I recently read a book that had the questions "Who is a leader in your life who leads from the heart?" and "How is their impact different than other leaders you know?"
The first person I thought of was an academic advisor that works at my school. I was afraid of posting this because I did not know how she will react, but I hope it brings a smile to her face on a Friday and reminds her of the difference she is making. Two weeks ago, I had a rough day at work and left work in tears. I felt embarrassed and insecure, and I just wanted to leave the building as quickly as I could that day. The academic advisor called me when she left the building just to check in and talk about the situation. After finishing talking to her on the phone, I felt peace in my heart. When I left work, I was crying because I was upset, but, during that phone call, I began crying due to the realization that this advisor did not have to check in on me, but she chose to. In that four minute phone call, she managed to bring a smile to my face, and I felt less alone because she truly cared about me as a human being first. Her role is crucial at our school, and I am thankful for her every single day because she truly leads with the utmost kindness and grace. She did not judge me for being upset but rather talked me through the situation. This is the same advisor that I wrote a blog post about earlier this school year. She checks up on others and truly goes above and beyond. The world of education needs more admin like her, and I am incredibly thankful for all that she does every single day. I guarantee that checking up on a staff member was not on her "to do" list that day, but, in that moment, she made a difference in my life, and I will remember that throughout my career. I appreciate her, and she truly inspires me to be a better person and a better educator on a daily basis. It is now my goal to check up on others more because of her example. We often do not know who we are inspiring just by leading from the heart.
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I had a rough day yesterday that resulted in tears after school. I was holding back tears for a few hours until I walked into my teacher friend's classroom and broke down. Thankfully, my colleague closed the door and let me cry it out knowing what had happened. I emailed my admin earlier that day that I was upset about a certain situation and let her know that I was crying. Right after I sent the email, I needed time to process, so I left for the day and was driving home. I decided to get a Starbucks coffee and opened my phone to find texts from my friend at work that my admin came into her classroom looking for me.
When I saw that text, I instantly had tears in my eyes developing for a different reason. This admin did not have to go looking for me, but she did. This admin did not have to drop everything she was doing, but she did. I have tears in my eyes writing this because, looking back, I realize that I am so incredibly lucky to have an admin that genuinely cares about her staff. That kind act restored my faith in humans, I care about this admin, and I pray for her health and happiness every single day at night. She is someone who supports me, and I will always support her. She often mentions that she appreciates me, but, the truth is, I cannot adequately express how much I appreciate her. When I get older, I will always remember her as being the one admin who genuinely cared about me as a person first. As a quieter and sensitive person, this meant more to me than she will ever know. She is the kindest person, and I am incredibly thankful for her support and caring nature. We need more admin like her in our schools, and I truly hope that she knows just how appreciated and valued she is. I know her job as an academic advisor can be tiring, but I hope she knows that she is more than enough always. I hope she also knows that a younger teacher, like myself, looks up to her and is learning how to be kinder just by watching her lead by example on a daily basis. Sometimes, we do not even know who we are inspiring simply by being ourselves. I am fortunate to work at a school that has an amazing admin team. One person who stands out to me is Mrs. Stachniak. She is an academic advisor who truly goes above and beyond every single day for the students and staff even when personal things are going on behind the scenes. I have been teaching for six years, and Mrs. Stachniak is someone who has truly made me feel seen, heard, and valued.
I see her in our hallway, and she never fails to brighten my day. She cares about others and is always willing to lend a listening ear. I was having a rough day last year, and when I mentioned details to her, she was incredibly understanding. She is someone who is a genuine light at our school, and she pays attention to the details that others may not notice. She is a true ray of light, and she truly encompasses what it means to be a leader. I know that I am just one teacher, and I cannot begin to imagine how much she must do behind the scenes due to only seeing a glimpse of what she does in a day. Despite how much she has going on, she always has time to exchange a quick smile, and that smile has kept me going on numerous occasions. Maya Angelou once said "..people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel." When I hear that quote, the first person I think of is Mrs. Stachniak. She is humble, generous, kind hearted, and so much more. Not only is she an amazing admin, but she is also an amazing mother to her children. She gives 110 percent both at work and at home, and I know that, as educators, we can be stretched pretty thin especially when we have other things going on behind the scenes. I am not sure if she has days where she questions if she is making a difference like I do sometimes, but I want this blog post to serve as a reminder that she is absolutely making an undeniable impact. As a newer teacher, I look up to her because she has a heart of gold and is truly the kindest person I have ever met. She inspires me to be a better and kinder person every single day, and she is someone who I believe deserves many thank you's. I am incredibly grateful for the impact she makes every single day, and I just hope she knows how appreciated and valued she truly is. She is more than enough, and she has impacted my life in such a way that, as I am writing this, I am trying to hold back tears from forming. I believe that everyone deserves a round of applause at some point in their lives, and this is my written form of a round of applause. I am a quieter and more soft spoken individual which leads me to sometimes feel invisible. Mrs. Stachniak makes me feel like my quiet presence is appreciated, and, now, I am actually crying. She pays attention to individuals and genuinely cares. She is an amazing leader, and she truly changes lives for the better. I am a better person because I know her, and my life has been positively changed for the better because of her presence and impact. I work at a great school with, not one, but two amazing assistant principals supporting the staff and leading the way. They are both supportive and passionate about what they do. They do a lot behind the scenes that does not always get acknowledged, and I wanted to take the time to write about their undeniable impact. The COVID - 19 pandemic has been hard on all of us, but they continue to show up and spread positivity within the walls of our school. They take the time to build and foster relationships with students and staff. One of my favorite songs lately has been "Till you Can't" by Cody Johnson, and one lyric that stands out in the song is "If you got a chance, take it, take it while you got a chance." I have the chance right now to be able to express my gratitude, and that is something I strive to be better at. Gratitude should occur more often and not just during a specific week. We need to thank the individuals who help us grow stronger and make us better. As a teacher, I am thankful for their continued positivity because they make our school a great place to work at, They both have made a unique difference in my life and in the lives of many others at our school. I am a first generation college student, and I look up to both of these admin because they lead from the heart, and they make it their purpose to spread kindness and do the best they can every single day. They inspire me to be better. I am thankful for them and hope that they truly feel appreciated not only this week but always. I have been thinking a lot lately about goals I have for 2022 and for my future. As I reflect on my past, I have been thinking about a professor I had about five years ago and the impact she has made in my life.
This professor was engaging, motivating, and inspiring. I struggled with math growing up, and there were many tears shed when I was a young child due to not understanding how to solve certain problems. I knew I wanted to teach, but I did not know what subject. When I recalled my own struggles with math growing up, I had a lightbulb moment go off, and I knew I wanted to help students overcome their own struggles. During my time in college when I was taking math classes for my specialization in middle school mathematics, I had a hard time with my classes, and I remember crying in my apartment during finals week of Fall 2016 due to not knowing if I would pass the math class I was currently taking. I told myself that, if I earned a D or an F, that would be my sign to switch my specialization. I had math anxiety growing up, and that was a critical point in my undergrad experience. Thankfully, I passed that one specific course, but I was still debating on switching out of my math specialization. I looked at the course I was set to take the semester after, and I felt something in my heart telling me not to switch and that this professor would be the one to re - ignite my passion for teaching and mathematics. That was all I needed, and I am so glad I listened to my heart because, indeed, that professor changed the way I view mathematics and impacted my life as well. I have tears in my eyes writing this because I honestly do not know what path my career would take if I did not have this math professor during that semester. I know professors, just like teachers, have obligations to fulfill. This professor had high standards and expectations. She taught from the heart while also teaching with the utmost integrity. She believed in all her students and taught through a discovery based learning approach which I appreciated. She also helped me during office hours, and she took the time to not only get to know me as a learner but also as a person. She told me once that she is just doing her job, and, yes, she was, but she went above and beyond in my opinion. I have had many professors during community college and at the university level, and I remember their names, but I do not remember any of them as well as I do this one. That is because she did more than just teach me mathematics, but she also re - ignited my spark and love for teaching and reminded me of the impact a teacher can make in the life of a student (and, yes, even one in her 20's). Professors like her deserve the utmost respect and appreciation. I was the first person in my family to graduate from college, and I did not know how this would all work. Because of her impact, I felt confident in my abilities, and I am now one semester away from finishing my masters degree and am even debating on going back to school after again in hopes of becoming a part time professor. Yes, she had a role in that desire in my heart, and I do not know if it will happen, but I have a desire that I did not have before to continue to learn and grow. Even if I decide not to go that route, I know the way I teach is forever influenced by having her as a professor, and I have been changed for good either way. I just hope she knows how appreciated she is. I have not blogged for quite some time. I need to get back into the routine of blogging at least twice a month. Due to it being summer break, I have spent time intentionally thinking about why I do what I do, and I thought about this amazing educator I had in high school English. This post is dedicated to her.
I knew I wanted to teach since I was a child, but I did not realize the impact teachers can make on the lives of their students until I started school and had incredible teachers growing up. I have had many impact my life in different ways, but my high school English teacher touched my life due to her genuinely caring about me as a student. She never gave up on me, and she instilled in me the value of hard work and reaching for my dreams no matter how far off they seemed. She saw my quiet nature to be a strength instead of a weakness, and when I had people tell me all my life that I was too quiet or read too much, I didn't think much of it, but it did get under my skin a little. I later found out that I was introverted which made complete sense, but it made me realize how much we need educators who seek out the good and help students see themselves as unique individuals. I even have an assignment from her class that was written on loose leaf in my memory box due to the fact that she wrote in pink pen around the borders that she thought I should go for my dream of becoming a teacher. That still brings tears to my eyes because, looking back, I did not know how to obtain that goal especially due to being a first generation college student. I saved that assignment for the past seven years, and I plan on framing it one day in my office space because it reminds me of the potential she saw in me and how she continues to impact my life to this day. When I was in college, I had opportunities come my way because of my Twitter usage, and I was even able to write an article for ASCD about two years ago, When I sent her the email with the link to the article, she sent me the sweetest email back which I still have saved. I appreciate the fact that I have a teacher like her in my life because she genuinely cared about me as a student and even keeps in touch with me to this day. She deserves the world, and I wish more teachers shared stories of their why. When I am overthinking or wondering if I truly am following my calling and making the biggest difference I can, I think of educators like her who, through one year, impacted my life. Teachers have the ability to make such a difference, and teachers like her deserve to be celebrated. The past 2 weeks have been weeks of change for me in a good way. I have become more firm in regards to my expectations and follow through, and I have been feeling better about the way things are going. I know I still have a lot to learn, but I have learned a lot this week which includes that students do respond positively to limits, although, sometimes, they push their behavior to see how far they will get.
One positive from this week is being able to talk to students one on one and get to know them more. I have a few students who I have a hard time connecting with, but I tried to intentionally start up a conversation and invite them for lunch in my classroom next week which has been helpful. Praise has also been huge. When I see students being on task, I reward them with a ticket, and I compliment them. I especially do this with my students who have changed their behavior in the right direction. I am still working on consistency and being firm especially when students get emotional about receiving a consequence. Emotions are hard for me because I do understand where they are coming from, and, most of the time, students have a lot going on outside of my classroom. When I take time to truly listen, I feel like I can make progress with that student. This week consisted of ups and downs. As a newer teacher, I know I am not where I want to be in regards to classroom management. I know that I need to be more firm and consistent, but I also know that takes time. Through it all, I am thankful to have an amazing admin who is acting as my cheerleader and is taking time to give me constructive criticism while providing positive areas as well. I am naturally an introvert, but, when I teach, I feel like that part of me goes away. i also tend to be hard on myself, so when I try to think of successes, I have a hard time because I tend to compare myself to others around me. I know that I have great students who are absolutely capable of learning, and I want to be the best teacher I can be for them which is why I frequently pause and reflect.
On Wednesday, I tried a new tally system which included a tally and a little stop sign visual cue placed on their desk for them to refocus, a 2nd tally if earned which included a reflection sheet and a 10 minute break in a buddy room, and a 3rd tally if earned which is when I would send the student out for the rest of the period and contact home due to that being a step. I started to mark tallies on my whiteboard which helps me see where my students are at and also helps the students know where they are at as well. I honestly had a much better day on Wednesday due to taking the time to explain my new system and owning up that I wanted to reset some things in my classroom. Now, some things still need to be worked upon such as when students have computers out while I am teaching. I only had an issue with 2 of my students doing that, but the way that I addressed this is by pausing all the screens during the time I am teaching and making sure that their screens are all the way down. This is an important part of my classroom procedures because I want all of my students to be paying attention to the lesson. Then, when students are practicing their skills on the computer, I start a filter session for the duration of the class period where I block access to websites that they frequently go on that is not what we are doing in class such as youtube. This has helped tremendously. I am still reflecting, and I know that change takes some time, but I am willing to grow and learn as much as I can because I truly want to become better. I just went on a walk around my neighborhood, and it made me think about how far I have come in my journey thus far. Last year, I was published in 2 books, and in June, I started my very own podcast.
As a newer teacher, I am always amazed at how much support I have received from my amazing PLN. Kind comments from others that I inspire them in someway mean the world and push me to be a better educator. I was thinking about goals that I have for myself in the upcoming year, and one goal is to finish my manuscript which scares me a lot due to being a new experience for me but is one that I want to accomplish. I also just want to be all in as an educator meaning that I am giving 110 percent to my students. I was having a rough day two weeks ago due to having the flu, and I received an email with a shared document that one of my students shared with me saying that he hopes I feel better and that my class needs me. It brought tears to my eyes because I was doubting myself as a teacher, and that note was like a sign from God showing me that I am making a difference somehow and that I need to keep going. I always get small reminders that I am on the right path, and for me, those reminders come from my students. I have bad days too due to being a human being, and I have my own flaws and imperfections, but I think about my students frequently, and their joy and laughter make me a better person. I try to be better for them. I keep myself busy because I like to do a lot and feel productive, but I also know I need time for myself too, so this break was a nice way to kick back and relax. I had time to think through my behavior plan and my room formation, and I plan on making a few changes, but even though the break is ending which can be hard, I know that I want to be a positive force. My to - do list is never ending, but I am fine with that because I know things get done at some point. I know some people think I am crazy due to being 24 and doing podcasting, blogging, and starting #newteacherjourney, but this is my journey, and I would not change it for anything because I think it makes me a stronger educator because it reminds me of why we do what we do. I tell my students about my Twitter presence, and I am happy to be living the best of both worlds in a sense because Twitter is an outlet for me at times. Thank you for sticking with me and being by my side. I appreciate all of you. For me, 2019 was filled with joy and hard times as well. Last year, I found out I needed to search for a new teaching position due to budget cuts which resulted in many tears and questioning if I am in the right profession. In April, I also found out that my grandpa passed away with cancer which was also hard especially as a new teacher. I did not take a day off due to wanting to be with my students and finding comfort in their love and kindness.
Thankfully, I did find a position in June and accepted, and I am thankful to be where I am at currently. I feel like I am learning a ton which can be overwhelming at times, but I feel support from every angle and know that I am at a great school that truly keeps the needs of the students at the forefront. Now, I am nowhere near perfect and make mistakes that I reflect on. I have cried a few times this year as well, but those tears have taught me that I care and that, if something is not working, then I need to brainstorm some solutions or ask someone for advice. The one thing I have learned this year is that asking for help does not make you weak. One admin at my school regularly meets with me and gives me strategies and ideas that I try in my classroom. She also let me borrow "Tools for Teaching" by Fred Jones which I plan to read. I know that she cares, and even though sometimes I am my own worst critic, I know that I am in control and have the power to make changes that will result in me being a happier teacher and a happier person in general. As a newer teacher, my confidence level is not very high, and that makes it hard, at times, because I find myself being critical of everything I do even though I am trying my best. Before I started teaching, I looked up all kinds of strategies ranging from organization to classroom management, and I still do look up strategies or ask for input via Twitter and Facebook, but what I learned is that every approach will not necessarily work for me, and I need to experiment and find my own teaching style which takes time. I was watching one youtuber today, Courtney Raine, who mentioned how it is important to find your own niche and ride that wave. What she meant was to find something you are good at and continue to do that because that is your strong point. All in all, I know I want to make changes this year both in my classroom and my own life mainly in self care and staying healthy. I am in the process of writing my manuscript, and although that seems daunting and overwhelming, I know I have many blog posts that I can pull from ranging from student teaching, my first year, and my journey thus far. I am thankful I started blogging because it gives me time to reflect and get my thoughts down, and it is fun to read through older posts because it shows me where I started and where I am now. Every experience makes me stronger, and I am thankful for the lessons. |
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April 2024
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