Chai and Jackie O!

Wednesday, February 17, 2016

What They Don't Tell You In School

After stumbling upon a few Tumblr blogs dedicated to teacher memes, I wanted to put together my own post about what teaching has really been like.

Having to decide between lesson planning and bed time because you've procrastinated all weekend.

My response any time we have to stay after school.

When kids tell you they have been hearing one of our concert songs on the radio and they sing along, when they previously didn't believe me it was a popular holiday song.

Those kids you have to give a question limit to, otherwise I'd say this.

The face I make when I see a child holding a ukulele with one hand above their head.

What I like to imagine honor choir being like.

When students try to talk to me interrupting our lesson by not raising their hand.

After you overhear the principal saying strep throat and a stomach virus are going around 3rd grade.

"Can you help us with our Black History program?" A week before the performance date.

When students try to tattle on each other, or "ooh" when they think someone is getting in trouble.

When a child bypasses their bathroom opportunity and then mid class needs to go.

"Mr. Learn, Mrs. Learn, Mrs. Ummm, Mrs. Teacher, Mrs. (whatever the child's homeroom teacher's name is)"

When a child loses instrument privileges and doesn't want to cough it over.

What I wanted to say to the audience before our winter performances.

When the same child tells me he hates my class every day, but doesn't realize he is stuck with me for possibly the next 5 years.

When I hear students talk back to another teacher.

Why I'm not the best with little kids.

When the bad kids say "Ms. Spitzer can I stay with you the rest of the day?"

Friday, January 22, 2016

3 Weeks In

So, it is now the end of the third week in January and I wanted to put an update out there on how my new years resolutions have been going.

1. Getting in shape.

Right after, I posted about my new years resolutions we did really well following the 30 minutes of exercise 6 days a week. And I was feeling great. But with the sudden drop in temperatures and the excessive rain, I've found it really hard to motivate myself to leave my warm and dry apartment. So I have gone over a week without working out, but I have vowed to work out twice every day this 3 day weekend (today is a snow day for school) to try and make up for lost time.

2. Eat healthier.

Also, like the working out this has been one that I've done either really well at or not done at all. I've been eating a healthy breakfast and lunch, but then for dinner we've been eating out what seems like more than normal. And, I have found it hard to resist a Coke at schools in the afternoon when I want to take a nap and the Christmas candy hanging out in my bedroom has been tempting me piece by piece when I arrive home before dinner is ready.

3. Spend one weekend out per month.

Thankfully, the month is not yet over. Because the past two weekends have been spent at home with my family and then this weekend I had plans set for a trip to Atlanta but with the weather and some other factors those fell through. So next weekend is my last chance to not fail this resolution in the first month of the new year.

4. Get in the dating game.

Well, I have subscribed to an online dating website. So I guess technically, I've completed this resolution...technically. And I didn't expect immediate results, but as of right now here are some of my observations on online dating:

a. I think the "wink" option should be banned, because I don't know what it is but I am automatically turned off when I get "winked" at over the online dating world. It just seems like such a cheesy move or the equivalent of the moves guys would pull at a bar trying to get a girl home. And that might not be their intentions at all, but that is immediately my feeling upon receiving a notification that someone "winked" at me.

b. People totally ignore what age range you say you are interested in. I completely agree that age is just a number. My parents have a 15 year age gap. But, 1. if I say I am looking for someone between the ages of 22 and 28 and you are no where close to that, do you just ignore that? and 2. if you are the same age as my mother or father, I'm sorry I'm automatically not interested. You will be put into my "could be my parent" list. And...

c. I did not realize how much online dating could pull on my self-confidence. I've always been a little self-conscious when it comes to how I look and dating. Almost all my friends in high school had boy after boy interested in dating them, and while it isn't necessarily a great thing to have had more boyfriends then others you do start to wonder why you don't have the same line of suitors. My mother likes to tell me, I'm intimidating and that I give off a "I'm not interested vibe." Maybe I do, but I feel like I give off the "I've got my life together and I need someone who is the same" vibe. So when my roommate also signs up on the same dating website and ends up having multiple guys emailing her seemingly every day, and my inbox goes days empty or I get one message from a guy that I'm not interested in every few days, I start to question how much more unattractive I must be than my friend.

I know, I know...guys want someone confident and I'm hurting myself by having this self-conscious attitude. But, it's a work in progress.

5. Staying clean and organized in the classroom.

I've started organizing each of my classrooms, putting graded papers away, throwing away stuff I don't need, and even changing my bulletin boards and adding wall decorations. So I would say I'm doing a good job of starting this resolution, but it will be about perseverance especially come spring break and May.

6. Travel a lot!

Well, no traveling other than Florence to Pawleys Island and back has happened yet. But I do have big ideas for the summer. I would love to backpack across the US or Europe and hopefully have a job or two in a different place while traveling.

7. Read 16 books. (I forgot to put this one on the previous post)

My resolution is to read at leas 16 books this year. I love to read, but 2015 was a dry year when it comes to reading. I think I read maybe two or three books for pleasure and then all other reading was school or work related.

I have read so far in 2016:
1. Paper Towns by John Green
2. Quiet by Susan Cain

Next up on the list is Traveling with Pomegranates by Sue Monk Kidd and Ann Kidd Taylor.

Friday, January 8, 2016

It's A Brand New Year!

So like every new year, I have made some new years resolutions. However, I'm never very good at keeping them. I usually make it to the end of January and then fall off the bandwagon. I'm probably not alone in this, but this year I would like it to be different. I want to push myself to have to stick with my new years resolutions.

My roommate and best friend, Jessica, and I are keeping each other accountable. (fingers crossed)

1. Get in shape--work out at least 30 minutes a day at least 6 days a week.

With not having lesson planned for this first week back from Christmas break before Christmas, I spent almost every waking hour January 1st through the 3rd lesson planning or packing. Then Jessica and I were so exhausted from our first days back that we did slack off and not exercise. However, the past three evenings we have either run on the elliptical or powerwalked through our neighborhood while listening to hiking/backpacking podcasts.

I really have to recommend "The First 40 Miles."

2. Eat healthier.

This one, we also have not been doing the best on starting this resolution. And in our defense, we haven't been grocery shopping since moving back into our apartment. So we've been surviving on whatever is still good in our fridge or pantry or going out to eat (I know not the healthy option). But I have tried to watch how much I eat during the day and tried to avoid candy and soda for the most part.

3. Spend one weekend per month out of the apartment.

One of Jessica and mine's favorite weekend activities is to sit on our couch and watch rom-coms while "lesson planning." However, it's not very social or active. So to force us out of our routine and comfort zone we have to find something to do out of our apartment, excluding going home to visit family.

4. Get in the dating game.

I have been single for basically forever. Just kidding. I did have a boyfriend way back in high school. But it's basically been 5 years since I've been on a date, and dates in high school are not the same as when you are older. Most kids aren't thinking of whether this person could be there for the long run. Most kids think in the here and now mentality. By forcing myself to get out of my comfort zone and talk to new people, I'm bettering myself and also ensuring my mother that I won't end up an old unwed maid with seven dogs because I'm allergic to cats.

5. Staying clean and organized in the classroom.

Teaching over 600 kids means I deal with a lot of copies of sheet music and often a lot of graded papers. And this fall I did not do a good job putting stuff away immediately when I finished using it or grading it. So instead, I had this ginormous mountain of papers on my back table in my classroom. I was actually very embarrassed.

6. Travel A LOT!!

Pretty self-explanatory.

Tuesday, December 29, 2015

Wrapping it Up

An ever present statement, "I cannot believe how much has happened," yet again rears its head as we quickly approach the end of 2015 and the beginning of 2016. As I look back at all that has happened since graduation, I am completely amazed and cannot wait to see what happens come January 1st.

I graduated from Converse College and yet ended back on its lovely campus two weeks later to spend the majority of my summer break completing a special education practicum. The Washington Center in Greenville, South Carolina, provides a summer school program for special needs students who are in need of year round services. I worked with three inspiring ladies and a class of eight students ages seven to ten and was in a state of constant exhaustion yet loved every minute of it.

Considering I spent my first summer as a college graduate completing a teaching class and interviewing for teaching jobs across the state, it should have come as no surprise when I decided to accept a teaching position for fall 2015 rather than pursuing graduate school.

Come August 1, I moved into an apartment in Florence, South Carolina, with two dear friends and fellow music educators and began my career. To say I was lucky enough to get my dream job of an already established middle school band program would have been a lie. However, what I did get was something completely and unexpectedly perfect. I am now the teacher at a 3rd through 5th grade school, as well as a 4k through eighth grade school--general music, chorus, and band all in one. Or I guess two if we are being technical.

Had anyone from Dr. Foy's elementary music class known that I had not only willingly accepted but wished and prayed to be offered this job, they probably would have thought I had officially lost my mind. To say that I was the worst in the class when teaching elementary music lessons would have been an understatement. I was awkward, rarely successful in teaching my concept, and dreaded with a burning passion the days I had to teach that class. I had decided any younger than sixth grade was definitely not for me. Yet as fate often does, I ended up interviewing with two principals at elementary schools and fell in love.

As the first day of school approached, I relived those horrid elementary music class days in my mind and hoped that I had somehow gained the ability to teach this grade level. And what I have found over the past five months is that I absolutely love teaching elementary school. Don't get me wrong, I still dream of teaching in an established middle school band program where I can assist with the local high school marching band, but until that day arrives I am more than content.

So far, I have started the process of building a brand new band program for my fifth through eighth grade students at one school, completed four separate winter programs which included all different music plus three guitar ensembles consisting of 66 students. I sent 16 students to the district honor choir and had over 200 students audition for our brand new school honor choir.

Even though I'm sure I'll be just as stressed this coming January, I look forward to more exciting things with my students. If you are interested in keeping updated on my teaching, head to my other blog:

http://postcardsandmusic.blogspot.com/.

Thursday, May 21, 2015

I...graduated

So like normal, I didn't do such a great job keeping the blog updated. The 41 days to graduation have since passed and I cannot believe that I am now a college graduate. I am now back at home, and will update you on what the past 45 days have been like.

When you take middle schoolers to Atlanta and they count the tubas under the bus only to realize two were left in South Carolina.

When the people above your apartment decide to move furniture at 12:30AM the night before your job interview.

When you say "I don't have anything else to do" and then somebody reminds you that you actually do.

When you have your last orchestra and wind ensemble as an undergrad and you don't know how to feel.

When your middle schoolers give you their piano music less than a week before the performance and it's NOT easy.

When your model league team-given award is "Best Dressed in Class and Sass."

When the food is so good at your professors' houses for the Progressive Dinner.

When you survive the Praxis music test at 8:00am Monday morning.

When it's a free bar at the Senior BBQ.

But then girls take it too far. (This is supposed to be a classy event people!)

When highschoolers cat call at you from their mini van.

When graduation rehearsal takes two hours, and you haven't eaten all day.

When they sat the chocolate cake on your table before the entrée came at the candlelight dinner.

When everybody starts crying and toasting their best friends at the end of dinner, and you feel like you're the only one not crying.

Everyone:

Me:

When you have to say goodbye to the middle schoolers you now love!

Putting your gown on for the first time at the Baccalaureate service.

Picture time, picture time, picture time.

What it's like drinking mimosas the morning of graduation with the roommates.

When you realize this is the last time you'll be in your apartment.

When you hold your diploma at graduation!!

When your Little surprises you after graduation.

Still can't believe I'm done at Converse College. But I can't wait to see what this upcoming year has in store, whether it be graduate school or a teaching job.

love always,

Sunday, April 5, 2015

41 Days!

Since there are only 41 days between me and graduation, I figured it was only fitting to put together a post that perfectly illustrates what one feels when your college days are coming to an end...Enjoy!