I Did It!

Two years and 43 units later, I am on the brink of receiving my credential in elementary education. I have been teaching with an intern certificate, which allowed me to teach as credentialed staff in my own classroom with full salary and benefits. The only requirement was to be enrolled in and successfully complete this program. Once I take two finals, I will be done. My credential will be upgraded to a standard credential, highly qualified. It feels great to have accomplished this. I am going back to school as a middle aged mother of 5, and juggling it all was hard. I did not have a housewife cooking and cleaning for me. So, yes, I think I deserve to be proud of myself. And thankfully my family is doing just fine. They don't seem the worse for wear. If anything, I think I just gave them a great object lesson in doing hard things and not giving up. My husband has always given 200% to help us all, so he didn't have much more to offer. Even so, he squeaked out a little extra, we got more take out, and the house wasn't as clean. Priorities. I learned some things about myself along the way. I was smarter than I thought. I'm going into my finals with a 4.0. I also learned how to use all kinds of technology. I'm still not a crafty creative type of person, but that doesn't mean I don't have good ideas to implement in the classroom to create interesting lessons and keep kids engaged. My classroom isn't Pinterest worthy, but I still take education very seriously and get results with my students. I learned that I am a little competitive. I did not have to learn that I am sensitive. Like all strengths, the flip side can be a weakness. As I go into my third year of teaching, which will hopefully be in a new school and grade level, I will take the lessons I learned with me.

ELL

In my two years teaching public school, I have not had the ELL (English language learners) class. Last year, I had three students who tested out after one year. Both years, I have had several students who are learning English. Almost all of my students are bilingual. This is something I need to keep in mind. Their vocabularies are limited. I like to read aloud to my students, and I will often stop and define new words. We also study vocabulary, which is tied to our weekly readings, in a variety of ways. Each week, we start by defining our words and making a gesture. We focus on 4 words a week. On day 2, they draw a picture of the word. Later in the week, we do word work and use the words in sentences. My language learners are often slower learners, which is totally understandable. They are learning a new language! Because of this, they can get overwhelmed and discouraged. Sometimes I modify their assignments and allow an oral, pictorial, or spoken response instead of a written response. I also demonstrate and show directions, rather than just telling them what I need them to do. It is exciting to see these students grasp both the language and our difficult standards. They know I'm proud of them.