Tag: ELA teacher

Memories

Memories

by suzannamoberg ♥ 2 Comments

The year I turned 12 was a life-changing year for me.

First, I finally got to sit in the front seat of the car (a perk I enjoyed for one whole year before I had to start calling “Shotgun” to beat my younger sister to the coveted seat).

Second, I finally got my ears pierced. Nothing made me feel more grown-up than matching my little earrings to the outfit I had chosen for the day.

Third (I really feel I saved the best for last here), I finally got Facebook.

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Now, this might not be exciting to most (I realize that my students call me “old” because I still have, and actively use, Facebook), but as one of the last of my friends to sign up for an account, my 12-year-old life was truly changed.

Surprise! The newly 12-year-old me was a chronic over-sharer. You know those prompts that Facebook uses to inspire posts? “What’s on your mind?” “How are you feeling today?” etc.? Well, I didn’t need a prompt to tell my friends exactly what was up in my life.

  • What did I eat for lunch? I’d post about it.
  • Who was I hanging out with after school? I’d post about it.
  • Vague song lyrics, out-of-pocket inspirational quotes, or mysteriously suspicious jabs? I’d post about it.

This list could go on and on.

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As time went on, I thought that I could forget about those posts and put those embarrassing moments behind me – after all, who has time to scroll through 13 years’ worth of Facebook posts to uncover those relics?

I’ll tell you who: the creators behind Facebook Memories.

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I can’t really explain how unprepared I was for that first memory from 12-year-old me to pop up, but wow. There are no words.

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Maybe I’m getting sentimental in my “old age”, but I’ve started to cherish those memories when I see that notification every day (I’ve also started to cherish the “Hide Post” option on certain memories šŸ˜‰).

Even though there are so many hilariously cringy posts that pop up, I can’t help but smile when I see inside jokes I shared with old friends, childhood pictures I was tagged in, or teenage accomplishments; all of these “core memories” I didn’t remember I had until Facebook Memories reminded me.

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Though not cringy or embarrassing or mildly traumatizing like the posts of my youth, I’m finding that the most notable memories that pop up on my memories timeline are the ones from my first two years as an educator.

Many know, but I had a rough first two years, largely in part to the COVID pandemic that led to me teaching virtually, hybrid, in a mask, distanced, and so many other crazy things it’s hard to believe that was my real life. Along with global pandemic factors, I faced an incredibly difficult work environment with students (and administration) who challenged me beyond anything I thought possible. While I loved many of my coworkers (most of whom I stay in touch with and am so thankful for), I knew that I couldn’t maintain that lifestyle and be the best version of myself (someone who, according to those early Facebook posts, 12-year-old me thought was pretty stinkin’ cool).

I look back at memories from those first two years and have to take a moment to grieve for that girl: for the first years of teaching she desperately wanted but didn’t get to have; for the times her body made her physically ill at the thought of having to make it one more day; for the mornings, afternoons, evenings, and nights she spent stressed and crying into her pillow, praying for things to change. How bittersweet to see a picture and know that behind that smile was a girl who was scared out of her mind and ready to leave the career she wanted to love.

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This week, I unlocked a new core memory. This week, I finished my third year of teaching.

And it was the best. year. ever.

Because this week, I finished my third year of teaching, but I got to do it at the school of my dreams with the most amazing coworkers, and friends I didn’t think I deserved.

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The year wasn’t perfect (goodness knows some of my students found joy in all the gray hairs they gave me!), but it was loaded with incredible lessons and memories that I’ll cherish forever.

I hope that, in a decade, when these memories pop up, I’ll remember how much I smiled and laughed and loved life in these years. While I’m sure the pictures and posts will still be cringy (will I remember that we were dressed up for a theme day or will I think that I really wore bucket hats to school?!), I am excited to move past feelings of grief, regret, and resentment and rather just cherish this incredible group of people I was blessed to work with.

I guess in all of this, I’m trying to say “Thank you.” Thank you to you for reading this and sticking around to the end of another long post. Thank you to 12-year-old me for being her most authentic self – what a gal! Thank you to my first two years of teaching for showing me I could do it. And thank you to year three for…well…everything.

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It’s time now for another summer of adventure and memories (and preparing for year four – good luck living up to this new standard!). Please enjoy some of the people and events that made my heart sing this year; I can’t wait to see these pop up on my memory timeline for decades to come.

Best Year Yet

Best Year Yet

by suzannamoberg ♥ 4 Comments

I love back to school shopping ā€“ I canā€™t help it! (Well, really, I just love shoppingā€¦but thatā€™s a discussion for another time lol)

Thereā€™s nothing quite like the joy I feel when I wander through the aisles of Target picking out matching folders and notebooks, comparing pastel and neon highlighters, and checking to make sure I have all the new colors of flair pens.  

While I love the feeling of back to school shopping, I canā€™t say Iā€™ve always loved the feeling of actually going back to school.  

The first day of school comes with a ton of new emotions. I remember as a student feeling nervous before the first day. Did I pick out a cute enough outfit? Would I like my teacher(s) or have any friends in my classes? Would I do or say something embarrassing that would haunt me all school year? Gives me goosebumps just thinking of all the terrible things that could have been!  

The first day of school was also exciting. I got to see my old friends for the first time in a few months. I got to get back into my routine and schedule (and open all those cool new school supplies Iā€™d just gotten). I was excited for my clubs and activities to start back up, for swim meets and speech meets and choir festivals. I was also excited to be another year older and closer to finally growing up.  

A lot of these same emotions still exist as a teacher. Still nervous to meet new groups of students and start the process of pronouncing new names and memorizing new faces. Still nervous about the outfit I picked out and the accessories Iā€™d chosen. Still excited for the new possibilities and opportunities to connect with new students, to decorate a new classroom, and to create new lessons.  

This year, all those nerves and that excitement for the new was heightened as I started at a new school!

Last year, I chose a theme song for my year that I could listen to when I needed a little pick-me-up or support. Every morning (or at least every ā€œBā€ day morning ā€“ if you know you know), I blasted Francesca Battistelliā€™s song God Is Good. ā€œJoy comes, tears fall / Iā€™m learning there is beauty in it allā€ became my new tag line to myself as I hit some of my lowest moments in the school year.

This year, I went a different route for my theme song. On the first day of school, a new coworker texted me the link to this song, and after one chorus I knew it was a sign. Vacation by Dirty Heads starts with the lines ā€œIā€™m on vacation / Every singly day ā€˜cause I love my occupation.ā€ I mean really, could there be a better song to start off the year?!

Being a teacher is hard ā€“ Iā€™m not even one week into the new year and Iā€™m debating if 7:00 pm is too early to crawl into bed! But wow, what a different a new school, new coworkers, new students, new theme song, and new start can make.

Happy back to school everybody, I hope we all have the best year yet.

Always Plan in Pencil

Always Plan in Pencil

by suzannamoberg ♥ 4 Comments

Ah, the age old question of how to start a blog post after an almost six month hiatus. I think the answer is donā€™t take said hiatusā€¦well, now I know for next time?! šŸ˜‰

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This blog post has been in the making for half of that break. I took summer to travel, spend quality time with family and friends, and relax after the craziness that was my first year of teaching.

Sitting down to write this post (which, letā€™s be honest, has been less ā€œsit down and writeā€ and more ā€œI have an idea for a blog post better jot it down in my notes appā€) had me thinking a little more about my ā€œgoalsā€ for this blog.

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When I first started this platform, my mind ran with the possibilities. I thought I could share fun stories, lesson plans, classroom management strategies, and teacher tips. In theory, all of my stories and posts could help struggling college students who need ELA ideas for lesson plans and new teachers, like myself, who want to make their English classroom engaging and fun.

I looked over all the notes Iā€™ve been taking in my six months off (and trust me, there are lots), and I realized none of those potential posts fit the ā€œideal blogā€ space Iā€™d created in my head. It wasnā€™t positive and uplifting stories. There were no great lesson plans that revolutionized the art of teaching ELA. I had no great classroom management strategies or teacher tips for engagement or relationship building.

Instead, my potential posts felt more like cries for help. Begging for ideas, suggestions, strength, and relief.

How? How, only three months into year number two, am I already feeling so broken?

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I think the main reason for my long break is that I wasnā€™t ready to admit that my journey as a teacher hasnā€™t been all sunshine and rainbows. In fact, in my darkest moments, itā€™s been hard to see any sunshine or imagine the possibility of a rainbow.

Itā€™s been so easy to see other teachers post on Instagram, Facebook, or TikTok about the great things happening in their classroom. Itā€™s been so easy to compare myself and my classroom to those pictures and feel disheartened that Iā€™m not having that same experience.

I donā€™t want this blog to turn into a sob story. A space for one very stressed new teacher to complain and whine.

I do think, however, that itā€™s important to be honest about my experience. If ever this post comes across the feed of another young, stressed teacher, I want him/her/them to know they arenā€™t alone – even if it feels like it.

In case ^ they come across this post, here are the two pieces of advice I feel qualified to give at this point in my teaching journey:

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1. When it comes to teaching, always plan in pencil.

Hereā€™s what I mean:

– donā€™t shell out the few extra dollars for the personalized planner with each class printed at the top of page. While cute and, at the time, practical, you never know if your schedule will get changed the week before classes start (or the first day of professional development before classes start). Taking an extra minute to hand-write your classes on the page looks and feels better than having to cross out the printed class to write the new one over it. Always plan in pencil.

– when an activity you spent hours planning and prepping crashes and burns (or your students just refuse to even begin the project), itā€™s easier to go back and redo your unit if you can just erase the initial ideas in the planner and start over. Always plan in pencil.

– if, after three months, your classroom management strategies still arenā€™t working, itā€™s easier to brainstorm new ideas and adjust the policies and procedures if you can go back to the master plan in your notebook and erase (plus, sometimes all that erasing can be therapeutic). Always plan in pencil.

2. When it comes to you, always plan in Sharpie.

And I mean those *huge* Sharpies that youā€™d use on a poster. Outline it, underline it, go over it twice, and use lots of colors.

– YOU are more important than pencil marks in a planner.

– YOU are more important than crashed lesson plans or units that change every day.

– YOU are more important than students who challenge you and push you to your limits.

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In the last year, my plans and goals for this blog have shifted and changed, and Iā€™m sure that they will every year as I learn and grow as a teacher. For this blog, I will plan in pencil.

In the last year, my plans and goals for myself as a teacher have shifted and changed. But my value and importance as a person have stayed rock solid. I am important. I am worthy. And I am meant to be a teacher. For myself, I will write in Sharpie.