I see London, I see France, I see what's on your Monitor...

...okay so that doesnt rhyme but I forgot to mention that I have been exploring classroom management software to implement in my lab. It can be a controversial issue; however, I feel that they are powerful tools that allow teachers to do more than "spy" on what their students are really up to. I have been debating between Vision and SynchronEyes, leaning more heavily towards the latter due to its ability to create and distribute virtual tests as well as grade those tests in seconds. I am able to see a small thumbnail of each student's screen on my computer as well as block programs and internet sites. To help with my instruction I am also able to project my screen on all of my students screen, project a students screen to allow them the chance to demonstrate their work, or I can send students files or receive their assignments all with simple clicks of a mouse rather than floppy discs or flash drives. I am currently trying the demo of SynchronEyes and now all I have to do is figure out a way to convince my principal to fork out the $1000 to purchase a license. Oh yeah, that's the huge downside, both softwares cost an arm and a leg. But from what I have seen so far they are both more than worth it. I can't wait to test all of the features in class this week as we move away from introductory material/rules and into activities.

The First Week...

...and I am exhausted. I will have to try harder to spare some time to post on here. It is a bit of a shock to go from sitting around all summer and now having to go to work everyday. Though it still doesn't seem like work; I can't believe that I get paid to teach Technology, my favorite subject. My classroom is finally starting to come together the way I envisioned it. I enjoyed my first week in the classroom and I have keys to lock my door now which is good seeing as I have a classroom full of computers. I never imagined myself being a "resource" teacher but I hope to redefine the term. I have always felt like there is a negative connotation towards the term "resource" that makes me feel like I am not a "real" teacher. There are differences especially in procedures compared to classroom teachers, however, I feel like I am still just as important to the success of the students at my school.

The real challenge that I will be dealing with is the wide variety in ages of my students. I have pre-K through 4th grade and despite my initial fears of working with Kindergarten I am finding them to be one of my favorite classes. They are so curious about everything in my classroom and they are all so eager to learn it's inspiring. We opened a computer to explore the inside and their eyes were huge with excitement, it was a great feeling. The trick now will be to stand and deliver with exciting and engaging lesson plans. I plan to create my own computer programs to match the objectives of my lesson but this can be a very time consuming task, especially for multiple grade levels. I need to get some major planning done this weekend; I want to get ahead of the deadlines for once instead of always rushing at the last minute to meet them. For now though I am going to settle on cleaning up my apartment after this whirlwind of a week.

The Schedule has Landed

I officially know my schedule for the academic year, there might be some last minute changes in the first week but for the most part it is settled. The greatest part of which is that I also now know what grades I will be teaching, kindergarten through fourth grade. I am little bummed that I will not be working with fifth graders although I must admit I am looking forward to the challenge of working with kindergarten, an interesting trade off to say the least.

Today I continued the task of organizing and setting up my room for the arrival of students on Monday. I came across an unexpected obstacle as I used bolt cutters to remove a lock hiding a closet of materials. Yes, I had to break into my own closet. It appears that much of my furniture has been pulled from various corners of the school as well as the space-time continuum. No complaints, I love free stuff, some of the materials were dated as far back as 1997 with the closest date being 2005 on a student paper. It was like having a time capsule in my classroom. I spent much of my time sorting through the materials making sure that I did not throw away anything useful, as I mentioned before I LOVE free stuff.

Tomorrow will prove to be a big day as I hope to finish setting up my room...though I have doubts as to whether this is possible or not, I can't seem to stop brainstorming ideas for decorations/displays which distracts me further and further from accomplishing anything. I plan on designing and making my own displays and decorations to add some personal touch to my room. I hope that I don't get in over my head, school starts Monday and I have a lot of work to do still. Oh well, one way or another I will get it all done and be ready for the first class.

First days of Work

I have officially started working as a teacher and have begun the process of setting up my room. I still feel like I am behind despite reassurance from my assistant principal that I am right on track. Today was the first day I have been to my classroom since my brief walk through during my interview. I forgot how wonderfully large my classroom actually is...seriously it seems huge. I did some measuring today as I try to plan my layout of tables and such and I discovered that I have roughly 990 square feet. This should be plenty of space, though, I am sure that it will fill up quickly as I get carried away like every other teacher as they begin to decorate. The only downside so far is that I do not have a key; hopefully I will have one by Friday. I just hope that I can finish juggling some last minute tasks and get everything set for that "epic" first day of school.

I have attended two off site training sessions this week and enjoyed them both despite missing a great deal due to my physical exam. I still don't understand why we bother to make appointments. I was scheduled to go on the same day as my school's first training session. I thought it would be okay because they said it wouldn't take long. Well it took three hours, so I missed the entire first half of the training which made me feel a little uneasy since I was hoping to meet the teachers I will be working with. I appear to be joining a very friendly and caring group of teachers; they all made me feel very welcome as a new teacher. Today's training was a speaker, Dr. Donna Ford, at Morgan State University. There seemed to be a bit of a mix up however, as I was sent to the wrong session time. I don't think it will matter much since she said she was giving the same lecture to both groups. The session was long but I did enjoy hearing data about reasons for student failure. I am a sucker for data and enjoy thorough analysis...weird I know.

The Beginning

I am a recent college graduate and I have managed to land my first job in Baltimore City Public School System. Upon the recommendation of friends I decided to create a blog to share my experiences with friends, family, and even total strangers. I am hoping to enjoy an open forum of discussion and questions but time will tell as this is my first blog and I may find myself overwhelmed as many are warning me. It probably doesn't help that I am going on a ten day vacation just before school starts but it's not every day that you get to go on your honeymoon. I guess you could say this is the beginning of many new experiences. This is the first time I have lived outside of Pennsylvania or in a city for that matter and now I am married, getting my first job that pays based upon a salary as well. I am excited to face the challenges ahead because every challenge is an opportunity in disguise.