How to be a cool teacher...:)

We were asked to make an "ideal teacher." Here are some of our important things! (his mustache says "funny") Anything we missed? Sarah and I are proud of our creation :)

Teacher Identity

While reading the section "Teacher Identity" in Early Career English Teachers in Action, I began to realize what my future was coming to. The intro explains that an identity is both how others view you and how you see yourself. Developing a teacher identity is extremely important and only comes through experiences that shape you as a person. I really enjoyed how Lindsay Ellis broke down the identities as a teacher in all aspects of the job; not what you would think about as a first year teacher.

The stories were all very interesting but two stood out to me the most. "Integrity" by Amanda Brown was the first one that resonated with me. We share common characteristics such as being women of faith and being true to ourselves and what we believe in. Her situation is definitely something that I may come across my first years of teaching. I just need to remember that no matter what happens, do the right thing. If I do something that will leave me feeling guilty, I need to fix it. She could have easily not told anyone about the use of calculators on the test, saving money, time, and probably better results on the test. Instead she knew that she would feel guilty and reported it, staying true to herself. In the end she had better relationships with the staff and was more confident in herself. I strive to hold myself accountable like this as well. 1 Kings 9:4-5 shows us that God will deliver when we are people of integrity. Alike how God holds to his promises to David when he is a man of integrity and does not hide, Amanda was shown this delivery by the love of her boss and security of her job when she remained true to herself

The other story I loved was the very last one by Tracy Meinzer. When she said that she was a crier, she won my attention over. I am a total crier as well which made this story very relatable. I think that she saw how important relationships with students is, realizing that we do not know what they are going through at a fragile time in their life. We were all there once, and we don't always look back and notice how they are just in that stage. I need to keep this in mind especially teaching in a middle school... It's an awkward, self-exploring, self-finding age where they need a lot of support. The exercise she did with the class would be an awesome idea with a class that does not relate to each other well. The class opened up and saw that others were going through things alike or even worse than themselves.

Overall, this book is going to be super helpful and I will definitely be taking down ideas and advice for the future... :)

Nothing but the Truth...

I just finished reading Avi's Nothing but the Truth. I enjoyed reading this quite a bit. I had previously never read a multi-genre book and I did not know much about them. This style is something that I would definitely read again. It catches your attention, lets you see into the head of many different characters, and is an easier read. I think that if I had been introduced to this style of writing earlier in high school, I would have written more like this or taken the time to read multi-genre books.

Enough about the style, let's talk about Phillip. I am not fond of this kid... He basically stacked the deck to be on his side. Miss Narwin was clearly not out to get Phillip, but truly only wanted to help him exceed. Once he realized that he needed to do well in her class or get moved into another class, he started to get people on his side. Starting with his parents, then the neighbor, the newspaper, and then the rest of the world followed. He realized that he was guilty but didn't want to give in as everyone was already on his side. UGH. He should have just confessed. 

I did not like how he got away with this, basically forcing Miss Narwin to retire. She deserves better. Yes she may have overreacted a little about the singing and could have talked to him... But Phillip was definitely out to get her. Also his parents, don't you think as a parent you would want to know the teacher's side as well? This book was frustrating and I feel for the teachers... Kind of scares me for what could happen in my teaching career :O Maybe start with building positive relationships with students as said here. Miss Darwin should have reached out to build a better relationship with Phillip...


Overall I really enjoyed the book and couldn't put it down :)

Hey all!

Well everyone, this is my first blog... I'm not entirely sure how much I will love it but I am definitely ready to try it out. 

So here's a LITTLE glimpse of deciding to major in Secondary Education... :)

I grew up in a Christian home, Christian school (check it out, it's an awesome place). I had a GREAT education. Small schools definitely are not always fun but undoubtedly have more singled attention from the faculty. I did not always enjoy being in high school with the same people from kindergarten, where everyone knew everything about everyone. But it made me who I am today.

In this small school called Kalamazoo Christian, I grew very close to students and faculty. I was always talking to and bonding with someone. Since I was young, I was told by many teachers that I was going to make an awesome teacher someday. I did not want to teach because that is what they all told me to do. I wanted to find my own path. I did have an interest though, as I graded many papers for a teacher that was very dear to me. I helped students in her class, graded, organized, made copies, whatever she needed and I loved it. But I had my mind set on finding another career to be my own... 

My senior year I helped in two first grade classrooms every morning.

(Some of those awesome first graders are pictured on the right; they called me Miss Megan, so cute.) I came during their reading and writing time, often pulling them aside in groups to tell time or do math problems. Although I did not particularly love the age group, I realized how much I loved English and teaching it. This interest was also evident in my high school English classes. I went off to college not necessarily knowing what to do for a career path.

A month or so into my college journey, I went to career counseling and took a test and talked with a counselor. Guess what was on my top 8 jobs? Teaching. Whether it be elementary, middle, high school, school coach, or even being a school counselor. That is when I admitted to myself that I needed to give in to what others have been telling me my whole life, JUST BE A TEACHER. And now I can say, I am SUPER excited. 

It takes awhile to realize these things, but now I have nothing more to say... These teachers and other faculty pushed me to be my best my entire life. Now I am going to do what they did for me. I hope to inspire children to work hard, find themselves for who they are, and help them reach their potential. I am so grateful for these teachers, the office ladies, the principal... for teaching me, for being an example of how I should live my life, for the glory of God. I am so grateful for them and the potential I am striving to reach because they believed, loved, and cared for me.

Oh, and WMU is changing my life like crazy now! I love this school, the opportunity it brings, the openness of the students and faculty, and I am so blessed to be here. This is the start of a new portion of my life, following God's plan that He has in store for me, here at WMU.

GO BRONCOS!