Hello All,

As summer is coming to a close (on the academic calendar not the actual calendar), I spent the last two days doing Professional Development in my school. We are starting a new CKLA program (Amplify) and a relatively new Math program (Ready Math). The two days were very informative and I feel very excited and comfortable entering my second year of teaching.

I am also happy to say that a very close friend of mine has decided to change careers and go back to school to get her teaching certification. She applied to and was hired as a para professional in my school. She is currently enrolled in Granite State College and going through the PBTCP. I am so happy and excited for her and glad that I can pay it forward by helping her navigate our school and introduce her to all the great people at my school that helped me along the way. It really does help to have that professional network around you!!

I can’t stress to everyone enough that you are NEVER too old to change lanes, go back to school and go after your dreams. Quick background, I was 50 years old and left a job of 25 yearsI assumed I would eventually retire from at a ripe old age. It wasn’t my dream job (teaching was always my dream) but I made great money and so I settled. Long story short things happened, I left the job, went back to school and now I DO have my dream job!!

If there is one thing I would say to anyone that has found their way here whether it is for a class (Hello to Emily if you are in her class she is fabulous!!!) or just scrolling, NEVER give up on your dreams no matter how old you “think” you are or how set you are in your ways, go after what really makes you happy. I can honestly say there hasn’t been a day that has gone by that I am not excited to wake up and go to work. You know what they say, if you are happy with your work it doesn’t feel like work!!

Good luck with your classes, I will check in once school starts!

Hello All,

You CAN do it! I wanted to start my post with these words because it can become overwhelming when you are in school, more than likely working full time and taking care of a family. I know it’s hard but trust me, in the end it is all worth it.

I have been out of school for over a year and been in my teaching position for over a year now and I continue to post on this blog because it helps me express my thoughts and how happy I am that I finally realized my goal of being a teacher.

Yes, the Covid business threw our profession into a tail spin but boy have we all proved how resilient we are! We seamlessly went from seeing our students in person to looking at them through a computer screen. There is nothing we can’t do as teachers! We may get tired ( and trust me, for 25 years I had a different job and worked upwards of 60 to 70 hours a week and NOTHING prepared me for how tired I am at the end of the day teaching, BUT!! NOTHING has been more rewarding).

I will leave you with this…. don’t stop learning! And if you are lucky enough to have Emily as you FPF, you are a very very lucky student.

Good Luck everyon!!

Hello All and Happy New Year! I hope 2021 brings you all you dreamed of. I know most people are happy to see 2020 go but I have to say, it was they year I completed my teaching certification as well as they year I finally achieved my goal of being a teacher!!! So it wasn’t all bad.

If you are here it is probably because you are in Emily’s class and have to create a blog. DON’T sweat it. It’s been a while since I HAD to post but I still continue to come back to it. (who would have thought?).

Anyway, embrace all the technology! If someone would have told me in 2019 that I would be teaching fully remote and using all the tech skills I learned at GSC I would have laughed at them…. Well…..surprise, here I am using it all and showing others on my team how to do it. From google slides to Flip grid and SeeSaw and padlet, thanks to Emily I knew it all. So embrace, explore, experiment.. you got this!!

Good luck to all of you in going after what you want! Anything is possible!!

Until next time……

In April of 2018 I took my first class at Granite State College called Introduction to Field Experience! In March of 2020 I completed my last course, Culminating Teacher Experience or TCAP’s. In July of 2020 I passed my final Praxis II Multiple Subjects Sub Test Math.

It took lots of hard work, many late nights studying and completing homework, missing out on fun with family and friends and sometimes thinking I would never see the light at the end of the tunnel. But guess what! I am out of the tunnel and looking back it actually went pretty fast. I received my State of New Hampshire Teaching Certification and I couldn’t be more proud! I left a job after twenty-five years to go back to school for teaching. Many people thought I was crazy to give up the money I was making to become a teacher. I left a very good paying job to take a job as a paraprofessional at the school I ran programs at in my former job. Honestly, it would take me almost six weeks to make the same pay check I made in one week at the previous job. But it didn’t matter!! I LOVE working with the kids and being in the school.

I DID IT! I am now a certified teacher with a position at the school I have been involved with for the past 25 plus years. It is truly my dream job. I want to thank every teacher I had along the way that encouraged me and pushed me. I want to thank Emily Gannon at Granite State College for helping me through it all and guiding me on my journey. Anyone that has to create a blog for one of Emily’s classes, embrace it!! I haven’t had one of Emily’s classes in maybe a year and I continue to come back to my blog to hopefully inspire another student that needs to come out of their comfort zone by starting a blog.

Regardless of the fact my district doesn’t know if we will be going back to remote learning or into our school building I am simply over the moon with my job as a kindergarten teacher.

Stay tuned for posts from a first year teacher………

Hello All,

I just wanted to reach out and say…..THANK YOU granite.edu My class Using Tech to teach Social Studies EDU 702 has been a LIFESAVER!! I took this class during Winter 2019 term and all the teachers I work with were thinking “wow, who would use all this technology in the classroom?” BOY!! I can’t tell you how many FaceTimes I am conducting to help others learn all the technology I learned in this class. From Flip grid to google hang outs to zoom meeting…..don’t take this technology for granted. I was very skeptical at first and now, here I sit teaching a kindergarten class and I am getting all my students to respond with Flipgrid. It is amazing.

I can’t thank Emily Gannon enough for pushing me out of my comfort zone, creating blogs, going on live Twitter feeds and just all the things she taught me not only in this class but as my FPF!

Good luck to everyone this term. I finished my final term last semester and am just waiting now to take one final praxis I can’t take due to the Covid-19 shut down!

I encourage all of you to explore your tech resources…. you never know when they may come in handy…..

Talk soon!

I’m finally here. The last semester to my teaching certification. Took the Foundations of Reading test (it’s no joke when you sign in, palm scan and all) but unfortunately I won’t know if I passed until the end of the month. I guess they only do scores once a month!! Worst case I have to take it again. Can’t stop won’t stop on my way to certification.

I will keep you posted. Good luck to everyone going through the process.

Well, I am entering week 8 of my last two classes on my journey to become a certified teacher. I had my first of two back to back observations today. It starts out so stressful and the lead up is insane but once I settle in and start the lesson I forget Emily (my FPF) is even in the room. Instinct just seems to kick in and I’m “in the zone”. I guess as students going for our certification these observations are great training because we will always have observations, whether formal or informal throughout our teaching career so it’s great practice.

Since I started this blog, (I must admit kicking and screaming and talking about how I didn’t think it was necessary) I must say it really has helped me. It gives me a place to unload, to get all the feelings out and hopefully at some point, to help others. I am so fortunate to work in a school that is so good to me. All the staff helps me in any way they can whether it is giving me advise, helping me find materials for my lesson plans or simply sharing their experiences with me, their help is vital! If I had one piece of advise (well I have wayyyyy more than one but…) for someone starting this journey, it would be to find a school you feel connected to. Beech Street feels like home to me. It’s the place I go to everyday that simply makes me smile! It doesn’t feel like work, it feels like being home with family.

Four more weeks of classes and then on to my final TCAP and finished by the end of March!!! It just proves anything is possible when you want it bad enough. Good luck to all this semester!

Talk soon!

As I begin to approach week 4 I have some thoughts rolling around in my head. My FPF Emily hit it on the head when she tried to tell me I don’t have to put extra pressure on myself by making sure I get straight A’s. Things are ramping up between my personal life, work life, which is working at school and my school life, the classes I’m taking. A super shout out to all of you that do not work in a school but take time from your regular jobs to do your clinical work. I can’t imagine not working at a school and trying to do all this. The teachers I work with are all so supportive and encouraging of me and I continue to be pulled out of my regular classroom to sub for teachers when they are out, which gives me a ridiculous amount of experience in all grade levels.

I couldn’t be happier with the school I work at. I not only love the students and the community but the entire staff at the school as well. Don’t get me wrong, it’s a tough school with lots of behavior problems but the staff is such that they are 100% committed to the school as am I am we want nothing but the best for our students. It’s so gratifying to see students leave the school and become great citizens and great additions to the community. Can’t wait to see what the future of my current first grade class will be.

Stay tuned…..

We are into week 3 of the fall semester and I have to say, I am settling in but these two courses are A LOT of work. Teaching Language Arts and Literacy, and Elementary School Mathematics Methods are no joke. LOTS of work but I must say I have already learned so much. How many of us have ever said “I’m not good at math”, or “I don’t have the math gene”? These things help to perpetuate poor math skills. I’m learning that we all have the ability to be great at math we just need to (going back to growth mind set, shout out to Emily) change our mind set. Regarding Language Arts, I had no idea about phonemes, and rimes ( if you think I was trying to spell rhyme, you will understand when you take EDU 710) it’s all so interesting.

I also attended a TCAP workshop which was a bit intimidating but the end is clearly in sight and I’m sure I will be fine. So close……..

Stay tuned,,,,,

The new semester has started and as usual I am a bit overwhelmed. I am taking my final two courses prior to taking the TCAPs and then I will just need to take the Praxis II and the Reading Foundations test. To say I am excited to be finished and be a certified teacher is an understatement! This has always been a lifelong dream and at some point I had given up on it. I am so proud that I finally pursed my dream and it is close to becoming a reality. I just completed a reading for my Methods of Math class and it stuck me how mindset carries over into all of my work. Using mistakes to help me grow and understanding that my instructors, Supervising Practitioner and FPF are here to give me quality feedback and not criticism has been key to helping me push myself though.

I know this semester will be demanding as I took two difficult courses but I am confident I will get through them with help from my support system. I understand that once these courses are complete and I am certified I do plan to continue my education in any way possible as I believe we are and can always be learning.

Stay tuned throughout the semester for updates…….