NTI-great year

This year has been a long one but also a great year. I came into NTI last summer thinking it was just the 5 week class. Little did I know that it would extend out into the rest of the school year. I have learned so much from each and everyone of you. I want to thank you all for the support and ideas that you have given me and each other. I have also learned by reading what input is given to others. I want to give a big Thumbs UP to Jessie and Dr. B for making this class so interesting and fun. We owe it all to you. For now, so long to all, it has been a great year and blog to ya later.

Frustrated

Last week I pulled out my portfolio assignment to update some information and to try to finish it up to turn in. I pulled out my disk that I have been saving it to and it would not come up. It said the disk was not formatted. I began to freak out because I spent all this time last month adding standards to it and I did not print them out or did not write it down on paper. I just figured that it was on a disk, I can just keep adding to it and I will print it all at the end when I am done. No, not a good idea. My first mistake was not saving it to the hard drive and then since I have been having trouble with my computer I should have saved it to a second disk. So for the past week I have been trying to redo some of the standards that I didn't write down or print out. I really hated computers last week but then I began to think that I should have taken precautions for such a big assignment. So learn from my mistakes always print out at least you will have a hard copy.

Excited

Last summer when we started NTI, I was really excited about getting into the class, especially because I was not hired on yet. I owe that all to Dr. B and Jessie. Thanks. I have learned so much that will help me in the high school classroom. I have already used it at the college level, I have seen a change in the students. I have heard all these stories about being at a high school. I am looking forward to being in a high school but also reluctant at the same time. I know there will be a lot more going on that I have not expected and had to deal with so far. I have heard you all commenting on how your weeks have gone. I just hope mine will go half that well. If you have any advice after going through this year and after NTI for a really new teacher to this, please feel free to give any advice.

New Teacher

I am still waiting to hear from Forsyth County on a Cosmetology Position. I have already been through an interview with the new high school principle at West Forsyth and it looks like they are only taking 1 teacher for the 2007-2008 school year. I am also talking with the principle at Forsyth Central and they are still waiting on numbers to see how many students they will have at the school for 07-08 year. I hate this waiting period. I just wish I knew something. I have also been talking with Roswell High School and there may be a position open there. If anyone knows of a school close by looking for Cosmetology Teacher please let me know. I am keeping my options open for anything relatively close. Thanks

catching up

I just realized yesterday in Monday night class that we should have another 6 weeks posted on our reflective log. So I have some catching up to do. I thought I was ahead of the game but I thought wrong. I have really enjoyed the NTI class. It has helped me a lot, along with everyone in NTI but I will sure be glad when it is over mainly for the cost of the class. I hear some saying that their county pays for it or partially pays for it. That's great!

Overload

This week was overload for me again. It seems like every week just gets busier and busier. I have been trying to find the Exceptional Children's class through another route than at Georgia State. I have been trying to get in touch with Forsyth County Board to see if the county offered the class. Finally, I received a call and it had already been offered (started in January). Fortunately, there are many agencies out there that offer the class. I checked with one in Roswell and it is an online class and very reasonable I thought ($400), compared to some of the other classes. So, I did sign up for the class on Thursday. I am really excited about the class being an online class, even though I was hesitant about doing classes online at first.
I also did my video this week in class. I felt that it went pretty well. I have not yet looked at it and did the remaining assignment on it. I really do feel that the video is a great idea. It helps you see what you are actually doing in the classroom even if you are aware that you are being taped. I was in the lab on this video and realized that I could add this to my video collection for the students to refer back to. I taught on clipper cutting and the students paired up to work on a mannequin. This will be a great learning tool for years to come for myself and the students.

No support

This week was very aggravating. I knew that there was trouble to come after having the last 3 weeks go by so well. Since I am at a private Beauty College, I only have to report back to the owner. She has had a lot going on the last couple of weeks and has not really been at school, which makes it a better place without her. She has only stopped by just for a few minutes each day. She doesn't even get out of her car.
I have to bring her the mail, any phone calls she may have had, and anything else that deals with that day. I don't mind helping out every now and then but it has gotten to were she is taking advantage of the situation. She wants me to do the student registrations and contracts which I have told her I do not have time for. I help out as much as possible but it just seems like she keeps adding on to this. I am here to teach and that is taking time away from my students.
The washing machine also broke last week and she said she had another one at home that she was going to bring. She has been taking towels home with her when she comes by for the few minutes each day. You can not take clients without towels. We had several perms and colors on the book Wednesday with only 2 clean towels. I called her and told her that we needed the towels. She said that she had them but they would have to be dried. She didn't have time for that. So she decided she would stop and get some new towels to last until the others got dry. Needless to say, this was 2 1/2 hours later. Once arriving at the school she once again did not get out of the car. She kept asking questions about the school and I told her very frustrated," I didn't have time for this that the students needed the towels now." She called later & told me that if we needed anything that we could go and get the supplies but every time that we do we get the Third Degree. I am very frustrated and angry at the situation. Thanks for letting me vent.

tests

I was like Chad this week. I was giving a test and I pulled out an old test from the book. I found numerous mistakes. The format of the test was nothing like we have learned.
* capital letters were not used in responses
* the distractors were in no specific order
* the responses were not in column form
* the stems were difficult to read or understand what the were asking for
* there were no directions
So, after going back and changing the test I found that the students preferred the new test.
They mentioned:
*that it was easier to read and understand
*they actually learned the material other than memorizing
*they finished the test quicker
I have found that if the students prefer a test a certain way and that it helps them learn the material I will take more time to adjust tests. I know that this means a lot more work for me but in the end it is worth it if the students actually know that material.

Great Week

This week actually went really well. I really appreciate all the advise on the Tardy issue. I did not want to Reward the students for doing something that they should do on their own. Although, the "Beauty Bucks" seemed to have been an incouragement for the students. I have only had 1 or 2 Tardies in the past 2 weeks. I was really getting annoyed at the situation because I would take time out of home life to prepare for class the next day and most of them would walk in late. At this point, if it works why not?
We also had 1 on 1 evaluations for the students. They really opened up about what they would like to learn and how they felt about their accomplishments. They also gave great feedback on how I as a teacher was doing. This really helped me with my planning for each class. It really feels good when a student comes up to you after class and says that they learned a lot and that everyone enjoyed it. Hopefully the next few weeks will go as well as this week!!!

Motivated Students

This week I had 3 new students start the Cosmetology program at my school. It is so much fun to watch how excited the new students are. They are so motivated to do whatever you ask. They also abide by the rules that are set. I just hope they all stay that way. I know at times, I get a little discouraged and overwhelmed at everything that needs to be done. I'm just trying to keep my head above the water.
I also went to a post secondary school today for my interview. That went really well. The school was beautiful. The students all seemed to be busy and motivated. They all were so helpful with the interview. The students helped answer a few questions for me also. I have the info now just putting it all together.

Tardiness

I have been dealing with chronic tardiness in my class. The other teacher & I have been trying to figure out a way to control or handle this situation. One of the rules of the school is that 3 Tardies = 1 Absense. Students must also be in class at least 70% of the month to avoid suspension.
We decided this week that we would make "Beauty Bucks". These are fake $1 paper money. The students have a student rate for receiving their services. They would receive the "Beauty Bucks" on Friday's if they have not been absent or tardy all week. These "Beauty Bucks" can go towards their hair services that they receive from other students. They seem to like this idea. We thought this would be a great incentive for them. If anyone have any other ideas, please let me know.

First Time Blogging

Hi everyone,
This is my first time blogging. I was really nervous about this at first. Once we did it in class it made me more comfortable. When we received this assignment in class, I was hesitant about doing the blog. I was just going to e-mail this to Jessie. I know I need the practice on updating myself with computers, so I thought I would give it a shot. It is actually great doing it this way. I learn more about my students, and it's a great way of asking for help in certain areas. I really enjoyed reading everyone's blogs. It makes me feel better that I am not the only one on the boat with blogging for the first time. I think I am going to enjoy this. Let's sail away!!!