First Day of Class!

Today was the first day of my Integrating Technology into the Reading and Language Arts Curriculum CI556 class!  This class is going to be a beneficial learning experience for me in continuing my learning in Education.

We created this exciting project on Wordle today. It is a paragraph telling you a little bit about myself.  I actually had a few fifth grade students create these for me.  They used them in English and just to have fun with.  It was neat to create my own.

Unfortunately, I had to come to class late but it was for a very good reason!  I had my second interview for a Fifth grade teaching position in a school district that I would love to teach for!  I really hope this position works out well for me because I loved my fifth graders when I was student teaching and I would be a wonderful fifth grade teacher.


I had prepared my lesson over the weekend and studied questions I thought I would be asked.  I made sure to mark the pages in my portfolio I wanted to show and had a stack of freshly-printed resumes ready to go! The interview process was very nerve-racking, at first.  I just needed to remember to take a deep breath, a drink of water and calm down.  I knew I would do fine, but I really wanted this job.


As I was interviewing with the panel, I noticed that all my butterflies went away and I was as calm as can be.  I was ready to answer any question that came my way and turned into a bit of a Chatty-Cathy :)  As we finished up the questions, I had a chance to ask some questions back.  I decided to ask about the school and what the parents thought the most important parts were and how they felt about the school as a whole.  My interviewers loved answering this question because it gave them a chance to show off what their school has to offer.


After all the questions and discussions, the principal and panel told me what a wonderful job I did and that they were impressed with what I had to offer.  It was time for the teaching portion and I was definitely ready to teach! I had a small group of fifth graders and we worked on a Comprehension strategy called, Get the Gist.  They seemed to really love the interactive parts where they could count their gist statements on their fingers. Plus, when working with a group, they come up with double the ideas. The teaching portion went well and it was time for me to leave.


As I was leaving, I had a wonderful conversation with the new principal and she told me how impressed she was regarding the interview and teaching.  She said she was so impressed with the letters of recommendation I received and she was eager to get in touch with me later today or tomorrow.  I shook her hand and I'm sure she could feel the excitement in my hand.  I walked out of the school with a huge smile on my face and all I could think about was getting a call back.


I drove to Ames to get to class, as quickly as I could.  After class ended, I heard my phone buzz and saw the school's number light up my phone... It was them.  I quickly answered, trying to remain calm but I could hear the excitement in her voice!  She told me she was excited to present me this opportunity and wanted to know if I was willing to accept.  OF COURSE I WANT THIS JOB! This is a DREAM job.  I am so excited that I am able to teach fifth graders, next year. I could not have asked for a better day!

I came home to my pretty puppy, Brandi, and told her the WONDERFUL news! As you can see, she is pretty excited for me too!  I called my family to share the excitement and now I am sitting at my desk attempting to read the articles assigned for tomorrow's class.  I need to switch my mind to College mode and out of fifth grade mode.  Well, maybe a few more minutes.....


I wonder if Brandi will read these articles for me?