teachquelle

School in the Snow

“School in the Snow”

It’s been a while since I’ve been a working professional. Now that I’m slowing getting back in the groove, I’m now trying to navigate business casual attire during these cold winter months. Since I can’t bring myself to dress casually like most teachers, here are some things I have =

1) Shoes in your bag: Wear your boots to and from the classroom, but have your dress shoes in your bag or at your desk.

2) Wear a dress or skirt with tights if you want to rock your fave dress boots.

3) Layer up: It’s tempting to rock a hoodie on cold days. RESIST and layer up with a sleeveless shirt, cardigan or sweater, scarf and your coat. Gloves and hats are also a must-have.

christmas scram to cram

Last week I was very discouraged. I decided to just go for it. If I fall or fail, I will get back up and try again until I reach my goal. With that said, I have just registered to take the NES History Exam. I have four weeks to study, and I am pretty sure I’m going to fail.

I have not taken a history course in over 10 YEARS!

I keep asking myself why I chose to do this. I bought a $50 study guide so we will see. I am afraid of the written portion, what if the topic is something I have very little knowledge of? Let the crunch time begin. Of course, I would be trying to study during the holidays right? Christmas should totally be stress-free.

a marketable history teacher

I am all in my feelings right now, so this post is super emo. Honestly, I just want to teach high school history. Is that so wrong? But when I google, “How to be a marketable history teacher,” all I get is that the path I am on puts me on a long list of applicants with minimal positions available.

People are advocating, “We need good teachers!” But where the jobs at?

When I look for openings in the many districts, I am interested in there is maybe one position open. It is all about the Math and Sciences, Special Education and ESL endorsements. Instead of the History AEPA (Arizona Educator Proficiency Assessment) exam, I should be taking the Social Science Exam. Instead of getting my masters in Secondary Education, I should have pursued an English degree. Seriously, who wants to hire a teacher with zero years experience and a Masters degree? stress

Is anybody out there?

I am so discouraged.

Have I done all this for nothing?

Should I quit?

p.s. A friend just sent this to me and I’m in tears.

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a wannabe who teaches Zumba

15337585_765892306894419_6957963957972303476_n — What kind of pose is this?

Once upon a time in 2009, I went to my first Zumba class. I loved it. It got me out of the house, I met some great people and built friendships that are still in tack. Matter of fact, my instructor give me a penny bank with some cash to help pay for my Zumba license to become an instructor. In 2012 I finally went to the training and began teaching at my local YMCA.

I love Zumba so much that I only teach ONE class, so I never get burned out. Even when I chose to put the kids in school and begin working again, I wanted to keep Zumba sacred and not make it my part-time job.

21740543_10214454420978757_4787637318540273328_n — Danny’z Fitness and Travieso 2017

I blew the dust off my dream of being a teacher and enrolled into grad school.

All my teacher friends who come to my class have encouraged me in my pursuit. I go to them for wisdom, support and to vent about school. It inspires me to see them in class. They are my motivators.

When I’m up front shaking it, I look at them and think, they are who I want to be.

English as a Second Language (ESL)

It’s good to confess ones ignorance in a subject matter. Especially when you’ve made the effort to know better, so you can do better.

Growing up in SoCal, I suppose I always thought ESL was for Spanish speaking students. I never thought that my native Filipino, Korean, Chinese, and Arabic speaking classmates were ELLs. That’s weird huh? At 33 years old, I came to the realization that all non native English speaking students needed some kind of academic program to assist them in learning English and becoming academically proficient.

I never considered ELLS struggle through the difficult process of English language immersion especialy without adequate programming.

That begs the question, do African American students who grow up in low literacy homes or where Ebonics (ie. African American Vernacular English) is the native language, need ESL programming?

ebonics

Using Ebonics or Black English as a Bridge to Teaching Standard English