Today I took a CPR training class. I'm not sure I've ever paid better attention in a class before! It was a little daunting to realize that I'm going to be the person in charge if and when something goes wrong in my classroom. I practiced on the training dummy several times, and when I came home, I asked Kevin if he would willingly play the unconscious victim.
He agreed, laid down, closed his eyes, and let his tongue roll out of his mouth like a cartoon character.
Ew!
Even though it's intimidating, it's nice to know how to perform CPR & the heimlich. And I met a FANTASTIC girl who is a new coach and teacher as well. We're figuring this whole thing out together, and it's really nice to have someone to learn the ropes with. We've got similar values, and she's really likable; I think we'll get along well this year. We went to Blue Goose after training today, joking that we'll be needing a couple Margaritas once the school year starts. ;)
I take my ESL exam this Thursday, so I'll be studying for the next two days. I'll start getting my classroom ready next week. I'm SO excited! I can't believe I've got a "big girl" job now. Haha!
God Bless!
Monday, July 26, 2010
Thursday, July 15, 2010
"Hey! What are you doing with a room key?!"
Today in the middle of new-hire training, the speaker stopped, paused, and looked at me thoughtfully. "You know," she said, "while I was creating this lesson, I thought of you."
Of course everyone in the room (maybe 40-50 people?) swivels around in their seats and stares at me like I've got leprosy.
"We're talking about body language today. When you walk into a room, you have to own it. Especially someone like you," she nodded her head towards me. "The students are going to walk in your classroom on the very first day and wonder where their teacher is. All they're going to see when they look at you is someone who looks just like them."
We all giggled at this point; she told us that she had dealt with the same problem in her early years of teaching. (She's almost forty now but she honestly barely looks like she's reached thirty. She's absolutely stunning.) Teachers were constantly yelling at her down the hallway, demanding to see her hall pass. They berated her for having a room key, which they assumed she'd stolen from a teacher. She described incident after incident in which she was mistaken for a kid--by both the student body AND the staff. And all of this, she elaborated, was coming my way.
You know what?
I'm not worried.
I've been on stage in front of hundreds of people. I've forgotten dance routines, flubbed lines, even tripped and started bleeding in front of hundreds of people. It's about presence. A toddler could walk up in front of a classroom and, if she had the confidence, teach a class full of high school juniors. It's all in the way you carry yourself; I understand that's the point she's trying to make, of course. But I am continually warned that the kids are going to try to eat me for breakfast. Maybe years of theatre has taught me to act more confident that you are. . .act like you know more than you do. . .and if you make a mistake, you roll with it. I've honestly started to believe that EVERY teacher should be required to take an intro to acting class. It has helped me immensely.
I thought that was just a funny little thing. I guess I'll let you know on the first day of school how the kids respond to me. To my knowledge, I should be teaching freshmen, and I'm at least seven years older than they are, so hopefully it won't be too problematic. If I can survive the seniors (who are only four years younger than I am), freshmen should be a breeze!
I'm just ready for school to start. I am stressed beyond belief. I just found out that a new state law requires English/Language Arts teachers to be ESL certified. I have until October first to study, take the $120 exam, pass it, and pay to have it added to my certifications. I also have to finish a Spirit course to become fully certified to teach my cheerleaders. AHH! When does it end? The notion that teachers get a summer off is complete myth; we spend the entire summer studying, testing, and attending trainings!
Anyways, I'm off to a sushi rolling class. More later!
Of course everyone in the room (maybe 40-50 people?) swivels around in their seats and stares at me like I've got leprosy.
"We're talking about body language today. When you walk into a room, you have to own it. Especially someone like you," she nodded her head towards me. "The students are going to walk in your classroom on the very first day and wonder where their teacher is. All they're going to see when they look at you is someone who looks just like them."
We all giggled at this point; she told us that she had dealt with the same problem in her early years of teaching. (She's almost forty now but she honestly barely looks like she's reached thirty. She's absolutely stunning.) Teachers were constantly yelling at her down the hallway, demanding to see her hall pass. They berated her for having a room key, which they assumed she'd stolen from a teacher. She described incident after incident in which she was mistaken for a kid--by both the student body AND the staff. And all of this, she elaborated, was coming my way.
You know what?
I'm not worried.
I've been on stage in front of hundreds of people. I've forgotten dance routines, flubbed lines, even tripped and started bleeding in front of hundreds of people. It's about presence. A toddler could walk up in front of a classroom and, if she had the confidence, teach a class full of high school juniors. It's all in the way you carry yourself; I understand that's the point she's trying to make, of course. But I am continually warned that the kids are going to try to eat me for breakfast. Maybe years of theatre has taught me to act more confident that you are. . .act like you know more than you do. . .and if you make a mistake, you roll with it. I've honestly started to believe that EVERY teacher should be required to take an intro to acting class. It has helped me immensely.
I thought that was just a funny little thing. I guess I'll let you know on the first day of school how the kids respond to me. To my knowledge, I should be teaching freshmen, and I'm at least seven years older than they are, so hopefully it won't be too problematic. If I can survive the seniors (who are only four years younger than I am), freshmen should be a breeze!
I'm just ready for school to start. I am stressed beyond belief. I just found out that a new state law requires English/Language Arts teachers to be ESL certified. I have until October first to study, take the $120 exam, pass it, and pay to have it added to my certifications. I also have to finish a Spirit course to become fully certified to teach my cheerleaders. AHH! When does it end? The notion that teachers get a summer off is complete myth; we spend the entire summer studying, testing, and attending trainings!
Anyways, I'm off to a sushi rolling class. More later!
Tuesday, July 13, 2010
The Spirit Stick
Woohoo--my first post!
I received the opportunity to meet my freshman cheerleading squad three or four weeks ago. I met them at a cheer camp at SMU, and they are such a phenomenal group of girls. It's really going to be a challenge for me to target their individual learning needs; some girls have been cheering and dancing for years. Others are coordinated but have no cheerleading experience. I'll have to find a way to challenge the girls who have been participating in the sport for years while teaching some of the newer girls the basics.
At the end of every day of camp (which is huge, by the way! Hundreds of cheerleaders from all over Texas attend.), the camp coordinators award prizes and spirit sticks. These are coveted awards for the cheerleaders; it means that they have enough talent and enthusiasm to stand apart from the crowd. By the last day of camp, my squad had not yet received an award or spirit stick. I think they were feeling overwhelmed and intimidated by the more advanced cheerleaders there.
I asked them to sit around a circle cross-legged with me. I told them my expectations of them throughout the year. We talked about health, camaraderie, enthusiasm, safety, and a willingness to try. I then asked them what they wanted, needed, and expected from ME as a coach. We went around the circle and each girl told me what they hoped to get out of this experience. Some wanted to make new friends; some wanted to get involved in extracurricular activities. But most everyone wanted to prove something--to themselves, to others, to the parents. They wanted to prove that they could come together as a group of strangers with varying degrees of talent and leave as a top-notch squad.
I could tell they were down on themselves. After a week at camp, they hadn't received any awards or recognition for their growth and improvement. I told them, "Tomorrow, on the last day of camp, you are going to win a spirit stick. Tomorrow, you're going to show up with a smile on your face. When your buddy (their assigned mentor) asks you to try something new, you'll jump into it 110%. If you struggle, you'll do it again until you get it right. Tomorrow you are going to be clapping and cheering for the other squads who accomplish something; you are going to be helping and supporting each other. Tomorrow you are going to be little sponges; absorb and learn everything you can. And tomorrow, you are going to bring me back a spirit stick." The girls grinned (they are SO cute!) and gave me great big hugs, each one promising to make me proud.
The last day of camp I was teaching summer school and was unable to reach SMU when awards were finally distributed. I arrived late and sat with the JV and Varsity coach. Before I could even ask the other coaches how my girls did, I saw them see me. They all held hands and, in one long line, started galloping towards me. When I was about fifteen feet away, they all ran into me, surrounding me in a giant hug and screaming, "We love you, Coach Minich!" I laughed so hard I almost cried! Then they stepped back and said, "We have something for you."
They then handed me TWO superior ribbons, the "Spotting" award, AND a spirit stick! I KNEW they could do it! I was so incredibly proud of them! I knew they just needed to start a new day with a different mindset--"I can do this. I can do this. I will do this." They had been feeling so down, and I think our little pow-wow was just what they needed. They worked so incredibly hard and proved something to me and to themselves.
I know it's going to be a great year with them. We have a garage sale fundraiser coming up--I'll keep everyone updated in case you'd like to come visit us. :)
Thanks for reading!
I received the opportunity to meet my freshman cheerleading squad three or four weeks ago. I met them at a cheer camp at SMU, and they are such a phenomenal group of girls. It's really going to be a challenge for me to target their individual learning needs; some girls have been cheering and dancing for years. Others are coordinated but have no cheerleading experience. I'll have to find a way to challenge the girls who have been participating in the sport for years while teaching some of the newer girls the basics.
At the end of every day of camp (which is huge, by the way! Hundreds of cheerleaders from all over Texas attend.), the camp coordinators award prizes and spirit sticks. These are coveted awards for the cheerleaders; it means that they have enough talent and enthusiasm to stand apart from the crowd. By the last day of camp, my squad had not yet received an award or spirit stick. I think they were feeling overwhelmed and intimidated by the more advanced cheerleaders there.
I asked them to sit around a circle cross-legged with me. I told them my expectations of them throughout the year. We talked about health, camaraderie, enthusiasm, safety, and a willingness to try. I then asked them what they wanted, needed, and expected from ME as a coach. We went around the circle and each girl told me what they hoped to get out of this experience. Some wanted to make new friends; some wanted to get involved in extracurricular activities. But most everyone wanted to prove something--to themselves, to others, to the parents. They wanted to prove that they could come together as a group of strangers with varying degrees of talent and leave as a top-notch squad.
I could tell they were down on themselves. After a week at camp, they hadn't received any awards or recognition for their growth and improvement. I told them, "Tomorrow, on the last day of camp, you are going to win a spirit stick. Tomorrow, you're going to show up with a smile on your face. When your buddy (their assigned mentor) asks you to try something new, you'll jump into it 110%. If you struggle, you'll do it again until you get it right. Tomorrow you are going to be clapping and cheering for the other squads who accomplish something; you are going to be helping and supporting each other. Tomorrow you are going to be little sponges; absorb and learn everything you can. And tomorrow, you are going to bring me back a spirit stick." The girls grinned (they are SO cute!) and gave me great big hugs, each one promising to make me proud.
The last day of camp I was teaching summer school and was unable to reach SMU when awards were finally distributed. I arrived late and sat with the JV and Varsity coach. Before I could even ask the other coaches how my girls did, I saw them see me. They all held hands and, in one long line, started galloping towards me. When I was about fifteen feet away, they all ran into me, surrounding me in a giant hug and screaming, "We love you, Coach Minich!" I laughed so hard I almost cried! Then they stepped back and said, "We have something for you."
They then handed me TWO superior ribbons, the "Spotting" award, AND a spirit stick! I KNEW they could do it! I was so incredibly proud of them! I knew they just needed to start a new day with a different mindset--"I can do this. I can do this. I will do this." They had been feeling so down, and I think our little pow-wow was just what they needed. They worked so incredibly hard and proved something to me and to themselves.
I know it's going to be a great year with them. We have a garage sale fundraiser coming up--I'll keep everyone updated in case you'd like to come visit us. :)
Thanks for reading!
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