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Final Synthesis: Summer Preparation to Teach in September

Megan Sawler
200902117
St. Francis Xavier University Department of Education
Inclusion II
C. Gilham

November 6, 2014

The school year is a busy time for teachers and students alike. Teachers tend to focus
on the students to provide them with the highest quality of education, and often neglect
to spend a great deal of time focusing on themselves. People often complain how
teachers have it so easy, because they have the entire summer off. Growing up in a
household where my mother is a teacher, I know first hand that this is not true. While
teachers are not obligated to teach during the summer, they still wear their teacher
hats, and spend the precious two months preparing for the upcoming year. I too believe
that the school year should be all about the students. They are our first priority, our
focus, and our motivation for dedication and determination to our craft. However, I
believe that the summer needs to be all about the teacher. Those two months are
critical for our preparation, our relaxation, our reflection, and our personal professional
development. The summer months can rejuvenate us as individuals, thus strengthening
us as teachers.

As teachers, I believe it is critical for us to be realistic in our planning and preparation.

As new teachers, we will spend a great deal of time preparing in the early stages of our
career because we are essentially starting from square one, with nothing. We need to
research, create, and develop lessons, materials, and resources so that we can set up
our programs the way we desire to teach them. In the first year of teaching, I think that
it is important to keep in mind that we are stepping foot into a new school, a new
classroom, with new students, and a place we have never been before on our own. I
think this is where it is important to remember to be realistic. There are going to be
some really tough days, long hours, and a lot of work. There will be days where we are
discouraged, and what we have learned at university does not work. The first year will

become a trial and error type of situation. We have to see what works best and what
does not work at all in the type of classroom which we want to run through the
creation of personal teacher identity. Being realistic and recognizing that this will
happen, means that we need to prepare accordingly for this during the summer. As
new teachers, I believe we need to prepare for the worst, but expect the best. I think
that during the summer, we need to prepare ourselves mentally, physically, and
emotionally for the toughest classroom we can possibly imagine, but then expect that
we can change it to fit our own beliefs as a teacher and to expect that we can make a
difference in a school no matter how tough times are. Preparing for the worst creates a
sense of realism when entering the classroom for the first time. Life as a first year
teacher will be tough until you gain experience and figure out what works for you in
your own classroom environment, with the group of students youve been given.
However, by expecting the best, we can maintain that positive attitude when we enter
our new experience, and we are hopeful and excited that we can bring forth a new
perspective, and a great deal of enthusiasm.

For me, this summer will be unique in that it will be unknown. This spring, I plan to
move back home and substitute immediately following graduation until the end of June.
At this point, I will return to my summer job, but I will begin to apply for jobs in my
home school board for the year. Because I will be a first year teacher, I will be at the
bottom of the barrel so to speak in terms of hiring. I will not be eligible to apply or
interview for jobs until the final round of hiring. This means, that I will not know until
the very end of the summer whether or not I will be successful in obtaining either a
term or a permanent contract. This means that my summer will be very unique in

relation to all of my other summers in years to come. Because of the unknown this
summer, I will not be able to spend the summer focusing on a particular classroom,
theme, grade, students, or subject because I will not be aware of that until just before
school begins. So, I will spend this summer focusing on myself as a teacher and how I
can better myself as an individual to contribute to a school and take care of my students
the way they deserve if I am hired this fall.

I have selected to prepare myself to enter the classroom this September either as a
permanent contract teacher, a term teacher, or as a substitute hoping for a contract
before the end of the school year. In doing so, I am choosing to focus on my personal
and professional development, and reflecting on how I can translate what Ive learned in
the Bachelor of Education program into a classroom. Below I am compiling a list of
things I would like to do this summer to ensure I am relaxed, inspired, and prepared to
teach in September.

Megs To Do List for Summer 2015: Becoming Prepared Personally and Professionally to
Teach in September:

Rest and Relaxation. We all know that the B.Ed program is fast paced and
busy and can be tiring. As I transition from a student to a teacher, I think its
important to take the time to rest and relax over the summer to become
refreshed before entering the classroom. Teaching will only be busier and more
tiring than university and I feel that it is important to be rested up and ready to
face that. As teachers, we need to be our best selves for our students, and if we

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are not rested and relaxed, we are denying them of our best when we enter the
classroom in September.

Reading for Professional Development. I have always found great pleasure in

reading for both school and for pleasure. For me, its a relaxing and very
informative activity. I love to learn through reading and read the perspectives of
others. I would like to take the time this summer to read the following five
educational books which will help to teach me about being a better teacher. So
far, my list includes: 1000 Best New Teacher Survival Secrets by Kathleen Brenny
and Kandace Martin, From Surviving to Thriving by Marcia Bromfield, Never Work
Harder Than Your Students by Robyn Jackson, Why Didnt I Learn This in College? By
Paula Rutherford, Fires in the Bathroom: Advice for Teachers from High School
Students by Kathleen Cushman.

Creating a Substituting File. This is something I am looking to begin over

practicum. Always be prepared, one of the biggest pieces of advice from the
B.Ed program, lead me to think about what I should do to prepare myself in the
event that I need to substitute. If I do not obtain a job for the fall, I will be
substituting, however I want to be prepared for this. I am going to purchase a
large plastic file box, and designate files for each potential grade and subject area
I might sub for. Then I will begin to compile and collect resources that I could
use in the event that I am called in late, or unexpectedly, or on short notice.
That way, I will be able to bring my file box to class and then use these
resources and activities so that I have something to do with the students that I
am filling in for.

Create Visuals for the Science Classroom. I believe that incorporating different
learning modalities into the classroom is critical for student success. I want to
create visuals which help with learning and focus on looks like, sounds like, feels
like. I also think that one of the easiest and most efficient ways of doing this is
by creating visuals which help with learning to be hung or displayed around the
classroom. I also think that by displaying visuals, it is helping with creating a
welcoming, and positive environment for the classroom. I think it sets a tone for
the students from the beginning to help them feel comfortable in their new
surroundings.

Begin Looking for Community Partnerships. I think that an integral part of

student learning comes from community partnerships, and hands on experiences
in the field. This is especially important in the family studies classroom, one of
my teachables. During the summer I would like to begin to make connections
with community members and organizations so I could create some service
learning opportunities for students in my family studies classroom. This would
be especially beneficial to the clientele of students who typically take family
studies. These types of students generally highly benefit from hands on
experiences, as they are usually not highly academic, and tend to lean more
towards building on skills practiced in the family studies classroom to create
careers.

Bringing Nutrition Into Schools. An integral part of being a teacher is not only
how you can prepare to support your students in the classroom, but also how
you can support your school community. As teachers, we all have unique

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backgrounds and strengths. I feel that it is our responsibility to contribute to
our school community with our strengths. Majoring in Human Nutrition in my
undergrad, helped to develop this skill and passion of mine into a transferable
asset which I can bring to my school. Over the summer, I would like to create
some resources and do some planning for a school wide Nutrition Week in my
school, as well as some ways which I can counsel student athletes in terms of
nutrition, healthy eating, and use of sports drinks.

Reaching Out to Students and Families. Due to the late nature of my hiring, if it
so happens, I will have very limited time to contact families or students before
school starts. Likely, I will not have contact with them until I meet them in
September. With high school students who are very tech savvy, and into social
media I plan to start a social media contact campaign over the summer. I think
that to inspire mutual respect between students and teachers, it is important to
allow students to get to know you as a person. I plan to create a twitter page
that can be used in my classroom and as a source of contact for students and
parents. I will also survey the students to know what types of social media they
most frequently use, and would prefer for me to use in our classroom, and I will
then create social media pages of those sorts so we can share photos of class
events, messages, and other important events.

Test Anxiety. During my last practicum, with my high school science students, I
noticed that one of the most common issues amongst my students was test
anxiety and lack of learned coping strategies. During the summer I would like to
create a resource directed at high school students which helps to educate them

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on coping strategies and prevention strategies to deal with test anxiety in the
classroom.

Accessibility Audit of My Science Lab. This will likely have to occur late in the
summer if I am hired, or early in September. However, I feel something that
becomes neglected in the science classroom is the accessibility of the lab. I
would like to do an accessibility audit of the lab in my classroom to ensure that it
is usable and accessible for all students. With the incorporation of inquiry work,
students will need to use the lab frequently, therefore it is essential that all
students have access to the lab.

Attend 3 Conferences. Over the summer, I would like to use my time to focus
on my own professional development so that I can be the best version of myself
for my students. I believe strongly in teachers being lifelong learners who care
to stay current through professional development on their own and also through
attending conferences and seminars. Over the summer, I want to make a point
to research and find three conferences which I can attend which either cater to
my interests as a teacher, or in areas where I wish to improve or on topics that I
want to learn more about to benefit my students. I will then attend these three
conferences as a attempt to better my professional development.

Reading and Running. Part of becoming relaxed and rejuvenated during the
summer to present your best self to the class includes taking time to do what
you love, and what puts you into the relaxed frame of mind. Reading for
pleasure, and running, are two things which I enjoy very much, but often fail to
make time to do them during the university year. This summer, I want to make

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time for reading and running, and then carry this schedule over into my school
year, as activities which help me to relax and clear my mind during the busy and
stressful teaching year.

Start a Feel Good File. Lately I have been doing a lot of reading about practices
teachers do to incorporate positivity into their classroom to create an inclusive,
safe, and happy space. I believe that as teachers, we have the ability to set the
tone and the mood in the classroom, and that students pick up on the vibes we
send out in our classroom. There will be tough days in teaching where it may
become difficult to remain positive or stay inspired. A blog I have been reading
suggested starting a Feel Good File with quotes, photos, articles, and other
mementos which inspire what you believe in as a teacher. When a tough
situation arises in teaching then you have a positive reminder of why this career
is important to you.

Find 5 Apps. This summer I would like to find, research, and become an expert
on five different apps which are realistically useable in either the science or
family studies classroom. I want to find apps which are useable, relatable to my
curriculum, and benefit the students learning in my classroom.

Apply for a Class Set of Ipads and a Mimio Board. Before being hired I would
like to research technology grants available in my school board so that when I
am hired, I have already done the preliminary work and can speed up the
application process. I want the ipads so that I can provide technological
adaptations to my students, cater to different learning modalities and multiple
intelligences, and can provide my students with experience in ever-changing

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technology. I would like to have a Mimio board because it works well with
ipads. My school board currently uses SmartBoard technology, which works
well individually but does not connect well with the ipads. The Mimio Board
brings an added visual element to the class, critical for visual learners, and helps
with inclusive interaction.

Get Organized. As a trait of my personality, something that works best for me

and helps me to thrive in a working situation is being organized. When I am
organized, I feel like I have a greater sense of control and am more productive in
my work. This summer, I need to ensure that I am organized to enter a school
as a teacher because this helps to raise my confidence. Whether I will be
subbing or have my own classroom, I will do what is necessary to get myself
organized, through creating organizational systems, making resources, buying
supplies, and creating plans.

Meet Colleagues. As teachers, I think we have so much to learn from our

colleagues, through sharing resources, and sharing experiences. Over the
summer, I would like to meet potential colleagues in order to learn as a teacher,
and also in order to network and create professional connections.

My Mom as My Mentor. My mom has been teaching for 30 years. This

summer I would really like to be involved in her preparation for the new school
year and how she sets up her classroom for success. I would like her to mentor
me this summer to help guide me through making that transition from university
student to new teacher. She has an unbelievable wealth of experience and has

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been extremely successful in her career. I believe that she can help me to also
start on my own track to success.

15 Minute Web Browse. The internet is so full of great resources and ideas for
teachers. However it can be somewhat daunting because it is so huge. I often
find that it is time consuming to sit and dig through sites and sites of resources.
So, this summer I would like to spend 15 minutes per day during my morning
coffee to do an internet browse to look for resources to save. Ill set a timer so
that I do not fall into the trap of browsing for hours, and I will try to look
efficiently because I will not have a great deal of time to browse. Each day I will
have a different theme of what I look for, and it may be based on the previous
days findings. Examples of search topics may include things like, enrichment
activities for gifted students, autism in the science classroom, SmartBoard tips,
questions for inquiry in the family studies classroom.

Study. May sound old fashioned, but depending on my teaching assignment,

there are some topics that I will need to review and study prior to teaching
them. I plan to review the material for high school physics and calculus this
summer.

Volunteer. During May and June when I am substituting, I plan to volunteer at

my practicum schools by coaching, chaperoning, and helping with other school
events and activities in order to reconnect with students and staff.

Find Virtual Labs. I would like to find and carry out five strong virtual labs that
would equate well in the high school science classroom. The purpose of these
labs would be for several reasons. Firstly, this is to prepare if not a great deal of

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funding is available for hands-on science labs. It is also to accommodate learning
differences or physical differences in the classroom. It is also to work with
technology and enable students to become more familiar with STSE connections
in the science curriculum.

Take the French Proficiency Test. I took French Immersion and IB French
throughout junior high and high school, however with the degree path I took I
was unable to take French at university and also in the B.Ed program. Therefore,
I would like to take the French Proficiency Test through the school board to be
able to teach and use French in my classroom.

Overall, this may seem like a daunting list, but these are things that I want to do and
am interested in, which makes these tasks seem exciting and fun for me. I feel that
by completing this list, or making a solid dent in it, I am preparing myself to enter
the classroom as either a substitute or as a teacher with her first job. By completing
this list I will be confident in my teaching abilities and I will be prepared mentally,
physically, and emotionally to work with my students. By spending the summer
putting myself first, I will be fully able to put my students first come September. By
working through this list, I feel confident that I will be able to be my best self for my
students when I enter the class in September.