I AM YOUR PLAN BREAK!

The one where I explain my blog to you

We have all had teachers, The ones we remember stand out as being something larger than life. More often than not when I ask friends about their favorite teachers nine out of ten times they will mention someone like their second grade teacher.  It is a rare occasion when a "Specials" Teacher is mentioned as ones favorite past teacher. It is my hope with my blog to let your know that often a Specials Teacher really can make a difference. I also want you to know that my job might look easy to some but there is truly an art to teaching all of the students at a school. Being a Specials Teacher is not easier than being a classroom teacher, it's just different.  

How did I come up with the name for my Blog? 

My Bog is titled I AM YOUR PLAN BREAK because after 37 years as a Specials Teacher I truly "get" and understand why a classroom teacher simply needs a break. I see it in their eyes as they bring their class to my door. When I started teaching, it used to irritate me that classroom teachers viewed me as a break. Today I am honored to give them that break as well as teach my students as much as I can about Technology. 

 Classroom Teachers are Amazing

Classroom Teachers are Super Heroes that are with the same class all day long. One day a classroom teacher has a perfect classroom and the next day a new student moves in that has issues. All of a sudden their perfect class becomes a challenging class. 

When a Classroom Teacher Gets a new Student, Specialists get multiple new students!

This was especially true of the years that I spent as a Library Media Specialist at a Title One School with high mobility. Specials Teachers teach the ENTIRE school, K-5.  Simply put I only have to work with one class at a time for 50 minutes and I am of the belief that I can do ANYTHING  in 50 minutes. Due to the high mobility in the Wichita Schools that I worked it I estimated that between 1992-2016 some 17,000 kids walked through my Library doors. I like to think that I made a difference in some of their lives. 

What/Who are Specials Teachers?

Our contracts state that Teachers are given a certain amount of duty free time (without students) each day/week to prepare for our students. At the Elementary level that means when a classroom Teacher sends their class to Art, Library, Music, PE or Technology a Specials Teacher is with their students. I have been a "specials" teacher my ENTIRE 36 year career. I was a School Librarian serving grades K-12 for 30 years and a K-5 Technology Teacher for 6 years. During my first three years I was also a High School Speech/Theatre Teacher. 

The methods Specialists use for instruction and classroom management will vary with each grade level we work with. Watch us with ease as we transition from teaching 5 year-olds in Kindergarten to  11 year-olds in fifth grade with no time in-between our classes!  I have laughingly told teachers in the past that have marveled at how well I work with Kindergartens a few of my tricks. Trick number one is that when they are little, get them to fall in love with you. They will then respect you and be better behaved for you when they enter their intermediate grades. Trick number two is to talk to your Kindergartners with the same loving higher pitched voice tone that you use with you dog. Trust me, it works!

As I work on this blog feel free to message me and remind me of things I might have forgotten. Pretty certain that each blog entry will be about a year of teaching. I want to share with you what it was like to be an Educator for 37 years from 1985-2022. It will be my goal to write a new entry every two weeks. Some of those years were great and some were very hard. Remember how the TV show "Friends" named each of their episodes "The one......"? I will be doing the same thing. 

 TITLES OF MY UPCOMING BLOG ENTRIES

 *Indicates part time contracts. Published entries. 

THE ONE WHERE I WAS A HOT COMMODITY 1986-1987: Argonia Public Schools K-12 Library, 9-12 Speech/Theatre

THE ONE WHERE I MET BRAD JOHNSON 1987-1988: Argonia Public Schools K-12 Library, 9-12 Speech/Theatre

THE ONE THAT I WAS PUT ON A PLAN OF ASSISTANCE 1988-1989: Argonia Public Schools K-12 Library, 9-12 Speech/Theatre

THE ONE WHERE I  LEFT BEHIND TEACHING HIGH SCHOOL 1989-1990: Larned Public Schools K-8 Library, 8th Grade Literature

THE ONE WHERE I CHANGED MY LAST NAME 1990-1991: *Winfield Public School K-8 Library 

THE ONE THAT I WAS PREGNANT 1991-1992: *Winfield Public School K-8 Library 

THE ONE WHERE I MET MY TWO BESTIES 1992-1993: Wichita Public Schools: Peterson K-5 Library

THE ONE WHERE I GOT A MORTGAGE 1993-1994: Wichita Public Schools: Peterson K-5 Library

THE ONE THAT I WAS PREGNANT WITH MY SECOND CHILD 1994-1995: Wichita Public Schools: Peterson K-5 Library

THE ONE WHERE I CHOSE TO WORK PART TIME 1995-1996 *Wichita Public Schools: Earhart Environmental Magnet  K-5 Library

THE ONE WHERE WE WORKED TO THE CONTRACT 1996-1997: *Wichita Public Schools: Earhart Environmental Magnet K-5 Library

THE ONE WHERE WHERE THE LONG COMMUTE MADE ME WEARY 1997-1998: *Wichita Public Schools: Earhart Environmental Magnet  K-5 Library

THE ONE WHERE I MOVED TO A SCHOOL CLOSER TO MY HOME 1998-1999: *Wichita Public Schools: Lewis Open Magnet K-5 Library

THE ONE WHERE MY PRINCIPAL CUT MY JOB 1999-2000: *Wichita Public Schools: Lewis Open Magnet K-5 Library

THE ONE WHERE I GOT TO GO TO BOSTON: 2000-2001: Wichita Public Schools: Funston 2-5 Library

THE ONE WHERE WE WATCHED THE TOWERS FALL 2001-2002: Wichita Public Schools: Funston 2-5 Library

THE ONE WHERE WE NO LONGER NEEDED DAY CARE  2002-2003:* Wichita Public Schools: Funston 2-5, White PreK-1 Library

THE ONE WHERE I FINISHED MY M.ED. PROGRAM 2003-2004:* Wichita Public Schools: Funston 2-5, White PreK-1 Library

THE ONE WHERE I GOT A HUGE PAY RAISE 2004-2005: Wichita Public Schools: Funston 2-5, White PreK-1 Library

THE ONE WHERE I GOT TO BE IN ONE BUILDING AGAIN  2005-2006: Wichita Public Schools: White PreK-5 Library

THE ONE WHERE I TALK TO YOU ABOUT BULLIES 2006-2007: Wichita Public Schools: White PreK-5 Library

THE ONE WHERE I GOT A SCHOOL DAUGHTER 2007-2008: Wichita Public Schools: White PreK-5 Library

THE ONE WHERE I TELL YOU ABOUT MY GREAT SPECIALS TEAMMATES THROUGHOUT MY 37 YEARS 2008-2009: Wichita Public Schools: White PreK-5 Library

THE ONE WHERE I WAS IN THE ZONE AND LIFE SEEMED PERFECT  2009-2010: Wichita Public Schools: White PreK-5 Library

THE ONE WHERE MY MOM DIED 2010-2011: Wichita Public Schools: White PreK-5 Library

THE ONE WHERE ONE SON WENT TO COLLEGE AND THE OTHER SON WENT TO SPAIN 2011-2012:  Wichita Public Schools: White PreK-5 Library

THE ONE WHERE THE PE TEACHER BROUGHT A GUN TO SCHOOL 2012-2013: Wichita Public Schools: White PreK-5 Library

THE ONE WHERE I GOT PISSED OFF AND RAN A MARATHON 2013-2014: Wichita Public Schools: White PreK-5 Library

THE ONE THAT I EXPERIENCED AGEISM 2014-2015: Wichita Public Schools: White PreK-5 Library

THE ONE THAT THREATENED MY JOB  BEING CUT 2015-2016: Wichita Public Schools: White PreK-5 Library

THE ONE WHERE I TOOK A HUGE RISK 2016-2017:* USD 261: Part time Technology: Freeman K-5. Nelson K-5 Long Term Substitute

THE ONE WHERE I TELL YOU THAT GOTR WAS NOT FUN! 2017-2018: Haysville Public Schools: Freeman K-5 Technology

THE ONE WHERE I WONDERED IF I SHOULD HAVE STAYED IN THE LIBRARY? 2018-2019: Haysville Public Schools: Freeman K-5 Technology

THE ONE WITH A TEN WEEK SPRING BREAK 2019-2020: Haysville Public Schools: Freeman K-5 Technology

THE ONE WITH A MASK 2020-2021: Haysville Public Schools: Freeman K-5 Technology

THE ONE THAT WAS MY LAST 2021-2022: Haysville Public Schools: Freeman K-5 Technology

THE ONE WHERE CAN SPEAK FREELY BECAUSE I AM NOW RETIRED

NATALIE'S TEACHER RULES



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