Praise Report!

I first wrote a post involving a bit of a rant about SOLs and how the scores affect my job security. However, I trusted in the Lord and prayed for His goodness in return for the work I've put into teaching the children I had this spring semester. Well if you noticed the title of this post is called "Praise Report" so it is with joy that I say that out of 16 students 13 of them passed, bringing my pass rate to an 81% and of those thirteen, three scored an advanced giving me a 23% pass advantage rate! Praise the Lord He is good! I was so nervous that some of my students wouldn't do well due to test anxiety but throughout the last week and a half before testing my students proved me wrong and continued to do well with practice questions and the like. I so proud of my students and what they accomplished but all the praise must be given to the Lord who's hand orchestrated all of this!

Exhausted

I wish I could say I've been ooberly chipper and upbeat lately, but I'm not. I'm just exhausted. I feel like I'm always behind and needless to say school seems to be taking over. Thankfully, once 3:30pm on Friday rolls around, I'm home free for two weeks due to Christmas break! Ironically enough, being a teacher does have its perks.

I feel awful I haven't updated in two months! Last we spoke I mentioned grading papers and the fact that we just moved in to our house a month before. Since then, we've finally got bits and pieces of our house together, which I'm hoping to blog about over break so it'll give you something to look forward to and keep you coming back for more! ;-) I'm also hoping you're enjoying the new background for the holiday season! I wanted something festive that could put everyone in the holiday spirit. However, if I knew more about computers and XML I would have designed a template that has the real meaning of Christmas in it: the birth of Jesus! So if you find one please share it with me. Until Friday, have a blessed week!

Tell me about...the inside of your desk?!

Click on picture to view larger!

Yep, you read that correctly! My students last year and this year decided to leave me random notes and messages, and where you might ask? On the inside of my desk of course! I LOVE these messages. The girls that left them for me brightened my day and reminded me why I wanted to teach. Some were funny, most were repetitive in the fact that they all stated they, "loved me" the most. I'm pretty sure the hubbs snuck in there and added a message here and there, too. It made my day to go back and look at these pictures since I had to go to school and clean out my room for summer. Ahh, memories. Happy Monday everyone!

EXTRA! EXTRA! Read all about it!

Soooooo good news! Remember how in March I told you that Adam and were praying about a possible job opportunity in Mathews and Bassett? Well unfortunately, Mathew's budget did not get approved for another History teacher and at the time, the teacher that had put in his resignation at Bassett just up and left so they needed somebody to fill the job, quick?! Well praise the Lord, there is another position available now! I received a wonderful tip at the beginning of last week from a source who will remain unidentified and from this person emailed a person they knew in HR (whom I also emailed to confirm my interest) and WAM BAM within 24 hours I received an email stating that a representative of HR would call me to confirm and set up a pre-screening interview! YIPEE!

So in less than a day's time after the email, I received a call and had my pre-screening interview set up for today at 10:00am (I did this because I knew I wouldn't have any "kids" at school with the exception of first block because on odd days I only teach blocks 1 & 5 and my seniors make up block five and they weren't to report to school this week except for graduation practice on Wednesday and Thursday). Sooo thankfully Adam was able to take today off, as was I, and we came out to Bassett over the weekend to stay with my parents. So not only did I have a pre-screening interview, but I got to see the 'rents as well!

Ok so enough blabbering you wanna hear the good stuff! Alright here it is, I walked into HR looking professional with my portfolio in hand ready for whatever they threw at me, and I nailed it! Every question I answered clearly and concisely (probably too fast at first since I was a bit jittery, but more slowly after I settled down)! I feel really good about this interview and I've prayed and prayed that if this is what the Lord wants, then I want it, and if it's not then I don't. So immediately following the interview (and the HR rep didn't leave either) she looked me square in the face and said, "Wow! Well I will most definitely be getting in touch with such-and-such principal because you just passed your pre-screening interview!" I was elated! So I am now waiting to hear back from said principal and hope to have some more wonderful news to share, in the meantime enjoy this beautiful day!

SOL Finale

Yesterday I got to school skidaddled around to get all my stuff together, wished my students who were re-taking the best of luck and then left to spend my day as a chaperon on the senior picnic trip. The picnic went better than planned and I enjoyed myself a lot more than I did last year. As predicted, my students who hurled threats all week of me getting thrown in the pool, yes that did come true, twice actually! Don't worry, I was prepared and had extra clothes on standby. When the picnic was over, we rode the bus back to school, and then I got the news I had mulled over and stressed out about for two weeks, my SOL results.

I won't drag this out any further or give you any such false inclinations to think the scores were amazing. The truth is, only two out of the ten passed, leaving me with an ultimate 65% pass rate. I did not cry although I felt like it. All I could do was say, amen because had God wanted anything different it would have been. However, I am still human and still somewhat disappointed. I am waiting for my colleagues VSEP binders to return and see if we'll remain accredited in the History Dept. Hopefully *fingers crossed* we will because goodness knows I'd hate for anyone in the state to step in next year. So there you have it, the SOL finale. Now all that's left is graduation and a long enjoyable summer!

Re-take Update

Those students who failed and fall under the re-take category are set to take the test again on tomorrow. I have been working my butt off with these kids since the day we received the results from the first test. I have spent hours making index "flash" card sets for them, one of which (the largest strand of my own personal copy) is now missing. So needless to say, I'm a tad frustrated and ready for this SOL test to be over with.

Despite my ill mood, I am pretty confident that so long as my students have studied the materials I've provided (which they say they have) and remember the information we've reviewed in class, they should do better! I am no longer worried, but I still seem to carry the weight of the stress involved.This has been a stressful week, despite the fact that we had a three day weekend.

Today was "Awards Day" and the entire student body acted foolish, talked too much, and snickered at anything that could produce a chuckle. I was completely mortified and embarrassed when a guest presenter stopped in the middle of announcing her award in order to scold and reprimand our students on their behavior. Today was one of those days I was ready to throw in the towel. I believe it's safe to say that June 17th could not get here fast enough!

Where things stand....or fall...[you be the judge]

As of last Friday, I received my student's scores from the SOL test they took nearly two weeks ago. I am sad to say that out of 33 students, only 18 have passed (so far). My pass rate stands at 54% and it has the potential to reach 85% but no higher. Let me explain, although 18 passed, 15 did not. Of those 15 who failed, 5 failed outright meaning they scored below 375 and cannot retake it. However, 10 students are in the retake range, meaning they scored between 375-399. Starting today, these students were double blocked and I'm spending one-on-one time with them to help them on strands they scored the poorest on and need the most review and help with.

I must say I was VERY disappointed upon receving my student's SOL results--in fact, I nearly cried. I know, this may seem petty, but if you read here you would know how I feel about how unfair it is that teacher's jobs are solely based on student performance. I must admit, that I am somewhat worried. My colleague called to say that he got grilled after school by our administration and I'm nervous the same will happen to me. My colleague also stated that all of the students who can retake, that if we every single one of them don't pass, then we could possibly keep our school from receiving accreditation, so of course there's "no pressure." Like any teacher, I want my students to do well so 1) they get their credit, 2) so they can earn their advanced diploma, and 3) so that it's a good reflection upon me and all my hard work. However, God has a better plan, some days, like today, it's just hard to remember.

World History II SOL in T-minus 9 hours!

So in less than 9 hours my students will be taking the creme-de-la-creme of the World History II course, the SOL test. My students must a) pass this test if they want an advanced diploma and b) will have to take my end of year final exam if they fail, so some students might possibly fail for the year if they don't pass this sucker. I know better than to be anxious because Philippians 4:6 reads "Do not be ANXIOUS about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God."

I have worked my rear end off this year. I know you're wondering where I'm going with this, but stick with me. I hate that student's performance is a reflection on the teacher. Yes, there are some teachers who are not pulling their weight and aren't truly in it for the children, however, I and many of my colleagues are not those teachers. I don't feel that it's fair to judge a teacher based solely on student performance. I say this because I have had two male students who have not put forth hardly any effort all year long (i.e., came to class and did no work) and on top of that, neither of their parents have returned any phone calls, allowed/signed-up their child up for after-school remediation (which they clearly needed), and have not attend parent-teacher conferences. So in all fairness, at any other job, when an employee is not pulling their weight, they get the boot, but as a teacher, when a student refuses to do the work, you cannot simply give him or her the boot.

I'm not saying that a teacher should throw in the towel, I'm just saying that when you've done all you can do,then it's simply in God's hands. Ergo, my students and this test are in His hands. God knows my needs and the needs of my students. I have laid this down at His feet and I know that His will, no matter if my students pass or not, is what matters most. Thank you Lord for giving me this opportunity to serve you and these children, despite my many shortcomings and complaints. Thank you for remaining my JOY these past few weeks when you know I've struggled to have a positive attitude. And above all else thank you for being good, always and forever.

Let's Be Honest

I love my job, but I am very much at the end of my rope. The month of March certainly came in like a lion and I'm pretty sure it ate the lamb. Ever since we returned from Christmas break, my students have been rude, repulsive, obnoxious, and the list goes on and on. I've had no intentions for my blog to be a "venting station" but tonight I cannot help myself. It is emotionally and mentally hard for me to physically get up in the mornings, knowing what awaits me. My principal has been supportive, but the assistant principal (who gets clean up duty on all the behavioral problems) isn't my knight in shining armor. Sure he's a decent guy, but c'mon who's really running the show? A kid literally ran down the next hall when I approached him about skipping his class and when the referral that I submitted came back to me, all that was written in chicken scratch at the bottom was "warning." That's it?! Are you kidding me?! A kid can get irate, disrespect me, take off running down the hall to an area he's not supposed to be, and yet he gets off free? I wish I were making this up. This is only one story of which I have tenfold to share.

Yes I am complaining, but don't pity me, and above all else please do not give me any advice about classroom management. I've seen these kids day in and day out since September and I've tried all tricks of the trade.  What I'm really saying is please pray for my sanity. I feel that during this challenging time I should be more focused on the Lord, and yet I constantly am getting distracted and discouraged. I realize that you do not know the fullness of my story and the situation or school I am part of, but anything that can take your eyes off the prize is not good. Above all else, I am worried that because I have not been diligent unto the Lord, that He won't take me out of my current situation either. Adam and I have been praying for direction for so long and we both feel that He is calling us out of this location, but no doors have been opened. I know better than to worry and if God truly wants me to remain here for His purpose then I will; it's just not what I want right now. So please say a little prayer for me and ask that I can keep my eyes and heart focused on what really matters.

Mr. Opportunity, Welcome Back!

 Remember when I blogged about Mr. Opportunity here and here? Well if you remember, Adam and I have been praying for God to show His will to us. We know that change is in the air, we both feel it's coming and are trusting God. We have also shared these opportunities and bits of information with others, especially our parents, siblings, and close friends who have all said that they are praying for us as well! Well I now have an update.

The position for the upcoming history teacher at Mathews High School (Adam's hometown) was not approved in the budget and this evening I received an email from my old high school history teacher basically stating that another Bassett High School (from my hometown) alum has a master's degree in administration and will more than likely be offered a contract. As far as I know this is only contingent upon the remainder of this school year, not the next, but you know how these things usually turn out...I'm still hopeful that perhaps this is not the case and that it's only for the time being because goodness knows I would love to be near my family again!

And even though we'd both like the chance to be near my family, we're still interested in the possibility of the Air Force, we've simply hit some bumps in trying to get in touch with the Air Force recruiters. I'm not taking that as a sign we're not to talk to them, but to remain persistent and persevere. Please note however, that for someone who enjoys having a "plan" this is driving me nuts, I would love nothing more than to know where we're headed but as a friend of mine recently said, "Where's the fun in that?! "Somehow I feel that the subliminal message God is trying to send my way is to be patient. Oh if that were easier done than said! Anywho, as always please continue to pray for us and God's will as we know that above all else He is #1 and is to be glorified always!

Teaching is the....

The door to my classroom!

Student's desks and my ActivBoard

best job ever! Now grant it, those of you who know me well, know that my experience at Charles City has been tough, and I haven't thoroughly enjoyed every minute of it. Of course each school district will have its problems, that comes with the territory, so I'm not so much as naive to believe that any other district will be perfect. I do however, love my job! I enjoy preparing lesson plans, looking for new material, but most of all I enjoy the impact that I can have on students, as a Christian! Day after day students come up to me telling me their problems, asking for guidance and time and time again I always point them back to the cross, to Jesus Christ. Because without that relationship everything else is minuscule and futile -- exactly how teaching WOULD be if it weren't for the fact that the Lord has called me to do this.

My desk and bulletin board

Bookshelves/Closet

Chalkboard/TV

I don't blog much about my career. I guess I'd always been afraid of the idea that someone from the district or school would see it. But after stumbling upon some of my friend's blogs and realizing that I could blog without invading privacy I think I'll be more open to the idea. Of course if I ever do blog I will not use the real names of my students (if I use any names at all) and I will not post pictures of them. However, I do want to share with you what my classroom looks like. These pictures were taken at the start of the school year so ignore the bulletin board, it has since been updated and is a beautiful spring picture with a rainbow and a leprechaun chillin' with a pot of gold at the end. You'd think that by that description I teach at the elementary level, but in actuality I teach high school history.

About a week ago I posted about opportunity and the fact that Adam and I are looking for direction. Well not too soon after that, I actually had received notice that there's an anticipated high school history position in Mathews County and yesterday (I'll tell you about this later) I discovered that there's an opening at my old high school for a history position as well. I can hardly believe that both schools have anticipated positions open. Adam and I had already been praying about Mathews and now we're praying about Bassett, too. We would just ask for you to be prayerful with us, that God would blatantly open or close the door where we should or should not go because above all else we want to remain faithful to Him. Let me leave you with my favorite verse:

Psalm 25:4-5 (New International Version, ©2011)

 ⁴ Show me your ways, LORD,
   teach me your paths.
⁵ Guide me in your truth and teach me,
   for you are God my Savior,
   and my hope is in you all day long.

2:49 in the Morning and a New Year's Update

Here it is, 2:49 in the morning and I can't sleep. It seems that sleep is taunting me. I know I need it. My body knows I need the rest, and yet I am not tired enough to let my head hit the pillow. I have spent the past hour to hour and a half simply piddling and learning all there is to fixing up my blog. I think it looks ten times better than before, and I'm sure when I have my next fit and cannot sleep, it'll be in for another change.

I began another sewing project. It's actually a present for a friend of mine. I bought some baby material and am in the LONG process of making a onesie. Maybe I was too adventurous for this one. You would think that something so small and tiny wouldn't be too difficult. All I'm saying is dream big but keep the small stuff realistic and never ever be too proud to ask for help. I could surely enjoy the company and help of my mother for this one.

As for school, we are more than halfway through the year. In fact we have approximately 4 more months and then we're free to enjoy our summer! January was a tough month, I'm not exactly sure how I made it. God is soooo good though. I have joined a Bible study on Wednesday nights. The ladies are all older than me, by at least 20+ years, but I enjoy the company and wisdom of these ladies. This Bible study has also helped me get out of the complacent routine Adam and I have been stuck in. 

Oh and I do have an update to those New Year's Resolutions I made....
1. (I am continually) growing closer to God; though we all know when we make a resolution like this sometimes thereafter it seems harder....

2. (The only way I've been incorporating this is to visualize how my students see me and hear me throughout the day) To be conscious of the way I handle and represent myself so that others may always see Christ and never second guess where I stand


3. (Yes, in keeping with being honest, this has been a weak spot of mine and seriously needs to go into immediate affect!) To spend 10% of my time = 2 hours 40 minutes daily with the Lord and another 5% of my time = 1 hour 20 minutes of my time with my husband in devotion as well


4. (Have started re-memorizing and tapping into my memory of those verses once learned) Adam and I are going to start memorizing scripture (waaaaaay back in high school I was a part of a ministry and we found encouragement weekly by memorizing scripture and then sharing that with others as a tool for witnessing)


5.(I've been more active spiritually but have a long ways to go and physically, don't laugh, but yes I've been using the Wii much more and even discovered I had lost 1 1/2 lbs....definitely nothing to brag about but you gotta start somewhere, right?! I believe if I were to blog everyday and would truly "document" this journey I think it would help me be more accountable and work harder at becoming more healthy) Be active 1) spiritually ---refer to resolutions #1-4 and 2) physically --- I plan to start documenting weekly my progress in becoming healthier. I've noticed women who have blogs in which they document themselves growing throughout the course of their pregnancies, so I'd like to do something to that extent except with the idea of getting smaller and not grow a child within me.


6. (Woohoo! Adam got a raise and we've been able to pay off some more bills. Frugality is questionable....definitely need to work on it!) Financially I'd like to save up and have 10% as part of a down payment on a house -- this will mean living more frugally than we have been. (For those of you who are homeowners, what is a good ball park figure to save?)


7. (No finished products yet...haven't had time since time has been devoted to school) Finish projects! I am a pretty creative person (I love to knit, sew, scrapbook, paint, cook/bake, etc.) and I tend to start a lot of projects, but usually fail to complete them (minus baking/cooking endeavors) so this year I aim to be more productive.


8. (Praise the Lord!!! We prayed and prayed and prayed and finally decided that God's will for us was to go back to Redeeming Grace and it's been wonderful!) Find a church to attend regularly


9. (This is a work in progress....don't judge me) Take more photographs!


10. (Ok I set out to read not just the Bible but more literary works...I started Gulliver's Travels, but haven't got past Chapter 2) Read more! I have a huge collection of books sitting on a shelf that I've specifically set out so I'll make a point to read them!

It seems I've built a good appetite for sleep now that I've gone through and updated where I stand with my resolutions. Sweet dreams!


11. (Still a work in progress...) Blog more regularly!

"School's out for summer!" -Pink Floyd

Yippee! I am so very very thankful that I made it through my first year of teaching! I'm not sure I could even thank all the people that helped me get through this year, but to any of you who read this blog, thank you! Before I continue in my ramblings I would like to say that I ended up receiving a 79% pass rate on my SOLs, which was a little disappointing, but again this was only my first year and it can only get better! And I must say that while the SOLs do limit what the kids can learn, I'm glad I had some sort of a guide to follow. I'm not sure we would have covered or "touched base" on everything had I been able to do as I wish. I do think with more time and experience I'm sure I'll change my mind. I will say that I do hate how focused schools are on just one assessment, it's not fair to the kids, but that's life.

My last week of school went relatively well. I spent most of my time cleaning and organizing my classroom in preparation for this upcoming fall. As I was organizing and going about my business I found myself saying oh this would be great for next year, this would be a fun project, and oh I'm gonna handle this situation like this next year, so if my college adviser were to ever read this I hope she'd be proud of my "reflectiveness." While I'm not saying that I'm eager for school to start up again, I will say that I am looking forward to starting over and doing a better job! As a final note about school, I did return my contract to central office with my John Hancock signature saying I'll be coming back next year, so unless if Adam gets this freight train conductor job then my plans are to return with more gumption and ambition!

I know I said I was finished with school but I will say that I worked among some of the best teachers! I enjoyed getting to know all of my colleagues and I can truly say I've learned something from all of them! The relationship amongst the faculty and staff was encouraging and even upon getting ready to leave a group of us decided we'd go to the Courthouse Grille for lunch as one last "hurrah" you could say. And for those colleagues leaving us I wish nothing but the best of luck in their future! I hope it's filled with even better opportunities for them to succeed! So finally I leave with this parting quote from Pink Floyd, "School's out for summer!"

SOLs are history....no pun intended :-)

*My last post was supposed to be from this past April, but somehow I logged on to an old post that never quite got posted so that is why the date is wrong.

As most of you know, I am currently in my first year of teaching at Charles City High School. Well thankfully, with all praise to the Lord, the SOLs are history....no pun intended! I say that because 1) the course I teach is World History II and 2) my students were finally able to take their SOL tests after some much awaited technical problems were fixed! I'm still waiting for the final passage rate, but overall I'm just thankful to have this behind me! This year has been especially tough, but praise God in His mercy I've somehow made it through....well almost....we still have 15 more days of school until we're officially finished, but I'd say it's close enough to say done. And I am eager to see what all summer has in store!

I've already made a list of goals that I hope to accomplish, including finishing my Europe scrapbook, reading through several novels, starting and finishing our wedding scrapbook, visiting friends, visiting family, traveling, volunteering at the Holocaust Museum in Richmond, and starting and finishing the Insanity workout program. Finally, with fingers crossed, I will most definitely catch up on some much needed sleep, relaxation, and time with my wonderful husband!

As for tomorrow I've got a lesson I need to prepare so my 16 year olds don't get bored and into trouble ;-) So until summer officially arrives, you'll hear from me later!