The next phase in my career....

As teachers we are self-proclaimed life-long learners... or at least that is what I self-proclaim.  We are constantly encouraging and guiding our students to learn and become well-rounded beings of the world but, are we adhering that to own purpose in life?  So, with the recommendation of one of my District teaching mentors, and sitting through the Professional Development workshops on the topic I have decided to "walk the walk" and begin the journey of becoming a National Board Certified Teacher.  The area/content I have settled on is Middle Childhood Generalist.  I have my BA in Elementary Education, my Master's in Elementary Education so it was either pursue another Master's Degree with a focus on Reading Specialist, which I am finding is a position that in many districts are expendable, go forward for my Doctorate, which I really have nothing I want to write a thesis on at this time, or seek National Board Certification ... which I finally settled on.  I am taking this journey with 3 other colleagues in my district, one who happens to be a close friend so I have the educational support, now it's just deciding where to start.

If you haven't looked into it, do and don't get intimidated.  After a lot of dissection, discussion, and combing through the dialogue and expectations it is going to be quite a bit of work but, doable - definitely doable.  There are 4 different elements to complete before you get the privilege of adding the title behind your name.  The 1st element is a test with 3 constructed response questions and a series of selected response questions.  The 2nd element is where you focus on your work with one or more students and how your instructions, strategies, and differentiation helped them improve and become more successful in the Writing/Literacy area for a specific period of time, for my specific area it is 3-4 weeks of instruction.  The 3rd element is teaching practices in which you are videoed giving instruction at 2 different times and detailing the why, how, and what next to show planning and interaction/climate of your learning environment.  Finally, the 4th element is a reflection of your teaching practices through the classroom, the school, and community; especially in a more leadership role.

  This is going to be a GREAT undertaking but it is something I am really motivated to take part in.

Finally a Graduate!!

My cohort classmates and myself celebrating the end of
a long journey together....

Well this past Saturday, May 11th I walked across the stage at Northern Arizona University to receive my Master's Degree in Elementary Education.  It came after 17 months of arduous work and perseverance to make my dream of becoming a teacher a reality.  I was happy to celebrate this event with 8 wonderful women I traveled this journey with - my cohort classmates.  My family also made the journey 3 hours north of our homes in Phoenix - my husband, mother, brother, his girlfriend and son, along with my father.  What made the ceremony more special was getting hooded by my university supervisor for our classes.  She was an amazing teacher and I know I will carry a lot of what I learned in her classes with me into my own classroom.

Another note... my last day with my students was on Fri, May 10th.  We celebrate the day with a ice cream sundae party and then I got to watch the students get soaking wet at the end of their field day.  It was a great day to end a wonderful student teaching experience.  I cannot wait until next year when I finally get to begin teaching my own class of 6th graders.

My summer posts will be light, but I will try to remember to write something once in a while, especially when I get my IR (institution recommendation) which will allow me to get my license from the AZ Dept of Ed. and finally when the school board approves my post and I get to finally sign my contract.  Teachers return to school on July 15th and the school year starts August 5th...its seems quite a bit away but I know it will be here before I know it.

Stage right before the ceremony...

Walking to my seat to get my Master's degree, I'm the one
in front of the lady with the gold/yellow collar -- my husband
 takes blurry pictures

Stadium before the ceremony starts.

My husband & I before the ceremony...

My family & I celebrating the big day

   

Dr. Uyder - University program supervisor
..she is awesome!!!

A little about me

I am a new teacher, but teaching isn't new to me.  I can remember vividly the teachers which have had a great influence on me, and now I get the priviledge of doing the same.

I am a 2nd generation Arizona native.  Spent almost all of my life here in the Grand Canyon state and am proud to call Arizona my home.  My husband tried to pull me away by moving us to Arkansas, but alas I returned to the Valley of the Sun, and heat I may add.

Though I have wanted to be a teacher since I was in the 3rd grade, I took a varied trip to get here.  Graduating from ASU with my BAE, I determined getting my Master's degree would set me up for success, so right after graduation I enrolled in the Master's program at NAU.  Did I mention I was Arizona through and through.  So now the education chapter in my life is coming to an end, and the adventure I have been studying and working through is going to help me become a teacher, and hopefully a good one.

So. you could understand my relief when the principal at the school I was doing my teacher candidate practicum in approached me to teach at the school for the 2013-2014 year.  So, now I am gearing up to begin my teaching career - in 6th grade.