A Big Year

The past fourteen months have been filled with loads and loads of busyness and change for me! I've learned much during each month, and I'm constantly amazed at how different- and better- my life is now than it was only fourteen months ago. Last December (2009) I finished grad school and got engaged on Christmas Day. Woo-hoo! That day prompted a year of crazy challenging changes. It was a year of endless to-do lists! Each change was positive, but each also brought opportunities for me to grow and definitely learn from. Oh, and by the way-- I'm not good with change. I don't like "fixing" things that aren't broken, and I really appreciate routine and traditions. Don't get me wrong. I was completely thrilled to get married and move to Nashville with Justin, but all of the changes that I had to make to get to my wedding day and my "happy ever after" were tough! It was pretty tough to leave Cleveland (I love that town!), my friends and co-workers, the school I loved, and an area that I could drive around without getting hopelessly lost. I have no sense of direction, and learning new cities is daunting for me. Finding a job was stressful, and news reports about budget cuts and rising unemployment rates made my head spin. Imagining myself in a town with which I didn't have any history and where I wouldn't recognize anyone at Wal-Mart was just weird. For some reason this season of my life grew to seem terrifying as it approached, yet I approached it with joy knowing that all would work out and I'd be in the right place with the right person, job, church, and friends. And it has all worked out! I'm definitely with the right person in the right place. I landed a marvelous job with excellent people. I love our church, and I'm happy to be making friends. As for learning the roads... I'm getting there! I'm getting better each weekend in fact. So what were the lessons in all of this? Well, they were the same that I've had to (unfortunately) learn and re-learn many times in my life. In summary I (re) learned this...

Chill out. All will work out. Simply (but not so simple to do) commit it all to the Lord (daily for me). Be productive with your time and energy, and don't hesitate to take initiative, but don't be so productive that you leave no room for resting. Let others help you. Be patient. Look ahead with great anticipation, but be present in the present- not just living for the next big event or accomplishment.

I could write an entry for each of the preceding sentences, but I'll spare you. Those who know me well know that those are things I struggle with. I have no doubt that I will have to re-learn some of those lessons again in the future. Heck, as I type those I'm reminded of ways I could put those lessons to use today. Looking back on the past fourteen months I am very grateful for those who stepped in when I was freaking out to offer encouragement and help. It made a huge difference! I can't speak enough of God's faithfulness to provide more than enough at just the right time for me. What a year! I'm excited for more...and so glad to be done with those particular changes!

These helped me through those fourteen months...

"Give your entire attention to what God is doing right now, and don't get worked up about what may or may not happen tomorrow. God will help you deal with whatever things come up when the time comes." Matthew 6:34

"We take our lead from Christ, who is the source in everything we do. I insist...that there be no going along with the crowd...take on an entirely new way of life- a God fashioned life, a life renewed from the inside and working itself into your conduct as God accurately produces His character in you." Ephesians 4

Snow Day!

I'm home for yet another snow day! My snow days typically go one of two ways- I'm either totally productive, or I'm a total bum. I couldn't bear the idea of doing nothing today, so I decided to get creative. Now, many moons ago I was an avid scrapbooker. And when I say scrapbooking I really mean that I used loads of scrapbook paper and "stuff" to make scrapbooks, cards, frames, jewelry, and even decoupaged furniture. I spent my summers, breaks, and free time in craft stores looking for nifty supplies and ideas, and then I spent many hours with loads of paper, ribbons, and glue dots spread out on the floor around me working, working, working. But that was pre-grad school, wedding planning, moving, job hunting, and adapting to a brand new life in a brand new place with a brand new (and wonderful) husband and a brand new job, church, friends...wow! It's been a busy couple of years. My busyness has resulted in a couple of things. First, I haven't totally put my energy into any creative projects...other than lesson plans...in a while. I always loved giving things I'd made to people I loved and then telling them that I made it especially for them. I always loved starting with nearly nothing or a piece of junk and then ending my project with something awesome. I miss that! I still love digging out my craft boxes from the closet, making a mess, and whipping up some crazy creation over the course of a couple of hours. The other thing that I've neglected lately is staying in contact with the people I love most. I'm not so good lately at just picking up the phone to say "hello" and "I love and miss you"... So... combine my two loves and an upcoming holiday- and we've got a snow day morning filled with making Valentine's Day cards for a few folks. So what reflection comes from this entire experience? This little project was important to me because I really, really love the people who I often neglect to call. This morning was also a reminder that I need to pull out my craft boxes and make a mess more often. It was good for my soul. Here's what I came up with...fourteen very different Valentines that I'll be mailing as soon as I can drive safely on the streets of Nashville to get some stamps.

 

 

“The principle goal of education is to create men who are capable of doing new things, not simply of repeating what other generations have done - men who are creative, inventive and discoverers”

 

 

“Creativity is the power to connect the seemingly unconnected.”

 

 

“Oh, if it be to choose and call thee mine, love, thou art every day my Valentine!”

Here I Go...

So, I've been toying with the idea of blogging for a while now. It's easy enough for me to maintain a classroom blog. After all, it's filled with info for my students and helpful links. This blog will serve a much different purpose. I find myself reflecting on life, my job, my beliefs, and my actions at odd times, yet I can never seem to concentrate on something long enough to draw any real conclusions. Hopefully that's about to change! Though this blog definitely won't contain my every thought and personal reflection, I do want to use it to document all that I'm learning. "Class With Mrs. Bullock" can be considered a pun on both my career and my life. Although I am a teacher I find myself constantly being "schooled" by my students, family, friends, and even strangers. These are a few of my lessons...

I want to start by reflecting on what I believe about being a teacher. At Lee, every Education major begins their very first educational class by writing a philosophy of teaching and education. How naive many of those first philosophies turn out to be! Luckily for me, I happened to save my very first philosophy and the revised-three years of teaching experience-graduate school philosophy. Some things remained the same... others definitely changed. It's interesting for me to see how my beliefs changed as I encountered classroom reality. I find it even more interesting/convicting to read about my beliefs and then to see how they match up with my actions. Okay, so I'm going to think/write through the revised version. This, mind you, is the last version…probably the fourth or fifth. I’m too embarrassed to post the first!

"As an undergraduate student considering becoming a teacher I firmly believed that all children are born with potential to learn more than most people realize or taken advantage of. I hold fast to this belief and the belief that it is the responsibility of educators to take advantage of the potential that children have to be great and do great things. Still recognizing that too many people never realize their full potential, I continue to desire to be one who makes others aware of their potential, academically, socially, and personally. In my opinion, that is the goal of education and my own passion."

Yep. I still believe this wholeheartedly. I still think it's tragic that many never realize their true potential. Realizing their potential would involve having a positive sense of self-worth and people in their lives who affirm them, yet keep them grounded. Who are these people? Hopefully just not educators. I certainly don't have time or energy to serve as the sole "affirmer of" my students....not that I wouldn't love to, but that just wouldn't be right. These should be the parents of kids, friends, and other adults who have meaningful relationships with kids. Take advantage of your time with them. Are they annoying? Of course. Are they going to act like your words are profound, wise, or helpful? Um, no. I still think we should stick with it. Use your words wisely to build kids up academically, socially, and emotionally. Not easy, but I'm thinking that it's reasonable for me to do my part. It is the goal of education, after all. I don't just want to transmit knowledge, but I want to help kids realize their potential so that they might push themselves to their limits to be the best version of themselves. (that last sentence was also kind of naive/annoyingly dreamy, huh?) 

"As a middle school teacher, I attempt to provide a classroom environment that supports learning and a sense of community. I work to maintain a classroom that is organized and welcoming with an atmosphere that inspires questions and encourages hard work. I believe it's essential to approach each day and opportunity for learning with an optimistic attitude and high academic and behavioral expectations for my students."

Okay, I think I'm doing okay with this part. Always easy? No. But I find that my teaching style is aided by my natural affinity toward an atmosphere that is cozy, positive, and organized. I hope that from the first day of school with me that students feel encouraged and welcomed to ask questions. Now, I can say that I've said, "I can't handle any more questions right now," simply because the nature of the questions that I often get is unbelievable...comical, scary, annoying... but concerning academics, I am more than happy to answer questions! Concerning optimism and behavior, I think that I've come a LONG way. Of course my first year of teaching began with tons of optimism...and then a reality check that I was going to have to be extraordinarily consistent and authoritative. I'm not your friend. I'm your teacher. I want you to like me, but I'm not bending any rules to make you feel better or ignoring your behavior for the sake of you liking me. Nope. It only took me about a week of teaching 8th graders to figure out that that HAD to be true for me. In my fourth year of teaching I'm feeling much more consistent and confident concerning behavior management. Optimism? I keep the big picture in mind. My job does matter, and I must approach each day knowing that I will give it my all because I was made for and called to this job. Period. But seriously, optimism about little things (grasping certain concepts, student motivation) comes and goes. 

"As I’ve progressed through the graduate program, I’ve come to recognize how difficult it is to maintain expectations and a positive attitude for some students academically, socially, and behaviorally. This is a struggle that I and other teachers face as a result of high demands that come in the form of high-stakes testing, limited instructional times, and limited resources. However, recognizing that these stressors are a reality for teachers, I am confident that each stress may be met with strategies and practices modeled and introduced throughout the graduate program, as well as hard work, determination, and the knowledge that it is for the purpose of fulfilling my calling."

  

That first sentence is still ever-so-true. Teaching is hard. Sometimes- okay, often- I whine about it even though I love it. As I stated, it seems that my passion to be an effective teacher is met by more and more demands. What's the conclusion I've reached? Teaching will not become easier. A changing society and changing demands and cuts will likely only result in more stress UNLESS....I bear in mind that I am called to this and that all I can do is walk into my room each day and do what I can...no more and no less. I will walk in and give it my all for the sake of the kiddos and not any legislator or board member.

"My goal in my classroom is to establish a sense of community among my students by working to provide them with a sense of interdependence and appreciation for their varying cultures, learning styles, talents, and personalities. This may also be hard to achieve, but I believe that this sense of community will occur naturally as opportunities for communication occur during instruction and as I take advantage of teachable moments."

It's definitely true that classes become something like a family. You spend hours together each day. You fuss, you laugh, you celebrate and mourn with each other, and you see each other at your best and worst. My favorite times of the year are the 2nd month of the year and the very end of the year. At both times you can say that you're no longer getting used to each other or learning personalities. At those times you're family. It's fun. One thing I'd definitely like to work on is appreciating the learning styles of all students. My teaching tends to reflect my own learning styles. This can be good for students who share my learning style, but may not be best for kids who learn differently. I want to become better at spotting those styles and teaching in ways that benefit these kids. I sense a buzz word coming on.....oh yes, differentiation.

"My own teaching style involves teaching information and skills using research based methods that make the content relevant to the students, memorable, and specific to their own ability and learning styles. As I’ve progressed through the graduate program, I have benefited from researching, observing, and practicing many research based teaching practices to make this a reality. To me, tailoring one's lessons and standards to the life experiences, strengths, and interests of the students is more likely to result in students who are engaged and participating in experiences that result in profound learning."

That's a mouthful! I have to say that grad school did arm me with lots of research based teaching strategies that I've become comfortable with and that I know are effective. Success. Grad school was awesome. Way better- academically- than completing my undergraduate degree. The first and last sentences of that paragraph are super important though. Students tend to easily grasp all that's memorable to them and specifically relevant to them. After all, the word revolves around middle schoolers, right? (insert giggle) This is helpful to know when planning though! The last sentence is just a fact. No two years will be the same. My plans and methods will have to change according to the needs, strengths, experiences, and interests of my kids. Engagement is important. Who wants to be in a mundane classroom that's totally predictable each day? To keep my kids engaged and learning I must be willing to change my methods.

Okay then, there are my reflections on my "Educational Philosophy". I needed to think through that. I'm glad to see that many of my actions match up with what I definitely believe about educating kids, but I have to say that I'm seeing room for improvement. What kind of teacher would I be if I didn't?