Caught in a Whirlwind

Okay, so I haven’t been doing that great with the blogging here lately. I think I just fell into a blogging rut, or maybe it’s because I’ve been super busy. Whatever the case, I’m glad you’re still reading, and I’m sorry about the delay.

It’s currently Halloween. I’m sitting in a hotel in Aiken with the greatest mother on the planet…mine, in case you were wondering, and I’m oohing and aahing over Facebook pictures of babies and toddlers dressed up in their Halloween best. Halloween is so not my favorite holiday, but at least the kids are cute.

Where have I been since October 3, 2012? If it’s in South Carolina, it feels like I’ve been there! In 67 miles, my BMW will have hit 15,000, and then it’s time to trade it in. I’ve driven it to Charleston a ton, to Columbia, to Spartanburg, to Rock Hill, to Myrtle Beach, and Aiken. I’ve also been to Notre Dame, but I didn’t drive there.

Regional Teacher Forums have been keeping me busy, and y’all, I really thought that my District Teacher of the Year class was as good as it got. They are really just all top-notch people who I absolutely love, but these new District Teachers of the Year are giving us a run for our money. They are incredible and come to our meetings with such passion and phenomenal stories. I wish you could meet them all, but at least Todd takes some great pictures for us!

So far, we’ve been to the Lowcountry (where I ate the best fried chicken in the world), the Midlands (where we watched a group of 12 adults struggle to lower a tent pole to the ground), and to the Pee Dee (where I felt at home because I live and teach there). Tomorrow, we’ll be with the Savannah River group, and in two weeks, we’ll finish up in the Upstate. My teacher forum regional tour will be over, but I will have met some great people along the way.

In the midst of all that (because my schedule simply was not full enough), I attended the Teacher Cadet Fall Renewal Conference in Myrtle Beach and spent a deliciously cold weekend at Notre Dame. I will write more about those later because each deserves its own post, but I’ll try to do it in a more timely fashion.

My apologies for a post that’s all over the place, but that’s the story of my life these days!

A Fabulous Teacher, A Fabulous Idea

A while back when my husband and I were in the midst of packing up my classroom, I blogged that I thought this whole Teacher of the Year experience was a little bittersweet. Honestly, there are days I still feel that way. There are days when I long to get up and go see my sweet students and get them all riled up about the injustices of To Kill a Mockingbird or shed tears with them as we get to the end of Tuesdays with Morrie. Sometimes I just feel an ache deep in my chest, and I need to be around kids. Thankfully, I have been fortunate enough lately to be invited to quite a few schools. Actually, I might have invited myself, but please don’t tell my momma because she always said that was very rude!

I got to reunite with my Third Block Fam at Homecoming! Love, love, love my precious students!

Last week, the day after my trip to Georgetown High School, I was able to visit Mayo High School in Darlington. In case you’re not from this area, Mayo is a public high school that gears instruction toward math, science, and technologies, and it is home to some phenomenal students, teachers, and programs. Additionally, it is home to one of my most influential teachers. If you’ve heard me speak, you know that I had a great English teacher when I was in tenth grade. Her name is Josie Stratton, and I always tell my audience that she was loud. After my recent visit with her, I will maintain that as the truth.

The infamous Josie Stratton!

I’ve always been a reader since way back in second grade when Mrs. Pam brought books to life for me. However, I don’t think I ever really appreciated more challenging literature until Mrs. Stratton’s class. She is by far one of the most brilliant individuals I know, yet as my teacher, she established a community of learners, and that community included her. She never just stood at the front of the room and imparted her knowledge (of which she has plenty), but she made us think critically, asking those “how and why” questions and refusing to give answers! She sat down and learned alongside us, and she made such an impression on me. Just as a fun side note, when I was named Teacher of the Year and it aired on the local news that night, her daughter said, “Momma! It’s your Amy!” Precious, isn’t it?

On my visit to Mayo and Mrs. Stratton the other day, I got to visit with the Teacher Cadets. They were amazing and extremely ambitious. They don’t all want to teach, but teaching isn’t for everyone. However, I think it’s important that students experience Teacher Cadet so we can grow advocates for public education. So these kids, y’all, when they’re operating on hearts or premature babies, they will definitely be rooting for what we do in our classrooms every day. And since they’ll be making the big bucks, maybe they’ll fund some DonorsChoose projects for us, too!

I didn’t go to Mayo on just any day. Eleven years ago, Mrs. Stratton started this community/school event she called Novel Tea. Students read a contemporary young adult book and select an adult who will read the book along with them. On the day of Novel Tea, students decorate tables according to their books, and the adults (mostly parents, but not all) come in and discuss the book with them for about 45 minutes. Originally, they served tea, like hot tea…and cookies! The event is too big for that now, but the participants still get lemonade and homemade cookies. Apparently, the red velvet ones were exquisite! On this day, they had 87 students registered to discuss books with adults. It was amazing! I wish there were another word that trumped amazing, but I can’t think of one. For about 45 minutes, I heard adults discussing books and literary elements with their students. Some of the kids went all out with their tables. One group of guys read Ghosts of War: The True Story of a 19-Year-Old GI, and in order to get supplies for their table, they went to the army surplus store. They had real uniforms, face paint, and MRE’s that they actually cooked!

I was so very impressed by the involvement of both the students and their parents/adult readers, but I wasn’t surprised that this phenomenal idea was born from the brain of Josie Stratton. I’ve been in awe of her since I was 15!

Invite me to your schools! I miss kids! And my mommma said not to invite myself!

I Became a Bulldog...But Only for a Day!

I am currently writing this post as I sit in the back of an English II Honors class at Georgetown High School watching one of the most phenomenal educators I know get her students to discuss their biases and the lens through which they view the world. And the conversation is so interesting. Somehow, she makes them think deeply, yet they appreciate the differences of their peers. I want to teach like Kristi Squires when I grow up! Today, I have been a Georgetown Bulldog, and it has been a great experience.

It took me a while to find Georgetown High School. I had the address and when I went to enter it in my GPS, the street on which the school is located did not exist according to my BMW GPS. However, I discovered that if you see WalMart, you're close, so I found my way and was only a few minutes behind schedule.

This might be an appropriate time to review that I teach at Johnsonville High School in Florence District 5, home of the Flashes and only three schools: one elementary, one middle, and one high school. And I love it! There is something about a smalltown school like mine. Each year, approximately 425 students enroll in the high school, and by the end of the year, you are able to know all the faces and most of the names.

When I got to Georgetown High, I couldn't get in! I tried every single one of the locked six doors in the front before I realized there was a button I had to press to buzz the office so I could come in. They don't play in Georgetown. That is some high tech stuff! I think it's great that schools have moved to these more protective measures to protect students and staff, but I did feel kind of dumb for having tried every door when the buzzer was clearly marked.

During my day as a Bulldog, Mary Ann Owens let me spend some time talking to the GHS Teacher Cadets. I asked how many of them really planned to teach as a career. I was stunned when almost every single person in the class raised his or her hand. I'm sure this has a lot to do with the great instruction they receive courtesy of Mrs. Owens, but this simple fact put me on Cloud Nine. From there, we talked about the ways the media distorts the reality of South Carolina public education, read The Curious Garden, and talked about the various strengths we can bring to the table as leaders. And y'all know something? I have a good feeling about these Teacher Cadets. In my brief time with them today, I found that they get leadership. They know that it's important to listen and problem-solve and bring compassion to the table. They also recognize the need for dedication in good leaders. They will all impact the world somehow.

So far, I've had a lot of fun experiences as South Carolina's Teacher of the Year, but my favorites so far are the times I've spent at schools. I have a goal to visit every district in the state by May 1st! Invite me to yours!