Today's Thoughts

     This week a lot has taken place and I can say that I am exhausted, but I am managing to get everything finished, including this blog. I was at work thinking about what I was going to write about, and my mind kept going back to food, and how awesome it is. Then something happened,  one of my students amazed me. She is a busy body and it is hard for her to keep still, yet she is awesome. She will try to be in the adult conversations, and wonders what is taking place. She is bossy, and loves to tell people what to do, however she is extremely smart. Today, we was working on rhyming words (I work with 3rd & 4th graders in ESE) and she was going through them so fast, like it was easy for her. Then, when it was time for math, once again she sped through it. You are probably wondering why I am amazed, well it is because usually she cannot focus, and today I seen a different part of her. As a teachers assistant I can that I am extremely proud of the progress that she is making.
    As I was writing about this student, I thought about how awesome my entire class is. They all have so much potential, and give their best. However, everyone has their off days, including us. Speaking of off days, one of our students is autistic and he tends to get mad fairly easy. Well, yesterday the teacher that I work with was joking with him, and as the entire class became quite, he shouted "Hell No!" We were all in shock because it was unexpected, the teachers did not know whether to laugh or to be serious. I have to say I laughed because of the reasoning behind it  The teacher told him to redo a math test on I-Ready from earlier and apparently he does not like math very well, that's when he shouted. If you are wondering, the teacher did pull him to the side and they had a little talk, and he said he will not do it again. So then today, he was having a grumpy day, then before centers he stated that he had a good day because he did not curse. 
    I could keep going on with stories about my days at work, but I would probably be here all night. It might sound weird, but I get happy just thinking about my students, I care for them and their achievements. I have learned so much since I started working there and I am thankful for the people that I have worked with. I look forward to finishing my education so I can become the teacher that I am learning how to be. Until then, I have my hands full with the students that I work with now.

Feeling Discouraged......

    

     Being this is an open post, I want to take the time and express my thoughts from the last couple of days.  Lately, I have been feeling like nothing is going right, and somehow I am going to fail. I have always wanted nothing more but to succeed, unfortunately, life always seems to have another route for me. I live my life with all of my dreams in mind, I try to never lose sight of what I really want. I use my dreams as my motivation, and I tell myself everyday that I can accomplish it all. However, there are always those people that tend to make me second guess myself. As I am sure that this happens to everyone.
     Right now I am in the process of trying to better myself  by getting a second job, and it is extremely hard. I am also a Certified Nursing Assistant, and I have been trying to find a job to do this at night, but employers look at me and say I am qualified, yet lacking experience. Once I heard this I wanted to give up, I was discouraged, and I was thinking of going back in retail. I knew that I had an appointment today with another company, but after being discouraged I just wanted to give up.. Then today at work, as I was talking to the teacher that I work with, she made me realize that one person saying what they believed is not what everyone believes. So, right then I decided that I was going to go to this appointment.  I get there and meet this really nice guy, who happens to be the manager. He tells me everything about the company, and then he asked me for my experience. For a moment I was speechless because I feared I was going to get turned down once more. However, after I told him my experience he said that is not a problem, everyone starts somewhere and I will train you. Just then a smile came across my face because I was given a chance.
    Point is, when someone tells you that you do not have enough experience, or even when it comes to school and no one believes in you; believe in yourself and never give up. Take the time to show people that you are willing to go the extra mile, show them that you are willing to give your all, and show them that you are survivor. As the quote above states, "If plan A doesn't work, the alphabet has 25 more letters."
      I believe this relates to everything that we are doing now, and everything that we are going to be doing as educators. From other staff members to possibly even students, we will be judged, questioned, and we might even be ran out of the classroom. Yet, as long as we are not discouraged and lose track of our dreams, then we will be achievers.

Pursing a Life Dream

    Where do I begin... you think by now I would be used to writing introductions for classes, but I'm not. I should really start copying and pasting the same thing, only if that would be appropriate. On the other hand, my story seems to always be changing. Like all of you, I attend UCF, but this is only my third semester here, and I am an Elementary Education Major. I received my A.A at Valencia, and for a while I was lost as what to do next. Yes, this happens, and I have come across many others that have been in this situation. I thought I wanted to be a nurse, yet my mind slowly drifted to the idea of becoming an elementary school teacher. I knew that the only way to see if this was what I wanted to do for my career, I had to volunteer at a school. Luckily, I knew a teacher at a K-8 school that allowed me to volunteer in her class. Let me just say, that was one of the best decisions that I have ever made. I have always enjoyed being around kids, so when I volunteered I felt like I belonged. I continued going to this school to complete my first education observation hours, and the faculty enjoyed having me so much, they offered me a job.
     Now, working with kids every day of the week is not only preparing me for my future. Yet, I am able to take what I am learning in the classroom and combine it with what I am learning in school. The class that I work in work is severely handicapped, it consists of eight students, which are third and fourth graders. Each and everyday is something new, but it's not like any job that I have ever had before. I am able to watch these students learn and adjust to new ideas. Teaching is beneficial to both students and teachers; it is giving your own knowledge to children, and being a role model for some students. 
     Being that, I am pursing a degree in Elementary Education, you are probably wondering why I am in this class with all of you. Well, I have been thinking about my options after I finish my degree, and what I want to do. I am in a classroom now, so I am aware of what takes place, but what about overseas. The countries that strive for education, but there is not enough teachers nor money to support it.  I picked English as a minor, because I want to teach in a country where the children will benefit from it.  I would like to do this for at least a few years, unless I find a country that I never want to leave. After doing this, my ideal career is to teach elementary school, preferably kindergarten. However, who really knows what my future holds, it seems like sometimes it has a mind of its own. Eventually, I know that I am going to make an impact on someone's life.
     Furthermore, I personally believe that life is something that everyone should enjoy, from our careers to our personal lives. The best way to start, is to be happy with the career that we have chosen, and open to the opportunities that it may bring.

 So, now you know my story, what's yours?