Written Monday, December 14, 2009

I received four pieces of advice today from one of the counselors for when
I become a teacher:

1. Inform parents if their student’s grades are slipping- whether it
is via email or phone, make sure you call them.

2. Use technology to provide parents access to their children’s
grades, and to you.

3. Make teaching lessons relevant to real life experiences.

4. Get my BCLAD

I have heard all of the above in my classes but all of which I feel are
important to create a type of accessibility to parents so they can feel
empowered. Why not? You are teaching their child, right? I don’t think
grades are something that they get slapped with every 6 weeks or so like
“what have YOU been doing about this?!” While I haven’t been there yet
and it can all *Seem* like it is as simple as that, I’m sure that it
requires more than a tiny bit of effort.

I’m used to so many things in my routine: typing, writing, talking on the
phone, etc. Now, they will be what is integrated into the other half of
the whole “teaching” thing. In many ways, I feel more organized than many
others. I feel like there is an advantage to having been someone else’s
helper all this time. Now, I’ll be my own helper. I’ve streamlined so
many things and work towards creating the smallest amount of repetitive
work as possible. If I can make something into an Excel spreadsheet that
I reuse over and over, year after year, why not use those same types of
methods for my paperwork stuff. I know lessons won’t be that easily
repeated.



I also know that there are many things beneficial to getting that BCLAD.
As difficult as it is to think of teaching a group of English learners
who virtually spend every class hour with one another, I think it would
also be to my advantage (actually, I KNOW it will be to my advantage) to
incorporate the certificate required to teach a population that is in
demand of educators. Supply and demand. Simple concept.



This is the Monday of my final week before I go on a 3-week vacation.
Thank you, Jesus!