A Celebration!

Tonight was our Student Teaching Celebration! Held at BCU, all of the student teachers and our cooperating teachers enjoyed a baked potato bar and each other's company as we reminisced on the past semester's experiences. It was really a fun time (surprisingly). I got to show off my electronic portfolio to my cooperating teacher (She was impressed!). You can check it out here http://jaynaspecht.wordpress.com . I feel like I've been cheating on this blog (obviously my favorite and more fun, with this blog… so confusing). Anyway, this blog proves I can be an actual teacher lady and can be used someday (soon) in a job interview (maybe)!

I really only have one funny story from today before I head off for a little downtown birthday celebrating with Monica (on a school night!!). Today, I was sitting in the back of my classroom just working on random odds and ends things that need to be done before I leave next week…. at one point I walked out of the room to do something and this is what happened in the middle of a math lesson…

The students look around and one slowly raises their hand…
Student, "Uhmmmm, did Miss Specht leave?"
Another student, "Yeah where did she go!?"
My teacher, "You know, I'm not sure where she went. I don't have a tracker on her or anything but she will be back. Don't worry. She won't leave without saying goodbye!"

They are worried. How cute is that :)

Too bad I actually have to leave them soon.

Until then,
Peace, love, and end of the semester gift planning,
Jayna

Wed-nes-day

“Hey Miss Specht, Wednesday sounds like W-e-n-s-d-a-y but it’s really W-e-d-n-e-s-d-a-y.” Sometimes all you can do is smile at those little stinkers.

This Wednesday though, I have some terrible-horrible-no-good-very-bad news (Alexander anyone?). And that news is that I am no longer in charge of journaling. Which means no more hilarious student journal entries. (Insert wails of mourning and sorrow here. Those journal entries were pure gold.) It also means that I have a lot of free time, which is awesome because I have spent it observing at other levels. Today I went over to the other site and observed a 4^th grade during their literacy block. It was actually kind of cool. The kids are a lot more independent and are able to get a lot done. As a result, they got to work independently on some pretty cool and creative projects. (I am NOT a turkey project, worth googling!)

I’m not decided yet what I think about upper elementary or the potential of teaching them. Most of my experience is in 2^nd grade and I really do like it, but I think that I would also like older kids. They are much more “with it”. They understand sarcarsm (not that sarcasm is important to me or anything… ). It seems like lower elementary is physically exhausting, while upper elementary (I’m thinking mostly 5^th grade) would be more emotionally exhausted. Those kids have a lot going on that they don’t even understand. I’m not sure how committed I am to getting into all of that. Luckily, I’ve got plenty of (kinda) time to think about it before I start applying for jobs. GAH. Time will tell :)

Speaking of time, it’s time for me to go spend some with Boyfriend (who came down to visit tonight. He is encouraging me to ignore him for a while to write the blog. What a sweetie!).

Until tomorrow…

Peace, love, and week night dates,

Jayna

Eric Carmen

Today’s journal prompt… Write about what you would do if you were the teacher for the day. The aftermath…

“If I were a teacher for the day I would have a party. With ice cream milk and cookies and games. After lunch I would let every one go home. Then I would go to sleep then go home. Then I would puke from the ice cram and milk and cookies. I would let them go out side. I would let them do whatever they want to do. For hot lunch they get to pick out whatever they want. I would let them bring there pets. I dont care if it’s a snake a bear a lion a tiger or whatever. I would let them watch tv but only sports center. If someone changes the chanel they dont get to be in the party. For luch you cant have more then seven things. The can talk when ever execept for lunch. In the winter I wouldnt let them go outside tell spring.” (That’s 15 sentences. I know he’s the Ranter, but even I was impressed by this entry.)

“I would do Journal. I would be lazy. It would be hard. I would be named Mr Fracinstin. I would make the sentns on the bord.” (typical Breakfast Boy.)

“If I was the teacher for the day I would teach them math. I would teach them science. I would teach them religion. I would teach them spelling. I would teach them reading. I would teach them don’t put hand’s on kids too.” (This one has some actual potential!)

Maybe some of my kids will turn out to be teachers someday. Time will tell :)

Well friends, I’m not sure how entertaining my blog will be from here on out. It’s been a pretty slow day and it might be a slow week. This morning I taught reading groups and……. That’s all. Pretty cool actually. This afternoon I went to the other school (split sites) and observed in 3^rd grade. The curriculum is definitely different and the expectations more advanced, but I was not a huge fan of the classroom management style. It’s good to see different things and teaching styles though (so you know what you like and what you don’t).  Tomorrow I will teach reading in the morning again and head over to observe 4^th grade in the afternoon.

The most difficult part of this week was finishing my portfolio (which really wasn’t actually that difficult). It was crazy to think about how much went into that portfolio. Literally years of classes and work. And now it’s all done (along with my education classes) and next semester I will be only taking gen ed classes. Weeeeiiirrrddd.

If I had to say the actual most difficult part of my week so far, it has definitely been track. GAH. This week of teaching and classes has got me all jacked up on scheduling. So that means I can’t make it to any practices. Which means that I have to (get to?) do it all by myself. That’s right friends, 45 mins of pure enjoyment (aka running) yesterday, and 30 mins today, plus two separate lifts. Heavy lifts. Like I’m ready to break squat records again lifts. (Pretty exciting!) And tomorrow I get to go run a killer track workout (the rest of the team ran it today) allllllll by myself. I will let ya know!

Until tomorrow…

Peace, love, and “all by myself,”

Jayna

Ps- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-o9gf_soFBM

Downhill Slide.

Well folks, it’s that time already. I’m literally in countdown mode (7 more days) until I’m done with student teaching. Tonight I will be printing, hole punching, labeling, and organizing all of the work I’ve done for the hard copy of my student teaching portfolio. It’s crazy to think that years (literally YEARS) of work have gone into this project. (and it’s so close to being over!) Yippee! One more night of dedication and then my education classes will be over. (“Until you start your masters” in the words of my advisor… gahh.)

So it’s smooth sailing just teaching reading block until Friday. Plus I get to go to the other location (our school is split sites) and observe in 3^rd and 4^th grade. It should be pretty cool to work with some more of the upper elementary kids.

Other than school, today is a very special day for my roommate Monica. (The one that I failed miserably at keeping names off the blog with.) It’s her birthday! So in her honor, here’s a special thank you and birthday shout out! Thank you for being such a great friend to me for the past 4 years. You’ve always been there to snuggle (sometimes forcibly so), to talk to, to borrow clothes from, to support me, and (most importantly) to laugh with. You've been a huge influence on my college years. Even though I know you’re so excited for graduation and where life will take you afterward, I’m really looking forward to enjoying these last 6 months of college together. LOVE YOU!

Obviously, not much has changed. 

That’s all for today. Until tomorrow…

Peace, love, and giggles,

Jayna

Pessimistic

 Have you ever woken up one day and thought to yourself, “Self, today is not such a good day”? Today was one of those days. For those of you who know me, this is definitely not my style. I’m more of the eternal annoying optimist…. But that was just not the case today. Wrong side of the bed? Maybe. But I was determined to go to school and shake it off. However, one of my kids today was simply obnoxious. There is no other word for it. The secretary and another teacher reprimanded him before he even got in the room at 8 am. He just bothered me. He didn’t want to work. He talked back. I gave him 5 minutes and tried to ignore him. But this nonsense went on almost all day. Even when he wasn’t talking, he was doing something annoying like pulling up his pant leg to check out his knee. (Like, WHAT are you doing?!) I’m not saying that I let an 8 year old ruin my day, but he definitely didn’t make it any better. Gah. TGIF.

On that note, it’s time to go shake off the day with a long run and a (hopefully fun, relaxing) weekend.

I’ll leave you with some adorable things found in my kids’ journals today…

 “I like my family because they care about me. I love my family when they love me not hayte me. But every budy knows there just doing there jobe as a parint. I love my family because they chere me up wine ever i’m sad.” (Someone definitely got a talking to at home. Kids don’t just come up with this stuff on their own!)

“icksdid” (Excited. Enough said.)

Until Monday…

Peace, love, and feeling blahhhh,

Jayna

Just a-workin away…

Today the kids finished up the final pieces of their ITBS. Yippee! That means tomorrow will be a normal day of school! The testing is over! I will have things to do tomorrow! I spent today just a-workin away on silly little things. Organizing my desk (for when I have to pack it up in 2 weeks), making copies for next week, taking down bulletin boards, doing (a little bit of… I’m so unmotivated) my lesson plan summaries for my electronic portfolio, and things of the like.

Even though it’s been a little boring, it’s been a great day.

The kids are (mostly) good. Lunch time was filled (literally 20 minutes worth) with laughter. There was coffee and cookies in the lounge this morning! And Mrs. Davis left a little early today so I got to cover and actually teach (head teacher lady status) for the afternoon. Yippee!

It’s exciting to be wrapping up and getting back to real life, even if the impending (doom?) reality of real life is mostly unknown after this semester. I suppose that’s the thrilling part. And it will be nice to catch up with my friends. I realized today that I haven’t really talked to my best friend in over a month. Granted she is full teacher lady status and 1500 miles away, but still! It will be awesome to be back in the loop again. Sorry to all of you that I’ve been neglecting (I swear it wasn’t purposeful)!

I can’t think of a better way to welcome myself back to the real world than by surrounding myself by friends and family over Thanksgiving break! You know who you are! Let’s get together please J.

And with those plans made, I bid you adieu.

Until tomorrow…

Peace, love, and the final countdown (ten days),

Jayna

Wed(nes)day

Today one of my students came in over the moon excited, waving around a sheet of lined paper. She proudly handed it over to my teacher proclaiming, “I got a letter from Mary!” She was so excited because she has been chosen to play Mary in the Christmas concert and last night Mary (ya know, the Mother of God) wrote her a nice little note about how well she will do. It was adorable and she was so proud.

The morning proceeded in it’s adorableness with our journal prompt: Write about a brand new animal! Make up a name, how it looks, what it eats, and where it lives.

“If I could make up a animal it would be a fluffy animal. Its name would be fluffy like the one of the bored. It could be rainbow and every other coler. It would eat cookies, ice cream sundaes, markers, and chalk boreds. There sometimes vises but they won’t hurt you. “ (Sometimes vicious huh?)

“My brand new pet is a jaguar. His name is Heven. He lives in the jungle with me. Because he is very nice. My brand new pet is a golden rechreever. His name is Jesus. He lives in Canada with me. Because he is very, very nice. It has brown fur.” (I’m digging the biblical names.)

“My animal is a flying mandog. It looks like a man and a dog and it haves wings. It likes all canis of foods. My animal lives evrewhere. It travels by flying. And never give the flying mandog a jalepenos or he will thro up fire.” (Not sure what throwing up fire has to do with anything, but thanks for the info!)

“My animal live’s in the wood’s. I look’s like it has knife’s on it’s back. I look’s like a monkey and has rotin teeth. It’s a rotten knife! Monkey!” (Uhm, what?)

‘It is half dog and half cat. It lives in a tree in a hole. It love’s to go by the moon. It’s a very fun time to play with dog half cat. You would be feling good today. If I would like it you will to. It eats animals. Its name is dot.” (Catdog!! Maybe that cartoon is a little too outdated… oops!)

“It would have 3 heads on it with shorp teeth. It would eat sharks and it can swim it can breth fire. It will have 2 wengs. It lives in a cave on a mantin way up high in the mantin.” (Not sure what it is, but I want one!)

“It is small. It has know teeth. It’s name is bubbolls. It lives in a lake. It has a tail. It has fins. It has small eye’s. He is green.” (Bubbolls sounds like quite the animal.)

“My animal is a flying cat. It is called a fliger. It looks like this it looks like a tiger but smaller and it has wigs like an angle. It eats grass and lilys. And it lives in Florida.” (Fliger= liger 2.0)

“This is what I am going to mixie up a chaeda and a bull. This is the werd name is cheebull. I’t is a frenley anaimale. I’t gets the things that you and me.” (Oh, the spelling.)

“My animal is going to have a cat tale and frog lages. It eat’s pizza. It has a cat head. It will be named the catfrog. It lives in the sea. It also eat’s bugs.” (Gross.)

“If I could make a brand new animal. It would be called a helper man. It helps you with stuff he cooks for you to. I has 10 arms and 8 legs. It would have two heads. And three eyes it moves as fast as a spieder its legs are sticky. It does all your chores for you. Its made from money so you can get money.” (Sounds like the Ranter is a little bit lazy…. )

“Its’ a mix of a bunny and a frog. I call it bugs. it has the tugue of a frog. And the body of a bunny.” (Bugs bunny?!)

I hope you’ve enjoyed reading blurbs of my kid’s journals. I think reading their journals and tapping into their little brains is going to be the part that I miss the most!

Speaking of… this student teaching being on the downhill slide is pretty awesome because I’m less busy. But it’s also pretty awful because I’m less busy. I am already planning next week and things for my class in the back of the room. There is noootttthhhhing to do. I’ll let you know if/when I ever get out alive with my sanity. Stay tuned.

Until tomorrow…

Peace, love, and time to kill,

Jayna