Typing With Purpose: Linking the Word Processing Curriculum to Real World Applications Through Service Learning.
Typing With Purpose: Linking the Word Processing Curriculum to Real World Applications Through Service Learning.
A while back I was approached by one of the English teachers at Parkers Chapel about being her substitute when she goes on maternity leave in March. I told her I would think about it and let her know, but deep down, the idea of teaching 9th, 10th and 11th grade English scared me to death! I am not an English guru, and although I know the basics regarding grammar and writing, I don’t know if I am capable of teaching a classroom full of students for six weeks.
I have talked to some other teachers at the school (one of them is my old English teacher, and the other is one of my best friends), and they both assure me that I am capable of handling the job, and they are there if I need something. A couple of weeks ago, the high school principal stopped me to see if I would be interested in doing one of the maternity leaves he will have to fill after the first of the year (come to find out there will be three teachers having to take off), and I told him that I had already been asked to fill the English job, and was honest with him about my fears. He made me feel so much better, and assured me I could do it, and there was a lot of help available to me if I needed it.
Well, Mrs. Kendricks (the English teacher who is needing me to fill in for her) sent me an e-mail and wanted to know for sure if I would fill in for her because she wanted to confirm her sub before Thanksgiving. I said YES!!! Now, I am nervous and excited, and she has decided to take off ten weeks instead of six. She is already sending me stuff I need to know, and we are planning on meeting a lot after Christmas break to make sure we are on the same page regarding what needs to be covered and what they will be working on.
After seeing how much time I am going to have to get prepared, I feel a lot better about getting to experience the teaching world for ten weeks. It’s not a full time job, but it is a start!
The past couple of days I have gotten to sub for a teacher that teaches a couple of the classes I am going to be certified to teach, and it was such a wonderful experience! For once, I actually understood the assignments the students were given, and even had the opportunity to help them when they needed it. It was so great to be in an environment I felt comfortable in, and see what my future holds!
After the teacher discovered that I will be certified to teach business classes, she offered me some practice by asking me to come teach some lessons for her in the future. She knows a couple of dates that she will be out, and has requested me to fill in for her and is leaving the lesson for the day in my hands! I am so excited…she is going to let me know when and what they are studying and leave the rest to me. I’ll let you know how it goes!!!
I have had a GREAT day!!! Every year our school has a Fall Festival the Friday before Halloween. This is a great way for the elementary classrooms and other clubs in the school to raise money for things they might need throughout the year. It is always a huge success and is fun for the parents, teachers and students.
The way the festival works is each organization (3rd grade, Spanish club, Junior Class, etc.) has a different booth that students can go to and play a game, buy food, get nails painted, faces painted, etc. Parents, grandparents, teachers, and students work the booths so everyone enjoys the fun and games for the day. Each grade level gets to attend the festival during their allotted times throughout the day (this way booths are not overloaded with everyone at once), and it is always fun regardless of which grade is out there!
The fall festival is just one more “perk” that students at Parkers Chapel get to enjoy every year, and I am surprised to see all of the alumni that show up throughout the day to enjoy it with their children and grandchildren. It is one of those traditions that I hope we can always enjoy throughout life regardless of how old we get!
Today I had the experience of subbing in a classroom full of eighth graders. The classes were large, and the kids were very rowdy. I learned after my first class to have a “Don’t Touch Another Student Under Any Circumstances” rule, and that was the only warning I would give. Eighth graders are always picking on each other, and what starts out as a tap eventually turns into a fight, so I now enforced my rule at the beginning of class.
The great thing about a small school is the coaches are always right down the hall. Today the junior high football team had a home game, and were all wearing their jerseys. This was a great benefit to me because I knew who they were and the coach came in my class at the beginning to tell them all to behave or they would deal with him, especially his football boys.
Well, everything went great until the end of class when two boys decided to jokingly hit each other, and it turned into a fight. As soon as I yelled, “Stop” both boys immediately realized their mistake, and broke apart, but it was to late. They had been warned, and that didn’t stop them, so after writing their names down (they were both football players), I sent them to their next class and immediately went to the football coach’s classroom. He assured me it would be taken care of, and I believed him.
The next day I had to sub for a different teacher and was met by both the teacher whose class I had been in previously (which just happens to be the senior high football coach), and the junior high coach. They both assured me that they had handled the matter and I didn’t have to put up with it. They also assured me that I did the right thing by telling them because they could punish them using something that mattered to them.
Apparently coaches expect more from their athletes, as teachers we can use their expectations in our classrooms and if those expectations are not being met, we can go to the coaches (if they are willing to expect this from their players). It doesn’t work for all of the students, but it sure has an impact on those it works on.
It’s Homecoming week at PC, and I have had the opportunity to sub twice this week! The atmosphere in the school is different from any other time I have been there, and to say the kids are excited is an understatement!
Each day of homecoming week has a different theme, and kids dress according to the theme in all grades from preschool to seniors! It was really fun to see how all the kids dressed, and I was there for two very fun days…costume day and decade day!
The imagination and creativity of students amazes me! After many years of the same theme days, they keep coming up with unique and fun ideas. My favorite day, come as you are day, was celebrated on a day I was not subbing, or I would have loved to come in my PJ’s!
Were the kids a little rowdy? Yes, but the excitement and the atmosphere are wonderful, and they were all still very well behaved! I can’t wait until I get to be in a school everyday and share all of the events that happen throughout the year. I love the fact that school is still fun, and you get to enjoy it, but still get a great education!
Music Fest was this weekend, and if you are not from El Dorado, you probably don't know what I am talking about, but it is the largest event that is held in our town each year. It is also one of the largest parties on Friday and Saturday night, and is held in downtown El Dorado on the square. I know in the past there has been thousands of people come into town for this event, and you see people you haven’t seen since Music Fest the previous year and some you haven’t seen in years!
This year, however, I had a totally different outlook on Music Fest, and realized that just because you leave the classroom doesn’t mean you stop being a teacher. Everywhere I looked there were students from Parkers Chapel. Not just kids I had known for years that just spoke when I saw them, but numerous students yelling, “Mrs. Shoup” as I passed. I realized that just because I was in a different atmosphere, I was still “Mrs. Shoup” to them.
I found out that getting to be “Amanda” in public and have fun no matter where I am is over. There really are students watching you no matter where you are. The realization hit me hard, and I realized how much my life has changed. Not in a bad way, and I wouldn’t change it for anything, I just have to realize how everything I do impacts the role model I am setting for students. It is just the way you are viewed by those around you, and I have never had to worry about that before.
Believe me…I am a lot more aware of my surroundings now. Where I am, what I am doing, what I am wearing, who I am with, etc. I want my students to see a good role model in and outside of the classroom!
After 38 years in education, the Superintendent of Parkers Chapel School District is retiring. The impact that he has had on our school district cannot be described in words, but the example he has set is one that many of us follow. At his retirement reception today, many of us learned things that he has done that we never knew about, and joked about the many things we did know about. I wanted to share some things about him, so everyone can see what a true dedicated educator and administrator is made of....
For you to completely understand Mr. Gross, it is important for you to know that he is close to seven foot tall. Yes, you read that right, he is very tall and to the small children in elementary, this seems like a giant. However, this giant was one of the most caring, loving, and compassionate men I have ever known. Instead of scaring the children, he became their hero and their safety net. Some stories wrote by elementary students were very touching, and just proved how much he loved children…here are a few of the things told by those children…
“I am so thankful for Mr. Gross because at our grandparents day lunch, he came and ate with me because my grandparents couldn’t make it”
“I am so thankful for Mr. Gross because he is always standing on the sidewalk to greet us when we get to school, and he is at the buses to tell us bye at the end of the day”
“I am so thankful for Mr. Gross because he could always get our ball off of the roof if we accidently threw it up there during recess”
It touched my heart to hear the loving and caring stories that those children told about him, and the same relationship he held with those children lasted throughout their lives. I am an example of this!
Mr. Gross always wears dress clothes, but he also always worked with his hands. He had his own backhoe that was always at the school, and it wasn’t a surprise to see him, tie and all, digging a hole with the backhoe, or stepping in two foot of mud to fix the sewer. That was just his work ethic…there wasn’t anything he wouldn’t do. Some funny stories were told about him climbing light poles in his dress clothes using his pole climbing equipment to change light bulbs at our ballparks. He was said to be the toughest guy in the world…the story was told of him nailing his hand with a nail gun while building the press box and simply pulling it out and kept on working…WOW!
Not only was he always working to improve our school, Mr. Gross always expected nothing but the best from everyone. His expectations were always extreme, but his faculty and students always seemed to meet them because he believed they could. Mr. Gross is one of the reasons that Parkers Chapel is one of the top schools in the state, although he won’t take the credit for it. In the El Dorado News Times, Mr. Gross stated “The key is to have top notch teachers in the classroom. We have several classes that have the best scores in the state for math, literacy and/or science, and most of the Parkers Chapel students rank 90 percent proficient or above”
It will never be the same when you walk down the halls at Parkers Chapel, but the example Mr. Gross has set for his former students, parents, staff and community will forever be exemplified throughout the school and throughout most of our lives. I am so proud to have had such a wonderful Superintendent and an amazing example to follow as I start my teaching career.
When I was in high school, being a teacher was the last thing I wanted to do. My mother is the PE teacher for P - 6th grades at PC, and I thought being just like her was the LAST thing I wanted to do. I still don't want to be just like her. I can't imagine having to teach PE to 65 Kindergarten students at once, but she loves it, and the kids love her. I do think, however, being like her in the classroom is not such a bad thing. Call it growing up, or just realizing my mother was right all these years, but I think she is amazing, and anyone who watches her take the whole 2nd grade class, and have them dance to the Wii, but convince them that those who don't have remotes are still being scored because she put "imaginary sensors" in the floor will make anyone have a whole new respect for teachers.
I guess the old saying, "The apple doesn't fall far from the tree" truly fits me. I am just thankful my mom is there and I have someone to help me as I continue my journey to becoming a teacher!
Blogging is new to me, but I am excited about it. I hope you will enjoy taking the journey with me through the next year, and will enjoy learning about my life, the lessons I learn, and the obstacles I face. You never know what tomorrow might bring!
About Me...
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Hello Everyone!! My name is Amanda Shoup and I am from Parkers Chapel, a small community in El Dorado, Arkansas. I am happily married to my wonderful husband, Jeremy, and we have a seven year-old son, Trace. I have a bachelor's degree in Business Management with an emphasis in Marketing, and I am currently enrolled in the Master of Arts in Teaching Program at the University of Arkansas at Monticello. I currently do not have a job, and I am certified to teach Business Education in grades 7th – 12th, but living in a small town, those jobs are few and far between. I am not giving up hope, though, because I know there is a job for me, I just hope it comes along soon! My hobbies include whatever sport my son is playing, which is currently Pee Wee Football, doing home improvement projects, hunting, and spending time with my family. I hope you enjoy taking this journey with me through the MAT program, and into the field of education!
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