Weekly Wrap Up + Preview of Strategy Saturday!

It has been a whirlwind week and what a better way to reflect than Thoughts for Thursday. This week, I have been writing integrated literacy lessons for my district, which is one of my favorite things to do! It's very nerdy, but I love writing lesson plans - I love providing assistance to teachers who need more confidence in the classroom or to teacher who just want more - I love it. 

We were writing in a new lesson template, UBD - Universal by Design, which in layman's terms, is backwards design. By outlining transfer goals (what do you want them to do at 40 years old), understandings, knowledge (what do you want them to know), and skills (what do you want them to do) - you can better prepare for misconceptions or challenges your students may have. It also makes you plan the assessment first, which is just good teaching practice, but most people forget that essential step. If you know what the assessment will look like, you can better prepare your lessons, because you know the expectation. Planning your assessment first is for your benefit! If you don't have a clear picture or a clear set of expectations for your students to meet at the end, then your lessons will be poorly planned and executed. 

Okay - that's my soapbox for the day. (: 

This week, aside from being extremely busy in my professional life, I have had some not-so-busy moments in my personal life. It's been a slow summer for me - I haven't done a whole lot, I haven't hung out with a lot of people and it hit me this week. I've just been feeling very lonely and unfulfilled and while it's no one's job, but my own to make sure I am happy and fulfilled - we all have these moments. We all have moments where we wish our friends lived closer and reached out more. We all have moments where we wish we had all the money to travel all over. We all have those moments.  I had mine this week. 

Yes, I'm a positive Patty, but this week, I struggled to maintain it, but I am thankful for an amazing friend who reached out to me and got me to go to an amazing church service, where my heart was filled with Jesus and friend love. 

Little moments like that remind me to not be so hard on myself and the others around me - we are all going through silent struggles, and even if you're best friends, there might be things they aren't telling you, so it's your job (my job) to give people a little bit of grace and understanding throughout our journey through this life. 

So, as we put on our party hats and thank God and Ice Cube for Friday, remember to treat others with the same grace and understanding you give yourself. It goes a long way. 

ALSO: Strategy Saturday is tomorrow and the post will be focused on close reading in the content areas! Swoon - who doesn't love multiple reads and graphic organizers! 

Enjoy Friday, loves - until tomorrow, 
xo - Lucy 

Dear cupcakes...

Dear cupcakes, 

Today, I had a thought - what if I had never met you? 

What if, by some fluke, you wouldn't have ended up in my class? What if I wouldn't have changed my major to education that day my sophomore year? What if I hadn't been so persistent to get hired at this elementary school? What if we had never met? 

Would I ever meet someone who has as special as you, who was so innately curious about the world? Probably not. 

Everything happens for a reason, and there was a reason that you were in my class this year. There was a reason you were picked for me. I needed to be reminded why I became a teacher. I needed to be reminded that real lives, real issues, real stuff bleeds over into the classroom despite how much we try to seal ourselves off into a safe place. I needed to be reminded that you need an advocate who isn't afraid to challenge the typical or travel the beaten path. I needed to be reminded of those things. 

This isn't a one-sided relationship; however, you benefited from me too. We learned the Common Core state standards so well that you told me you practiced fractions in your sleep. You learned how to learn vocabulary words easily and what you need to help you remember them - most of you speak two or three languages, the words you know can get cluttered. I helped you sort them. We had parties, treats, and I taught you selfless love. How do I know you taught me this? 

You gave me a surprise party. You planned it. You brought in money, asked other teachers, and begged for people to hide the treats in your room. You did that, without being asked or told. That's selfless. You learn to love others how I loved you, and isn't that the ultimate goal of school, to become a better person all around? 

We've taught each other so much, and now it's over - another year added to the books, and I am so glad I spent it with you. 

This isn't good-bye, it's see you later - you have my number, use it. Call me, text me - I will be there cheering you on every day. 

Love you, mean it - 

Miss Scott 

I met my match.

I met my match in a third grade language arts/social studies job opening at a charter school in Raleigh. 

I didn't get it. 

I know what you're thinking, people don't get jobs every day, Lucy - this isn't a big deal. The unemployment rate is at epic proportions in parts of the country, people not getting a job isn't a big deal. 

Not getting a job is a big deal, and it is a big deal to me. For me, this is the first occurrence of this kind. Yes, in my twenty-four years, this is the first time I haven't gotten what I wanted professionally or academically. I haven't always been the prettiest or the most athletic, but I've always been close to the smartest, and refused to be outworked by anyone - call it boastful, but I know my strengths. I have never not gotten the job, until last night, when I saw the principal's name flash across my inbox, and I took a breath and read it. I reread it, and reread it again to be sure - yeah, I didn't get it. The competition was tough, we went in the best direction - blah, blah, blah - it all means the same thing - We didn't pick you. 

I took it harder than I thought. For my first disappointment in my professional career, I took it as hard as a boy breaking up with me. I cried, had a pity party, cried to my mom on the phone, blew my nose, and cried some more. I sobbed I wasn't good enough or not worthy enough, but at the end of the day, what good does that do? 

Truth be told, I am good enough - I am good enough for that richy-rich school and I am good enough at the 100% free and reduced lunch school and everything in between- I am good enough anywhere - it just wasn't my time. Say what you will about destiny and a life plan, but I honestly believe if things are meant for you, you will receive them. You will not have to sacrifice your dignity for your destiny. You won't have to make unrealistic promises or outlandish trades to get what you deserve. It will come to you - through hard work and perseverance, it will come to you. 

So, here it is Tuesday, on the last week of school, and my wounds are fresh from disappointment and already missing my students more than I should. I am a weepy mess, and that's okay. It's time to finish out school and place job-searching and life-searching on the back burner, because I have an itty bitty amount of time left with my best friends who are ten, and I will enjoy every minute of it, because for them - I am enough. I am more than enough (they threw me a surprise party - more to come later), and for me, they are my support system, my motivation, the reason I will probably end up single with ten cats and ten degrees, and not regret any of it. 

My tale for Tuesday - There is no elevator to success - you have to take the stairs. Sometimes, the stairwell closes and you have wait for another door to open, sometimes you have to go back down and take another set, and sometimes, you sit down on the stairs and have a party while you wait. Either way, however you do it - do it. Meet your matches and sprint when you can - work as hard as you expect others too. 

Until Thursday, my friends (: 

Filled hearts and refrigerators.

This weekend, my mom and dad came to see me and that was life changing in every way. 

It had been a very long time since I've seen my family. Trips home are expensive, and as a teacher, money is hard to come by, but time is also hard to come by, and for a whole host of reasons, this was our first visit in a while. 

I had surgery on Friday, and who doesn't want their mom to come when they have surgery? After a very long, long, long Friday, I finally figured out why I've been feeling so awful for so long. My stomach valve doesn't close, and so my body is constantly producing acid, which was making me feel awful all the time, but with modern medicine, I am already starting to feel better. I also moved this weekend, which is probably more interesting than hearing about my acidic stomach.

My new apartment is literally double what I was living in, and I couldn't be more happier! I have been looking forward to moving for a couple months - in fact, it's the only thing I've been looking forward too, given the state of my professional life. So, here I am, in a semi-unpacked apartment, with a heart and a refrigerator filled with love, watching The Little Mermaid, and attempting to relax before the EOGs start tomorrow. 

My students are ready. I am ready. I cannot focus on the anxiety that surrounds high stakes testing. A good/great/fantastic (whatever adjective you want to use) teacher does not let her students know failure is an option, because her attitude of excellence is so ingrained in herself and her classroom culture that her students do not know anything less. That is how I approach the next few days - by reminding my students that everything about them is amazing and that they are, by far, the smartest and most ready, because they're in my class. [: 

In other education news, this past week, the NC legislature presented a budget with an 11% raise! Can we believe our eyes? How generous of them? -_- 

Not. 

Don't be fooled by pretty presentation - they are offering a steak dinner on a trash can lid. Don't take the trash dinner. Don't eat their garbage. The legal jargon they have drowned the budget in is ridiculous - we get an 11% raise if we give up our tenure, if we challenge them in court, they put everyone back on the frozen pay scale - please, get your life, and take several seats, NC legislature. Go home. You're drunk. In a day and age, when teachers are leaving NC in droves, you are going to present this trash dinner - I'll starve. 

I don't know if I am going to teach for forever. At this rate, I'm seriously considering going to law school and fight them at their own game, but that's what they want - they want us to leave, so what do I do? What do we do, as a collective educational body? 

With the summer quickly approaching, everyone - educators and non-educators - need to be wary of anything that seems too good to be true, because more than likely, it is. 

In closing, it's the last week before the last week of school, and EOG week - I am going to make it one of the best experiences for my students that I can and with every action, attempt to show the world that there are teachers who do care and who do make this their life. 

Photo Credit: Google Images 

Thoughts for Thursday.

I am a sucker for alliteration - as most of my posts show. Today is no different - let's have some positive thoughts for Thursday. 

This week has been a whirlwind - as most are, but the urgency of the EOG has been looming over my head and my students, and we have been putting in work to see results. We've been working hard all year (don't get it twisted), but every great puts in hard work in the eleventh hour.

Despite my personal and professional life being in shambles for a ton of reasons, my time with students is something I crave. It's consistency, it's safe, and it's a positive experience. I love being in my classroom with them, and having discussions about humans and their impact on ecosystems, watching disgusting videos of parasites, and trying every operation to figure out a word problem - being their teacher, being a teacher is the only thing I am sure of in my life right now. 

This week has been hard, because I have realized that people I respected do not necessarily have respect for me. I won't get too specific or too personal for professional reasons, but I had a moment of clarity when my tender heart realized that not everyone, even those who I respect, respect or value me. This has made me reevaluate my choice to stay at my school, and where I want my life to go. 

I recently read an article about turning 25 (which I do this year), and the author made a point to explain that at 25, she had to make some concrete decisions about where her life was going and where it would go, and at the end of the day, she had to cut off activities that were toxic or not helping her achieve her ultimate goal. I feel like that right now. How much do I cut off - how much do I change, so I can achieve my ultimate goal? How much do I tolerate for convenience and comfort? How much of myself do I sacrifice for a chance to do what I want? 

I have a job interview on Tuesday for a private school in a neighboring city. I am completing applications for another round of graduate school (cheers to being a life-long learner!), and I am supposed to move into a new apartment next Saturday.

Whatever decision I make in the next nine days will affect everything for next year and potentially, the rest of my life; but at the end of the day, I only have myself to be loyal to - no matter how much I feel loyal to my work place or to a supervisor or a colleague - I only have myself and my dream to truly think about. 

Photo Credit: Pinterest 

Working Woman Wednesday!

Photo courtesy of Pinterest/Bluntcard 

Feeling frustrated? Waiting for greatness? Wishing for fame and fortune? 

Stop, pause, and enjoy #workingwomanwednesday! 

It's been a week since my last post, and while my job search has slowed and I haven't heard much from other schools, my life has still be a whirlwind. I've been having small moments, where I've been rethinking relocating or leaving my current school, and who knows why? My mind and my life are entities of their own. I can make plans, I can fill out applications and I can call and interview, but at the end of the day, if God and the world has another plan for me, then it all doesn't matter. I have had to come to terms with this lately, that there are times when things are legitimately out of my control. That sounds so stupid, especially since I am 24 - you would think I would have learned or observed that by now. I am an obnoxious control freak, bordering on the point of therapy, and up until now, everything I have wanted, at least in a professional sense, I have gotten. This is the first time I have ever had to slow down and wait. 

Realistically, that's neither here nor there, because I have a current job and current cupcakes, who need me and my undivided attention. We are preparing for EOGs and my students and I are preparing for our version of a championship. My students work so hard and are so very wonderful - I couldn't ask for a better class, and after seeing their Case 21 scores yesterday, they don't have such a bad teacher either. (: 

That brings me to my overall point on this halfway rainy, halfway to spring break Wednesday - today, praise yourself. Take a moment to stop and praise yourself. Don't wait for someone else to do it or someone else to notice - you will be waiting forever. Treat yourself kindly and love yourself. Your opinion matters more than anything else. 

This is so very important to me right now, because I am seeking to believe in myself internally as much as I appear believe in myself externally. I want you to do the same thing - make your inner voice match your outer voice. All of those things you want to hear from someone else, make yourself say them. Don't let others influence how you feel about yourself. You have one self - spend your life loving yourself, and what the world thinks won't matter. 

Photo courtesy of Pinterest 

Working Woman Wednesday!

Photo Credit: Kush and Wizdon

Wednesday - my favorite Addams family member, not quite my favorite day of the week, but I am a sucker for alliteration. (: 

There have been so many little moments in this week that have reminded me how grateful I am for my life and the people in it. My students, despite having mock EOGs three days this week, have kept positive spirits and handled it well. My mom has called me twice to wake up, since I forgot to set any alarm (Where do they do that at?) I haven't been to the beach since my senior year of college, so pretty much a million years ago, and my best friend and I planned a two day trip that I could not be more excited about. When you need reminding, your life will remind how much you have and how blessed you are and that's a beautiful thing.  

On the job front, since that was the main purpose for this endeavor, things have quieted. I could not afford to travel to California at such short notice for an interview, so they are working to schedule Skype interviews with me, and I have made a list of places I am interested in. As most in the educational field know, teachers hold onto jobs till the literal last moment, so right now, we are in a waiting game. We can definitely cross any place outside of the US off (for now.) Again, this is a journey - journeys aren't meant to a straight path or even a mapped course. You have to chart your own way. People can come if they want, but remember: success isn't an escalator, it's a staircase. 

"What you do speaks so loudly that I cannot hear what you say." - Ralph Waldo Emerson 

Motivation Monday!

Photo credit: http://mybroadband.co.za/photos/showphoto.php/photo/32471/title/cat-greeting-monday/cat/500

I feel bad for Monday - it gets such a bad wrap. The first day of the work week, the first day after the weekend - it already begins its life being 0-2, but Monday can change if we change the way we approach it. Monday can illuminate its possibilities for you if you can change your first thought in the morning. 

My goal is that every Monday, I will post a list of goals I would like to accomplish for the week and a quote and probably a cat or Beyonce picture (two of my favorite things!) 

Here's to motivation Monday! 

Goals for the Week 

1. Work at least twice - I started a weight loss journey in the summer, and while I have maintained and even lost a few more pounds and inches, I want to build my summer body while it's still a little winter outside. 

2. Grade papers and do report cards - Report cards go out next Monday, and I would like to actually get ahead of the beast, and have them done this week, so I won't spend my weekend drowning in a sea of papers. 

3. Complete a devotional three mornings this week - You can't do it alone. I choose to do it with God. It's a comforting aspect of my life to remember that I don't have to make decisions or choices without the greatest counsel. 

4. Start 100 days of Happy challenge - Lots of people I know are doing the 100 days of Happy challenge and I think it's a great idea. One of my life's missions is that the world sees there are still compassionate, selfless people in the world and what a better way to show the world you love your life and circumstances? Read more about the challenge here: http://100happydays.com/

There you have it - 4 obtainable goals, and the only thing separating me and success is me. We have to overcome that - overcome your own self doubt, which we are all plagued with, and kill this week. Slay it dead like Kentucky did Michigan. This is another opportunity to create the person you want to be and to chase the life you have always desired. 

Quotes 

"The world will not be destroyed by those who do evil, but by those who watch them without doing anything." - Albert Einstein 

"May the odds be ever in your favor." - The Hunger Games 

"Be in love with your life, every detail of it." - Jack Kerouac