the title of my blog is nshek words...so i'm suppose to writing my own words, my thoughts. yet i don't know what my thoughts and words are. i feel as if since we moved to michigan i can't really but my thoughts into words because i don't really know entirely what they are. it seems as if perhaps they are starting to settle but i still have to unjumble it all.

hmmmm, so now i'm wondering besides teaching what can i do?? i'm not exactly sure. searching for a job should be interesting since there aren't many teaching jobs available right now...

in just a few days i hope to be finished with my masters. it's very daunting. i'm working hard to get it done. i hope to find a job teaching right away, but not too many schools are hiring right now. i have applied to one and that may be a long shot. who knows...i hope for the best though!

so yeah...i really do no care for elementary age students. i'm loving the continuing education teaching though. it's alot of fun walking into a classroom full of students that want to learn, that ask questions and are simply interested. not that the elementary students don't want to learn but they are all over the place and i've realized that i can't go to their place and just play all the time. i guess i got over that and now i can't go back. so i don't think i'll be doing that after my contract expires, which isn't until the end of the school year.
although...the i have a 4 year old preschooler and she is super cute!! that is a pretty cute age! :)

little kids

so like i said before i'm teaching an after school program. well i was originally assigned 3-5 graders. But due to low enrollment this year they are combining classes of k-5. i taught my first class yesterday and i have to say having younger kids is quite different. i've never had to teach a class where i couldn't write or have class read something. this is going to take quite a bit more creativity i think. i'll have to use pictures and actions instead. i don't know...it's a good learning experience. and some of the younger kids are just too cute!

i've begun teaching a continuing education class at a local community college. it's interesting to teach, these are people that are taking time out of their day to learn. they want to be there for no other reason than to learn. it's a bit intimidating because of that. it's very fun and enjoyable though. teaching now after not doing it for about a month made me realize how much i really do enjoy it. it is such fun to get up front and teach something and what a high to have them actually understand. i feel like i'm making a difference in these peoples lives. i hope i'm not just kidding myself when i think that people enjoy my class and will look back on it in the future with smiles as well as knowledge.
interestingly enough, i'm going to begin teaching an after school elementary class again. who would have thought i would ever do that again. i begin next week. it's quite different because this is through an agency that parents pay for their child to go and it very organized. we'll see how it goes. i'm hoping it's fun and that i'll want to do it again.

college vs elementary teaching

It's been interesting. This year I have been teaching college as well as elementary school. many times there isn't much difference between the two. The major difference is that the college class is more advanced. But when comparing the elementary class to a 1st semester class the similarities are more. You can really teach both the same. As the teacher you have to be very active and in both games are very effective.

teaching with motivation

As the end of the year approaches there is much to be done. It is now becoming difficult to motivate myself...much less my students! I am eagerly anticipating summer as much as they are! I know much of this has to do with being both a teacher and a student, it's much more stressful than anticipated. I will be glad when I am just one and not both.

teaching

How does one motivate their students? No matter how excited I am in regards to a topic the class seems to just sit and stare at me with blank faces. I think that a part of it has to do with the time of day which i teach, 9 am is not ideal. I'm not a morning person either, but I get up and do it and try to have fun with it. And yet they do not get into it. What can one do?