Go Jackrabbits! (My first football experience)

I went to my first Mesa High football game last night! It was way fun! I never went to a single Mauldin High football game unless it was to sing the National Anthem with the choir. It was just a totally awesome experience though, going as a teacher, because I had students that were playing and that made all the difference.

For those of you who know me well, you know that I do not know ANYTHING about football, so I had a friend that is very good at football accompany me and explain what was going on in the game. I now know that a quarterback gets the ball from the center and he can either throw the ball to a receiver OR keep it and run, among other things. Basically, I’m ready to coach football. Ok, maybe not, but it’s definitely a start!

I went to the Juniors game, which is kind of like JV, except that the guys are still on Varsity, but since the school is so big, they have a second string game, if that makes any sense at all. Since I teach all juniors, most of my students that play football are on the second string team. One of my students is even the quarterback! Exciting! So, every time they would say his name I got so excited and cheered for him.

Today at school, I told them that I went to the game and I wish you all could have seen how their eyes lit up when I told them. They were so excited. I told Mr. Quarterback that I went and he said, “REALLY?!?!? Thank you so much for coming!” (Fist bump…that’s right, I’m cool enough to be asked for a fist bump!!!!) He then continued to ask me if I saw all of these plays and everything, which I could tell him that I did! Another student said, “Did you see me block that punt return??” To which I could also respond yes!!!

Today was one of the most rewarding/fun experiences of my student teaching. When the students found out I cared and went to the game, the way they treated me after made me feel like I was the best teacher in the entire world, and I hadn’t even really done anything! I just took an hour and a half of my time, which is next to nothing if you think about it, and learned a little about football so that I could have a new way to connect with my students. It was such an amazing feeling!! AHHH I LOVE BEING A TEACHER!!!!

Carry on!

Becoming a disciplinarian and a coach

I'm finally starting to get the hang of the whole discipline thing and the students are definitely responding more positively to me. I had to have a heart to heart with one of my students last Friday and I feel like it really has helped our relationship in the classroom leaps and bounds. He was constantly rude to me and disruptive in class. So finally, I told him that I realize at the beginning of the semester he told me he expected to be respected, but that he had not earned my respect and therefore did not have it. I told him that I was not going to treat him any differently than I would any other student, but that he should know that I don't appreciate the way he has been treating me and that if he wants my respect he needs to change his ways and earn it. It was a very calm talk, I was very straightforward, and at the end he said "Yeah, ok," and left. Then, when he came to school on Monday, it was like a complete 180. He asked questions in a respectful tone of voice instead of with his usual attitude, he told me he liked my dress, and he showed concern for my well-being (he asked if I needed a band-aid to cover my knee, if you missed out on why my knee needs bandaging, see last post, it's a good story). He was a totally different person. I was so impressed. I don't know if it's that he wants my respect and he will do whatever he can to get it or if he now respects me more for actually sitting and talking with him so that he knows that I care about him. All I know is it was one of the most satisfying feelings in the world to know that I changed something about him, at least in my class even if he's a royal pain for the other teachers. I guess that's kinda selfish, huh?

There is also a kid in a different class period that has so lovingly given me the nickname, "Coach." I told him he couldn't call me that because I'm not a coach, but he said, "You're like my life coach." Adorable, right? So anyways, yesterday in class he told me he could pretty much tell that Mrs. S (that's my mentor teacher) hates him. I told him she did not hate him, she just sometimes has a harsh personality. He then listed off a bunch of reasons why she hates him and I have to say he had a pretty good list. I told him I was sorry he felt that way about her, but I asked if he could tell that I didn't hate him. He told me, "of course I know you don't hate me, coach!" Today, he was talking to me about his grade and he asked me if he could retake a quiz that he did poorly on and I told him he couldn't, but that he could certainly do better on the next quiz, which would be this Friday. He told me he definitely would and that he was going to study his vocab words so that he could ace the quiz and bring up his grade. I mean, he has a C it's not like he is failing, but I told him to do me proud. His answer, "Oh, I will coach." He's kind of my favorite, except that I don't have favorites, but if I did, he would be one of them.

Next week I take over all Junior English classes. Scary and exciting. I'll be teaching a unit on Puritan Literature, beginning with poetry by Anne Bradstreet, then Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God, then "The Examination of Sara Good," and finally "The Crucible." So, wish me luck, prayers and well wishes are welcome.

Carry on!

Bekka Takes a Tumble, Among Other Things

Ok, so, an update is necessary. It’s been too long! I’ve had lots of good days and a couple of crummy ones, but here’s an overview…

So, last week, I took a major tumble in the classroom. Luckily, it was during the passing period between 3^rd and 4^th hour, so there weren’t a ton of students in the classroom. I had a student ask me where her new seat was since she was absent when I gave the new seating chart. I was walking over to my desk to find the new chart, when the pesky overhead cord tripped me. This is just another reason why I hate the overhead. The number one reason is that my fingers are green and blue when I leave school everyday. I left school last Wednesday with blue and green fingers and a black and blue knee. Ok, so it wasn’t really black and blue, but I thought that was a nice use of imagery, it was however a lovely shade of red. It was also fortunate that it happened 4^th hour and not 6^th. My 4^th hour students are much… well, more caring, that’s a good way to put it, than my 6^th hour students. All of the kids that were already in the classroom gasped and asked if I was ok, it was actually very sweet. When I told my 6^th hour students about it, they all laughed and said they would have been rolling on the floor laughing at me. Charming little rascals aren’t they? After it happened I got sent to the nurse, and now it’s finally starting to get all better, yay!

That same day, I also wrote my very first referral. This student has been a serious behavior problem and that day, he basically refused to do any work in class and was incredibly rude to me about how when he asks me questions I never know what to say and that I don’t really know anything since I’m a student teacher. I gave him the option to either do his work, or go to in-school detention (they call it Sweep at Mesa High School). He chose to go to Sweep, and afterschool I wrote him up for being disrespectful. It was a really weird thing to do but it was oddly satisfying because he had been so rude to me.

Those were the two big things from last week. This week, I had my first formal observation; it was, in fact, today during 4^th hour! I felt like it went really well! Sister Cottle told me that it was a job well done and that there were a few things I needed to work on, but that it was really good! Basically, I need to be more vocal about how much time they have left to finish an assignment, especially when they are working in groups. She also said I need to make sure to include how the lesson relates to their future or their lives. I was teaching “Of Plymouth Plantation,” a narrative about Pilgrims, so she realizes there isn’t a whole lot I could do to relate it to their lives, but she just wants me to have that idea in mind for when I am teaching about Romanticism and Transcendentalism. I’m excited to teach those because it will be a lot easier for them to relate to the material.

She told me that it was obvious that my background in theatre really helps me to have the necessary confidence to be in front of a class. She also told me I have smooth transitions and that I am good at thinking on my feet. She also mentioned that I did a good job of monitoring students and moving around the classroom. My questions were clear and I checked for understanding throughout the lesson, which were all really good. She told me overall my lesson plan was very organized and that I did a good job and there were no major problems! I feel really good about it! When she first walked in I got a little nervous, but I just took a deep breath and went on as if she wasn’t even there.

On the whole, I feel pretty great about my student teaching experience so far. I have had good days (when students understand what I’m teaching and actually participate) and bad days (when students call me a jerk and just sit there staring at me), but so far, I haven’t had any experiences that have made me want to quit teaching and flip burgers for the rest of my life, so I’ll call the first month a success.

Til next time,

Carry on!

Terrifying Thursday and Casual Friday

      Thursday, we went over course expectations and I started getting to know the students a little better. Again, I taught fourth and sixth hours, and observed second, third, and fifth. Mrs. S again told me that sixth hour was much better than fourth. Not that I didn't do well the first time, but after successfully (and a bit nervously) teaching fourth hour, I had my footing, and I wasn't as worried about what I was doing, which made it possible for me to focus more on what the students were doing. Something I definitely have to work on is being more observant in the classroom, which Mrs. S has assured me comes with time, so I know I'll eventually get better at it.
      I was also give the assignment that I'll be teaching Unit 2 on Puritan Literature on Thursday, which COMPLETELY terrifies me. I guess I should mention that I'm teaching Junior English classes and that all of the literature I teach will be American, which is exciting to me, because, in general, I prefer British, so it will be a challenge. I'll be teaching The Crucible, so, any and all suggestions are welcome to all of my Theatre and English buddies out there :) My unit begins the week of September 10th so I have just about a month to prepare. I've only ever created one other complete unit and I had an entire semester to do it, so I feel like I may be pulling out my hair in a couple of weeks, but I'm just keeping a positive attitude, because The Crucible is an awesome way to start out my teaching career, I get to conjoin my two loves English and Theatre, and I get to take my students out of their comfort zones a little, which will be fun!
      The most important thing about Thursday, though, is that during sixth hour, Mrs. S left me alone in the classroom to take roll and get the class started without her. She told me she trusted that I could do it and that I'd be fine. She was right! I had the attention of all of my students and they were incredibly quiet when I was giving instructions, scary quiet actually, but that's not the point. I had really good control of my classroom, Mrs. S was impressed and very proud of me :)

      Friday, I got to wear jeans to school! I felt a little bit like an EFY counselor again because they gave me a lovely Mesa High polo to wear when I first arrived, which I donned for casual Friday. I taught third, fourth, sixth, and half of fifth hours, only sitting out second, and it was the first day of "real" instruction. We did introductions for the first little bit so that I can start learning their names faster. Fingers crossed on that one! Then, we read an article finding the claim, important organizations, and quotes within it. Third hour was pretty rough, I had a hard time explaining to the class what a claim is, and they had a really hard time understanding when I was struggling, eventually we all came to an understanding about it, but that was something I knew I seriously had to fix before fourth hour, so Mrs. S gave me some good solid advice, and fourth and sixth hours were both much better. She left me alone in sixth hour again, which was good, but a little more nerve wracking than the first time because I had a couple of students that were trying to give me a hard time, but I handled everything as best as I could, and felt ok about it all at the end of the day.

     So, that was my first week of teaching! I didn't really mention anything about living in Mesa in my last post, so I'll do it here. I'm pretty much loving it! I was pretty skeptical at first because it is hotter than Ryan Lochte and Bradley Cooper combined here. Most days when I'm on my way to school it's between 95 and 100 degrees out and it's 7:45 in the morning. By the time I get out of school in the afternoon it's around 120. Basically, I stay inside. I've been asked a lot why it's so bad to me because I've lived in Florida and South Carolina, which both can get into the 100's at times, but the difference is that the East coast is like being in a closed oven with the humidity and out here it's like a frying pan, just hot and the sun just beats down on you. Well that and it's 20 degrees hotter most of the time, actually 30 right now.
       Other than the weather, I really am enjoying it. I got to go to the Mesa Temple this week, and I actually saw my old Disney roommate, Holly, or I should say, Hermana Larson, at the Visitor's Center, where she is serving. She was so surprised to see me! I knew that she was here, but obviously she had no way of knowing I was! It was really neat!
      Also, I have seen Holly, my sister, not my missionary friend, more here when we are living 10 minutes from each other than I'm pretty sure we saw each other in Rexburg when we lived right next door to each other. It's been so great! I don't have a roommate in my room with me, so she's able to stay over whenever she wants which is pretty awesome.
     Life in AZ is going really well so far and I'm excited to be able to be here and experience a completely different part of the country that I've really never seen before. My ward is humongous, honestly the biggest ward I've ever seen let alone been in, which is good and bad. There are a lot of people to meet and become friends with, but since there are so many people, I'm hoping it won't be hard to actually meet a group of people to hang out with on a regular basis, but I'm staying positive about it! I'm going to join the ward choir tomorrow, so hopefully I'll make some friends there! More updates are to come about my adventures in teaching and life in generally but until then,

Carry On.

My Jackrabbit Beginnings

First of all, I haven't blogged in a long time, so I'm going to being putting up several posts to explain my first week of student teaching so that there isn't just one huge post. Having said that...week one of my student teaching is done! I have already learned SO much. I have done a lot more teaching than I initially thought I'd do the first week, which is great, but it was totally exhausting! My mentor teacher (whom I will refer to as Mrs. S from now on) is so amazing. She is an awesome teacher, incredibly supportive of me, pushes me to work hard, gives me honest feedback (which is so important!) and she loves Disney. I mean, how is it not fate that she is my mentor?? It's positively providential!

Days one and two were full of very long meetings and don't really warrant their own posts. They were days full of important information, but with the exhaustion from our cross-country trek and the time change that came along with it, I was trying VERY hard not to fall asleep during those oh so informative meetings.

      Day three was Wednesday, the first day of school with students. I was nervous...but excited. I guess if I was Troy Bolton I might have tried singing a song about it, but I refrained. If you don't understand that reference, please watch this, because it is HILARIOUS! You should know that on Tuesday as I was leaving Mrs. S told me to plan on teaching at least 6th hour the next day. I was in a total panic, I figured my first week would be observing and taking notes, not being thrown in front of a class right away!
      So, I arrived the next morning at 7:45, luckily my first hour is planning, so I had a little bit of time to be in the classroom preparing myself mentally for this, my first day of school as a semi-real teacher. I observed second and third hour and then Mrs. S said, "Are you ready? I want you to take fourth if you think you are." Honestly, I was terrified, but I had just watched her for two class periods, so I threw myself in the ring. At least, that's what it kind of felt like, I was a boxer, one against 34 opponents, with no boxing gloves.
      I started out cowering in the corner, metaphorically speaking of course, constantly looking back at my coach to make sure I was doing alright. She nodded in an incredibly supportive manner and I started to feel more comfortable. By the end of the hour, I felt pretty good, like I wasn't cowering in the corner so much as just inching toward my opponent. Maybe boxing isn't really the right metaphor to use in this situation because obviously my students aren't my opponents nor would I ever actually throw punches, but I'm already this far into the blog post and I don't feel like having to put more energy into thinking of another clever way to describe my day. It will just have to suffice for today.
      I sat out fifth hour to take a breather and recoup for sixth hour, which went much better. Not that fourth hour was horrible, but I had a confidence in myself that I didn't really know was even possible! I was authoritative, but not in a way that made the students hate me, I knew things were going to be fine, I had it under control and it was the most amazing feeling in the world. I had on my boxing gloves and I was ready for that scantily clad woman to come out and ring the bell and start the match. I honestly don't think I could have chosen a worse metaphor, but again, I apologize.

      So, the first day of school made me realize that all of those times that I questioned whether or not I really wanted to be a teacher, all of the times I feared I had chosen the wrong major yet again, all of my doubts were COMPLETELY unwarranted. I love teaching. Once I stood in front of those students and realized I was going to be able to change their lives, every one of the questions, doubts, and fears were so far away that I couldn't even see them anymore. I know this is where I'm supposed to be, and Heavenly Father put me here for a specific reason. The Mesa High motto is Carry On. I'm going to face a lot of challenges this semester, but all I have to remember is that I'm a Jackrabbit and that I just have to Carry On. I've been working 6 years to get here and I'm ready. So, from now on all of my blog posts will end with...

Carry On.

Best Imitation of Myself

I'm feeling so much better about work this week. I mean it's still not the ideal situation, but I decided to just give myself a kick in the pants and deal with it. I had a great day today and I'm just gonna keep a smile on my face and remember that my job is to give guests the most magical vacation they can possibly have. So, until July 27th, I'll be singing the following song in my head all day at work to pretend the day away...enjoy!

26 days...

Well, I can't stand my job. I never thought I'd say that about working at Disney World, but there really isn't any other way of putting it. I just have to make it through this next month and then I'll be home free, well technically Arizona free, but the point is that I won't ever have to give another tour of that ruddy house again. (To pass the time, I listen to Harry Potter books, ruddy has now become part of my vocabulary.) This week I only have 32 hours and that is like paradise! Next week I have close to 50, so I'll have to try and get rid of some of those, although it probably won't happen.

I AM excited that either tomorrow or Tuesday I'm going to Universal so I can send Elder Fogle a letter from Hogsmede! I can't wait!

School is still blah. What's new?

I just have to remember I'll be outta here in 26 days.

 I've been listening to this song over and over recently. I love it. You should love it, too.