The next week is going to be craaaazy...so I'm glad we went to the beach :-)
Sunday, July 29, 2007
Saturday, July 28, 2007
Pearl Harbor
As soon as I decided to join Teach For America and move to Hawai'i, the one thing I was most excited about was visiting Pearl Harbor, which is something I have wanted to do for a long time.
It's such a beautiful place that it's impossible to fully comprehend the tragedy that happened there. The memorial receives about 4,500 visitors each day, and though I left before 8 AM, it took me a few hours to get to the actual memorial. First, I visited the museum and did the audio tour, and of course, took some pictures. When you arrive, you get a ticket that tells you what time your tour is. Mine was at 10:45 AM. We watched a documentary in the theaters, then took boats out to the actual memorial. It was an incredible experience.
Here is my favorite shot: looking upward from inside the memorial is the American flag, flying high.
It's such a beautiful place that it's impossible to fully comprehend the tragedy that happened there. The memorial receives about 4,500 visitors each day, and though I left before 8 AM, it took me a few hours to get to the actual memorial. First, I visited the museum and did the audio tour, and of course, took some pictures. When you arrive, you get a ticket that tells you what time your tour is. Mine was at 10:45 AM. We watched a documentary in the theaters, then took boats out to the actual memorial. It was an incredible experience.
Here is my favorite shot: looking upward from inside the memorial is the American flag, flying high.
Friday, July 27, 2007
First Day at Wheeler
Today was my first day at Wheeler Intermediate School. I'm so excited to join such an awesome team of teachers, staff, and administrators! Sorry this is a super short post, but it's just about bed time. My drive in the morning can take anywhere from 30 - 90 minutes depending on traffic, so I'll be leaving at 6 AM to get there on time.
In other news, I'm thinking about joining the Waikiki Swim Club. I'm really excited about it! We have a pool in our complex, which is also something I'm excited about. But I forgot to bring goggles and a swim cap, so I need to get those. I also used the word excited three times (now, four) in this post. I think it's time for bed.
Aloha!
In other news, I'm thinking about joining the Waikiki Swim Club. I'm really excited about it! We have a pool in our complex, which is also something I'm excited about. But I forgot to bring goggles and a swim cap, so I need to get those. I also used the word excited three times (now, four) in this post. I think it's time for bed.
Aloha!
Wednesday, July 25, 2007
Pictures!
Saturday, July 21, 2007
lost in hawaii
I think I am the only person in the world who could get lost for over 5 hours in Hawai'i, which is not that big. So this weekend has been kind of crazy...
We have lots of new furniture and I started my Master's program at the University of Hawai'i - Manoa. I am VERY excited about it!
While I was at Institute and had no idea where I was living, I called and reserved my copy of the 7th Harry Potter book at the Ala Moana Shopping Center (there were only two options in Honolulu). Yesterday, while I was in class at UH - Manoa, I mapquested it and found that it was only about two and a half miles away! I went there, and though the mall was amazing-I can't wait to go back and shop-didn't allow myself to be distracted. I got my copy (unfortunately since I had been lost, I didn't get to go on Friday at midnight) and came back to Kaneohe. I'm still reading it, and it's sooooooooooooooo good. It's like the end of an era; I can't believe it's over. I have about four hundred pages left.
First day of work at Wheeler = Wednesday!
We have lots of new furniture and I started my Master's program at the University of Hawai'i - Manoa. I am VERY excited about it!
While I was at Institute and had no idea where I was living, I called and reserved my copy of the 7th Harry Potter book at the Ala Moana Shopping Center (there were only two options in Honolulu). Yesterday, while I was in class at UH - Manoa, I mapquested it and found that it was only about two and a half miles away! I went there, and though the mall was amazing-I can't wait to go back and shop-didn't allow myself to be distracted. I got my copy (unfortunately since I had been lost, I didn't get to go on Friday at midnight) and came back to Kaneohe. I'm still reading it, and it's sooooooooooooooo good. It's like the end of an era; I can't believe it's over. I have about four hundred pages left.
First day of work at Wheeler = Wednesday!
Tuesday, July 17, 2007
Kaneohe!
WE HAVE A PLACE TO LIVE!
And it's GORGEOUS :-D
We are living in Kaneohe, on the Windward side of O'ahu. Click here for the weather and here for what Wikipedia has to say about Kaneohe. Ironically, when Jenn's (my roommate's) dad was stationed in Hawai'i in the 70s, he lived in Kaneohe, too! There are three of us, all TFA teachers, who moved in...we're so excited! I'll post pictures as soon as my camera starts working again...for some reason, my gadgets cannot function simultaneously--something always is broken!
And it's GORGEOUS :-D
We are living in Kaneohe, on the Windward side of O'ahu. Click here for the weather and here for what Wikipedia has to say about Kaneohe. Ironically, when Jenn's (my roommate's) dad was stationed in Hawai'i in the 70s, he lived in Kaneohe, too! There are three of us, all TFA teachers, who moved in...we're so excited! I'll post pictures as soon as my camera starts working again...for some reason, my gadgets cannot function simultaneously--something always is broken!
Sunday, July 15, 2007
BACK!
I'm back on the island!! Not feeling too jet-lagged. On the agenda for today are checking out houses, possibly checking out Pearl Harbor (ahhh!!!!!), picking up my laptop (yaaaaay!!!!!) and checking into a hotel. Right now we're staying at the house of an awesome '06 TFA corps member (they have been sooooo great, helping us with everything).
In the next two weeks, I have TFA orientation, orientation/starting work at Wheeler, Univ. of Hawai'i Orientation, renting a house, buying a car, figuring out financial aid, taking out loans, finalizing bank information, etc. Ayiyiyiyiyi! But it feels gooooood to be in Hawai'i :-)
In the next two weeks, I have TFA orientation, orientation/starting work at Wheeler, Univ. of Hawai'i Orientation, renting a house, buying a car, figuring out financial aid, taking out loans, finalizing bank information, etc. Ayiyiyiyiyi! But it feels gooooood to be in Hawai'i :-)
Friday, July 13, 2007
What I Did On My Summer Vacation
Today was the last day of the 2007 Teach For America Houston Summer Institute. At closing ceremonies, a corps member performed a dedication in which she talked about a "Wish You Were Here" postcard from a friend in Portugal and said she wished her friend was here, seeing the injustices we are facing and the progress we are making.
No matter what, I will never be able to fully express or articulate what exactly I did on my summer vacation. But I will attempt a final reflection on the past few weeks: They have been the hardest weeks of my life. I have been physically, mentally, and emotionally pushed to the limit and beyond.I have learned so much, probably much more than I have ever learned in such a short time. I have been exposed to so many things I never expected and could not have predicted. I have led a classroom of students to achieve significant gains over four weeks of instruction. I have learned about and taught a subject I had no prior knowledge of. I have interacted with students on a daily basis and realized that middle schoolers are an incredible challenge. You need to strike that balance between being a respected teacher they will work hard for and a friendly but too lenient teacher who lowers expectations. I have learned to set high expectations, deliver clear instructions, hold students accountable for their actions and achievement. I have joined a movement that is working to close the achievement gap. I have joined a committed group of citizens, dedicated to change, relentlessly pursuing those results and never giving up on their students. I have met the students I have been talking about, learning about, and hearing about for almost a year now. I have talked to students that don't have homes or phones. I have taught kids who have been through more in 12 or 13 years than I have been through in my entire life. I have met kids who have to deal with things I never even considered, like not having a home phone number because they didn't have a home. I have worked with kids for whom the circumstances transpired against, but who succeeded. And maybe it was just that-one summer. I am almost positive their month with me was not as powerful to them as it was to me, but I hope that it had some impact, however brief. But I can only hope that I can take these experiences and mindsets and apply them in my region to motivate my students to beat the system and excel, not only in my class, but for the rest of their lives.
Today, one of my students missed class. I was disappointed that I didn't get to say goodbye to her, or tell her that she'd rocked out on the test--passed the test at the TFA standard, achieved over 100% of her growth goals, and only missed 2 questions. But I had written a positive note to her family telling them how great their students had done. As we were breaking down our classroom, our school director came and found me and asked me about that student, saying her mother was there and was anxious to know about her grades. I went out to see her and told her what a terrific job her daughter had done, and her other three teachers also joined us. She told us about her daughter's experiences at another school across town during the regular year, when she was living with her father. The teachers told her she couldn't do it and wasn't going to pass. Their negative energy was awful for the student, and brought her down. It also made her self-conscious and unaware of the power of her own knowledge. It clicked for me and the other three teachers who had the student as we listened to her mother talk about what her daughter had been through. In my class, she had often expressed, "I can't do it" or "I don't understand, what are we doing?" I just pushed through it, and kept telling her to keep it up. This was more a function of my inexperience and attempts to concentrate on the students with behavioral problems, but I see now that it was a positive attitude to take with her, because she COULD do it and DID understand, she just didn't know that she was able to.
Seeing her do well had been a high point for me. Another high point was telling another student he had an A in my class. He had stared at me in disbelief, happy and shocked, as I told him how well he was doing. He received an A on the test, achieved over 100% of his growth goals, and only missed 1 question.
And now, on the last day of classes, as we are about to go into our fall placements, this woman was telling us we had made a difference in her daughter. "Your vocation," she kept telling us, telling us we had what it takes to be teachers. I have been skeptical throughout the process, and I still am, but that was a major energizer and confidence booster. The best part was that she told us her daughter said she really liked all of her teachers this summer and wished they could be her teachers all year. She said she was going to show her report card to her teachers at the other school to show them what she could do and that she had learned more with us than she had throughout a whole year at the other school. She told her mother about our program, and her mother took the time to express to us her appreciation for what we did this summer.
These are stories just like the ones we have heard about. And now I have one, too. But there are so many other students and so many other stories out there, waiting for a teacher to guide and a student to take action and finish the story. This is why I teach for America.
No matter what, I will never be able to fully express or articulate what exactly I did on my summer vacation. But I will attempt a final reflection on the past few weeks: They have been the hardest weeks of my life. I have been physically, mentally, and emotionally pushed to the limit and beyond.I have learned so much, probably much more than I have ever learned in such a short time. I have been exposed to so many things I never expected and could not have predicted. I have led a classroom of students to achieve significant gains over four weeks of instruction. I have learned about and taught a subject I had no prior knowledge of. I have interacted with students on a daily basis and realized that middle schoolers are an incredible challenge. You need to strike that balance between being a respected teacher they will work hard for and a friendly but too lenient teacher who lowers expectations. I have learned to set high expectations, deliver clear instructions, hold students accountable for their actions and achievement. I have joined a movement that is working to close the achievement gap. I have joined a committed group of citizens, dedicated to change, relentlessly pursuing those results and never giving up on their students. I have met the students I have been talking about, learning about, and hearing about for almost a year now. I have talked to students that don't have homes or phones. I have taught kids who have been through more in 12 or 13 years than I have been through in my entire life. I have met kids who have to deal with things I never even considered, like not having a home phone number because they didn't have a home. I have worked with kids for whom the circumstances transpired against, but who succeeded. And maybe it was just that-one summer. I am almost positive their month with me was not as powerful to them as it was to me, but I hope that it had some impact, however brief. But I can only hope that I can take these experiences and mindsets and apply them in my region to motivate my students to beat the system and excel, not only in my class, but for the rest of their lives.
Today, one of my students missed class. I was disappointed that I didn't get to say goodbye to her, or tell her that she'd rocked out on the test--passed the test at the TFA standard, achieved over 100% of her growth goals, and only missed 2 questions. But I had written a positive note to her family telling them how great their students had done. As we were breaking down our classroom, our school director came and found me and asked me about that student, saying her mother was there and was anxious to know about her grades. I went out to see her and told her what a terrific job her daughter had done, and her other three teachers also joined us. She told us about her daughter's experiences at another school across town during the regular year, when she was living with her father. The teachers told her she couldn't do it and wasn't going to pass. Their negative energy was awful for the student, and brought her down. It also made her self-conscious and unaware of the power of her own knowledge. It clicked for me and the other three teachers who had the student as we listened to her mother talk about what her daughter had been through. In my class, she had often expressed, "I can't do it" or "I don't understand, what are we doing?" I just pushed through it, and kept telling her to keep it up. This was more a function of my inexperience and attempts to concentrate on the students with behavioral problems, but I see now that it was a positive attitude to take with her, because she COULD do it and DID understand, she just didn't know that she was able to.
Seeing her do well had been a high point for me. Another high point was telling another student he had an A in my class. He had stared at me in disbelief, happy and shocked, as I told him how well he was doing. He received an A on the test, achieved over 100% of his growth goals, and only missed 1 question.
And now, on the last day of classes, as we are about to go into our fall placements, this woman was telling us we had made a difference in her daughter. "Your vocation," she kept telling us, telling us we had what it takes to be teachers. I have been skeptical throughout the process, and I still am, but that was a major energizer and confidence booster. The best part was that she told us her daughter said she really liked all of her teachers this summer and wished they could be her teachers all year. She said she was going to show her report card to her teachers at the other school to show them what she could do and that she had learned more with us than she had throughout a whole year at the other school. She told her mother about our program, and her mother took the time to express to us her appreciation for what we did this summer.
These are stories just like the ones we have heard about. And now I have one, too. But there are so many other students and so many other stories out there, waiting for a teacher to guide and a student to take action and finish the story. This is why I teach for America.
Sunday, July 8, 2007
more pictures
Here is a view from my hotel room from Induction:
And here's the entrance to the International Market Place, which has delicious food, gorgeous leis, and beautiful jewelry.
And here's the entrance to the International Market Place, which has delicious food, gorgeous leis, and beautiful jewelry.
getting psyched...
my computer is fixed! 808 called today (hawai'i area code) and it was best buy, saying my laptop is fixed. HOORAY!
upcoming events in my life
july 14 return to o'ahu
july 15 pick up my computer
july 16-19 hawai'i tfa orientation
july 20-21 univ. hawai'i special ed orientation
july 26 first day of school at wheeler middle!
sooooooo exciiiiiiiited!
upcoming events in my life
july 14 return to o'ahu
july 15 pick up my computer
july 16-19 hawai'i tfa orientation
july 20-21 univ. hawai'i special ed orientation
july 26 first day of school at wheeler middle!
sooooooo exciiiiiiiited!
Saturday, July 7, 2007
Thursday, July 5, 2007
almost friday...
sooooo excited for the weekend!
I have a lot to do tonight before I can sleep, but it will all be worth it if my kids pass their tests next week to advance to Grade 8. The students were great today, but they weren't engaged in my lesson...I got mixed reviews. One observer found all negative things, and the other found all positive...so what do I do with that?
I have a lot to do tonight before I can sleep, but it will all be worth it if my kids pass their tests next week to advance to Grade 8. The students were great today, but they weren't engaged in my lesson...I got mixed reviews. One observer found all negative things, and the other found all positive...so what do I do with that?
Monday, July 2, 2007
Week 4
Sorry the posts are so short! I'm also sorry if I owe you an e-mail. You know that I'm usually uber-prompt on responses...but lately I have just been swamped. JKJ, since I know you are one of my regular readers, it was great talking to you tonight even if it was only for a few minutes! I downloaded Audacity and it worked great :-)
My collaborative partner and I (we teach the same grade and subject but have different students) made up a rap to review Texas history. It's pretty awesome, if I do say so myself :-) We are planning on unveiling it to our students tomorrow...which is also the day we are being videotaped. So our craziness will be recorded for posterity!
My collaborative partner and I (we teach the same grade and subject but have different students) made up a rap to review Texas history. It's pretty awesome, if I do say so myself :-) We are planning on unveiling it to our students tomorrow...which is also the day we are being videotaped. So our craziness will be recorded for posterity!
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