Kansas State University

Lori Goodson, Editor
Mary Hammel, Technical Editor

Like us on Facebook!
Follow us on Twitter! 

If you or someone you know is looking for a teaching job in Kansas, sign up for the Educate Kansas Virtual Career Fair on March 2:

What?
Educate Kansas Virtual Job Fair

When?
Monday, March 2

Who?
Anyone interested in teaching in Kansas (now or in the future).  Even if you are a year or more away form student teaching, it is great establish connections at schools you are interested in. Get on their radar now!!

Where?
From your house and your computer!

Why?
A great way to establish professional connections, learn more about Kansas schools, and maybe even find a job! More than 90 school districts have signed up!! Oh, and it’s FREE.

How?
Brought to you by the Kansas State Department of Education, Kansas Education Employment Board, Kansas State University’s College of Education, and the Kansas Troops to Teachers program

Registration deadline is February 24.

For more information, call 770.980.0088 or email EducateKansas@CareerEco.com.

Name: Dylan Graves

Position: USD 308

City/State: Hutchinson, KS

Class/content area taught: Sixth-grade math, reading, and writing

What you are most excited about with your new career: I am excited about the opportunity to impact lives. There are so many students who do not have positive role models in their lives. I hope to be a positive role model for these students.

What you enjoy most about teaching: I really enjoy witnessing student success and improvement. In the short 3 ½ months we have been in school, I have witnessed one special education student jump an entire reading grade level. This has probably been one of my proudest moments in my short career.

In what ways has your school/district supported you? My situation has been very unique because I have returned to teach at the same elementary school I attended as a student. I am very familiar with my building which has been comforting in itself. The room I teach in was my homeroom as a 6^th grader. It is also unique because some of my teachers have become my colleagues now. They have been very supportive and have gone out of their way to see me succeed. My grade level team has also been very supportive.

Ways KSU especially helped prepare you for your new career: I think the opportunity to be exposed to the classroom setting at such an early stage in our education career at KSU was very beneficial. The College of Education does a great job of getting us out there in the classrooms to make sure we know that teaching is the right career for us, and also so we’re not uncomfortable in the classroom when it comes time to student teach and eventually lead our own classroom.

Suggestions/encouragement for new teachers: I encourage all new teachers keep up the fight. There have been several days where I have gone home wondering if what I am doing is making a difference. I have also wondered if my students are actually learning. But then a parent will reach out and tell me how much their student is enjoying class. Or when I had a special education student increase an entire reading grade level in 3 short months. Those are the times when I am reassured that I have chosen the right career path.

We asked your former professors: What’s one of the funniest/silliest mistakes you made as a first-year teacher?

Dr. Todd Goodson (Secondary English, Speech/Theatre, Journalism)—“The office called for me to go to gym for a head lice check. I forgot to take my students with me.”

Dr. Sherri Martinie (Secondary Math) – “I hardly ever sat down. I stayed busy the whole day and even often ate lunch on the go. One day I was opening a pull-top can of tuna walking down the hallway and sliced my thumb. I had to leave school and have someone take me to get stiches! Lots of people teased me about it. I learned that I needed to stop, sit down, relax and enjoy a 20-minute lunch! My well being depended on it!”

Dr. Tom Vontz (Elementary Social Studies) – “I left my barn door open after lunch.”

Dr. Phillip Payne (Music Education) – “Most of these are really inside jokes among our staff! We still have a great time with them… while this is not silly, the moral of the story is enjoy every moment and don’t take yourself too seriously.”

It’s nearly time for assessments, so we’re offering some tips to help you make the most of it!

• Let your students’ parents know about the approaching assessments.
• Give students and parents an idea of what the assessments will cover.
• Remind your students that they’re prepared for the assessments.
• Encourage students to eat well – especially breakfast – before a testing day.
• Have students drinking adequate amounts of water.
• Encourage them to do their best – and be proud of them when they do.
• Know that some students are taking tests in more than one content area, so understand if they’re especially stressed.
• If your students are preparing for tests, try to balance that with enjoyable student-focused activities.
• Try not to stress over these assessments; you’ve been preparing your students throughout the year with all your engaging activities and assignments.
• Smile. Your calmness and confidence will carry over to your students.
• And, just to balance things a bit, check out this article on creative teaching activities that DON’T involve filling in bubble answer sheets: Bubble Test Rebellion.

What’s up?

Why don’t you send us a photo of you at work in your classroom! Or, do you have a question about classroom procedures? A suggestion for a topic we should address in Before the Bell? Want to add your name to our mailing list? Or provide a different email for our list? At the very least, just email and say hi!

Early-career teachers, feel free to jump in and offer suggestions to those who are following your career choice!

We’d love to hear from you, so please email us at lagoodson@k-state.edu.

Go, COE Cats!

Some of your former secondary professors provided suggestions on content areas that would connect well with their content areas. Here’s what they had to say:

Cyndi Kuhn (Technology) – “Art and music.”

Dr. Brad Burenheide (Secondary Social Studies) – “Language arts/social studies is a natural fit!”

Dr. Todd Goodson (Secondary English, Speech/Theatre, Journalism)—“Any content can collaborate with any other content, and any grade level can collaborate with any other grade level. The most important thing in a successful collaboration is the quality and the nature of the professional relationship of the teachers leading the project. Bright, enthusiastic teachers who reinforce each other’s creativity can help their students see powerful connections across contents and ways of thinking. On the other hand, forced collaboration between teachers who have no desire to work together usually doesn’t end well for anyone. Our best colleagues are those who make us better, as teachers and as people. When you encounter those individuals, look for ways to collaborate so your students can see how we make connections across all disciplines.”

Dr. Sherri Martinie (Secondary Math) – “Science.”

Dr. Vicki Sherbert (Secondary English/Language Arts, Speech/Theatre, Journalism) – “English/Language Arts, Speech/Theatre, and Journalism present wonderful opportunities to collaborate in all content areas. Often there are topics covered in Social Studies classes to which literary works can be paired so that students are immersed in stories that bring historical events to life. There are also more and more non-fiction texts that can be read in the ELA classroom that support science topics and inquiry processes.”

Dr. Phillip Payne (Music Education) – “ All the subjects… specifically – Visual Art, History, Language Arts, Math. These all allow for great integration projects within courses.”

Dr. Tonnie Martinez (Secondary Language Arts) – “American Literature and American History; World History and World Literature.”

We decided to go down memory lane with some of your COE professors and ask them what “technology” they had in their classroom for their first year. Um…not-so-good-ol’-days?

Mrs. Kaylee Myers (Elementary Education)—“An overhead and a cassette/taperecorder!”

Dr. Vicki Sherbert (Secondary English/Language Arts, Speech/Theatre, Journalism)—“I had an overhead projector and created transparencies on clear acetate to show on the screen. We had a ditto machine in the workroom that had a drum containing some sort of fluid. I created ditto masters that would be clamped onto the drum which spun around and around, copying the text in purple onto the pages. There was a Xerox machine at the school board office, but we weren’t allowed to use it.”

Dr. Brad Burenheide (Secondary Social Studies)—“A lovely green screen Apple IIe.”

Dr. Todd Goodson (Secondary English, Speech/Theatre, Journalism)—“The school invested in a photocopy machine so teachers didn’t have to type everything they wanted to reproduce on purple stencils. If you’re curious, find the oldest teacher in your building and ask that person what a purple stencil was.”

Mrs. Cyndi Kuhn (Technology)—“I had absolutely nothing my first year, way back in 1975 when I began teaching, we had typewriters and mimeograph machines. It was paper, paper paper, and you really had to plan ahead.”

EdCats continues to grow! Are you a part of this great network?

We want to help beginning and early career teachers like you thrive in your career! Check out #WeAreEdCats for teaching tips and to stay in touch with the COE! Check out the website at coe.k-state.edu/edcats.

Spring is in the air! Well, in between snowflakes–but we’re getting close!

And you are SO close to finishing your first (or beyond!) year as a classroom teacher! With that in mind, we’re going to provide some information that should help you have an amazing finish to your hear. We’re going to focus on the following in our March issue:

• Assessments – The Sequel
• Spring Break Recharging
• Purple Possibilities