Entheos Academy

I have been reading information about Entheos, a school I've applied at, and just finished reading their vision statement. It's almost embarrassing to admit, but as I was reading my eyes welled with tears. YES, it is true. But how could I not when I completely agree with the statement. I found myself nodding in agreement and screaming a mental, "Hallelujah!" At one point I jumped out of my chair, ran upstairs, and told my husband about what I was reading. He's thrilled that I am so excited about a particular school, and I can barely contain my excitement that they are interested in me. =))

I like that this school is an Epeditionary Learning school because the more I read about what that is, I'm finding that it is the type of learning that I encourage and the type of place I have been searching for. =D

entheosel.org

Thank You Teacher-Teacher!

I must admit that the application process is a little tedious. I completely understand the necessity of it, I'm just thankful that I live in the day and age when we have TECHNOLOGY! Have I mentioned that I LOVE TECHNOLGOY!? LOL. I do. And thankfully I was able to go to Teacher-Teacher and it made this process a lot easier and smoother.

Application Update:
So, as of right now I am continuing to apply for jobs that seem interesting. The future is looking bright and I am looking forward to all the new interesting things that will be happening to us due to possible changes. =)

Changing of Seasons...

I felt that my new background was more appropriate for this time in my life.

As the trees are getting prepared for the new and exciting changes that winter and spring will present itself with, I too must prepare for the changes that will happen with my career. I must accept that what will fall will fall and what will regrow will be something tremendously spectacular. I will allow God to lead me where I need to go now. May God bless us all and that we may all allow him to work miracles in our lives, no matter how scary or turbulent of a ride he may lead us down.

RIF (a.k.a. Reduction in Force)

I've been preparing myself for this day since last spring. Yet regardless of all the preparation, I feel that you can never fully prepare yourself to lose your job unless you already have a job lined-up, which I do not.

I guess what I mostly feel right now is anger and sadness. Yes, I understand that the economy is bad and that there somehow isn't funding for the most important thing in the world (Education), but seriously, how is there not funding for the future leaders of our world? This is a question that has kept me up countless nights. People say I will move on quickly and that moving away from Pahrump will be the best thing that could happen for me, yet I am still angry at the lawmakers who have done this to the children that I love and care about. I've poured my hard earned money back into my classroom and have found technology grants to give my students what I feel will prepare them for the 21st Century, AND I am enraged that this could be happening to the kids that have become my surrogate children. I worry about my students I have come to know and love. What about them!? Did the politicians who failed to fund their classes ever think about them? They are not just a number that needs to be balanced! They are real. They are just like us. AND they deserve to have an education that is equal to students in other states…yet how can they in a state that has bottomed out as the state with the least funding per pupil?!

My only hope is that the teachers who remain will have the strength and stamina to keep up with 30-45 students they will have in their classrooms. That they will somehow be able to help these students overcome their family/friend issues, build their character, stop classroom bullying, identify troubled students, identify students with learning disabilities, help below-level students reach on-level reading and math scores while challenging students with on-level or advanced scores, grade countless papers, tests, and essays for the two assignments per week for each subject: Spelling, Reading, Language Arts, Science, Social Studies, Mathematics, and Health, plan/make differentiated activities for students that are engaging and interactive, and all the while ensure that students pass the CRT's for the No Child Left Behind Act.

I hope that somehow politicians will figure out that it is unwise to bankrupt the children that will one day be making the decisions that will affect us. Sadly, I'm sure that this thought hasn't crossed their minds.

And even though I'm sure politicians had the best intentions of not "leaving a child behind," they have now left behind an entire generation of learners. Shame on them! Shame on us for electing them...May we learn from our mistakes and make the future a brighter place to live.

Getting High Tech....

It has been a long time since I have blogged. So here goes--

I've gained and lost a lot of students, but I'm finally settling in on 21 students. AHHH...what a wonderful number. 20 or 22 would be better, then we'd be even. Now I have to be someones buddy or hope that if someone is absent, it's an odd number gone.

The Smart Board technology has been so much fun to use, and at the same time overwhelming. I'm wishing I had more time in the day to prepare lessons and use it for every subject, but I've haven't had enough time. I'm thinking that next year will be easier because I can accumulate lessons over the summer. Geez....teachers never stop working!

I've gotten more technology since then. GOSH AM I LUCKY! Our whole fifth grade just received IPod Touches! It is really so fabulous. I have to spend a lot of time for class on it though. I have class for the IPods and the Smart Board. I'm really glad, it's been enlightening, and draining at the same time. I'm learning a lot and have discovered that I want to get my masters in Technology. I LOVE TECHNOLOGY! It excites me! It makes me interested in what I'm doing. It gets me a LITTLE crazy. Or maybe A LOT? I'm learning so much and it makes me feel like my brain is exploding with information. I like that. But most of all, it helps me reach my students. My students are so excited that they have been behaving soooo great! With the exception of one incident today at the end of the day, they have been doing great. It makes me happy to think that a little machine the size of my hand is capable of so much good. =)

Today a student from another class told me in awe, "Mrs. Jones, your class is so high tech." He continued to tell me the differences between his class and my class and it made me laugh. I love technology. My students love technology. And this visitor in my class could tell just HOW much I love technology, and I LOVE THAT. =D I hope that one day all classes can be "high tech" and full of resources that will get kids even more excited about learning and help teach them the skills they will need in the 21st Century.