"What was the situation that caused me the greatest anxiety or distress this past week - the kind of situation that I kept replaying in my mind as I was dropping off to sleep, or caused me to say to myself, I don't want to go through this again for a while?"
I would have to say that this week, the kind of stress I was under pertained to the interview process at Lakeside High School in Atlanta (although technically still in Dekalb county) At any rate, preparing for a sit down interview with the Vice Principal of the school was far less stressful as it turns out than what I learned DURING the interview. It revolves around the recent history of that school.
As many of you may or may not have heard... Lakeside high recently lost a bright star in the CTAE Health Sciences department with the tragic loss of Leah O'Brien. She was in a head on collision with one of the students at the school while trying to get there to chaperon the event. To make matters worse... the student was charged with vehicular homicide. Miss O'Brien was a beloved teacher at this school and right from the start, the vice Principal let me know it was that loss that lead to the staffing crunch at the school as the teacher from the Business science department left as well directly related to this tragedy.
>>>>Read the story here<<<<
Yes... what a way to begin an interview. To make matters worse, the prepared questions and responses I had practiced for were COMPLETELY thrown out of the window, as we discussed the affect of that loss has meant to the students in that school... you can almost feel the somber "mood" coming through the door, as the Vice principal even teared up through the interview. When the topic finally changed to my qualifications and my goals as a Career Technology Educator, I was only able to get out a few brief sentences of what my vision was for the class. It made me leave feeling very reflective on the roles we play as educators and the affect we all would have on not just or immediate family and friends, but also the kids that depend on us and the relationships we forge with those students.
This site is a class blog space for new Career and Technical Specializations and Heathcare Science teachers enrolled in the New Teacher Institute (NTI) at Georgia State University in Atlanta, Georgia.
Rules For Posting To This Blog and Weekly Blog Question
1. Only use your first name (no last names, addresses, IM screen names, etc.)
2. Show respect and consideration of others when posting and commenting. This includes individuals, students, organizations, political parties, colleagues, etc.
3. Check all posts for spelling and grammar errors before posting.
4. Protect the privacy of others. Gain permission from other people before you write about them. Avoid sharing someone else's last name. Use job titles or pseudonyms when writing about experiences with your co-workers or students.
5. Watch your language. Use politically correct and non-offensive language.
6. Make sure you write about things that are factual.
7. Keep your postings education-oriented. Avoid discussing plans for the weekend, etc.
2. Show respect and consideration of others when posting and commenting. This includes individuals, students, organizations, political parties, colleagues, etc.
3. Check all posts for spelling and grammar errors before posting.
4. Protect the privacy of others. Gain permission from other people before you write about them. Avoid sharing someone else's last name. Use job titles or pseudonyms when writing about experiences with your co-workers or students.
5. Watch your language. Use politically correct and non-offensive language.
6. Make sure you write about things that are factual.
7. Keep your postings education-oriented. Avoid discussing plans for the weekend, etc.
FINAL BLOG POST - OUR "DAILY TRIPLE" (DUE 12/1).
This week I would like you to use your imagination. You have just won the lottery and will leave your teaching post immediately to travel around the world. As you leave your keys you meet your replacement. You are asked to give this new teacher just ONE piece of advice. What would that be, and why? Enjoy your world expedition!
Blog Post - Week 7
This past week in my own teaching I felt a little disconnected which prompts my question to you, "What was the moment (or moments) when I felt most disconnected or disengaged as a teacher - the moment(s) I said to myself, I'm just going through the motions here?"
Fall Semester 2016 Blog Post - Week 6
For the past couple of weeks you have experienced asynchronous online learning (doing modules by yourself). Previously this semester you have experienced synchronous online learning (all together in the Collaborate room). Which do you think is more effective and why do you think that? Which do you like better, and why?
Fall Semester 2016 Blog Post - Week 5
This week we have what we call "open mic." You can write a post about anything related to your teaching that you would like responses from your classmates.
Fall Semester 2016 Blog Post - Week 4
Here is this week's question: "What was the event that most took me surprise this week - and event that shook me up, caught me off guard, gave me a jolt, or made me unexpectedly happy?"
Fall Semester 2016 Blog Post - Week 3
Please write a post about the following question, "In thinking about my past week teaching what is one thing I would do differently, and why?"
Fall Semester 2016 Blog Post - Week 2
Please write a post about the following question, " In thinking about my teaching activities this past week, of what do I feel most proud? Why?"
Fall Semester 2016 Blog Post - Week 1
Describe something you used in your program in the first weeks of school that you learned in the summer NTI program. How did it work? Did it get you off to a stronger start than last year?
2 comments:
I had heard that story and it sounds as though that teacher was very loved by her school.
That's a tough situation, I am sure.
I had a friend whose wife was a teacher. She passed away a few years ago. At the funeral, my friend said a man came up to him and asked if he was Ms. Libby's husband. He said that he was. The man gave my friend a giant hug and started crying, telling him that Ms. Libby was his favorite teacher. My friend asked when she had taught him. He replied, "in kindergarten."
Here was a grown man, in tears, remembering a teacher for some reason all those years ago.
That's what we have the chance to do. One day we will pass and I hope that I have touched someone in my short time as an educator that will see my obituary in the paper and think back and remember something I taught them or something I said to them that got them through a time in their life.
Those opportunities are the thing I cherish most about this job. It's not even the video production stuff, which is what I teach. It's the teaching a kid to tie a tie, or helping them with an application for college or a scholarship. It's staying after school to help them with a math test, or helping them on a project in another class. That's the good stuff, man.
Good luck with your job search. They'd be lucky to have you.
It sounds like you had quite an interview. I know you are a very good listener and also show compassion to people. I am hoping it was a good sign that you didn't have to talk a lot. I have been on job interviews where all I did was listen to the interviewer and then I got the position. Job interviewing is an imprecise science to say the least. This is indeed a tragedy.
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