Flat Stanley Project: Seeing the World through Your Flat Friend's Eyes

     Last winter I began the Flat Stanley Project with my 2nd grade enrichment students. We created the little friends before Christmas so they could travel during the holiday season. . We were not able to go any further in the project because some FS's had not traveled at all so I had some friends take them on their adventures and took them on my own Disney vacation.

     To those who do not know what Flat Stanley is, in short it is a literacy project where flat friends travel, those who take them on adventure send pictures to the students who get to learn about other parts of the world.

     I think this is such an amazing project and had fun taking my student's flat friends on vacation. One of them actually fell behind some fixtures at Disneyland in Pooh Corner so one of the girls gets to live in Disneyland forever.

     The flat friends attended the character breakfast with us and many of the Disney cast members and characters participated with the fun.

     Of course I know the FS's aren't real and my students know they aren't real but this project takes children to parts of the world they may never get to  travel. My students might never get to leave their home town so through this project they experience the world. The kids absolutely love that thought.

     Literacy is tied into it all because the students read and learn about the places their flat friends travels. Some may think it is silly but to my students it opens the world up  to them. It also teaches them that they can travel the world through books which prompts reading and from there they find endless adventures.

+Flat Stanley +Project + literacy
   

The End of One Journey as a New One is Under Way

     I have not written in this blog for a while because well, there really isn't much to say anymore regarding my student teaching. It is complete and I now have a teaching job. So I would say that it is time for me to stop adding new posts to this blog unless I come up with something from my past student teaching experience to write about. For now though I will conclude with some of my experiences and move on to my teaching blog.

     I absolutely love my job. I teach at an elementary school on the Navajo reservation. At first I was a bit nervous but felt at home the very first day. I absolutely love the staff and the kids are so wonderful. There are trials of course as with any new job. It took a while for me to settle in and it has taken a while to have come up with a routine. Teaching gifted education is different because I create my own curriculum. I sometimes feel very stressed because I don't know what I am doing but I seek help and things seem to fall into place.

     There will no longer be posts added to this blog unless I come up with new things about my student teaching experience.  I hope to see you on my new blog which I will title simply, My Teaching Experience Has Begun.
   

New Adventures-New Job!

     When I left the pre-school and discovered that the district where I live did not like my discipline methods I decided to reach out to the town 45 miles away again. I not only reached out there but to a town even farther away. I applied for every opening they had which were not many.

    I received a call one day on a job I had applied for except the principal said they also had a gifted and talented position open. I was thrilled because gifted and talented is actually my long term plan. A couple of years after I began my college degree in education I decided my passion was in gifted ed. But, gifted ed requires a special endorsement so I figured I would have to wait a few years.

     I interviewed for the job and got it. I was so excited! I will have to get the gifted and talented endorsement within 3 years but that is fine. I will do that.

     I am also excited that the new school is an A rated school. I will not only get to teach the subject matter I had hoped but will get to do it in a school where I can learn so much. Yes I will teach the students but it is also so exciting to know I will learn too.

     Monday will begin my new and exciting journey. It has taken a while but I am on my way...

Why Some Did Not Want Me

     I completed my student teaching in a private Christian school. The school is amazing and I feel fortunate to have been able to student teach there. I learned how to teach different grades and different subjects all in one semester. I learned some great teaching strategies and discipline methods. The kids are doing amazing and well, it was nothing but a positive experience.  I wish I could work there but they do not need anyone.

    I wondered though why no one in my area wanted me. I had done a lot of my practicum in one of the public schools, the one I really hoped to work at. I knew the principal and thought that might help.

     Mostly I wondered why I only received one call to interview with all of the open positions.  So, I called human resources to ask what was going on and was told that one of the schools had planned to interview me but someone told the principal that I had issues at the school where I'd  done a lot of my practicum. I was baffled because there had been no problems at all of which I was aware.

     After hearing that someone was saying I had issues at a school I asked the principal of that school and she said nothing was wrong that she was aware of. So I have no clue who said that or why. I know that I live in a small town full of a lot of gossipy people and also some who lie. I also know if the principal buys into all of that then I am lucky she did not call me to interview and I do not want to work at her school.

     While talking to HR I was also told that my interview for the Kindergarten position went great and I have a lot of great ideas but the only thing that bothered them was that my classroom and discipline methods are a bit old school. I was baffled because where I student taught we used some modern methods and I also really like the Wong methods. But I guess the Wong methods are old school now. I found that strange since my college still supports them. But, my college was a Christian school in another state.

    I learned in my school district it is no longer acceptable to put kids names on the board or to take away things like recess. Well the kids at the school where I student taught are well behaved and learning, the teacher does not have to waste time on discipline because they know they will lose recess if they misbehave. That all is another post in itself for a later time.

    I still wonder what else is going on in the other schools where I live but might never know. I kind of feel like I have been blackballed for some unknown reason. I will keep trying to get on at other schools and sub where I live. I will be a great teacher someday when someone does want me.

    

My Big Mistake

     I started my job at the Head Start on a Thursday. The first day was a nightmare. School is not in session yet but they had their summer program going. I had told the director from the start that I am not a babysitter and did not want to work in the daycare area but, that is what they have in the summer so she put me there. I thought that it was to train me but from what I was seeing they needed people and needed them right away. It was the worst job I have ever done.

     I went home and cried after the first day. The thought of doing that even one more day just made me so sad. It took all I had to return the next day but I did. I told the director that I hired for Head Start and only wanted to work toward getting my class ready and do training for my class. She said ok and put me in a room with a Head Start teacher who was subbing there for the summer with the older kids. That teacher was amazing and gave me hope that maybe things would be ok. I felt better about the job and was actually excited to get my room set up.

     I spent the weekend thinking of my classroom and how I would set it up. I was ready to go in Monday and start working toward that goal. School did not start for two weeks but there was a lot to do.

    Well, I went in on Monday and they put me back in the day care summer program area. They were very short staffed and that is where they needed me. But I had not hired on for that job so I was not happy about it at all. I decided that night I was not going to continue working there. I also decided after looking at the lesson plans in the summer class I was in that Head Start, Pre-School is not for me. There is a lot of play time which is fine, but I want to teach and teaching that little of kids is not what I went to college to do and not something I can handle.

     I decided I will sign on to sub until I can find a permanent position.

     So here I am without a steady job, kicking myself for turning down a good job in the town 45 minutes away thinking that I might start looking even farther away but hoping something will come around before I have to do that.

     This is sure not what I thought it would be like after I earned my degree.

The Job Hunt Begins...

     I really thought once I completed my student teaching I would apply for some teaching jobs and well get one of them. My friends who became teachers seemed to just step into a job once they were done student teaching. Maybe it wasn't that easy but it sure appeared so to me. Well landing a teaching job has not been easy for me.

     I started applying for jobs with the school district where I live right after I applied for my license. there were several openings in my district and well, they always complain about the shortage of teachers so I thought for sure I would get one of the positions. I also applied for positions in a town 45 miles away.

    In June I was called for one interview in my town but it was at the school where I most wanted to teach and it was Kindergarten so I was very excited. I dressed nice, took my portfolio and thought the interview went rather well.

     Not long after that interview I went to one in the town 45 miles away to interview for a first grade position. That interview also went well but they called shortly after to let me know someone else got the position. I was bummed but hoping for the local job.

     I got the call soon after telling me I did not get the local job either. I was very upset because none of the other schools in my area had called me either and well, there were a lot of openings. I was baffled as to why no one was calling me. I did find out why one school did not call and also one problem with my interview at the school where I wanted to work most of all. I will save that for another blog.

     In July I completed a phone interview for a job in the town 45 minutes away. In the mean time I also applied at Head Starts because I just need a job. Head Start is not my area of study nor my desire but I need to get started on my career.

     I got one of the Head Start jobs and then another Head Start called me too. The second school offered more money so, being so financially strapped I left the first one and took the second. I had not actually started the first job so they had time to replace me. Then a few days before I was supposed to begin at the Head Start I was offered a 3rd grade position in the town 45 minutes away. I seriously considered it but felt that I was not ready to jump into a classroom where school had already begun. I was not sure I could handle the drive and just felt stressed over it. So, I turned it down and stuck with Head Start. That was one of the biggest mistakes I have ever made.

     So late August, there I was turning down a job that is more suited to my degree and beginning a job in an area of education that is well, very unfamiliar to me.

    

   

Student Teaching Journey is Complete

I have sucessfully conpleted my 15 week student teaching journey. It seems like yesterday when it started but yet feels like it took foever to complete. I do not say that it feels like forever because itw as a bad experince, I say that becasue during student teaching you make absolutely no money so, it was rough on me for that amount of time financially.

My classroom experience was a beautiful one. I alreayd miss my kids, peers and the families. I feel like I built a wonderful relationship wiht all of them and sad that it is done. I plan to visit when I can because I really loved everyone.


The kids were sad to see me go, I got a lot of hugs and well it was sad. Some of my little studetns were very sad to see me leave.

In the next few weeks I will write about the highs and lows to my experience. There were way more highs than lows but with anything there's always a few lows. One of them I will say now was helping with 4th grade and up math. I am not good at it and was not able to help much in that area.

The entire experience has left me feeling enriched and puts a smile on my face.