Palabra de la semana: "Limpiar"

The next Palabra de la semana is one that fits my day today.  Limpiar is the word "to clean" in Spanish.  If you know me- I am not usually one to clean, but when I do, watch out!  I tend to go cleaning crazy.  I was out of town for almost 4 weeks earlier this summer, and now my apartment is un desastre! Yo necesito limpiar mucho (I need to clean alot)!  The next few days will include deep cleaning, and even some rearranging of furniture I think.

Enjoy your new palabra de la semana!  Let me know how you use it or give suggestions of new words to include!

End of year...2 continued

As I read over my last post, I realized a few paragraphs didn't do my first two years of teaching justice.  I have so many memories, so many lessons learned, so many mistakes made, so many fantastic students, so many things to change in the future. I don't really like to dwell on the negative, instead I like to turn difficult situations into learning experiences (yeah, yeah that's the nerdy teacher in me!).

Here are the 3 biggest things I've learned since starting teaching:

1. Be flexible

     During the typical school week there are so many things that are bound to pop up where teachers have to be ready to adapt and change their lessons whether it be a fire drill, an assembly, meetings, lock down and the list goes on.  I have learned it is inevitable that at some point your 1st period class is going to be at a totally different place in the curriculum compared to your 7th period class.  I have built up a large repertoire of games, partner activities and speaking practice that reinforce the current vocabulary or grammar, but can be adapted to take 5 minutes or a whole class period.  

2. Get involved outside the classroom

     As a first year teacher, I definitely experienced many an evening of feeling overwhelmed with so much to do, but just feeling too exhausted to do anything but lay on the couch with my cat.  So then why I am I saying to take on even more??? I must be a little loca, right?  Nope.  Since becoming a coach, joining committees, serving as club advisor and generally getting a better feel for my school's community, I really feel like I have become a better teacher.  I love seeing my students outside of the classroom because it usually means they are doing something they enjoy and are passionate about, whether it be music, sports, drama, pep club or whatever!  I get exposure to their families, their friends, and I can take those experiences back to my classroom.  If I want a student to speak Spanish, why not talk about something they can actually relate to and enjoy discussing? Getting home a few nights a week after 10 pm and heading back at 6:20 the next morning seems nuts, but its worth it.

3. Don't be afraid to ask for help

     My first week of school was a whirlwind. Where was the copy machine?  What time does first period end?  Where are my textbooks?  Where is the teacher's lunchroom?  How am I going to learn all these teachers' AND kids' names?  The list went on and on.  I quickly realized that my fellow coworkers were a valuable asset to surviving as a first (or second) year teacher.  That being said, I think it is also important to mention that it is a good idea to also do a lot of listening as a new teacher.  You hear different perspectives on teaching; you can tell who the gossipers are; you learn what the "cliques" of teachers are (Let's be honest, the workforce can be just as fantastic as middle school was!); and you generally just get an awareness of the atmosphere of the school.  So asking questions is vital, but listening can be just as advantageous.

So much reflection, that I'm probably boring you to lagrimas (tears!).  Look forward to some posts coming up about specific goals for the upcoming year, teaching tips, fun classroom ideas and so on!

¡Hasta la próxima entrada de blog!

Palabra de la semana

I want to start a new weekly post called "Palabra de la semana" or "Word of the Week."  I teach Spanish, and so many people I talk to say "Oh yeah... I don't really remember anything besides hola and the numbers!" and as a teacher, that makes me cringe.  So, why not teach my readers a little Spanish?  It's my plan to post new palabras on Sundays from here on out.

This week I am actually going to give you more than a word.  The phrase I'm going to teach is a basic one.  Some of you probably already know it, but you can actually use it in conversation on a regular basis!

¿Cómo estás? or ¿Qué pasa?   which is "How are ya?" or "What's going on?"

To answer:
Bien - I'm well (or "good" for you non-grammatically correct!)
Mal - I'm bad.
Así-así - Eh, so-so.

Nada - Nothing
Mucho - Lots


Let me know if you have any suggestions of words or phrases you would like to learn! Also, feel free to share if you've used the new phrase :)

End of year... 2!

Well, dusting off the ole keyboard today and getting back into blogging sounds like the plan for today.  I started this blog almost 2 years ago to document my life as a first-year teacher.  Seeing that I am now a soon to be 3rd year teacher, I'd say I'm overdue for some posts!  To catch you up, I've been teaching Spanish 1 & 2 for the past two years at a small rural high school in Ohio.  I have to say while the job definitely has its ups and downs, overall I love my job.

Highlights of Año 1:

• Surviving :)
• Teaching an awesome group of students who made my job easy
• Having the only classroom with air-conditioning! (don't worry- that was short lived :( )
• Creating relationships with colleagues that are both strong in school and out
• Being asked to coach JV cheerleading
• Chaperoned the 10th grade trip to 

Highlights of Año 2:

• Being trained in the Olweus Bullying Prevention Program, and becoming a trainer for my school
• Coaching JV cheerleading, and being promoted to Head Coach
• Two planning periods :)
• Slowly worked at perfecting pacing for my classes, and actually got a through a lot more content with both my 1's and 2's
• Only 4 failures for the year!
• At the end of the year, having a 95% retention rate of Spanish 1 students moving on to Spanish 2
• Nominated by my school as a County Rookie of the Year teacher (an honor given to only 1 teacher in each school district)
• Continued to develop relationships with my fellow staff

There were I'm sure many more, but that is all I can brainstorm right now.  It feels so good to reflect and share my experiences.  I plan to add a post soon about some of the "lowlights" of the past two years, and also some goals/changes I want to make for the upcoming year.

Feel free to share thoughts/advice for me about teaching/blogging/life :)