Getting Excited!

Well, I got my official letter in the mail saying that I was unanimously accepted by the Board of Education at the school! Yay! :) I am beyond excited to get started with everything!

Here is my new button! {Grab it!}

 Here are a few ideas I have for my classroom...do you see a theme? ;)

clutterfreeclassroom.blogspot.com

http://hill.troy.k12.mi.us/staff/bnewingham/myweb3/

tupelohoneycaro.blogspot.com

Happy Summer!

Mrs. Crouse

Guess What...

You are looking at the newest 6th grade teacher in the blogger world!!!

I got the job! Yay :) I went in front of the board last night and it went extremely well! I got a call around 10:45pm saying that the vote was unanimous and that I was hired! I am so excited to get into my classroom and start decorating!

For those of you who are appling to schools; here are some of the questions that they asked me along with some of my answers:

1. Tell us about yourself outside of teaching.
Talk about where you grew up, tell them about your family. If it is a small country school the board is most likely very family oriented. Let them know about your family and what you enjoy doing. Do you have hobbies? Are passionate about something else besides teaching?

2. Tell us about your experiences since student teaching.
Talk about student teaching and what you learned. If you have worked elsewhere since student teaching talk about that. I personally have worked at 2 other schools since student teaching. So I mainly talked about my role at those schools.

3. Why do you want to work here?
Research the school. Go to the school website. Find the school report card. Talk to teachers that work there or people that have subbed there. Make sure it is a good school and that you have positive things to say about that particular school.

4. What 3 qualities do a great teacher possess?
Possible answers: passion, creativity, flexibility, organized, positive, patience. What I have always said during interviews (which it is your own personal preference, there are no wrong answers) is organized, flexible, and passionate.

5. What is your greatest strength?
Mine is personally my organizational skills. I love to be organized and know where things belong. I also feel like this helps my students to learn to be organized and to know where things belong.

6. Why should we hire you?
Tell them why you are so passionate about teaching. Let them know that you are the best possible candidate. This is the time to really "toot your own horn". Explain your strengths and ideas that you have for your future classroom.

7. What is your biggest fear of teaching?
Honestly, out of the now 12 interviews I have had in the past 2 years, I have never been asked this question. I told the board member that I had a fear of not being a good teacher. I want to do my best for my kids and help them succeed. I am going to strive to be my best and work past that fear.

It is now time for me to change the title of my blog to "Mrs. Crouse's {6th Grade} All-Stars!"

Happy Summer!
Mrs. Crouse

Life Update

Well....

I applied for a job today.

I am currently working at a great school as an aide (well not currently I guess, since its summer). I love the school I work at. But there is no teaching opening until after next year. The school I applied at today is also a great school. I did a semester long field experience there when I was in school. The position is for a 6th grade teacher. They are also requiring at least 3 endorsements. Its a good thing I have 4! Whew!

I am praying that I get an interview {prayers are gladly accepted :)}. The deadline is next Friday (the 1st). So we shall see!


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In other news...

Summer is going GREAT! I have definitely been staying busy though! I have been running around like a mad woman trying to get everything organized for my Little Miss Relay Pageant. It is a pageant I put on to raise money for the Relay for Life. Last year was our first year and we raised $3000! I hope we can do the same this year! It is a lot of fun. I will have to post pictures after we have it. It is on June 10th. Can't wait!

Do you have Relay for Life in your community? If so, what do you do to support it?



Day One of My New Job

Hello Everyone!

I hope all of you who are back to school are having a great week! Today was my first day at my new school. No students today, just staff. We all met with the Superintendent in the morning and he went over the handbook and things of that matter. For lunch I went out with some of the ladies and had a great time with all of them! Everyone is so nice and welcoming there. I definitely did not feel like an outsider for very long! :)

After lunch my Super met with me and the Title 1 teacher about what we will be doing this year. My aide position is new this year and Title 1 has never had an aide, so I think we will all be learning together! The title 1 room is very small so I don't think I will be set up in there. The Title teacher told me that I might have my own room (which I'm sure I will have to share) but the Super didn't say anything about that today, so I guess I will find out tomorrow!

Tomorrow is the first day with students! The students only come till 10:30am. Then Friday will be everyone's first full day! Oh Boy! :) I think I am really going to like it at this school. I really hope that a teaching job (whether full time or part time) comes up sooner than later! I just want to teach so bad! But I know God is just testing my patience so I need to just relax and enjoy everyday (which I learned a lot about this weekend).

F Y I:
This weekend my husband's Grandpa passed away in a farming accident. It was very hard for the whole family. He was a loved husband, dad, grandpa, person, etc. We had his visitation on Monday night (never have I seen a visitation so large). The funeral was then held on Tuesday. Please pray for me and my husbands family (especially for his grandma). I don't think she has gone a day without him since high school :(.

Just remember to never take something or someone for granted. Life is short and we never know what is going to happen the next day. Live life by your faith.

God Bless,

Mrs. Crouse

One More Week

Well, school starts in one week. I am starting to get pretty excited. After resigning from my first teaching position I was unsure about how excited I would be for starting my new aide position. To catch everyone up on my life....I quit my first teaching job because I was offered an aide job at one of the best schools in my town. I took the aide job because when it all comes down to it I was getting paid the same. At my old school I was driving thirty minutes to get there, had no benefits, would have been teaching a dual classroom, and they don't pay into your TRS. At my new school I will only be an aide...but Ive been told that I will get the next teaching opening that comes up, I will get benefits and I will only be driving ten minutes. This past week has really ensured me that I have made the right decision. I know a lot of people that work at my new school. One lady inparticular has been extremely excited that I am going to be working with her. She told me that she has been telling everyone that works there how excited she is that I will be working there. Then last night at my aqua zumba class (amazing workout btw!) I found out that the instructor is the title one teacher at my new school. She is the one that I will be working with this year. She was super excited when I told her that I wAs going to be working with her. She said that he has been nervous all summer long about not knowing who her aide was going to be! I am so happy that everyone is so excited about me being there. It really helps me feel that I have made the right decision. I know that this is where God wants me to be and I am excited to see where this journey will lead me.

New Job

My car the day I resigned. Full of teaching stuff!

Well, the other day I resigned from my teaching position. It was a very bitter sweet moment. I was going to be teaching a dual classroom, 1st and 2nd grades at a very tiny country school about 30 minutes away. I got an offer a week or so ago from a great school in my town. They offered me a great aide position, with good pay and benefits with intentions of teaching down the road.

It was a very tough decision. I had to choose between teaching and being an aide again. I choose the aide position because it is a very well known and established school that I have always wanted to work at.  And this was a great way for me to get my foot in the door. The other school is a very small school with about 60 kids (on a good year).We all know how hard it is to get a teaching job (which was what made this decision so hard)! But I believe this is what God has planned for me and I think I have made the right decision.

I am going to miss everyone I worked with out there and I hope they understand why I choose this route. I love you all and will keep in contact with you! I am very excited to start my new journey at this school. Please wish me luck! :)

p.s. Thank you Rebecca for the rocking chair! :)