me particularly humble when it comes to collaboration. The people who take time and energy to help me, even when they have no excess time or energy to spare, are superstars. Veteran teachers keep rookies in the profession. Every day that they model excellence for me, and reassure me, I believe this more and more.
I will begin with how lucky I am to have had generous, caring teachers in the district. Mrs. King was taking this photo, but she really should be present in the picture. Between Mrs. King, Mr. Eshleman, and Mr. Hart, I believe that I do not have to sacrifice my personality to be a great teacher. I do not see these three educators often, but when I do, it completely revitalizes my sense of self and inspires me to be a great.
Mr. Hart has a reputation that holds no room for haters. All this e students love him, and he teaches in a way that makes long term learning feasible and exciting for a nine month period. He has mastered the buy-in. Every student at NPJHS wants to take Mr. Hart. In fact, I'd want to be his student too. He is quick to laugh off the trivial bothers that accompany protocol. Being in his presence makes me feel like I can be an excellent educator. I am certain he has this effect on his students as well.
Mrs. King and Mr. Eshleman are perfect examples of educators who walk into a room and command respect. Mrs. King is fascinating because she grew up in New England, yet has a perfect grasp on her surroundings. Mrs. King has the kind of presence I hope to have. Her sense of humor is present, yet her professionalism is not sacrificed. I am constantly impressed by her.
Mr. Eshleman is fantastic because he has not sacrificed his identity to become a great teacher. He was ruthless his first year of teaching, and now, he has become an energetic and inspiring teacher of other teachers. He is humble, yet he does not let his students wiggle out of what is expected of them. Even though summer school was restricted to a few weeks, I am so thankful to have my TEAM teacher close by and willing to help.
Finally, I arrive at the dream team. Ms. McConnell, Ms. G and Mr. King. I do not think I would have been able to survive the year without Ms. McConnell and Mr. King. Everything about their teaching philosophies match up to what I think about. Ms. McConnell has the type of humble, yet dignified presence in a classroom that can only inspire wonder and respect from students. I have learned from her how valuable it is to commit to your own intelligence to improvise your way out of adverse situations. She is creative and inspiring in all of her class work. She is truly an advocate for the well-being of her students, and I hope to be more like her in my classroom.
The core of the dream team, if not the founder, is Coach King. If there was a DK fan club, I would write the charter and order leather jackets. Coach King is by far the most capable, inspiring, remarkable teacher/human being I have ever had the privilege of working with. He makes education seem as important as it is, and the integrity in his work is evident every day. I have witnessed him paddle a student, and within moments, say the key words to inspire the student to achieve good behavior and never return to his office again. I have seen him interact with a student who was forlorn, and in a few words bring a smile and a laugh. He knows every student's name, his or her face, his or her family. His ability to break down a lesson into a few steps, provide academic support for myself and Ms. G in a few minutes, and encourage us to keep going through our trials is inspiring. He makes me proud to be a teacher, and his leadership makes me feel like I am important to the school. I have seen him defend me to a group of rowdy students, citing my value and kindness as the best thing they will encounter in their lives (hyperbole, but still it struck a deep chord in my soul). He values and respects every single teacher in the building, no matter how much he deplores his or her management style. I shudder to imagine my daily experience without his guidance. I cringe to think of his absence from our halls. In fact, when his car is not parked in the parking lot, the students go buckwild.
Last but certainly not least, Ms. G. She is the other half of the sixth grade English department. I would be drowning in a sea of anxiety and doubt if she was not next door. She always has my back, but is never afraid to steer me toward a better way to behave, or a better option to take. Our students love her, they all know how much she cares for them. She strives for excellence, and her integrity is present every time she reprimands a student for making bad choices (I can tell, because she is always so miserable when she has to raise her voice). In the same vein, she gives students compliments nad affirmation that is specific and unique to their abilities. This is something that not all teachers do, but the truly effective, life-changing teachers absolutely practice this method. She is always the last teacher to leave the building (at around six p.m.) and she is one of the first to arrive (at around six-thirty a.m). Ms. G is the reason why I am constantly reminded that I must keep gratitude in my heart, and never be cynical about the struggles of teaching. She is an excellent team mate. It would not be the dream team without her.
The two people I have worked with to advance student learning are Ms. G and Ms. Angela Baker. Ms. G is my better half (as far as the ELA MS standards are concerned). Ms. Baker, however, is an absolute superhero. She takes care of all ELA IEPs in sixth and seventh grade. Every day, she visits my second, sixth, and seventh period classes. She is the absolute best inclusion teacher, in that she supports in any capacity she finds necessary. Today, for instance, she led the first half of my class, because she noticed some remediation was necessary for students.
One of the constant fears and struggles I’ve had as a teacher is my relationship with my students with IEPs. As I have mentioned in a few posts before, my brother is dyslexic. In this way, I understand firsthand what a difference a great inclusion teacher can make. Ms. Baker is certainly one the best inclusion teachers. She follows every requirement to the letter. For example, one of our IEP students has missed five of the last ten school days. So, Ms. Baker spent the better part of her planning period organizing make up work and calling the student’s parents to remind them of the attendance policy. My job would be so much more challenging without the help of Ms. Baker. She is an excellent co-teacher and partner, and I consider myself lucky to have such a high-caliber inclusion teacher in my classroom.
The second person, of course, is Ms. G. Together, she and I have all the language, reading and writing standards on our plate. Every day we do our best to advance student learning by brainstorming together, compiling and analyzing data together, and by dealing with the woes and joys of teaching together. Ms. G is absolutely my partner at North Panola Junior High. Almost every undertaking we make to make our students’ learning environment better, we take together.
Without these two teachers I would be facing a completely different set of challenges as a teacher. Ms. Baker and Ms. G are often times the highlights of my week. They both are my companions in the trenches of teaching. I am so grateful to have had the opportunity to work with them for two years. Furthermore, I am so glad my students have access to such wonderful educators on a daily basis. These two women are my daily inspiration. They make my job feel especially meaningful and excellent.
I will begin with how lucky I am to have had generous, caring teachers in the district. Mrs. King was taking this photo, but she really should be present in the picture. Between Mrs. King, Mr. Eshleman, and Mr. Hart, I believe that I do not have to sacrifice my personality to be a great teacher. I do not see these three educators often, but when I do, it completely revitalizes my sense of self and inspires me to be a great.
Mr. Hart has a reputation that holds no room for haters. All this e students love him, and he teaches in a way that makes long term learning feasible and exciting for a nine month period. He has mastered the buy-in. Every student at NPJHS wants to take Mr. Hart. In fact, I'd want to be his student too. He is quick to laugh off the trivial bothers that accompany protocol. Being in his presence makes me feel like I can be an excellent educator. I am certain he has this effect on his students as well.
Mrs. King and Mr. Eshleman are perfect examples of educators who walk into a room and command respect. Mrs. King is fascinating because she grew up in New England, yet has a perfect grasp on her surroundings. Mrs. King has the kind of presence I hope to have. Her sense of humor is present, yet her professionalism is not sacrificed. I am constantly impressed by her.
Mr. Eshleman is fantastic because he has not sacrificed his identity to become a great teacher. He was ruthless his first year of teaching, and now, he has become an energetic and inspiring teacher of other teachers. He is humble, yet he does not let his students wiggle out of what is expected of them. Even though summer school was restricted to a few weeks, I am so thankful to have my TEAM teacher close by and willing to help.
Finally, I arrive at the dream team. Ms. McConnell, Ms. G and Mr. King. I do not think I would have been able to survive the year without Ms. McConnell and Mr. King. Everything about their teaching philosophies match up to what I think about. Ms. McConnell has the type of humble, yet dignified presence in a classroom that can only inspire wonder and respect from students. I have learned from her how valuable it is to commit to your own intelligence to improvise your way out of adverse situations. She is creative and inspiring in all of her class work. She is truly an advocate for the well-being of her students, and I hope to be more like her in my classroom.
The core of the dream team, if not the founder, is Coach King. If there was a DK fan club, I would write the charter and order leather jackets. Coach King is by far the most capable, inspiring, remarkable teacher/human being I have ever had the privilege of working with. He makes education seem as important as it is, and the integrity in his work is evident every day. I have witnessed him paddle a student, and within moments, say the key words to inspire the student to achieve good behavior and never return to his office again. I have seen him interact with a student who was forlorn, and in a few words bring a smile and a laugh. He knows every student's name, his or her face, his or her family. His ability to break down a lesson into a few steps, provide academic support for myself and Ms. G in a few minutes, and encourage us to keep going through our trials is inspiring. He makes me proud to be a teacher, and his leadership makes me feel like I am important to the school. I have seen him defend me to a group of rowdy students, citing my value and kindness as the best thing they will encounter in their lives (hyperbole, but still it struck a deep chord in my soul). He values and respects every single teacher in the building, no matter how much he deplores his or her management style. I shudder to imagine my daily experience without his guidance. I cringe to think of his absence from our halls. In fact, when his car is not parked in the parking lot, the students go buckwild.
Last but certainly not least, Ms. G. She is the other half of the sixth grade English department. I would be drowning in a sea of anxiety and doubt if she was not next door. She always has my back, but is never afraid to steer me toward a better way to behave, or a better option to take. Our students love her, they all know how much she cares for them. She strives for excellence, and her integrity is present every time she reprimands a student for making bad choices (I can tell, because she is always so miserable when she has to raise her voice). In the same vein, she gives students compliments nad affirmation that is specific and unique to their abilities. This is something that not all teachers do, but the truly effective, life-changing teachers absolutely practice this method. She is always the last teacher to leave the building (at around six p.m.) and she is one of the first to arrive (at around six-thirty a.m). Ms. G is the reason why I am constantly reminded that I must keep gratitude in my heart, and never be cynical about the struggles of teaching. She is an excellent team mate. It would not be the dream team without her.
The two people I have worked with to advance student learning are Ms. G and Ms. Angela Baker. Ms. G is my better half (as far as the ELA MS standards are concerned). Ms. Baker, however, is an absolute superhero. She takes care of all ELA IEPs in sixth and seventh grade. Every day, she visits my second, sixth, and seventh period classes. She is the absolute best inclusion teacher, in that she supports in any capacity she finds necessary. Today, for instance, she led the first half of my class, because she noticed some remediation was necessary for students.
One of the constant fears and struggles I’ve had as a teacher is my relationship with my students with IEPs. As I have mentioned in a few posts before, my brother is dyslexic. In this way, I understand firsthand what a difference a great inclusion teacher can make. Ms. Baker is certainly one the best inclusion teachers. She follows every requirement to the letter. For example, one of our IEP students has missed five of the last ten school days. So, Ms. Baker spent the better part of her planning period organizing make up work and calling the student’s parents to remind them of the attendance policy. My job would be so much more challenging without the help of Ms. Baker. She is an excellent co-teacher and partner, and I consider myself lucky to have such a high-caliber inclusion teacher in my classroom.
The second person, of course, is Ms. G. Together, she and I have all the language, reading and writing standards on our plate. Every day we do our best to advance student learning by brainstorming together, compiling and analyzing data together, and by dealing with the woes and joys of teaching together. Ms. G is absolutely my partner at North Panola Junior High. Almost every undertaking we make to make our students’ learning environment better, we take together.
Without these two teachers I would be facing a completely different set of challenges as a teacher. Ms. Baker and Ms. G are often times the highlights of my week. They both are my companions in the trenches of teaching. I am so grateful to have had the opportunity to work with them for two years. Furthermore, I am so glad my students have access to such wonderful educators on a daily basis. These two women are my daily inspiration. They make my job feel especially meaningful and excellent.