Batsy Says. . .
welcome to voltra!
Forums Welcome Committee Hello, I'm new to Voltra!
@mousy: 5 Year Milestone! Nice :virgil-celebrate: That really is a huge accomplishment. I am so happy to hear you crossed that 5-year mark. I hear the first five are the real hellish years where teachers are trying to find what does and does not work for them and their students. Simply saying that doesn't make it sound scary, but it really is. Knowing the consequences of encountering the things that DON'T work really puts things into perspective fast. It's not like other professions where you have time to figure things out with little to no consequences. The main thing I am worried about tbh is the standardized testing. Like I can prove through assessments how my students met the state standards but making sure students can transfer their knowledge and understanding to a testing situation is another story. I get chills just thinking about it, dude lol. I'm trying not to let the teacher-talk that I hear from my classmates freak me out though. A lot of them have been teaching for a few years already and then came back for a MS. All I can do is remain confident in my writing pedagogy and pray to God almighty that classroom management comes to me in time. I've learned a lot but putting it into practice is another thing entirely lol.
@moodybats: Thank you! I love your name, it's so cute and seasonal! xD 
@moodybats: Thank you! I love your name, it's so cute and seasonal! xD
Batsy Says. . .
@stostina: Thank you.
@stostina: This is what I was told all through college- "The first year is the hardest, the second is a little easier, and the third is the icing on the cake." I feel like that only works for those that stay in the same grade level/subject area, but it was close for me. It does take a bit to get your management style down, but the good thing is that kids are really receptive and flexible. If you decide that your management style just isn't working for you, you can change it mid-year and it's fine. You aren't stuck for an entire year with what you started with and you're allowed to change your mind. The older crowd (high school) pretty much knows how this whole school thing works by then and most students want to be respectful. Very few actually WANT to get in trouble, you know? I think the biggest problem you would get from HS is apathy. Some kids just don't care. Maybe it's the subject area or maybe they've got a lot of other stuff going on, but some kids just do not care.
The standardized testing side really sucks and it's really stressful, but you just have to keep in mind that that's a one day snapshot. You gotta let it roll off. Did they make at least a year's worth of growth? Awesome, if they did! Now, that growth may not be on grade level/passing. I have kids that come to me in 4th that are reading on a first grade reading level. Are they going to magically be reading on a 4th grade level by the end of the year? Probably not. Will they grow at least a year's worth under a teacher who cares? Yes, absolutely!
Also, one thing I've noticed in PD and different times I've interacted with high school teachers is that the older ones are cranky and whine about everything and it just dampens the spirit of the people that actually want to be innovative and try new things. They aren't willing to try anything new or different and they can really bring the whole vibe of the room down. Ignore the crankies, ignore the complainers, and ignore the negative nancies.
You've got this!
The standardized testing side really sucks and it's really stressful, but you just have to keep in mind that that's a one day snapshot. You gotta let it roll off. Did they make at least a year's worth of growth? Awesome, if they did! Now, that growth may not be on grade level/passing. I have kids that come to me in 4th that are reading on a first grade reading level. Are they going to magically be reading on a 4th grade level by the end of the year? Probably not. Will they grow at least a year's worth under a teacher who cares? Yes, absolutely!
Also, one thing I've noticed in PD and different times I've interacted with high school teachers is that the older ones are cranky and whine about everything and it just dampens the spirit of the people that actually want to be innovative and try new things. They aren't willing to try anything new or different and they can really bring the whole vibe of the room down. Ignore the crankies, ignore the complainers, and ignore the negative nancies.
You've got this!
Please ping! I get distracted easily. 
Hello :) welcome to Voltra! I too enjoy keeping houseplants, but I am terrible at it. They just keep dying on me. I currently only have an aloe plant but up until last week I was growing my own basil. I'll probably try that again soon. currently: new novel who dis?
q u e s t i n g :
beanie doll! thank u cookie
@stostina: Honestly I don't know why anyone would be mean or look down on teachers they are literally helping you raise your children.. I think they are one of the most important contributors to society especially good ones.. Sure teachers don't make much money but thats a problem with society not them. We don't value teachers as much as we should.
Always ping me please.
@mousy: Thank you so much for all of that insight! Yes, I have to admit the negative Nancies tend to be teachers who have been teaching for quite a while. They really make the stakes seem high but I'm glad to hear that the reality isn't as bad as they portray it. Hearing that you have experienced the same from older teachers where you are from helps me put things into perspective. I suppose some are just stuck in their ways. I will listen to what they have to say but from now on I will take them a little less seriously. (*Phew!*) Thank you for that reassurance!
@sunny: Basil is so wonderful to grow! I always get happy when I hear that someone is growing basil. My mom got me into the habit of starting a couple pots of it every spring and they stay bushy all throughout the summer. It's amazing lol! They never last past August for me though. They just get all lanky and put out tons of seeds so I just harvest the seeds for next year. :) You should definitely grow it again. I know I will be! <3 By the way, I'm curious.. how is your aloe doing? I have an aloe that I brought inside to keep in my sunniest window. I didn't think it would do well indoors but so far it's still alive! (fingers crossed)
@saeyra: I guess some people just go out of their way to be mean or superior. So far literally everyone here has had tons of positive things to say though so that is very uplifting ^_^
@q t e a p o n: Thank you! I'm happy to be here! :D Ah, a fellow plant lover ^^ Hm, let's see. Inside I have a variegated pothos, a regular pothos, cornstalk palm (?), short-leaved aloe, a couple of arrowhead leaf plants, a small ivy (i think it is?), a spider plant, a small peace lily, and a Sansevieria. Outside I have a short barrel cactus, some kind of round cactus with lots of babies, a tall fuzzy cactus, two grafted cacti (the kind with the red ball on top), 2 or 3 pothos that I moved outside, a red impatiens, and god knows what else. My mom has a lot of plants too but I'm not going to bother listing hers. Until recently I also had petunias, a massive wall of morning glories, a huge fern, zinnias, cosmos, lots of mint, rosemary, chives, and garlic chives but I moved back in with my mother so a lot of things are gone now. My apartment patio was packed lol. I even pruned, watered, and fertilized the neglected jasmine bushes that grew on the side of my apartment building. I am v. enthusiastic lol.
Oh, and thanks for the resource links! I'll be sure to check them out ^^
@sunny: Basil is so wonderful to grow! I always get happy when I hear that someone is growing basil. My mom got me into the habit of starting a couple pots of it every spring and they stay bushy all throughout the summer. It's amazing lol! They never last past August for me though. They just get all lanky and put out tons of seeds so I just harvest the seeds for next year. :) You should definitely grow it again. I know I will be! <3 By the way, I'm curious.. how is your aloe doing? I have an aloe that I brought inside to keep in my sunniest window. I didn't think it would do well indoors but so far it's still alive! (fingers crossed)
@saeyra: I guess some people just go out of their way to be mean or superior. So far literally everyone here has had tons of positive things to say though so that is very uplifting ^_^
@q t e a p o n: Thank you! I'm happy to be here! :D Ah, a fellow plant lover ^^ Hm, let's see. Inside I have a variegated pothos, a regular pothos, cornstalk palm (?), short-leaved aloe, a couple of arrowhead leaf plants, a small ivy (i think it is?), a spider plant, a small peace lily, and a Sansevieria. Outside I have a short barrel cactus, some kind of round cactus with lots of babies, a tall fuzzy cactus, two grafted cacti (the kind with the red ball on top), 2 or 3 pothos that I moved outside, a red impatiens, and god knows what else. My mom has a lot of plants too but I'm not going to bother listing hers. Until recently I also had petunias, a massive wall of morning glories, a huge fern, zinnias, cosmos, lots of mint, rosemary, chives, and garlic chives but I moved back in with my mother so a lot of things are gone now. My apartment patio was packed lol. I even pruned, watered, and fertilized the neglected jasmine bushes that grew on the side of my apartment building. I am v. enthusiastic lol.
Oh, and thanks for the resource links! I'll be sure to check them out ^^
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Having you as a Voltie would be awesome.