I got a new job!

I no longer teach at an alternative school! I am now at a regular 5A high school. My husband graduated from Texas A&M in December and we made the move from College Station in January. It was really hard leaving my old school behind and I still miss the staff and students dearly, but I actually think that this move has helped me grow tremendously as a teacher.

In the spring semester, I subbed in 2 of the area school districts waiting for a HS math position to open up. This was an interesting experience for me and I actually think that every teacher should have the opportunity to substitute teach a couple of times! I learned the importance of sub plans, classroom management, and discipline.

I applied for 15 different HS math jobs, went to 3 job fairs, and finally got 2 interviews (turns out about 8 of the jobs involved coaching). That was a stressful process. My first interview was the day before my birthday and as a birthday present they offered me a job! This ended up being the job that I took because it was closer to home and I felt that the school fit my calling as a teacher.

Once again, I am teaching at a Title 1 school. While my school is very different from my previous school, the student population is very similar.

Some differences include:

• The school size: I went from 150 total in school to 130 in my classes and nearly 2,000 total in school.
• The school colors: I was stocked up in purple and gold shirts and now the colors are green and black.
• No more credit recovery: I'm teaching students for the first time. I get them before they have sat through the class 2-3 times and they don't completely blow me off and claim they will never understand it (although I hear that quite often).
• The students are generally excited to me freshmen.
• The age of my students: the average age is closer to 15 than 18.
• Extracurricular activities- students are involved in sports, clubs, and actually attend tutorials!

Some similarities:

• I teach Algebra 1.
• Title 1 school: low income, but awesome grants that allow us to have Promethean Boards!
• My classroom is very cold and smells a little old,
• My administrators are very supportive and offer a lot of feedback.
• The students at the school aren't always known to have the best academic record, but we're working on changing that reputation!

I think the thing I am most excited about is that I can use my experiences from my old school to help prevent students from dropping out or getting behind. I know that Algebra 1 is one of THE most important classes in a student's high school career. It is usually the class that sets their mood for high school and so far I am loving giving my students an opportunity to make it fun.