Chapter 9: The First Day

What I Believe About
Preparation for the first day...
Assigning seats and learning names...
Meeting parents on the first day...
The first day's activities...

I've been dreaming up different ways to conduct the first day of the school year for years now.  The first day is crucial for setting the tone for the year, but I still have to figure out how that fits with who I want to be as a teacher and what exactly I will do to set that tone.  Will I focus more on classroom routines?  Or will I jump right into instruction to show them I don't want to waste any time?  Is there a way to successfully mix the two?

Other questions I worry about are how far in advance will I get my curriculum?  When do I get to set up my classroom?  Will I even have my own classroom or will I be a floater?

I already know I will assign seats, but not alphabetically.  I just don't know what layout the seats will be in, yet.  Learning names as quickly as possible is critical for credibility.  The first few days, students will have to say their names before they speak, to help me remember them and to remove any questions about proper pronunciation.

I don't think I will likely meet any parents on the first day of class--I can't think of any reasons why I would.  This seems like something that would be more likely for an elementary school teacher.

And the activities will depend on the curriculum.  I know that my exit slip for the first day, though, will be asking the students for suggestions about places I should go and things I should do around town, since when I am teaching for TFA, I will be new to the Newark area.  Others I have considered are autobiographical poems based on the personal info cards I ask them to fill out about themselves, asking them to make assumptions about me (teaching inference skills), and expectations setting (me of them, them of me, them of each other).

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In what ways, if any, has the chapter changed my beliefs?

I hadn't realized how looked down upon assigned seating is.  I had been planning on assigning seating, but this chapter has me questioning whether or not that is necessary.  It suggests that allowing students to choose their own seating is one way to put the responsibility for the education in their own hands.  I am struggling to remember what my own teachers did when I was in high school.  I'm sure different teachers had different ways of handling it.

Questions I Still Have . . .

Will I be able to pull it off?
Lots of others...

Chapter 3: Materials and Supplies

What I Believe About
Potential sources of teaching materials and supplies (school, district, institutions, colleagues, parents)...
Ordering materials...
Technology in the classroom...
Sources of free or inexpensive materials...

Because I don't yet know what school I will be placed at, there are a lot of questions up in the air about what types of resources will be available. I understand that Teach for America works in schools in under-served communities, so I feel like it's reasonable for me to ask whether or not the school itself will be under-served in the form of facilities, school supplies, technological resources, and even faculty and staff. I would be hesitant to order materials online or from a catalog unless I knew another colleague who used the same thing and could see it ahead of time. I'm wary about making purchases, especially if I am purchasing it out of pocket, without knowing exactly what I will be receiving. Finally, I would be excited to learn about sources of free or inexpensive materials, so I'm hoping this chapter lists some resources of that sort!

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In what ways, if any, has the chapter changed my beliefs?

I think the chapter helped me understand my own ability when it comes to getting what I need for my classroom. I'm not as "at the mercy" of the school or district as I had previously thought. There are a lot of ways to be creative about getting what I and my students will need throughout the year. Some methods might be more glorious than others, but if it helps me have a successful lesson or unit, it's well worth it.

Questions I Still Have...

This book was published in 2004, and some of the comments about technology prove how dated it is. As much as I hate to admit it, 2004 was eight years ago, and so much has changed since then. With that in mind, I have to wonder how many of the other resources listed in this book (especially those offering free materials to teachers) are also out-dated. I'll have to do some exploring during the year to make sure I have some more current resources, even though much of the advice in this text is exactly what I need.

Update

I recognize that I haven't posted here in a while. I was thinking about discontinuing the idea of blogging about this experience, but I know that later on it will be nice to have.

Going into Newark was great. I loved just getting to explore the city a bit and check out the schools where I might be placed. I know I said I was going to post pictures, and maybe I will later. I still need to upload them all--this summer's been a busy one.

I took classes toward my master's degree in the first summer session, but this session I have off (from classes). I'm still working at the Office of Residence Life at Lehigh as the summer intern, and I'm absolutely loving it.

It's hard to believe that I am moving back to Lehigh in just over three weeks. The summer has flown by, but I can't wait.

Right now, in addition to working and trying to get organized for school, I'm also participating in a book club with my future Teach for America colleagues. We're reading The Other Wes Moore by Wes Moore. We have our first conference call about the book on this coming Thursday, so maybe I'll get to post again after that.

I don't think I have any readers yet--I suppose I can't expect to considering how infrequently I post--but if you do see this, feel free to drop me a comment and let me know!

First Visit

Well, I'm going to Newark today! My mom and I are driving in to check out all the schools. Even though I have no idea which one I'll be placed in yet, I'm really excited to see what's there and just get a feel for the city.

I'll update with some pictures later!

Accepted: Teach for America!

Sorry I haven't updated--finals have me completely overwhelmed.

Good news, though! I was officially accepted to the 2013 Teach for America corps, and I have been placed in Newark. Since I applied a year early, I won't know what grade or subject I'll be teaching until November, but I'm still really excited!

I'll update more about the work TFA is doing in Newark later, and I'll let you know when I hear more about my placement as well!

Teach for America

In addition to working toward a career in teaching through my studies at Lehigh University, I have also applied to Teach for America.

In January, I applied for the 4th deadline to join the 2012 Teach for America corps. I managed to skip the phone interview round and be invited directly to a final interview. When I got my official acceptance to Lehigh's College of Education for my 5th year, I immediately contacted TFA admissions. I still really wanted to join TFA, but I hoped that I would be able to transfer my application to the 2013 corps application pool. The fabulously helpful individuals who work for admissions at TFA said it was not a problem to move me. They just transferred my application and pushed my final interview into the last application deadline pool.

I had my final interview in March, and in just one week from now I get to hear their decision. I think the interview went very well, but I'm still nervous. I know how competitive the corps is. I'll update about it as soon as I get a response.