Long-Short Summer/Field Trip

So I haven't been doing very well at keeping up with blogging for the summer school class that I am teaching at Stillwater High School. I think my experience has been hampered by my other job that I have this summer at Cub Foods. I work overnight so I have been getting less sleep then I am used too. Anyway, I have enjoyed working with this group of students. We have had some good and bad times this summer but that is expected.

I believe that this experience has helped me to realize a few things.
1. Planning for a three hour class everyday is tough ( I know what my college professors go through for interium. Only they do it so much better than I)
2. Teaching Geography is fun...but I don't want to teach it forever.
3. Be firm but flexible...it breeds the best results.
4. Never allow cell phones in class.
5. Every student can be successful...if they want to be.

Monday we are going on a field trip to the Science Museum of Minnesota. There is a Titanic exibit there that we are going to see. I am excited for a number of reasons.
1. The titanic was something that I was very interested in growing up.
2. This would be my first field trip as a teacher.

Hope it goes well.

Mr. P

School Pictures

Summer School

I got a call last week and the Director for the Stillwater Area High School ALC called me. She was looking for a Geography teacher to teach credit recovery. I was very interested because I have been looking for a summer job and I ended up getting two in the same week. The unfortunate part is one is working overnights and the other is working during the mornings M-Thurs for three hours.

I interviewed and accepted both jobs and now have completed a week of summer school teaching. As the week has gone on things have become more and more comfortable within my class. The first day the students you could tell were definetely feeling me out and seeing what type of teacher I was. It was a very tough day for me as well because I had to work the night before and hadn't slept yet. So I had been going for 24 hrs straight basically.

Each one of my students is very unique and will never be named directly on this site because of State law stating student teacher confidentiallity. But from time to time I may tell a story or two generically.

For instance, we were practicing plotting map coordinates today and were plotting the islands of Hawaii. I mentioned that Joslyn and I were thinking about going there for our honeymoon but decided not too because it would have cost a lot of money. The asked were we were going instead. I said, "Duluth". Everyone looked at me weird... like I was nuts..but I said neither one of us had been there and we were excited. Then a "bright" student said...you should just honeymoon at the Maplewood Mall. In a very serious tone. I laughed.

More stories to follow.

Year 1 Life after College

I spent this year substituting in the Robbinsdale, Anoka-Hennepin, and North St. Paul School Districts. It's been a very interesting year for me. this will be a short blog post but I will add a few highlights of this year later.

Some Highlights include:
Students googling boobs on the school computer
Apology letters
Long-term subbing
Cookies
Musicals
Interesting Name comparisons
Mistaken Identities