We've Got Spirit

As a mother of four grown children and having been in education for 30 plus years, I truly enjoy helping others find meaningful strategies to engage learners of all ages. As a young mother, I had so much fun making flubber, writing on the sidewalk, and playing boardgames with my kiddos. We did not have much money but we had fun and encouraging them to learn along the way was very important to me. My experience has been in mainstream but also Special Education. I am now an Educational Diagnostician with a Masters in Education and an MBA. I have my Principal certification. My passion is helping teachers and students. I truly feel your pain and frustration. I hope you will reach out if there is anything I can help you with regarding differentiation, classroom management, and/or lessons.

My first year of teaching was at what others referred to as "the scariest" high school. I just never thought of it as such. Connecting with students is imperative. While it is sometimes impossible to have a lengthy conversation one on one with each kiddo from go, there are ways to connect with students on their level. I think about what interests students and what makes them want to be in my classroom. My goal is to make my classroom somewhere I want to be. Do I like my room in a way that it feels comfortable, safe, and like a place my kids and grandkids would be happy visiting? Or is it just a room that seems like I am competing with other teachers for "best classroom" with the latest greatest Pinterest garb? That is the biggest step toward behavior management. From there, I have students' attention focused at the front when they walk in the room. I utilized the projection screen with a colorful timer. A YouTube timer with an ocean scene or something calming was playing when they came in. It signaled that they had X number of minutes to follow the directives on the screen. That gave them a consistent daily expectation without someone in their face barking at them. My jam was middle school so I never knew which teacher had them previously. It might have been a coach screaming at them in the Texas heat or an AP class that wore their brains down. It was just easier for them to know what to expect. Some more challenging classes, I had a pencil on each desk and their journal or the daily worksheet/warm up on their desks ready. No excuses to dig around and delay work. You will know which classes are like that. If I only have 49 minutes with them. I am not spending time arguing about a pencil or who will lend them one. Not worth it. I enjoyed empowering students to teach. This is so much fun. Allowing them to chime in with what they thought the lesson was about or where they thought they could "help" someone understand gave them a chance to shine. Kids are so competitive. I also did not shy away from encouraging them to help one another. "Hey, Matthew may not get this done by the bell..can I get a volunteer to help him out?" (if that student is ok with help) TAMWORK is important. I dismissed by rows according to which row was cleanest and quietest. I also didn't hold back on treats. It might be a short funny video clip at the end of class, a few Cheez Its, or some impromptu comedy time. Kids LOVE to share a joke. I loved giving them a reason to smile and laugh before sending them off to their next class. It isn't always sunshine and roses. I had some miserable experiences. :) MISERABLE. But, it helped me connect with kids and helped me try new things until something worked. Sometimes we are put in tough situations and less ideal scenarios due to space, not enough staff, and behavior problems. At one campus, I was given the "behavior" kiddos because "you're so good with them." Thanks. Right? Always be genuine and don't take anything students say personally. And if you advocate for them, they never forget you.

Shining teacher moments for me are not about awards. Everyone gets a teacher of the month here and there. I have a few. BUT the best things I have ever received are a few Mother's Day cards from students, graduation invitations when they get old enough to graduate, pictures and updates from parents of kids I taught years ago, and other teachers just noticing I care and that I have their back. I did the Thriller dance at a Pep Rally. I was elated to be invited to do that. I did a Purple Rain Prince themed hair conditioner faux commercial in a school talent show. I am always just so happy to make kids and staff smile and to be a part of things. My most treasured moments were when I worked in the same district my own kids attended. My daughter and I dressed like 50's girls with the sweaters that had our pink name letter on them and our jeans rolled up and we went to the after school dance at her middle school. So many awesome moments.

I did not finish college until I was forty. I was actually a high school drop out with a baby by age seventeen. I finished my M.Ed. in 2016 and my MBA in 2018. I am currently working on my Masters in School Psychology. I was a single mother for a number of years. I am a firm believer in never quitting. You got this. My kids are amazing and they got me through so much.