Reflections on the last week

It's been a crazy week! Friday was my last day of student teaching. I stayed the weekend with my friends. Tuesday night was my last final, and today I had a big job interview. I just feel like I need to write some things down, so here goes.

Friday was a really overwhelming day. I was really relieved/excited because student teaching, which was the most work I've ever done in my life in a consolidated amount of time, was over. However, I absolutely love the students and teachers that I have been working with, and I didn't want to leave.

 They sent me off in a grand fashion. It felt like there was a surprise every hour. When I came in, my cooperating teacher and I exchanged gifts, and he gave me a very sweet card. He also gave me a bunch of cards the kids had made throughout the week. I actually didn't cry the whole day (don't ask me how that happened) but I did get a little teary eyed a few times - like when I read the cards.

At the beginning of first period, my co-op announced that the students should pass around the teacher textbook. They are retiring the old textbooks because the new series came in (they look amazing and I wish I could work with them!) - so he was using my book as a yearbook. The students wrote letters to me on whatever page in this 800 page book that they wished. THAT was a moment I almost cried, to be honest. I got to read some of the letters and they were so sweet. Some of the students left me clues on the first page in order to find their message... hahaha. It was one of the best gifts I've ever received. My in class support teacher also gave me this beautiful purple jewelry set.

Then, my co-op surprised me with a huge sheet cake during lunch. Most of the faculty came in to celebrate and brought food. Then, at the end of the day, I got a beautiful card from the faculty. In addition, the students filled out little evaluations for me (I liked... [one thing], I think you should improve... [one thing]). They gave me very constructive criticism but some of the things they wrote were very, very sweet (again - I can't think of another word to say.) I may have to share some of their comments another time.

Leaving was hard. My co-op gave me a handshake ("on a professional note") and a hug ("on a personal note"). Luckily I had somewhere fun to be - dinner with my friends down by the college. :)

We had dinner and Kristina and I shared all of our experiences from the day - she also left her student teaching placement. Then, we went to the carnival on campus, and that was a fantastic way to stop being sad and finally spend some time with my friends this semester. :)

The next day was very relaxing, spent with my friends. I had to do some work for my presentation, but that wasn't my main goal for the day. It was a lazy Saturday. That night we went to a fun. concert in Philly, and it was so awesome - the third time I've seen the band and the best. Everyone was so excited to be there and the band was so HAPPY (you could just tell by their faces). They just hit it big with their song, "We are Young," so they're understandably excited. It was a blast.

The next day I drove home and spent some time with my sister and with cleaning my room. Tuesday night was my final presentation on student teaching and now that it's over, I just don't care. :)

More soon!
-Jess

2012 was a great year!

I got this brilliant idea from this post at Single Dad Laughing, which is a blog I have been reading for a while now. Dan writes really thought-provoking posts - you should check out the blog. Anyway, I felt like I needed to do this - to get in the positive mindset for this crazy year coming up. I encourage you to do the same!

2012 was a great year! I knew there would be a lot to do, but everything ended on a positive note.

In January, I finished my senior thesis, which haunted me over the last year. It took a lot of hard work, but now I can say I have 60 finished, typed, original pages of thesis, titled: "The Mighty Man and the Victimized Woman: Traditional Gender Roles in Central European Holocaust Memorials and Their Potential Effects on Holocaust Memory" - sitting in the history department lounge, bound and ready to be opened. This was the biggest accomplishment of my college career (and, I suppose, all of my schooling), and it really transformed my writing and analysis.

January was also when I started student teaching, which was THE culmination of my entire college career. I've wanted to be a teacher since I was about three (along with a published writer, President of the United States, and a famous singer); this is the dream that stuck the most. I was finally in a middle school classroom, learning classroom management - something I've had trouble with as a new teacher. I also got to implement many ideas that I've had for projects and lessons. This is what I had been waiting for, in all those dreaded math and science college classes, waiting for the lectures to end.

Student teaching flew by, and I graduated at the beginning of May. My friends and I went on a short weekend trip to the shore to celebrate.

My awesome cooperating teacher and the experience I had at the school gave me confidence in the job search. By June, I was officially certified to teach K-12 in NJ and 6-12 in PA. I found a social studies job early on in the search, and it's not too far from my house.

The summer was wonderful. I already had a job by June, so I was able to enjoy myself and babysit most days. I substituted in schools nearby until the end of June. I quilted to my hearts content, finished preparing my wedding quilt, and came up with some new products for my Etsy shop. I continued to blog as well. I went to see my favorite band of all time - Coldplay - in August with Julie. I couldn't have asked for a better, more relaxing summer.

In September, it was with complete gusto that I drove to my first day of teaching. I'll never forget setting up my very own classroom in the couple of weeks leading up to the first day. While the first few months of teaching have been a challenge, I learn more every day, and I have a wonderful support system at home and at the school. And, I love the kids. I couldn't ask for more in a job.

On that note, Mike and I have been able to save a considerable amount of money this year. Mike moved into my house in August (before the craziness of school started) and we completely cleaned out my room. I got rid of a lot of clutter and I've never felt more relieved. It's also fantastic to be finally living with my fiance, even if we're not completely out on our own yet. We're planning to move around the time I finish my first year of teaching in June, so I suppose we'll start looking for a small house or apartment very soon - we haven't decided yet.

Our wedding in October was beautiful. Almost everyone we invited was able to come, and we saw people we hadn't seen in a long time. I was able to go DIY (do it yourself) crazy during the summer (under a budget, but still) - and I, along with my bridesmaids, made the perfect decorations. We enjoyed a fantastic day with everyone and we can't wait to go on our honeymoon to Hawaii this coming summer. I finally convinced him to leave the East Coast! ;) I just got all the documents changed to my new last name. I can't believe we're finally married!

The holidays just passed again, and even though I ate more than I should have, I plan to do what I did at the beginning of 2012 and modify my eating habits once again. I've gotten more exercise in since we got an elliptical as one of our wedding gifts... and I'm going to continue to use it at least four times a week. I'm in much better shape now than I was a year ago. Everyone in my family is doing well, too. My mom and grandmother are doing much better. We've been lucky to have good health this year.

Even though I didn't do any international travel like last year (which was the highlight), I had a fantastic year, and I can't wait to see what 2013 brings!

Sitting in Barnes and Noble

I think this is going to become a normal thing for me. Something about sitting here with my coffee really makes me get work done (okay, not right this second, but you see my point). I've only been here for about 20 minutes and I got more work done on my paper than I would in an hour in my dorm.

It's very relaxing - I'm sipping a delicious pumpkin spice latte, and I'm listening to the Vitamin String Quartet's Christmas Album, but I can still hear people talking in the background. Specifically, the people ordering coffee and a lady next to me, who is tutoring a 3rd grade boy. I can't help but think about my future as a teacher while I sit here. I want to be that person who tutors kids, who helps them understand. I'm enthusiastic and I really care about them. It just makes me want to finish college right now and start living. I know I talk about college in a different way than other students might, but hey, that's just how I feel. I feel like these last couple months are holding me back from my full potential. I know being in the "real world" is going to be difficult. I know it's going to cost a lot of money that I don't necessarily have - especially when I have to start paying back my student loans.

But I am so ready.

Also, being here makes me excited for Christmas. The mall, from what I can see, has a few decorations up already - is that holly? Maybe. Haha. Maybe not. I can't wait for the holidays. I can't wait to be home with my family.

Bring it on, November... now, to finish this historiography paper.

-Jess

Senior Year Thoughts

It's funny how being a senior in college is different, for most people, than it is in high school. As you approach high school graduation, all you want to do is go to college, if that's where you are heading. There are new people to meet, dorm room things to buy, and a whole new world to explore. Even if you're not going to college, you probably wanted to get the heck out of high school. Graduating from college is the opposite - people don't want to leave. The real world awaits, and with that comes scary things like rent and putting on our grown up pants.

I'm on the fence. Part of me wants to stay, but a bigger part of me wants to leave. I'm going to list the reasons here, for my own sanity and for inquiring minds...

Reasons I want to stay in college:

-See friends all the time (single thing I will miss the most, by the way. I'm already having this happen with Julie, who graduated in May, and I don't like it one bit).

-Live in my own little single room and do whatever I want

-Chinese food and Italian nights, late night movies, TV marathons with friends

-Biking around campus is the best.

-I love my professors and I still love going to class, as long as it's a good one (not looking forward to statistics and economics though). I love school :)

-Student discounts

-Being on campus in the fall = heaven. Everyone is out and about, and everything is so pretty, and it really calms me.

-The free gym on campus!

-No huge bills to pay

-I know what I'm doing/where everything is now like the back of my hand, and it's comforting. So, comfort level.

Reasons I want to get the heck out of college:

-I want to teach. Plain and simple. I'm impatient.

-No more dorm life. I'm a little sick of being a nomad, and of drunk people, and of freezing my butt off 24/7.

-I'm getting married and I want to live with the man I've been dating for five years! Again, plain and simple.

-NO MORE HOMEWORK :) I would trade writing papers for grading papers any day.

-I will finally be able to sew all I want with my machine, and start my etsy business (with the current busy schedule I have with school, there is no way this can happen).

So you can see why the reasons why I want to graduate reign supreme. I think. They are bigger things. Things I've been waiting for.

But I'm definitely going to enjoy this semester. I'll be taking the usual 4 classes, one of which is for my senior honors thesis on Holocaust memorials (I'm sure I will be posting about this soon). I'm looking forward to accomplishing such a thing as a 50+ page paper, written all by me. It's daunting but exciting. I'm living with Kristina again, which will be totally awesome, and we're going to start marathoning How I Met Your Mother, like we did for Friends in the past (we watched all 10 seasons in a year and a half and it was a blast). I'm living on campus for one semester, not two, so if I get frustrated with everything, I can just look forward to the spring, when I'll be living at home, sewing, student teaching, seeing my family and Mike, babysitting, and basically living in the real world. So, I have a lot to look forward to this year in general.

However, I still can't believe I'm a senior. Freshman year was the fastest year ever, even though it was definitely the most frustrating. Perhaps it's a good thing I don't remember too much :) Getting used to a new place, being away from everything/one I loved, doing college work, working too, having a horrible roommate situation... I remember being sick more in the four months of the fall semester of that year than I ever have before. Sophomore year flew too, but it was definitely my favorite year. Junior year got more busy and difficult than I thought it ever could, but I knew my professors so well and I could finally write a really good history paper. Practice really pays off. I also got to teach my own two week unit in a real high school - so, I had my introduction to teaching, and to say I liked it would be an understatement. Plus, by second semester of sophomore year, I knew who my friends were for sure, and it just got better from there.

I remember going to freshman orientation. I remember so much of it. Am I really about to be a senior? Is this real life?

(skip to .17 seconds)

Yes. Yes. I am. Gulp.

-Jess

Why I do what I do

As a historian, you're expected to gravitate towards a certain time period/event/person etc. to really delve into during your college career. If it was a true free-for-all, I don't think I would hesitate to become a Tolkien scholar (though I'm horrible at learning languages and would have a lot of trouble learning Elvish). :o)

Anyway, point is, as soon as I got to college, I took a course called "Music and the Holocaust" - and that's how I really got interested in studying the Holocaust and other genocides. I like the way Adam Jones, a visiting scholar to my school, put it: "we study genocide because we want it to stop." Plus, I feel connected through my Jewish heritage, and as horrifying and as dreadful it can be to study sometimes, it is what interests me most. That is what my mom asked me today after we watched "The Pianist" for the first time - why do I study the Holocaust?

There was one point last semester where I had just about had it. I had just started my internship at the Museum of Jewish Heritage: A Living Memorial to the Holocaust in NYC (teaching and giving tours to students grades 6-12), I was starting work on my senior honors thesis (more in a minute about that), and I was taking a class called "The Holocaust in Art and Literature." I remember I was reading a speech that Hitler made (after watching the propaganda film "Triumph of the Will") and I was just like - that's it. I had to put it all down for a weekend. And I realized that it's okay to do that... as long as we never forget about it and we keep coming back. It has become a true privilege to listen to a Holocaust survivor speak, which I have lucky enough to experience at least 6 times in my life. This is just one way to keep it alive, but there aren't many left. I feel like I am doing my part by bringing my experiences and pictures from Eastern Europe, as well as my research, to my future students, as a social studies teacher.

All of this suddenly came flooding back to me tonight after the movie finished. Since I got back from Europe (a Holocaust study tour, no less) in early May, I've been putting off my thesis work on gender in Holocaust memorials. I've been sewing constantly (my [almost always] relaxing obsession), and reading FICTION again (gasp) - but now it's time to get to work. I feel a lot better now after a two month break from thinking. I think I'm ready to go back to it.

This is probably a good thing because I met with my professor a couple of days ago, took out more than ten library books, and have a reading assignment on postmodernism to finish for her in two weeks.

-Jess

What I found while cleaning out my room, Part 2

I fondly remember teaching "school" when I was about... nine? I also wrote this when I was about the same age, in real school:

(...would do if I were an elementary school teacher.")

I set up school when we lived in a townhouse for a year, but when we moved to our new house, we had a white board and table in the (then) unfinished basement. Those were the good times :) I usually "taught" Sean, but I remember some of the neighborhood kids were involved sometimes. I really got a kick out of finding the notebook we used to use.

Oh, the irony (check out my comment on his work, to the left)

Art lesson - I had a way with words ("before you color stuff in"):

Sean was apparently extremely skilled in Phonics, Homework, and Writing...

Tee-hee. I was only preparing for what was to come, but then, it was sans red pen.

-Jess

How substitute teaching for 2 weeks changed and inspired me

Okay - serious post time. I've always wanted to be a teacher - from as far back as I can remember. I know there was a time where I not only wanted to be a teacher but a published, author, ballerina, and President of the USA, but I guess you can't have everything in life. ;)

Until I got to the college application process, I didn't have to think much about who or what I wanted to teach. English was my favorite subject because I loved to read, and I loved elementary school kids. But my AP US History class, junior year, sucked me into the wonderful world of history. It was clear that I was being called to teach social studies (or history instead).

Then came the difficult part. Elementary education, or secondary education? I knew I wanted to attend the college I applied early decision for (and got into) - but what should my second major be, next to history? I ended up choosing secondary and figured that if I wanted to, I could always get certified to teach elementary ed.

Three years of college went by... and I was happy as a clam in the middle and high schools, though I still had doubts about teaching in high school. However, as I subbed in the elementary school the past two weeks... I realized that I really want to get certified in elementary education. The kids are so respectful and fun, and I love being creative with them. My ideal situation would still be middle school... but now, I might just take all three tests.

If I pass, I'll be certified to teach elementary education (math [*shudder*]), science, reading, social studies, writing, etc.), middle school social studies, and high school history. Even though each test is 100 dollars +, do you think it's worth it to get all three? I feel like I shouldn't just skip high school, because technically that's what I'm trained in... any advice?

Anyway, last story for today. Some of you know this already, but I'll write it here anyway. Here's a visual to get started.

"We Heart America"

When I was in 6th grade, I drew this picture. I remember drawing it, but very vaguely. I know it took a long time. I guess it was for a project in social studies or something (also, I think the girl all the way on the left was supposed to be me?). Anyway, after I left 6th grade, a substitute teacher found it and gave it to the principal. I found out a few years ago that it was hanging in a frame in her office (my mom had gone in to speak with her). She told my mom then and there that she wanted to give it back to me when she retired.

On Friday, Marisa came home from school with the picture and a note:

"Thank you - I've enjoyed having this in my office - you should put this in your classroom!"

I can't wait to be a teacher :)

-Jess