Day40/Day11

So....Friday has come.....been a long week.....this week I was reminded that you can get through difficult times with a support system .....

On Wednesday, Leanne blogged....she talked about the future.....what will the future hold????

The future will be strong as long as there is a strong support system.....

Day 39/Day 10

I was called into one of the classrooms at the end of the day.....the students (and teacher) where excited to share that the entire class "pinned up"!!!



Carpe Diem!


-Amy

So tonight Amy is not the blogger,  and I am looking at the computer screen knowing I have a tough act to follow.  Her posts have been informative, witty, touching...simply well done.

              I am writing my first blog entry...ever and at 9:00 PM it might take a bit to find wit or anything informative hitting the keyboard!

What to write about...hmmmm.........
                       I suppose I have quite a few options since the past three weeks have been filled with quite a bit of activity.  OK....instead of talking about the past three weeks, or even the events of today, why don't I address what lies ahead!?
                The future.... 

               In the coming weeks.....

        We will see more attention to academics with math games from Everyday Math and literacy blocks filling up with engaging lessons as the teachers and students settle in even more than they have in the two and a half weeks of operation. 

                  We will see dance moves that become more second nature to the children as they continue to work with instructors from Spotlight Dance Studio.  We will see teachers and students build relationships that reflect comfort and ease with known boundaries and expectations.

                           We will watch children to eagerly await time with their Teaching Artists as they anticipate the next step in the process. 

                                        We will watch as schedules and procedures that are so explicitly thought about now, become routine...leading to very well run classrooms (not to say that we are not seeing well run classrooms already!!). 

                                                    We will continue to see nutritious snacks and meals being provided and even more children embracing salads and fruit as they are offered regularly. 

                                                          We will see children move through 30 minutes of physical activity with much more ease as their bodies grow stronger and build more endurance. 

                                                               We will see young teachers grow in their chosen field through actual clinical experience....finding out first hand what works, what doesn't, and then seizing the opportunity to modify and try something that just might be precisely right! 

                                                                     We will see many more challenges, many more opportunities to learn and grow,
                                                           but most importantly....
       
....... we will see children learning....
      ............we will see young teachers growing ....
              ..........we will see progress....
                      .......we will see something called great success! 

Carpe' Diem!

Leanne   (aka  Dr. Roberts)

Day 37/Day 8

Dear Student Loan Repayment Provider:

Please except my sincere apologies for forgetting to make a payment on my loan....but I am busy changing the world...

Sincerely,

-Me


Carpe Diem!

-Amy

Day 36/Day 7

Every Monday morning, before I head to work, I travel to Wegmans to pick up snack for the Carpe Diem Academy students. Josh, the front end manager, has the snack ready to go and will load up my car. He looked a little puzzled today....he said, "You have a different car, again." .....I laughed and replied....well it is a $1.5 million dollar grant...kidding aside...I though for a moment and realized I had a different car each time I picked up snack....my old car.......my bosses car......my new car....and now the loaner car I am driving until they fix my leaky car roof.....

....on the drive to work,  I thought what it would be like to have 4 cars or more.....but I didn't think for too long.....I am a pretty simple person and decided one car is enough for me!

Shortly after I arrived at my office, I had a visitor...a student asked if I had a pen that he could have....I think I gave him a strange look and replied, "To have?" ....he laughed....now I had a pen on my desk...but it was my favorite pen....a BIC 537R to be exact!  Without much thought, I opened up my desk drawer and handed him a regular  BIC ball point pen.....after he left, I got to thinking....

Why didn't I give him my favorite pen? Why am I so deserving to keep the nicer pen....Now....a pen is a pen.....but looking deeper into it.....Why have I been so deserving to be raised by two devoted parents.....picked on by 4 loving brothers....went to school with clean clothes, a healthy lunch packed in my book bag....came home to a warm house, a hot dinner, and a bed to sleep in. Why have I been so deserving to go to college, work at a job I love?

.....I have been blessed....and now it is time to give back.....

Carpe Diem!

-Amy

Reflection

So...today, it dawned on me that 8 weeks ago I was preparing for the 1st day of my new job. I recall a mixture of emotions jumbled up inside of me. I was ready to move on...to take that next step in my career...but was I really ready or did I just think I was ready due to all the stress at my previous job???

I was worried after a week or so I would be missing my 1st graders and my coworkers and the environment that I spent the last 6 1/2 years in....I was nervous just as anyone would be when starting a new job....I was excited to help change the world......

I recall, after Day 1, I posted on Facebook and in the first blog post how much I love my job....

Well....that still holds true today!!! I wouldn't trade it for anything! Honestly! I think if someone offered me a million dollars in exchange for this job, I still wouldn't swap.....OK,OK...that's a little far-fetched....but I am just trying to get across how much I love what I do.

Is it challenging at times? Yes...but isn't that what makes work, work? Yes!

So...here's to Week 3 of Carpe Diem Academy......but before it begins...I need to find the deodorant!

Carpe Diem!

-Amy

Day 35

I am racing against the clock....left my power cord at work and according to my computer, I have 13 minutes left before my computer shuts down......

Somedays, I wish I had a battery pack to tell me how much time I have left before I need to sleep....it would push me to work harder or maybe just remind me to drink a few 5-hour energy shots...

Today was a busy day.......

9:30-10:30: meeting
10:30-11:45: meeting
12:00-12:45: meeting
1:00-3:00: Everyday Math Training

As I was just typing the schedule, I realized I went about 3 hours without my cell phone....not sure when the last time that happened....good thing is....I survived!!!

Today, the academy staff was trained in Everyday Math. Everday Math is the math program the district uses...the academy staff is lucky to be able to incorporate the game component of Everyday Math during their math block. Thanks to the District's Mathematics Team for a great training!

Ok...easily distracted....when I started blogging about Everday Math, I started searching for Everday Math links....now my remaining time is right around 2 minutes....

Happy Friday!!!

Carpe Diem!

-Amy

Day 34/Day 6

In 6 days, we have accomplished A LOT......do you recall the post with the pictures of the large white boards with the schedule? Ya know, the perfect schedule? Well....the schedule wasn't so perfect...so we made changes....

The original schedule had the students transitioning too much....visiting 3-4 teachers every day....traveling from room to room.....we quickly realized the fewer transitions, the better...so we revamped...and the students are now self-contained....

With this schedule change, came positives....

- One teacher - the teacher will get to know the students, the students will get to know the teacher, and the parents will get to know the teacher, too! Very similar to the regular school day.

- Eating in the classroom - In one classroom, the students were eating, talking quietly and learning
                                           manners. Music was playing quietly in the background.

Now....at two of the sites, the food is delivered to the same floor as the classrooms, so the carts are pushed down the hall and the food is served. However, at one of the sites, the food is delivered to the lower level and the classrooms are on the 2nd floor....which means, the carts need to be pushed down the hall, around the corner, down a ramp, around the corner, to the elevator, in the elevator, up to the 2nd floor, and then the food is served. The elevator ride was interesting....couldb't  help but take a picture....now the picture isn't the best....but needed a snapshot of that memory....and just had to share!

Carpe Diem!

-Amy

Day 33/Day5

I must say....we have come a long way since day 1! Students (and teachers) are beginning to fall into the daily routine.
Another site started up, today. We curerntly have 3 sites up and running and by the sounds of it they all ran pretty smoothly...which is pretty spectacular to hear! Right now, between the 3 sites we are working with an average of 170 students.

Kinda sleepy....will write more tomorrow :)

Carpe Diem!

-Amy

Day 32/ Day 4

What a difference a mile makes......sweet dreams, children, sweet dreams....... Carpe Diem! -Amy