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In 11th grade history class, I jokingly told my teacher that I could teach better than him. So he told me to do it. He gave me the materials to create a lesson on 1920's pop culture. He let me teach it to the class. It's because of him I'm a history teacher

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This year I extended a lot of invitations to my students to help show that I am on their side and their support system. However, one student stands out the most, RB. He is the punk in your room that does not want to complete homework, wants to talk/disrupt, and talk back to you when he feels threaten. But when I gave him and the class to write a letter I also gave him the opportunity to share his trauma and anger that he has been holding for years. Not only did he write one letter, he wrote two. He was comfortable enough to share those letters out loud to the class and it brought me to to tears. That is a moment when we all realized we cared. That was a turning point in our relationship that he wasn't a punk, but a scared kid. We hug and laugh and have a mutual respect that has made the year enjoyable and exciting. I am beyond proud of this kid how he has grown emotionally and when he graduates next yea I am going to cry and smile and give him the biggest hug saying I knew he could do it!

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I had a student at my previous school that was the talk of all the other teachers in the school.  Everyone would tell me how bad he was and so on.  I knew the young man would be a challenge but on day one I met with him and treated him like every other student in the class.  I didn't single him out and my invitation was to treat him just like I would his peers.  He responded great to this approach, we had some hiccups along the way but overall it was a successful year with very minimal discipline issues.

On the flip side I remember my 7th grade reading teacher Mr. Wiezbicki (I am sure it is spelled incorrectly). It was the first week of Junior High West and my teacher gave us a homework assignment. I was the only student in the class not to complete the assignment. My teacher basically read me the riot act on how important it was for me to complete my assignments but he also instilled in me the idea that not everything was going to be handed to me. From that day on I never missed a homework assignment for the rest of my life.

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I had a student in a class in Philadelphia who was actually shot twice during the semester and continued to work through and eventually finished with a grade of B. This student overcame major difficulties to continue his studies. 

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I had a student in a class in Philadelphia who was actually shot twice during the semester and continued to work through and eventually finished with a grade of B. This student overcame major difficulties to continue his studies. 

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As a classroom teacher, I was always a fan of the misfit toys. There was a year when I had multiple students who needed time to just breathe and the school cafeteria wasn't where it was going to happen. I ate my lunch in my room (a habit I would not suggest) so that I could grade and take less home with me. What I found was that this group of odd ducks became the safe, secure sounding board for each other. Many of them are still in contact with me today.

When I was in school, I was awarded a scholarship  we were sure was going to someone else. In this scenario, I interviewed and was completely myself as I didn't feel the pressure. I was going through the motions of interviewing and decided to enjoy myself, not to kiss butt or buzzword them on what was supposed to
be said. I got the scholarship because I was real. It helped me realize that trying to be someone for others was going to be exhausting. I may as well be myself and enjoy it, I may win, but at least I'm happy.

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During the last 2 weeks of school, it was brought to my attention that one of my students participated in activity that is not tolerated at BASH.  At first, she was under the impression I would side with her 100%.  This was not the case; I had to be firm with her because her decisions were made in school when she was supposed to be in my classroom.  I know she felt as though I ,"hated her" which was certainly not the case.  I expressed that my expectations for her would be more strict in the fall.  After spending time out of school and returning for a meeting with myself and administration, I was pleased to hear that she gave thought to getting involved with sports again, and she is planning to train this summer for field hockey in the fall. Hearing this from her was very positive for me because it showed that she understood how her actions were impacting herself and others, and she needed to remove herself from a negative situation and place herself in a group with a positive influence.

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I remember in 8th grade some of the students were getting into trouble with drinking. It came to the attention of our teacher and he had a conversation with the entire class about the dangers of drinking and peer pressure.  What I thought was interesting what that he had a all sign a pledge that we wouldn't drink or be pressured into drinking.  The really surprising part to me what that he gave everyone his home phone number so that we had someone to call if we ended up in a situation that we were uncomfortable in.  In my mind this showed he truly cared for us as individuals not just a student in his 8th grade class.  I don't know if anyone ever used his number, but the fact that you could was pretty special. This helped me realize that teachers do more than just teach the subject the are hired to teach.

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At the start of the school year many students complained that they didn't like history or that they weren't good at it. In my previous district the majority of students felt the opposite. Throughout the year I worked to change the way the material was presented to them and help make connections to their lives and the world around us. Several students commented during the last weeks of school that "history wasn't that bad this year" and some that they enjoyed the course. In the end, a significant portion realized that they can do well, and at time throughout the year surprised themselves with their grades as well as improvement in the writing process via DBQs.

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I usually do a pretty good job of connecting with my students. Many times I will hear teachers say, man that kid is a terror, but I don't think they are so bad. I had a kid repeating geometry, and asked him to work on his anger. He reluctantly agreed, and he started to get better with his emotions. A few weeks later, he asked me to go to the guidance office with him. He told me he was going to rehab, and wanted me to hear it from him. I hope that because I made that connection with him, he made the right choice in his life, and not continue down his self destructive path.

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Invitation Extended...
When I was a 7th grade student, I lacked confidence, but not ability. I had a teacher invite me to something called "Math Options", a program created just for girls focused around math and science, which was held at Penn State Worthington. I was one of three students chosen from the class and it made a world of difference to me. I was not the smartest, but she saw something in me and knew what a special day it could be. After attending the day, I feel I did see my potential more and took myself more seriously as a student, it did not change me overnight, but it certainly impacted me in a truly positive way.

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When I was a college sophomore, I was majoring in Psychology but not really passionate about it, nor did I have much dedication/direction, not to mention my grades were mediocre. By chance, I took a summer job at a Variety Club Camp for children with mild to moderate mental challenges. One of my camp directors commented that I would make a very good Special Education teacher. I finally had a goal and purpose for my life and worked very hard to reach it. The rest is history so to speak:)

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When I was a college sophomore, I was majoring in Psychology but not really passionate about it, nor did I have much dedication/direction, not to mention my grades were mediocre. By chance, I took a summer job at a Variety Club Camp for children with mild to moderate mental challenges. One of my camp directors commented that I would make a very good Special Education teacher. I finally had a goal and purpose for my life and worked very hard to reach it. The rest is history so to speak:)