I PASSED!!!

It's official...I found out this morning that I passed my National Board Certification for teaching! 

I'm so thrilled!

You may remember I began pursuing my certification about a year and a half ago and it involved to a portfolio which was a complication of essays and videos reflecting on different aspects of my teaching and life as an educator. Then I had to take a three hour essay exam that tested Second Language Acquisition theory and pedagogy and teaching practice. Well the road was a little longer than I had hoped because I missed passing last November by 2 points...it KILLED me...but at the same time it was a lesson in perseverance and I redid a section on the exam last spring hoping to regain the points I needed and I SUCCEEDED!! 

When I opened my score report this morning the first thing it read was...

"Congratulation on becoming a National Board Certified Teacher." 

Thanks to everyone who supported me and encouraged me along the way. It feels good to have attained that goal and add this distinction to my resume.

Teacher of the Year

The day before Christmas break I recieved the AMAZING news that I was being honored as the 2012 Teacher of the Year for Pembroke Meadows Elementary School!

It is the highest honor I recieved in my career to date and I feel so thankful.

How did I find out?

Well I was called down to the news room the morning before holiday break because there was an "ESL problem". I didn't think I would find out the results of my TOY nomination until after the break, so I went unknowing of what was up even though I thought it was strange that there was an "ESL problem" when none of my students are even on the newsteam. I thought perhaps the nominees were going to be featured or something.

BOY WAS I SURPRISED when I was the only person there and the principal called me into the camera shot and handed me flowers as he explained to the whole school that I was the new Teacher of the Year.

I CRIED...ON AIR!

My third grade classroom teacher said they had a celebration cheering as I recieved the reward.

All day I recieved congratulations and students would point at me in the hall and say, "There she is!" as if I was a celebrity in their midst.

After the big announcement I had some pictures taken for the website and then continued my day and what a GREAT day it was! Here I am with a group of my students.

Some days I still can't believe it's ME!

This was an accolade I hoped to someday aspire to, but I never thought it could happen as an ESL teacher since I'm itinerant between three schools, but it did and I am SO HONORED!

Now it's on to the district wide TOY competition...a friend of mine compared this to the pageant system...it's funny how similar parts are. After winning at my school I had to write five essays, compile a details professional development resume and gather letters of commendation. We'll see if I go any further. 9 teachers get surprise visits and then interviews as they compete for the district wide TOY! It's pretty exciting!

Guess we'll see!

Teacher of the Year Nomination

What a way to begin the work week...my principal came by my class first thing this morning, walks in and says "congratulation" as he shakes my hand. I am clueless and say, "Thank you, but for what?" He then says that I've been nominated for Teacher of Year! WOW! I almost cried when he said it. What an honor to even be nominated by a collegue. I work with so many talented educators at Pembroke Meadows Elementary and feel so honored words really can't get into it completely. Now I have homework...as a nominee I have to write an explanation of my teaching philosophy and how it impacts my work as an educator. My brain is already spinning away! I may not be Nationally Board certified (YET...hopefully this time next year I'll knock that one out too), but I've had some practice with educational writing in the past year thanks to that certification process and hopefully I can write a killer statement to present myself to the Teacher of the Year committee.

WOW!

My latest project

I've started a new blog with the help of my students...it's still a work in progress, but in the next month or so it will debut the writings of many of my students as they share about their experiences as English Language Learners and what it was like for them to move to a new country where they had to acclimate themselves to a new culture where they'd also have to learn a new language.

Feel free to check out my new project... http://kaleidoscopeofculture.wordpress.com/ Right now it's just an introduction, but in the coming weeks it will begin to come together and will hopefully be helpful in encouraging future English Language Learners.

One Act Play: The Pizza From Mars

This year I co-directed the comedy Pizza From Mars...otherwise known as Ten Actors in Search of a Cell Phone. We received three superior ratings from all three judges for the third time, but this time our scores were better than ever. We received a 99/100, a 98/100 and a 92/100 from the three judges who were professional actors from the Virginia Stage Company. Those in attendance said it was our funniest show yet. I was so proud of our cast. The show came together beautifully even through some challenging circumstances from changed parts and lost cast members to rewriting a male part into a female part. Every year the one act play season comes to an end I am reminded just how much I ABSOLUTELY LOVE the theater!

Here are some highlights from our play, The Pizza from Mars. I wish you could all have seen it! The play begins...Brandy has lost her phone and asks..."Excuse me, has anyone seen a cell phone? Could you check around your seats?"

The stage manager tries to get things moving along so the play can "actually start"...little does the audience know yet that THIS IS THE ACTUAL PLAY!

Katie: "Are we starting this or what?"

Stage Manager: "We're listening."

Katie: "Well obviously not to me!:

Katie comforting Brandy: "Oh, I lost mine once." Katie: "My ring tone goes...Baby Baby Baby AHHH!" Katie and Brandy: Gerald's message "BLAH!" Brandy continuing to go on and on about finding her lost cell phone. The stage manager losing patience for the lost cell phone search that is holding up the play. Brandy's boyfriend Kevin: "Read and copy, Brandy." Tony (with a Y): "Are you sure it's okay to come out in costume?"

Katie: "Do it." Brandy and Tony: "What!?!"

Katie: "Re-act the phone call."

Tony and his mind attach moment.

Tony: "Can I go back stage and practice my mind attack moment now?"

Kevin, explaining Brandy's nickname "Kevlar": "She calls me Kevlar because I'm BULLETPROOF!" Brandy: "I found my phone!" Everyone celebrating until the stage manager reminds Brandy that "No you found my phone!"

Brandy: "Right, no pictures."

Christine joins the search.

Katie to Brandy and Christine: "You do your part. She'll do her part and we'll find the phone."

Katie wouldn't steal Brandy's boyfriend? or would she?!

Tasia upset that Brandy has told people about Nikki and Trey...oh boy the gossip!

The stage manager getting more and more nervous about starting the play and what is ensuing on stage.

Katie: "Spread gossip and rumors?! This is Saint Brandy you're talking about!"

Stage Manager: "Places everyone, PLACES!"

Nikki upset that Brandy has told everyone about her and Trey!

Uh oh...confusion between who's spreading the gossip...Tony or Toni...watch out Tony!

Toni comes on the scene to defend herself.

Yet another secret revealed...Toni: "Celia (the stage manager) wanted to date Trey." Stage Manager: "Way to keep a secret!"

Toni: "Oops, I forgot that was a secret."

Stage Manager: "Well since you're still dating Danny, maybe Trey's like to go out with me sometime?"

Kevin, upon entering and seeing Brandy hugging the Pizza Boy: "You've crushed my baby chicken!"

Kevin: "I'm getting a slice of love right here." UH OH!

Tony: "Hankering to scratch in someone else's yard?!" in reference to Kevin's baby chicken.

This is one of my favorite shots...it would have been a perfect program cover!

Watch out Katie...Saint Brandy's calling you out for trying to steal her boyfriend.

Brandy uses Christine's line from the "actual" play when she gets publicly dumped...Christine gets mad.

Christine: "And remember my name...Klaxlurd!"

Stage manager: "Don't do the baby chicken thing again."

Everyone arguing over who started this mess.

Brandy finally remembers where she left her phone...she used it to call the "actual" pizza boy...not Tony who was playing a Pizza Boy. She tells him the money is in her dressing room and goes on to gossip some more.

Guess she didn't learn her lesson.

Can the play get started now?!

Want to see pictures from the last season's plays...check out Too Many Doctors and This is a Test.

Flowers at work!!!

I presented at a reading conference recently and was given these beautiful flowers when I got back to school.

I also won that book in a raffle at the conference!!!

Too Many Doctors (SUPERIOR REVIEWS!)

Introducing our cast of characters for the play Too Many Doctors, an adaptation of one of Moliere's French comedies.

The Doctors

The family

Argon, the old man who needs his doctors

Toinette, his maid servant

Beline, his gold digging wife

Angelique and Cleante, Argon's daughter and her suitor disguised as a music teacher

Madame Dufois and Thomas Dufois

(Argon's future doctor by way of arranged marriage to Angeligue and Thomas's mother)

Dr. Purgon and his nurse
Louis, Argon's youngest daughter

Micheal, our stage manager

If you weren't able to see the show...

I'll try to walk you through our one act via commentary and pictures of the actual show.

Our opening tableau (frozen picture),

complimented by the judges as a nice way to open the show as the curtain opens and reveals this picture.

Toinette introduces the characters and herself

Purjon's bill...all he did was feel Argon's head and decide he is indeed very ill.

A moment between Argon and Toinette right after they have spun around in his chair after a chance collision. Toinette cries, "You have broken my leg!" to which Argon responds, "You pretend to be hurt." She answers, "You pretend to be sick, what's the difference?"

Argon and his wife Beline as he gives her money for the wedding between Thomas and Angelique to which she responds sarcastically, "You are as generous as you are handsome!"

Toinette defends Angelique telling Argon he will NOT marry her off, which leads to a fight.

Toinette letting the audience in on Argon's real motives...that he intends to marry his daughter off to gain another doctor.

Toinette to the rescue, being thanked by Angelique for coming up with a plan.

Cleante, disguised as a music teacher makes his introduction to Argon.

Argon introduces Angelique to her new music teacher.

Toinette comments to the audience, "She recognized him at once, that's love at first sight!"

Madame Dufois and Thomas arrive allowing Thomas to "do his speeches before he forgets them." He makes the mistake of reciting his speech to Argon's daughter confusing her for his wife.

After Angelique cries that she won't marry Thomas, Argon thinks he's having a heart attack.

Madame Dufois helps Thomas with the proper use of his instruments.

Madame Dufois: "Tell us how his heart sounds Thomas?"

Thomas: "Boompty Boompty Boomp."

Argon tried to get Louise to taddle on who the new music teacher is...his little finger believes it is CLEANTE!

Dr. Purjon and his nurse soon return to Argon with a magic injection.

Thank goodness Toinette, disguised as a new doctor Kronk, soon arrives to rescue Argon from the "size of that needle".

Here they are listening to Kronk and Toinette talk about Argon's case off stage just prior to her entrance as Kronk.

Kronk's solution for Argon's health problems: "I take it off!"

Kronk feels that with one arm and one eye, the other body parts would be that much stronger. It's the perfect solution to his health problems.

To which Argon cries for Toinette to save him.

She convinces him that all he needs are his loving daughters after he plays dead and finds out his wife is only married to him for his money. The daughters and Cleante, however, mourn their loss and soon find out it was all an act and Argon is in fact ALIVE.

He awards Cleante his daughter's hand in marriage and finds out that with all his experience, he can be his own doctor.

Argon: "Everyone say awww."

Audience and on stage characters: "Awww"

Argon: "What do you know, I'm a doctor!"

The cast after the show and our critique!

We got superior ratings from all three judges!