Christine Breaux's blog

A Final Reflection

 My Mississippi Teacher Corps Experience has been a wild rollercoaster ride, with some the highest peaks and the lowest valleys I have ever experienced in my life. I have learned valuable information about public education in Mississippi; I will hold this information closely and let it guide my decisions in the future. I have learned what it means to be a responsible adult; which is something I was going to have to learn about sooner than later. I learned what it feels like to want something so bad for a person, but not have the capability of giving them the certain something. Most importantly, I have learned what it takes to be a good teacher and how to differentiate the good teachers from the bad.

Mississippi public education is lacking in so many aspects. Statistically, our children are the poorest, fattest, and dumbest in America. From a first hand account, I have noticed that there must be drastic changes in the schools in order to become successful. Because our students are among the poorest of the United States, the majority of the students have free lunch. Theoretically, this is a great idea, but with lack of choices in the lunch line the students are becoming fatter from school lunch. How are French fries considered a vegetable? The students receive this greasy fried food the majority of the days of the week during lunch. When French fries are not on the menu, our kids are served corn or beans that have been saturated in butter. I have eaten school lunch a handful of times within the two years of teaching at Byhalia, and I felt miserable after each lunch. I had a headache, I felt bloated, and all I wanted to do was nap after lunch. How can we expect our students to perform well for the schools when we are feeding them junk for breakfast and lunch? (There are many other things I can complain about concerning Mississippi’s public education; l I just chose food today)

In beginning MTC, I didn’t think that I would change as a person, but I was wrong. Before the age of 21 I had never had a job, I was only ever responsible for myself, and only worried about my well-being. At the age of 21, during Holly Springs Summer School, I realized that I would slowly have to form into an adult. I wasn’t too worried about being an adult to the kids in summer school, because the teacher to student ratio was in my favor, and there were 5 other teachers in the room to help me out. In July, I turned 22, and in August I had 150 students that I had to teach English I to. Granted, I was only in charge of about 30 at a time, but still, from being in charge of 4 students to 150 students is a BIG change! I had to figure out how to become an adult, and I had to do it quickly. I was extremely overwhelmed in the beginning of the school year: I had no lesson plans, no guidance from any of the other English teachers at Byhalia, little teaching experience, and no idea who would teach me to become an adult.

But, fortunately, I figured it all out. I learned how to manage my students in a way that was right for me; in my classroom I am able to joke around with the students when the time is right, but become serious and stern when needed. I know that I am an adult now, because: I take up for kids that are being bullied, I would break up a student fight, and I can manage doing 5 things at once while helping someone else figure out something they don’t understand. I would not have done these things before I became a teacher, before I became an adult.

One aspect that led me to becoming an adult was the love I have for my students and how much I want to protect them from issues both inside and outside of school. One of the most frustrating parts of teaching high poverty students is the fact that I cannot always help them, or give them the right advice. I wish I knew what it was like to be in some of the situations that my students find themselves in, so I can tell them exactly what to do. I have never been kicked out of my house, left to fend for myself. I have never had to deal with teenage pregnancy, or STDs I have never had to deal with being pressured to get high before school from a parent or sibling. I have never been so hungry that the main reason I come to school is to receive free food. I have never had to wear the same clothes over everyday because I could not afford two uniforms. Yet, my students come to me with these concerns, and I have to give them the best advice that I can. It is so hard to know that one of my favorite students is being beat at home because her mother found out that she was gay, to know that a student of mine has raped other students, or to know that my student is literally raising her younger siblings as her own because there are no real parents at the house. I can’t protect these kids from everything outside of school, but I strive to protect them in my classroom. I protect them by being the best, most enthusiastic teacher that I can be. I want to work hard so my students will succeed. If not, I am not giving them the chance to earn a good education, the chance that I have been so fortunate to have through my life. If I could, I would take all of my students under my wing. I have spent close to $100 this 9 weeks on copies, but I don’t regret one cent of it. I love my kids, and I am doing everything that I can to see a smile on their faces when they receive their scores from the English State Test.

I know that I have molded into a good teacher because I care so much for my students that I will do anything for them to succeed. I have put in hours of time and effort to teach my students, as opposed to choosing the easy way out, like many of the teachers at my school. Gearing up for the state test this school year should have meant a lot of time, effort, and stress for the two English II teachers at my school. The only quality that the other English II teacher and I share is being stressed about the English II test, I have done something about it, and the other teacher has not. I have figured out a way to teach the test, a way that is easy and interesting. I tried to share my way with the other English teacher, mainly because my principal asked me to, but she shook her head at the information and said she would do it her own way. I have talked to many of her students, students that I taught last year, and they do not feel prepared for the test. They are dreading the test because they feel unprepared and undereducated this year. My students have the opposite feeling, they are feeling anxious about the actual test day, because our school has a history of doing extremely poorly on the test, but I can see that my students have confidence going into this test. I do not claim to be the best teacher in the building at Byhalia, I know that I am not, but I know that I unselfishly care about my students’ successes. I want each and every one of my students to do well, not only on the test, but also in life, and I believe that I have done the best that I could have done this year for my students.

Teaching has taught me so many things. I have learned to push myself in ways that I have not pushed before to gain success for someone other than myself. I have learned to be a responsible adult, one that has become a pretty decent teacher along the way. I have laughed and cried along the way, but this has been a journey that I am so fortunate I was able to take. 

 

Letter to the first years.

Dear first years,

When I first started teaching:

I thought coming into this program that teaching would be an easy task, but it’s not.

I thought that I would walk into my first classroom and be like the great teachers that I have had in the past, but I wasn’t.

I thought that I would really be able to relate to my students, but I couldn’t.

I thought that I would make interesting lessons that all the students would talk love, but I didn’t.

I thought that I could convince all of my students to choose the right paths in life, but I couldn’t.

I thought all of my students would be able to read, but I was wrong.

I thought that my 45 minute commute to work every morning would be easy, but it wasn’t.

I thought that I wasn’t going to cry, but I did.

I thought all of my students would be able to write a complete sentence, but I was wrong.

I thought that my first year of teaching would never end, but I was wrong. (Thank goodness)

And then my second year began.

I thought that I could become a better teacher, and I did.

I thought that I could have better management, and I do.

I thought that I could lesson plan ahead of time, instead of waiting until the night before, and I do.

I thought that I could organize myself and my classroom in a way that keeps me sane, and I did.

I thought that I would start a soccer team, and I did.

I thought that I could be truly happy at work, and I am.

I thought that I would build strong teacher/student bonds, and I did.

I thought that I would be one of my students’ favorite teachers, and I am.

I thought that I would push my students, and I do.

I thought that I would become a voice for the English Department, and I am.

I thought that my students would succeed, and they are.

I thought that I am going to be upset when this year was over, and I am.

I wish that I could give you the secrets, the tools, the real reasons why certain teachers are successful, but I can’t.
Your first year of teaching WILL BE A STRUGGLE, but the second year of teaching WILL BE MUCH EASIER. There are no words, no documentaries, or no books that will prepare you for your first year of teaching. You have to get through the bad times to make it to the good ones. Stay optimistic, because your students will look up to you as a role model. You will have bad days, you will cry, you will want to quit at some point. My best advice, PUSH THROUGH IT, you’ll be happy in the end.

Good luck! You’ll do great!

-Christine Breaux

Response to old blog

Summer Training

The summer has gone by so quickly. I can’t believe that I have taught for two months now. Summer training was very beneficial in many ways. I really enjoyed being able to teach, even if it was to four students, and realizing my strengths and weaknesses in the classroom. Without the teaching experience that the summer has given me I would not be prepared at all for the first day of class.

 

Summer training was NOT as beneficial as I once thought that it was. I am sure I had a great time teaching 4 students, there were 5 teachers in the classroom at all times! I didn’t know my strengths and weaknesses after my first year of summer school. I thought I could teach then because I was able to keep the attention of 4 students. Who was I kidding? If I knew then what I know now I could have done some very fun activities with ease. I wish I had 4 students in each class; my life would be so easy. But, in summer school, I was nervous and unprepared to do anything “fun” in the classroom.

 

The only thing that would have made the summer training any better would be to have more students in the classrooms. Like I said, I taught four, but we did start out the summer with six. Some teachers didn’t even have a student until July. I can imagine that it is very different teaching to real students rather than teaching to teachers acting like students. Fortunately, everyone was able to eventually be in a classroom with real students.

 

HAHA! No, I didn’t have any IDEA what I was saying back then. Four students in a classroom would be a blessing now! I’m not sure how I ever thought I was going to be ready to step into my own classroom after that first year of summer school. Stepping into my own classroom at Byhalia was a serious reality check; one that I was not prepared for. I do not blame summer school training because the size of the classroom was out of the hands of MTC, and I think it is truly hard to train someone for their own classroom for a school year.

 

 

 

I thought that Dr. Monroe’s class was helpful as well. There were times where I felt that it was long-winded and boring but on a whole I really enjoyed it. Dr. Monroe is a great teacher to emulate and I feel fortunate to be able to have had her as a teacher.

 

Dr. Monroe is awesome, and I don’t think that I appreciated her enthusiasm during that summer school class as much as I should have. I only wanted to go home after a day of summer school teaching, but instead had to go straight to Dr. Monroe’s class. With that being said, she still made most of the classes fun and interesting. I hope that I am half as entertaining in front of a classroom as she is.

 

This summer was pretty excellent and I have learned so much from not only the TEAM and second year teachers but also from the first year teachers. I worked with some great people this summer and it was a helpful experience. I hope that my first year goes as smoothly as my summer training did.

 

The first year of teaching did NOT go as smoothly as my summer training did. I had a terrible inclusion teacher that I had to deal with, 150 kids to teach, and little to no real guidance when I first stepped into my classroom. It’s crazy how much I take for granted now, but I have learned a lot these two years, not only about becoming a good teacher, but also about becoming an adult. I was naive about the challenge that stood before me during my first year, but I am a much stronger person because of the experience.

 

 

 

There are many pros and cons of being a part of the Mississippi Teacher Corps. I wouldn’t change my experience during the last two years for anything, but if I would have known some things that I know now, I may have thought twice about wanting to be a teacher in Mississippi.
The pros:
1. You are able to give kids new experiences.
In joining MTC, you will be able to teach in high poverty areas around Mississippi. You WILL be able to teach your students about life outside of their small towns, because many have never traveled outside of the state, much less their towns.

2. You get as much as you give.
If you work hard for your students, they will most likely work hard for you. Which goes along with the saying, if you give respect, you will get respect. These kids do not have much, but they completely understand the concept of respect. Therefore, if you are a jerk to them then they are not going to behave for you at all, but if you treat each of your students fairly, then they will treat the teacher fairly.

3. You can coach, or start a club….if you want.
The joy of teaching high school is that there are so many possibilities for afterschool activities. This year I was able to start the first soccer team at my school, and it gave a handful of kids something to belong to. Without soccer, many of my students did not feel like they were a part of the school, but with a sport to play, they felt like a piece of the puzzle that is Byhalia High.

The cons:
1. Saturday classes:
One awesome perk of MTC is that a participant will receive a master’s degree once completing their two years of teaching. And the downfall of this is Saturday school. A participant will have two classes a semester, and these classes will meet 7 times during the semester. A normal Saturday schedule will include class from 8:30-12:00, then lunch with your mentor/mentee (or lunch on your own), class from 1:30-5:00. Therefore, on class Saturdays, you have ONE day of the weekend. Also, some of the classes seem pointless, due to lack of information that will actually help in the classroom.

2. Lack of preparation as a first year teacher:
This is not necessarily the fault of MTC, but a crash course in summer school does not and will not ever fully prepare a teacher to teach during their first 9 weeks in a real classroom. During summer school the team teachers and 2nd years do a lot of the grunt work, such as deciding on classroom set up and classroom management, so it is very hard to get a feel of how you should run your own classroom.

3. Blogs.

As I sit in front of the classroom I look out at my homeroom. I have one student combing her hair, one has already been kicked out for being disrespectful, two sleeping, and the rest either reading or fake reading, I don’t want to figure out which they are doing. BUT, it is silent, except for the clicking of keys while I type this blog.
Oh wait, an iPod just went off…let me collect that.
Ok, back to my computer..
Now I look up, a student is squeezing, what looks like a lotion bottle, into her nose.
“Terrica, what are you doing? Put that up.”
“Ok, but I just like the smell.”
She just likes the smell.
“Khadeija, Kadeja, stop talking to each other…READ, 2 more minutes!”
“How many you say? 10?”
I look down at my computer. 2 minutes left of this stupid reading period. I kick kids out, write kids up, continually talk to their coaches, but still, none of these kids can sit for 25 minutes and read silently. Wait, I take that back, I have ONE student who can and does….the others have open books on their desks and stare into space. Often times, as I walk around, I notice that their books are upside down. SERIOUSLY!?! If you are going to pretend to read, then at least do a good job of it. Oh well, they are silent today….sometimes that’s all I can ask for.
10 seconds left. Oh great, a student just looked at his watch, now a countdown has begun…5….4…3…2…1. I am saved by the bell. Reading period is over! Thank God!!!
6th period students are now walking in. 6th period…a class of 32…but 32 hard workers, so I can handle it.
“Ms. Breaux, what I miss yesterday?”
“Ms. Breaux, what we doin today?”
“Ms. Breaux, can I open the tissue?”
The tardy bell rings, “Alright guys, the bell has rung, work on your bell ringer.”
Silence comes at a snails pace, but comes.
Silence. Silence is so nice at times. Hard working kids. A student stops working and digs in her purse, fervently.
“Chelsey, why aren’t you doing your bell ringer?”
“I gotta get some grease.”
“For WHAT?”
“My lips..”
“ALRIGHT GUYS, IM COLLECTING YOUR BELL RINGER TODAY.”
(Collective Sigh and then uproar) “Ugh, Ms. Breaux, hold on….”
“no….why you doin that?”
“oh Ms. Breaux, I like yo new posters you put up!”
“gah…..”
“you shoulda been doin yo bell ringer like we supposed to/”
“shut up!”
“OHHHH….Ms. Breaux, you heard her? She get a slip!”
Time to start class.

The Start of Something New

I have been a little skeptical about beginning a boy’s soccer program at Byhalia High. Last year, I was curious about the amount of students that would be interested, so I had a few “open” practices. I announced that both males and females were welcome to attend the first practice, and I was shocked by the amount of students that came out. I had about 10 balls to work with and about 50 kids that didn’t know if they should wear “short pants” to practice in or not. Needless to say, among the 50, I did see serious potential in a few students.
Fast-forward to last Monday when I was able to hold soccer tryouts. I was pleased to see that I had a manageable number of students try out, and I also had some real talent. Out of the 18 that spent the three days of tryouts (sprints, drills, scrimmages, more sprints) with me, I kept 15 kids. I know that is a pretty low number for a soccer team, but frankly we can’t afford more than 16 uniforms, so I decided that 15 was a good number.
I wasn’t quite sure how I was going to like coaching, I already live close to an hour away from school, and I am now getting home much later than usual. Also, I know that I love playing the sport, but I wasn’t sure if I would like coaching, after all, it really isn’t the same. But, I am happy to say that so far I absolutely love coaching. Everyone always preaches about how you become so much closer with the students and how becoming a coach or some type of sponsor gives you more “street cred” with the students. I have to attest to that statement, already, only after two weeks of having a team. Many students are asking me about attending soccer games, even though we do not have a single home game this season. (We can’t afford goals) It’s even exciting to see how into soccer my players are becoming. They are loving practice. Yesterday, the teachers had a lengthy faculty meeting and the assistant principal made an announcement that all practices were cancelled. Immediately after the bell rang I had over half of my team run to my room and ask me if we really were not having practice, and if they could just practice by themselves while they waited on me to finish the faculty meeting.
It is refreshing to see students so excited about something that deals with school. And in turn, that makes me look forward to something at school.

First few days as a second year teacher

This year, as a staff, teachers were supposed to “wow” their students on the first two days of school. Our principal thought that it would get the kids excited about school. Day 1 began with corralling all of the students into the gym while “pump up” music was being played. Once all of the students were in their appropriate seats in the gym the lights turned off and a strobe light began. The head football coach grabbed the microphone and announced a little about every teacher while they ran out of the tunnel that the rest of the teachers made by joining outstretched arms. The students really got into the theatrics, and therefore our principal’s plan worked, the students were excited for school. With excitement came disruptive behavior, but fortunately I had a year of teaching under my belt and knew what to do.

 

I can’t even describe how much easier this year has been compared to last year. Both the big and small things have run much smoother. One of the biggest things that I have changed as a teacher is my organization. And I now know that organization equals success in the classroom. Before, I didn’t have a very good system with keeping up with attendance and behavior. I made spreadsheets, but I was terrible with using them and keeping all of the different classes in order. I now have a different clipboard for every class, where I keep an attendance/behavior sheet and keep all of their papers for the day. This has helped me immensely. My classroom runs so much better because I am easily able to take attendance/check homework/ record poor behavior/keep bathroom passes all because there is one clipboard for that one class. I’ve also organized my desk so I can actually use it. There are no longer papers thrown in piles all over my desk, but now everything has a certain place to go.

 

Organization is not the only factor that has helped me so far this year, I have also become a much better planner. I no longer wait until the night before to plan, but I now have everything planned in advance. Maybe it’s the day before, or the week before, but anything is better than what I was doing last year. I no longer have to take work home, unless it is for grading. Recently I have had a change in my system of planning (read pressures of year 2) but I intend to quickly get back on track. 

First few days as a second year teacher

This year, as a staff, teachers were supposed to “wow” their students on the first two days of school. Our principal thought that it would get the kids excited about school. Day 1 began with corralling all of the students into the gym while “pump up” music was being played. Once all of the students were in their appropriate seats in the gym the lights turned off and a strobe light began. The head football coach grabbed the microphone and announced a little about every teacher while they ran out of the tunnel that the rest of the teachers made by joining outstretched arms. The students really got into the theatrics, and therefore our principal’s plan worked, the students were excited for school. With excitement came disruptive behavior, but fortunately I had a year of teaching under my belt and knew what to do.

 

I can’t even describe how much easier this year has been compared to last year. Both the big and small things have run much smoother. One of the biggest things that I have changed as a teacher is my organization. And I now know that organization equals success in the classroom. Before, I didn’t have a very good system with keeping up with attendance and behavior. I made spreadsheets, but I was terrible with using them and keeping all of the different classes in order. I now have a different clipboard for every class, where I keep an attendance/behavior sheet and keep all of their papers for the day. This has helped me immensely. My classroom runs so much better because I am easily able to take attendance/check homework/ record poor behavior/keep bathroom passes all because there is one clipboard for that one class. I’ve also organized my desk so I can actually use it. There are no longer papers thrown in piles all over my desk, but now everything has a certain place to go.

 

Organization is not the only factor that has helped me so far this year, I have also become a much better planner. I no longer wait until the night before to plan, but I now have everything planned in advance. Maybe it’s the day before, or the week before, but anything is better than what I was doing last year. I no longer have to take work home, unless it is for grading. Recently I have had a change in my system of planning (read pressures of year 2) but I intend to quickly get back on track. 

Pressures of year 2

The pressures of year two have been completely different from year one. I am now primarily teaching English II, instead of English I. We are in our 2^nd full week of school and I have already had more meetings and visits from my administration than I did in all of last year. AYP, QDI, OAI, I have so many random letters being thrown in my face. All I want to do is teach, and teach with my style of teaching, but that’s looking like less and less of a possibility for me this year.

 

Everything, everyday MUST be in state test format, and that new rule was just shared with the other English II teacher and I YESTERDAY. Therefore, I now have to rework all of my plans and worksheets that I have already made for the next few weeks. That wasn’t the only “good” news that was shared with me yesterday. I also found out that I would be receiving a new 6^th period class. This is fairly good news because that class is the English II honors class, but I had to add 5 desks to my classroom because my 6^th period class size changed from 16 to 31.

 

Also, it is now mandatory to have identical plans with the other English II teacher. There are both pros and cons to this new arrangement. We have made a deal that we would work together on our plans during our planning period, I will write the official lesson plans, creating all of the PowerPoints and most of the worksheets, and her specific job is to make all of the copies. Doesn’t seem too fair, but I’m content with the arrangement. This means that both of our classes will be taught in the same way, leaning towards my style of teaching, and I don’t have to do what I hate, making copies on Byhalia’s, sometimes faulty, copy machine.

 

I know that our students can pass the state test, but they have a LONG way to go. I hope that I will prepare them enough, because the pressure is on. If the kids don’t do well then it’s not only my job that’s in jeopardy, (not that I plan on going back to Byhalia next year) but also my principal’s job. But, he has total faith in my teaching abilities; therefore I have faith in myself. The main concern that I have for this year is getting burned out on teaching WAY too early, because it’s only the end of the second full week and I feel like summer break was months ago. I need Labor Day Holiday already, and Thanksgiving and Christmas can’t come soon enough!

Pressures of year 2

The pressures of year two have been completely different from year one. I am now primarily teaching English II, instead of English I. We are in our 2^nd full week of school and I have already had more meetings and visits from my administration than I did in all of last year. AYP, QDI, OAI, I have so many random letters being thrown in my face. All I want to do is teach, and teach with my style of teaching, but that’s looking like less and less of a possibility for me this year.

 

Everything, everyday MUST be in state test format, and that new rule was just shared with the other English II teacher and I YESTERDAY. Therefore, I now have to rework all of my plans and worksheets that I have already made for the next few weeks. That wasn’t the only “good” news that was shared with me yesterday. I also found out that I would be receiving a new 6^th period class. This is fairly good news because that class is the English II honors class, but I had to add 5 desks to my classroom because my 6^th period class size changed from 16 to 31.

 

Also, it is now mandatory to have identical plans with the other English II teacher. There are both pros and cons to this new arrangement. We have made a deal that we would work together on our plans during our planning period, I will write the official lesson plans, creating all of the PowerPoints and most of the worksheets, and her specific job is to make all of the copies. Doesn’t seem too fair, but I’m content with the arrangement. This means that both of our classes will be taught in the same way, leaning towards my style of teaching, and I don’t have to do what I hate, making copies on Byhalia’s, sometimes faulty, copy machine.

 

I know that our students can pass the state test, but they have a LONG way to go. I hope that I will prepare them enough, because the pressure is on. If the kids don’t do well then it’s not only my job that’s in jeopardy, (not that I plan on going back to Byhalia next year) but also my principal’s job. But, he has total faith in my teaching abilities; therefore I have faith in myself. The main concern that I have for this year is getting burned out on teaching WAY too early, because it’s only the end of the second full week and I feel like summer break was months ago. I need Labor Day Holiday already, and Thanksgiving and Christmas can’t come soon enough!