Hitting the jackpot is a dream come true for every person in the world.  Of course people say first they would donate to a charity.  I would also pay off all of my loans and any other bills I have.  Next I would buy a house and a car.  It doesn’t matter what type, something economical is fine with me.  The rest of the money I would use to help my parents with anything they need, take a nice long vacation, and put into savings so when I have children their college will be paid for.  I’m a simple person with simple needs and don’t need anything crazy fancy in my life.  Just the basic needs to live a comfortable life is fine with me.

For me right now I don’t have this problem because I am not working full time but when I was working full time it really took a toll on my relationships.  My boyfriend at the time had difficulty with me working long days and crazy hours and we barely saw each other.  He would work day shifts and I would works nights so the only time we saw each other was when one was waking up and the other was going to sleep.  Even though I work part time I still find it a struggle to keep in touch with everyone I want to.  I try my best to make sure I schedule time with each person in my family even if it’s only for 5 minutes just to talk about our days.  I also use email a lot to keep in touch with all of my friends.   On top of all of the work I have for school, my two part time jobs, and playing co-ed softball, I am planning a wedding for next summer.  There just aren’t enough hours in the day but I make do with what I have.

When I first began my journey in the masters program at SUNY Oswego I didn’t think I would actually get the opportunity to say I am a certified teacher.  I was still working full time in the city and trying to complete a program online through Oswego’s distant learning program.  It all came to a halt when I was told I needed to drive to Oswego to teach a lesson for one of my classes, this was impossible for me.  When I learned about the program at Queens College I quickly enrolled in classes and began the road to my certification.  My life came to another screeching halt when I found out that I was going to have to quit my part time job in order to complete student teaching.  I sat for hours trying to figure out a way around it.  I computed the numbers and everything was fine but I was still being fought by the district.  This killed me because I worked so hard to get where I was and now my plans were ruined.  Luckily for me it all worked out and I was able to keep my job and student teacher, which was very stressful by the way.  I completed my exams and was officially certified this past June!  The next goal I have is to obtain a teaching position in a district, that has a program which isn’t well established, and work hard to make it known what we do in the FACS classroom.

Technology in the classroom has revolutionized the way teachers teach.  This has done wonders for many students and the way they learn.  A new program called, Fast Forword, was recently introduced to the Hicksville School District.  Students who are struggling with reading and speaking sit in the computer lab five times a week for 30 minutes a day engaging in different activities on the computers.  The students wear headphones and have microphones that they use to communication with the program.  During this time teachers walk around the classroom and listen in on the student’s activity helping them along the way.  This is just one way I’ve seen technology implemented in the educational world.  In my FACS classroom I hope to use the internet for research on different nutritional topics along with the new iPads that were just delivered this year.  There are many different apps that I know students will love to use and learn from on the iPads.

Choosing one teacher from grades K-12 is a huge challenge to me.  I have had so many teachers that impacted my life throughout my years in school I don’t think I could choose just one.  I do remember my high school FACS teacher standing out, Mrs. Hill.  I met her first when I was in nursery school because her daughter was in my class.  When I entered her classroom in the high school I was excited to have her as a teacher because I knew her well by that time and I knew it would be an enjoyable class.  There are a few memories that really stand out including baking fortune cookies, frying ice cream, and cooking a roasted duck!  I loved learning about the different methods of cooking and taking the ideas home with me.  While I was in that class I became very close with Mrs. Hill and told her my dreams of one day opening a bed and breakfast.  On my final day of school before graduation she handed me a box and inside was a key chain with a little house on the end, perfect for my bed and breakfast.  The note she wrote me said, “don’t forget to save me a room in your bed and breakfast”.  Because of her support one day I will open that bed and breakfast and I will be thanking her for it.

Since I started my recent research on first year teachers I think it would be interesting to write a book about it, The Untold Stories of First Year Educators.  I would set up a similar format to the book, The Help, where each chapter is a different teacher’s point of view in their school.  It would include the good, the bad, and the ugly, or the world of education.  I am not teaching in a district yet but I do work in one and I see many different incidents that happen between teachers and teachers, teachers and students, and teachers and administrators.  Rumors begin like the teachers are back in their middle school gossip filled days compiling their lives of lesson plans and smack talking.  First year teachers are thrown into the mix of the new social world and have to choose which group they want to belong to.  Teachers have groups set up similar to the atmosphere they work in such as the popular crowd, jocks, and outcasts.  Finding your place as a first year teacher while dealing with the struggles of the student body can be greatly challenging and overwhelming.  Once new teachers find their place they get sucked into the social atmosphere of their new work environment leaving them with only one choice, join the gossip or become an outcast.

I’ve heard of both Common Core Standards and Annual Professional Performance Review (APPR) but don’t know much information about either of them.  I thought this would be a good opportunity to do some research and find out how they impact the world of education.  Common Core Standards are educational standards that are implemented across all states (www.corestandards.org).  These standards address both the importance of content and skills.  “They are a clear set of shared goals and expectations for what knowledge and skills will help our students succeed” (www.corestandards.org).  The standards are provided to the teachers and districts however it is up to the administrators to determine how the standards will be taught.

APPR is a system established to evaluate teacher’s performances in the classroom.  Techniques such as observations, self review, peer review, video assessments, and portfolio reviews are a few ways that administrators evaluate educators teaching tactics in the classroom.  Each district has its own APPR plan that it establishes in order to evaluate their faculty.  This system is mainly used for teachers holding an initial certification (http://nysut.org/research/bulletins/20040909sedappr.html).

What is passion?  “Passion is energy. Feel the power that comes from focusing on what excites you” (Oprah Winfrey).  Throughout people’s lives they struggle to find a passion that constantly excites them.  As I sit here and try to pinpoint what my passion is, I struggle because there are many.  I have come to realize that my biggest passion is cooking, preferably baking.  Anytime I am stressed or feeling down on myself I get in the kitchen and just start cooking.  Engulfing myself in the aromas of my kitchen brings up my spirits and makes me eager to try the end result of my hard work.  Another passion I have is traveling.  I began taking one large vacation a year about five years ago.  Every destination I’ve visited has showed me different cultures and created lifelong memories for me.  Another passion I have recently discovered is reading.  I was never an avid reader while I was in grade school or even throughout my undergrad in college.  About four years ago a friend of mine insisted I read a book she was reading; she promised I would love it.  I took her advice and finished the 700 page book in 3 days!  After that experience I was hooked on reading.  I chose stories that allowed me to use my imagination and travel into my own world.  Without these passions I don’t think my life would be complete.  They provide my life with excitement and happiness which are things I hope I never lose.

Deciding what you want to do with the rest of your life at the age of eighteen is a very difficult decision.  When I was eighteen I decided to continue my education in the field of Hotel, Restaurant, Tourism Management.  The last requirement before graduating was to complete an internship in a hotel.  May of my senior year, I left for Washington, D.C. and lived in the hotel I worked in for the summer.  After returning back to Long Island I started my career as a Front Desk Agent at the Marriott Hotel in Melville.  After working there for three months I decided I wanted to concentrate in the reservations department and was offered a position at the five star St. Regis Hotel in New York City.  I was now a commuter and living the life of a city business woman at the age of 22.  Within nine months, the minimum amount of time required by the company before a promotion, I was granted the position as the Reservations/Training Supervisor.  I was overseeing my department of veterans and they were to answer to the rookie.  This became a large challenge because many of the reservations agents undermined me and my experience because of my age.  I worked very hard to prove myself and jealousy ended up getting the best of my colleagues.  During my time as a supervisor, I created a training manual and trained all incoming employees to the hotel.  I loved teaching people about the topics I was experienced in and was excited about sharing my knowledge.  This opened my eyes to the world of teaching.  After two years of working at the hotel I left the industry and started working as a Computer Technology Teaching Assistant at Hicksville Middle School.  I wanted to get experience working in a school and make sure that this is where my passion was.  The following semester I enrolled in classes at Queens College and have been here ever since.  As of right now I couldn’t be happier with the life I have chosen for myself, regardless of my current unemployment status.  Choosing a career at the age of eighteen is a difficult, but not permanent, decision.  Life is constantly changing so follow your heart and you’ll end up just where you’re supposed to be.