Goodbye Mississippi....Hello North Carolina!

After a long journey from Mississippi to Raleigh, NC I am finally in our new apartment at NC State University! Nolan is still at his work retreat and will return in just a few hours! While it was tough to leave my summer school students in Mississippi, I am excited to start this new adventure! Below are a few pictures from my class this summer. The first picture is my 4th grade class of mathematicians. They are pointing to the "contracts" they signed with their goal on the end of summer assessment. We talked about how passing this test is one small step in the journey of achieving their career goals. They signed their notecards with their individual goal percentage with an autograph just like they will sign their job contract someday! Every student in our class grew in their scores from the beginning of the summer, and many of them not only met their goal, but exceeded it!

The second picture was the two students I got the chance to work with during small group intervention time. I was so proud of them because they improved significantly in their reading scores this summer and, although they didn't quite reach their percentage goal in math, they both grew from a 2 and 3% on the beginning of the summer test to a 29 and 30%. I saw growth in these two students this summer that cannot be measured on a test! Their confidence exploded and they both stole my heart!

The third picture is of our class with all three teachers. we worked in groups of three teachers and it was really great getting to know these two, sharing ideas, and learning what it means to work together for the best interest of our students! Enjoy :o)

"Can't" is Like Saying a Bad Word

It's Monday night, week 4 of summer school...week 5 of being in Mississippi...and week 6 since Nolan dropped me off at training! This has been an amazing experience, however I am definitely ready for Saturday to come! It will be tough to say goodbye to my students (most of them anyhow!) because even though I've only had them for 4 weeks, I feel like they are the first of many students to pass through my classroom as a teacher. For this reason, they will always hold a special place in my heart.

I am amazed at some of the changes that students can make in such a short time, and I can't imagine how this will be magnified when I have students for a whole year, or years at a time. My experience with one student in particular has been especially powerful the past few days. This student came into our class a few days late, after he realized that he was in the third grade class instead of the 4th grade class where he was supposed to be. Assignment after assignment was handed in empty, with no effort put in whatsoever. It was a struggle for him to stay awake those first few days, but slowly he started to engage. He is one of two struggling students I work with during our academic intervention time and was constantly throwing down his pencil in frustration, "I can't do this because I'm stupid," "I hate school and I hate teachers because they are all mean." This was a tough thing for me, as his teacher, to swallow but we powered through and together we've found ways for him succeed in huge ways in the classroom. The past 4 days, he has gotten a 100% on my daily quiz. The power of transformation in his life was apparent to me today when one of his fellow students became frustrated on a test and said "I can't do this!" I overheard this special moment, and I'm so glad that I did! He turned to her and said "Mrs. P says that saying can't is like saying a bad word because we are all smart, we just have to work really hard."

That simple statement really sums up my experience as a summer school teacher in the Mississippi Delta. I've learned that no matter how things may seem, every kid is really smart. Every kid needs someone to tell them that and to help them work hard. This is certainly easier said than done, and I'm sure it will prove even more difficult when I start school this fall, but it sure is an encouraging thing as I start this exciting journey of being a teacher!

"Your husband's got the muscle!"....and other adventures

Well I am now more than half way through summer school teaching...and less than two weeks away from seeing Nolan in our new home Raleigh, NC! Last week was a busy week at summer school, and it went really well in most ways. However, I began to see the "honeymoon" phase fade a bit between me and my students. They are getting a little more comfortable testing the boundaries of our behavior management plan and are getting over the new excitement of new teachers. But overall, my students have been excellent and adorable (Although one boy did look me in the eye and tell me he wished I weren't his teacher because I am the only teacher who makes the class follow the rules and do school work...which is definitely not true and I'm looking at the bright side thinking that I am doing a good job enforcing the rules and encouraging them to do their work!).

After a few days of not knowing what to do with my small group of struggling readers during Academic Intervention Hour, we have been using some phonics activities and games. I am proud to report that all three of the students I work on during this time (the students at the lowest reading level in the class) passed their reading exam last week! I was super proud of them for practicing all the silly reading exercises I taught them! It's amazing how much students can improve in such a short time when someone really gives then one-on-one attention. We learned some new vocabulary words from our weekly story and made up motions for each one. I also started using the "reading wand" in small group reading time. The allure of the reading wand is growing by the day and the anticipation of who will get it and when is pretty intense. Students use the reading wand to follow along with the words when we read aloud and also to pass on good reading vibes when someone is reading a really hard word. One student decided to use the reading wand to turn "Mrs. P" into a princess so I didn't have to work anymore. Who knew that a plastic cocktail stirrer could be so exciting and create so much motivation! Definitely worth the $1.99 for an entire pack at Walmart!

On Friday, the other math teacher was at a wedding, so I got to teach both math blocks and be alone with my 12 students for the first time for 2 hours (I did implement mandatory jumping jacks between the two math blocks). By the end of the morning, just in time for the daily test, I think we were all sick of each other and ready for the weekend. So when a verbal competition started about who saw a picture of my husband on my phone and who didn't, this became my incentive for completing their tests. It absolutely worked and they were all thrilled to see a picture of Nolan...even the boys! When one girl looked at the picture, she excitedly exclaimed "Ms P! Your husband's got the muscle!" followed by one of the boys calling another boy over to see "Ms. P's jacked husband." Nolan should be very flattered haha. Just when the end of the day couldn't come soon enough, there was a little group of them gathered in the corner, and I was afraid of what they could be up to. I walked over and they started to sing "Happy Birthday Ms. P!" It was very sweet. I am getting so attached to these kiddos.

Since we had today off for the 4th of July, I headed to Memphis to spend the weekend with my long-time friend Kyle and his fiancee Gardner. It was super fun and a much needed break from all things teaching! I ate some great food, went to a minor league baseball game, and even took a nap. Now it's back to lesson planning...and more lesson planning....

Miss everyone! :o)