Student Tennessee Education Association

This weekend I went to the STEA conference in Nashville.  I thought STEA stood for Student Teacher Education Association.  Nope!  It's stands for Student Tennessee Education Association.  I guess 3 out of 4 words in the acronym is pretty good!

One of the perks of going to any event is the free t-shirt.  Come on, I mean that's the only reason I run races or go to conferences, right?  Imagine my surprise when we saw that the tshirt was bright yellow!!!  Pretty sure I won't be wearing this shirt anywhere other than Walmart. 

Friday night was opening night.  I really enjoyed chatting with and getting to know my classmates.  They had karaoke right after the dinner, but I quickly left before I made a fool of myself.  The theme of the conference was "The SuperPower of Teaching."  Very true.  Several members from other schools dressed up like superheroes.  I'm not that brave!

Saturday morning started the breakout sessions.  First I went to:

-10 Fun Hands on Math Activities to Teach Common Core Standards

Drs. Jeremy and Stephanie Wendt did this session and they were great!  He gave us the link to his handouts, which were awesome!  I love math so I was right at home.  You can find it here if you are interested. 

Next I went to:

-How to Get a Job, Administrators' Perspectives

That was very informative, but a lot of common sense.  I mean, do people really talk on their cell phones while waiting in the lobby for a interview?  Come on people!  Actually, go right ahead and do that people.....makes my chances of getting the job you want much better!

Finally, I went to:

-Ag Can be Fun

It was awesome!  Carole Willis from MTSU did this session and she was wonderful.  She told us about so many resources that are available to use.  The Tennessee Farm Bureau is FULL of resources for teachers, many of which are free!  She gave us a ton of resources too.

During lunch someone came around and gave us this book.  Party Favor, I guess.

After our sessions we ate lunch, nominated our friends for officers, and ended the conference. 

First Day in the Classroom

Yesterday was my first day in the classroom.  I have one class that should be called "Classroom Observation".  I'm not sure what it is called.  Anyway, it requires 30 hours of observation time.  I got assigned a Kindergarten class.  I was kinda bummed about getting Kindergarten since Callie just finished Kinder and I spent so much time in her classroom.  I wanted to get a grade that I was a little less familiar with.  Oh well!  I was so nervous to meet the teacher.  I REALLY want her to like me.  So what did I do?  I baked!  Yes, I baked her a pie.  Am I kissing up?  Maybe....hopefully it will work!  I tried to find a cute saying to go with the pie, but this was the best I could come up with.  Yes, I'm a dork!  I also took the opportunity to bake for Callie's teacher as well.

Here I am.  Ready to meet the teacher...and the students.

 

 

I think I need a haircut.  I'm at that critical point...do I let it grow out a little, or get it cut short again?  Decisions, Decisions.

 

I had a good day in the classroom. She only has 17 students. I was so shocked.  I expected to see at least 23.  Her actual classroom is HUGE!  I'm sure it would be nice to have that much space but whew, not sure I would want that much space to decorate.  She was really awesome and I think I will be able to learn a lot from her.  This is her first year in Kinder.

 

Then, I went to my afternoon class where I believe our Professor is trying to scare us and weed out the weak ones.  I will not let him scare me....I can do this!

 

My next thing to figure out..how to use different fonts on my blog.  This one is getting quite boring.

 

If any teachers actually read my blog (which I doubt considering I have 2 followers...lol), What advice do you have for me about my first few experiences in the classroom? I want to just jump in there, but I also want to follow the direction of my teacher.  I don't want her to think I'm being too timid, but I also don't want to get in her way.  I feel like any teacher having a student could be a nuisance so I want to know my place as much as possible.  

 

 

 

 

Introducing Desert Sky Elementary

So, I am in a cohort with about 25 people.  I love this part of my program!  I go to class everyday with the same people.  Everyone in my cohort is awesome!  I'm really enjoying getting to know everyone in our group.  But, my table is super awesome!  We are our own elementary school.  So, let me introduce you to Desert Sky Elementary. 

From Left to Right:
Stephanie is our kindergarten teacher.
Tiffany is our third grade teacher.
I am the second grade teacher.
Brandi is our first grade teacher.


Stephanie and I have been friends for a year now.  We took a class together last fall, spring, and summer.  She is the bomb!!!  She is married with a sweet little girl named Scarlett.  I am so glad that we are doing this program together.  Did I say she was the bomb?

Tiffany is from Hendersonville and is in super love with her boyfriend!  I think they have been together since the third grade or something crazy like that.  She loves going to football games and she works at Panera.  She's waiting for a ring!! 

Brandi is a fellow White House girl.  She loves horses and has a few.  She's in super love with her boyfriend too!!  Brandi is our resident over-achiever and we love her for it!!

Our assignment yesterday was to work on a budget for Mary Jane and make a chart.  I think ours was super cute!

I made an A on my first paper with a very scary teacher.  YAY!!  I love the fact that he drew a smiley on my paper.  :)  He's kinda scary, but he's super cool too. 

My first few weeks are going very well.  I think that's about to change and I'm about to get VERY, VERY busy!  I start my time in the schools next week.  Stay tuned......

What scares me?

We were asked in class this week what scares us the most about becoming a teacher. 

This is what scares me the most: