Author Archives: admin

My four-week lead teaching experience

By admin | Published: May 1, 2012

“Breathing in, I feel secure. Breathing out, I feel solid and calm.”

This was the mantra I used every day of my four-week lead teaching experience. On some days, the levels of anxiety I took on along with the responsibility of running a classroom dictated the course of my day. But on most days, I was able to utilize the momentum I was gaining and the mindfulness I relied upon to surpass that apprehension and fully enjoy every moment with my students.

For maybe the first time this year, I felt like a real teacher. I had the time and opportunity to learn from my own mistakes, experiment with pacing, instruction, and differentiation, and really learn from my students’ reaction to the lessons day after day. I came out of the role of lecturer and became more of a facilitator of learning in the classroom.

I also learned how to separate professional obligation from my family and home life. I became more involved in my students’ lives through lunch tutoring, attending events, and helping them learn how to advocate for themselves. Some of them opened up to me in a way I had not yet experienced this year in my role as a “student” teacher.

Lead teaching really made me that much more excited to start teaching next year!

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Three weeks of lead teaching

By admin | Published: April 16, 2012

Again, I will be honest with you, I’m exhausted.

After three weeks of lead teaching – with spring break in the middle – I’m exhausted. But not for the reasons I thought I would be. A lot of things came more easily this time than my last lead teaching time. Thinking of lessons, homework assignments, quizzes, and logistics – it’s all become more manageable which is very comforting. I can also say that the evaluations and people coming in and out of the room has become less noticeable and a lot less stressful, even the kids are used to it now.

What has exhausted me is most has been the kids. They’ve spent all year working hard and they know the year is winding down so they are a bit more maintenance than they used to be which is to be expected. The saving grace has been the rituals and routines we have been enforcing and using all year. Having the structure that they are used to helps combat the craziness.

Lead teaching time has again helped me to see the benefit of being in the classroom for an entire year versus just a few months like traditional teaching programs. Being in the school the entire year has given me experience with my students at every stage they’ve been at. I feel now like I will be more prepared for my first year and also know what to expect at every stage.

Another important thing that takes a lot of energy is my job hunt. I go from resident, to looking for a teaching job in my very own classroom. Denver Teacher Residency has prepared us well. In class, we had several weeks of preparation, including résumé review, interview tips, a principal panel, and mock interviews with our field managers and fellow residents. This preparation made it so when we got interviews we weren’t as nervous and weren’t caught off guard by the questions. Once the jobs started posting, we started applying and from there we got interviews because we are already part of the district and therefore sought after. I am very excited about my position next year!

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Flying Solo

By admin | Published: April 13, 2012

Remember learning to ride a bike? Not the months of cruising around with training wheels, but the pivotal moment when they were removed and your mom or dad sent you rolling down the street for the very first time on your own…

There was the onset of fear as the safe-guiding hand let go of your seat, panic as you wobbled to and fro, then growing self-confidence at discovering you could stay the course without falling, and finally a sense of elation, freedom, and empowerment at doing it all by yourself.

This has been my experience with the recent three weeks of lead teaching, as the challenge and reward was mine alone. Though I had tried my hand at shorter periods of teaching this year (first one, then two consecutive weeks), those earlier endeavors were more exploratory and also more taxing due to the simultaneous challenge of completing masters-level assignments in between lesson planning. This time around, however, we had finished the winter semester workload and were able to focus fully on what we’ve come here to do: teach.

It has been by far the most valuable period of my entire residency.

Make no mistake – teaching is so much more than just delivering information to students. Rather, it is a multifaceted, complex, and challenging profession that requires loads of energy for planning, instruction, assessment, data collection, class management, and the hundred-and-one other things that I’ve found myself unexpectedly confronted with during the course of the average workweek. And even if you manage to get out of school by 4 p.m., you can bet you’re taking work home with you.

All that being said, it is remarkably rewarding and the highs are truly high. As I’ve become more comfortable in my role and really taken the full responsibility of my duties, I can sense that my students have also relaxed, and that we can have more fun while learning a great deal together. Now, less of my time is spent trying to keep 24 seven-year-olds on task, and more is spent delivering well-planned, engaging lessons and enjoying the enthusiastic participation of students eager to learn.

We have all grown a great deal together over the course of the year and the recent three weeks, and I believe that both my students and I will enter the next school year feeling confident and ready to tackle the challenges that lie ahead.

When the program began and I had my first go at teaching, I admit to feeling totally lost and unsure of what to say or do next. Now nearly eight months later with the end of the program on the horizon, I can say with pride, “I’m ready to do this on my own!”

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Interesting!

By admin | Published: April 2, 2012

Lately, we’ve been talking about “interesting” things in Room 120. Interesting words. Interesting details. Interesting facts. A lot of interesting stuff, actually.

My resident teacher and I have been filling the room with sentences such as, “What an INTERESTING word!” “Wow, that is a really INTERESTING detail.” “Hmmm. What an INTERESTING question. Let’s find out the answer.” “That is REALLY INTERESTING!”

Apparently, all our INTERESTING talk is finally sticking. Today, as one of our kiddos worked on Imagine Learning – a super cool computer curriculum for English Language Learners and struggling readers – he heard a story about bugs. All the sudden, in the loudest voice possible, he shouted at me:

“OOOOOOH, MS. SANTOS, THAT IS REALLY INTERESTING! SOME BUGS CAN SMELL USING THEIR ANTENNAE!”

He smiled at me from across the computer lab and went back to listening. I just stared at him, working away, quietly repeating to himself, “That is really interesting. Interesting.”

It’s moments like this one when I again realize the power of what we say in the classroom. It’s easy to forget that words hold such strength for our students, especially as our youngest learners grapple with the English language. This little guy didn’t know this fact about bugs. Now he does and he can tell you how he feels about this information. To him, it’s INTERESTING.

Imagine what he’ll talk about at home tonight, what he’ll add to his writing tomorrow, or what he’ll say the next time he learns a new fact. By using a relatively simple word over and over, we’ve added to this student’s voice. To me, that is very interesting.

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A new perspective

By admin | Published: March 21, 2012

I never realized how much of a control freak I must be…until my DTR resident took over in the classroom this week! It’s been a very tough adjustment – handing over the reins to a room I’ve always handled on my own. I’ve been trying (really, really trying!) to keep away from the classroom and just let my resident do her thing. But, man, it’s only Day 3 of her lead teaching and I feel like I’m going slightly crazy. I miss teaching!

The biggest benefit to being in DTR are these lead teaching weeks, where residents take over the room, the planning, the teaching, essentially EVERYTHING. I wonder how hard it must have been for my lead teacher to turn her class over to me. Especially since we’re very similar in our need to have things just so (I wonder where I learned that?!).

But for residents, these weeks are when they each truly realize all they’re capable of. It’s kind of like a light bulb clicks on and everything you learned in seminar, in observations and from your lead, suddenly makes sense. You discover what kind of teacher you want to be and then have the opportunity to be that person. It’s a very tantalizing glimpse into what the next year will be like.

So, even though the next three (THREE!) weeks are going to be hard for me, I know that this is a crucial time for my resident to truly learn what it’s like to be teacher of record. And I know she’ll do great…

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From resident to mentor teacher

By admin | Published: February 10, 2012

January brought a ton of changes to Room 120! We’ve been hard at work since coming back from Winter Break and I have been amazed at how much my kiddos have grown in just this short amount of time.

The biggest change we’ve had in our classroom is the addition of a Denver Teacher Resident. I am honored that the program and my principal asked me to host a resident for the rest of the year. It’s been an adjustment, but both the students and I are very thankful for our new teacher!

It’s also made me thankful all over again for the mentor teacher with whom I spent part of my residency. She’s still a mentor teacher for Denver Teacher Residency. We talk about our classrooms, our struggles, our success…it’s been such a pleasure to spend a few moments catching up with her at our mentor teacher meetings.

As a former resident, I have thoroughly enjoyed reminiscing about my days in the program. It’s been quite the experience to think back to those first days in a classroom when I didn’t know the DRA2 from DIBLES (both are reading assessments, FYI). All in all, the past month has made me realized that, just like my students, how much I too have grown.

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Erin Meyer’s holiday treat

By admin | Published: January 12, 2012

My students and I walking to the Oxford Hotel to enjoy the lights!

Happy 2012! I am so honored to share with you my latest experience with the Denver Teacher Residency. I had the unique opportunity to participate in the Gust Poetry Evening on December 14, 2011!

Last year, eight of my current first graders wrote a poetry unit in their Kindergarten class. These works got published in the fourth edition of DPS’ Dreams and Directions poetry volume. Before the release party at Tattered Cover, the children were invited to the 9news station! I was able to help facilitate the students memorizing their poems and working with parents to coordinate the event since they are currently in my class, so the Kindergarten teachers cordially invited me out with them for the festivities!

In the morning we went to 9news where we were interviewed and given a tour by Kyle Dyer and later we were off to downtown Denver on a chartered bus. We went to the release party at Tattered Cover LoDo, then we saw the beautiful holiday lights at the Oxford Hotel. Finally, we ended our evening at the Cheesecake Factory with hot chocolate and cheesecake!

What beautiful memories I have, perhaps the most special though is my autographed book of Dreams and Directions by my talented poets! I’m so proud of each and every one of them!

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What I learn from my students

By admin | Published: January 11, 2012

I joined the Denver Teacher Residency program knowing that I would learn a multitude of things from my lead teacher. I also knew I would gain invaluable knowledge from other experienced teachers, the program staff, and my own teachers. So far this has held completely true. What I did not realize was how much I would learn from my students, and how that knowledge would teach me more about the teaching profession than anything.

Most of my students started out this school year the same way; cool, calm, and collected. “D” was no different. As the “honeymoon” period wore off D began to change. He was extremely disruptive in all of his classes and left his teachers at a loss for what to do to. We found out D had a rough time this summer – his mother passed unexpectedly and his older sibling is no longer in the picture because of poor decisions.

Because each of his teachers tried to work with him and showed him that they cared about him, he began to buy into the entire school a lot more. Everywhere he went he found someone rooting for him. Of course D still has his bad days, but for the most part he has become the student I look to when I needed an answer. He also saved me one day when I could not get participation in my class to save my life. Once D raised his hand and decided to participate, everyone decided to participate.

Just recently before winter break, D’s attendance declined severely and I only saw him about once a week. I found out after coming back from break that D withdrew and would no longer attend Grant Middle School. Learning this made me realize just how much I had learned from him and started to think about how much I learn every day from all of my students. D taught me patience and compassion and he gave me a better understanding of the students I work with.

Every student has a story. I’m sure that you would be surprised by how hard some of their stories are, but how they are still so strong and look to us as teachers to help them make it. My students have not only made me a better teacher but they also make me a better person.

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Denver Teacher Residency joins “100k in 10,” a multi-sector movement to tackle nation’s need for 100,000 excellent math and science teachers in 10 years

By admin | Published: January 9, 2012

Initiative to Recruit, Develop, and Retain Excellent STEM Teachers for Public Schools Secures Nearly $20 Million in Funding; President Obama Says “Nothing is More Important”; Secretary Duncan Lauds Initiative’s “All-Hands-on-Deck Strategy”

The Denver Teacher Residency, a Denver Public Schools and University of Denver teacher preparation program, has joined a growing multi-sector movement currently composed of more than 80 partners committed to working to recruit, develop, and retain 100,000 excellent STEM teachers over the coming 10 years. The movement is being led by Carnegie Corporation of New York and the Opportunity Equation.
100Kin10 is a multi-sector mobilization that invites any organization, including but not limited to corporations, school districts, museums, institutions of higher education, foundations, federal agencies, professional associations, states, and nonprofit organizations, to apply their particular assets to creatively and strategically address the challenges of increasing the supply of and retaining excellent STEM educators.
The Denver Teacher Residency has committed to training 150 STEM teachers over the next ten years. The alternative route into teaching is an initiative of Denver Public Schools and the University of Denver’s Morgridge College. By training aspiring teachers in secondary math and science, the program not only aligns with the district’s talent management strategy, it also supports its top priority: an effective teacher in every classroom.

“I am honored to partner with this initiative,” said Thalia Nawi, director of the Denver Teacher Residency. “This speaks to the importance of quality teacher preparation and preparing our teaching corps with the skills that will help all students succeed into the 21st century.”

At the seventh Annual Meeting of CGI in New York City last week, President Obama reiterated the imperative: “[Our future] demands that we give every child the skills and education they need to succeed. And I thank you for the commitment that you made to recruit and train tens of thousands of new science, technology, engineering, and math teachers. Nothing could be more important.”

Secretary of Education Arne Duncan yesterday lauded the 100Kin10 initiative, saying: “President Obama and I believe that recruiting and preparing 100,000 excellent new teachers in the STEM fields is essential for our students’ success in the 21st century knowledge economy. I applaud the work of Carnegie Corporation and the Opportunity Equation and the 80 organizations including corporations, universities, non-profits, states, and districts that are coming together under the banner of ‘100Kin10’ to provide our students with a world-class education in the STEM subjects.”

A dozen corporate and foundation partners have created an initial funding base of nearly $20 million in pledges that can be allocated to any of the 100Kin10 partner organizations at the discretion of the funder. More information, including a complete list of partners and their commitments, is available on the 100Kin10 website.

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Whew!

By admin | Published: December 17, 2011

The countdown to winter break is almost over, with a much needed break for the students and teachers alike. I’m looking forward to having time to visit family and friends, ski, read for pleasure, and rejuvenate. I feel like I’ve been going non-stop since August and will appreciate the quick breath to refocus before the remainder of the year.

One of the best things about the Denver Teacher Residency is the balance between practical experience, coursework, and reflection. With the myriad demands of the first year of teaching, I’ve been heavily focused on the practical experience side of things. From building classroom culture, analyzing student data, and selecting curriculum to address my students’ various needs, it is definitely hands-on experience! While constant reflection is a habit of mine, I think that a break from it all will allow me to regain the balance of work and reflection instilled through DTR. I am excited about the opportunity to reread some of the books from my courses, look through old notes, and apply it to my current classroom.

I believe that one of my strongest assets as a teacher is my focus on a student-centered education. I am grateful that DTR prepared us to use reflection and professional best-practices to address what is truly best for my students.

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