Why I love teaching...

So this week has been a little bit of a rough week with my students. We have started testing and I know their brains are fried, but then again so is mine. So I have been exhausted all week and my patience was running thin. Today I went to my box (where you find all sort of things for you) and found a green paper with my name and the schools name. It was stapled shut so I was curious as to what it was.

It read:
Dear Ms. Recendez,
This past week we watched the movie Tuesdays with Morrie. It made me think about some of my past teachers. I wanted to thank you because not only were you an excelent teacher, but your class showed me that you can express yourself, have a fun time, and learn a great deal of work. As I thought back to all my classes and teachers yours is the one that stood out to me the most. I am also glad that I was in your class right before high school because it prepared me a lot for these four years that are now soon going to end. Thank you again.

This was a great thing for me to get after this week. It makes me feel good to know that I have influenced someone's life. As a teacher it is difficult to know if you are making a difference in someone's life temporarily or permenantly. This student was from my first year of teaching. For those of you that know...that was one rough year! I was still able to make a difference! :)

Testing...

So testing has begun...the CST has finally arrived! I am still stressing out about it since I am not done reviewing in my Algebra courses, but I'm hoping they will suprise me and do awesome! Well not suprise me, but do me proud! I have been reviewing and reviewing and reviewing with 7th grade math which has made my life boring for the last month and a half. I am ready to start teaching again and I can't wait until testing is done.

F0r the first time ever I am not testing my own students. This was difficult for me to put my head around since I have always had my own students and I feel that sometimes they do better with me in the room. I know I can't help them and they know that too, but it puts them at ease that I am in the room. So I am testing my friend Renee's 7th grade honors class and it is an experience. Not only do I not know their names, but I do not know their personalities either.

It has been a fun three days of testing (2 days of testing & 1 day of testing block). The last two days they were actually testing for Language Arts. Today though was a different story. I was to entertain these students for 135 minutes! Yikes that's a long time. So I decided that we would do missing work/extra credit first. This worked out since most students finished at least one assignment. Then we were going to play Jepardy. I made a math one for first semester concepts and we played this for the next 45 minutes. Now I should have paid closer attention to the schedule and my math skills on counting time because we were only at an hour and a half (roughly). So I thought the students were about to leave my class when I looked at the schedule and realized YIKES, they have another half an hour with me. What to do what to do?!?!?!?

Well I decided let's play "Heads up, seven up!" They played this for the next 20 minutes when they started to get restless. A student asked if they would play "4 corners" and then they did this for the next ten minutes. All in all today was not too bad with these students that I do not know very well. It was a fun 2 hours and 15 minutes. :)

Spring Break

So the last week I have been off of work due to spring break! I love the fact that I get to still have spring break at the age of 28!! :) This year was the first year that I did not have to worry about starting school at CSUSB in the middle of the week, which was awesome! So I thought...maybe I would go somewhere. Well this did not happen....did I mention that I bought a house five months ago and I'm currently working on remodeling. So here is a list of some things I DID get to do during spring break...

• dinner and a movie with Robyn and Jennifer (Remember Me...it's soooooo sad)
• shopping trip to Lowe's and the Floor Liquidators store (picked out some flooring and priced windows)
• went to the movies with my mom (Our Family Wedding...it was good, made me laugh at the Mexican jokes)
• watched my brother give a presentation on his fieldwork for his masters degree (he passed...don't worry)
• spent a long time at the mall (5 hours to be exact)
• went to the movies with my mom and dad (The Last Song....sad too, made me cry a little)
• spent Saturday shopping at Costco and making confetti eggs for Easter
• spent Easter with a lot of my family at my Great-Aunt Jenny's

This is a short recap of the major things I did during spring break. I did have fun and it was quite relaxing...I'm now ready to conquer the last eight weeks of work and start my summer vacation. :)

Wheelchair to room 12...

Well it started out as a wonderful St. Patrick's day...the sunny was shinning and I was dressed up with a great t-shirt the kids loved along with a head band that had clover antlers. :) Then all of a sudden at the end of my 5th period (approx. 1:30 pm) I started to feel really bad.

I was getting an upset stomach and I thought I might have to run out to throw up, and my heart was pounding in my chest. I got really, really cold and I was still trying to teach to my students which was difficult at this point. My head started to feel really wierd and I thought to myself, I feeel a little dizzy and I think I might pass out. So in between 5th and 6th period, I walked outside to ask my neighbor teacher if I looked ok. She told me I looked a little pale and she asked if I was alright. She did tell me not to pass out on her though. :) Then a special education aide walked by and told me I looked like crap! Yes she said crap!

I then said I didn't feel right and she went to get the principal. The principal told me to sit down and then she radioed for the vice-principal. I then had two very tall adults that were looking at me and asking me if I needed a wheelchair. (I felt like a little kid) I told them I would be fine, but then the principal got on the walkie-talkie and said she needed a wheelchair to room 12. Yep that's right, I was wheeled away from my classroom in a wheelchair. I then had to sit in the office with an ice pack on my head and the principal took my temperature. :) I had to call my mom to come and pick me up (just like the students) and I sat there waiting. Thankfully my dear friend Burskey saw me and resuced my students for me being sitting with them. Oh the joys of having an inner ear infection that makes your ear not only congested, but inflammed!

Life Update!

Well I know that it has been FOREVER since I last blogged, but you know how life just gets in the way sometimes?!? I have been busy helping take care of my niece along with going to school, working, and having the soccer/softball season at work with the cheerleaders. But that was February and guess what...it's now March! Yikes!!!

So here is a list of some things that occured during the month of February to keep you all up to date....

• week off of work
• went to Universal Studio's with Jenni and her family
• family birthday parties
• school
• work
• soccer/softball games
• fieldwork hours for admin credential
• took care of my niece
• shopped at Lowe's/Home Depot
• who knows what else.....

That's February in a nutshelll now on with the wonderful month of March!

Wordless Wednesday

new layout

new layout if you wish to take a look... :)