But wait, you say! Isn't a list of this genius, this magnitude, this UTTER WASTE OF A FEW MINUTES WORTHY OF 10 INSTEAD OF 7?
My reply to that is yes, 10 is a better number. The problem is, in my so far 18 years of teaching, I don't have 10 good ones, I have 7. Put this into a musical frame to make sense...1987 had a lot of pretty good songs, not one of them being Rick Astley B-sides. They weren't even in the top 20 or even 100, nobody knows what they are anymore, nor do they give a rat's ass. The same goes for my mediocre-to-middling teaching years thus far.
So, summoning the spirit of Kasey Kasem ("Hey, Scoob!"), here we go with Mr. Moore's Top 7!
Coming in at number 7, we have the 2007-08 school year. I was at Tom WIlliams in my 6th year there. It was my fourth year teaching the 5th grade and I had become quite comfy in that grade level. We had ended the previous year (meaning 3 weeks previously) in a portable classroom as work was getting started on the new school building. The first day of school had a nice little thunderstorm in the morning, which in Vegas is a good omen. This would end up being the last of what I would consider of good years at that school. The kids were awesome, in fact after count day, the class size reduced a bit here and there, and by the time we ended the year in the new building, I had less than 25 kids.
Coming in at the number 6 spot is the 2012-13 school year. This was my first full year at Darnell Elementary, and my first year teaching the second grade. I was a bit nervous, but I had a great team of teachers helping me along: Sue Szepelak, Colleen Shiheiber and Liz Pittenger. The counselor Ms G roped me into a life skills play role and that really helped me to become recognizable to the school community, especially since I was fairly low-profile the previous year. In November, I turned 40 and the morning announcements team led by Mr. DeRose made a fun celebration of it as did my grade level. It was probably the most official welcome I'd had to the school as well as the best one I could imagine. The year ended on a sad coda with the loss of a coworker.
At number 5, we have the year just previous to the above, the 2011-12 year. Now, this year was a big transition for me, as I was coming from a hellish time at Gilbert Elementary in August and September to 4th grade at Darnell in early October. A lot was going on with me personally and I think a lot of people could tell I was a bit shaky. My bosses definitely did, and got me a little outside help. I had trouble the previous year at Gilbert and the principal there had me sit and watch while the literacy specialist taught my class for 4 months. Not at Darnell. They had me work with a coach in the early AM time before school started so that I could still be an effective teacher. I also worked with a pretty cool 4th grade team who helped me to acclimate. I am forever grateful to Michelle McGarry, Kelly Epstein, and Christy Leveque for building my spirit back up that year, plus Patricia Cobb and Lynn Ivey for giving me awesome administrative support! Otherwise, that year might have broken me for good.
Moving into number 4 we have the 2006-07 school year at Tom Williams. It was my 3rd year teaching 5th grade and I was probably at my best confidence level for some time. I was in a good classroom, had a great set of kids, and we built a really good class culture. Toward the end of the year, we moved into a portable in order to prep for the construction of the new school building. This year is also special as I got married in November. There was one slight downside: I had elected to be the grade level chair, only to find I lacked the finesse and organization to be great or even good at it! Fellow 5th grade teacher Angela Graus was much better at it! Eh, life's little lessons.
Coming to number 3, we have the 2005-06 year. Like number 5, this was a fairly transitional year. I had just completed my first year in the 5th grade, which my soul had not been prepared for and had many bad notes throughout. Starting this new year felt a bit shaky at first, but after a short time I grew more comfortable in my role. I also had a good neighbor teacher in Dorothy Williams, and we had a good system of watching each others' classes when either needed a bathroom break. In the early part of the year, I also took a break from dating, which was taking a toll on my psyche. In the winter, I met the woman whom I would marry months later, which helped make this year transitional in a special way.
At number 2 is the 2002-03 school year. This one is great because it was my very first year teaching, and for the most part it went smoothly. I was doing first grade, and I still had a lot to learn in terms of bulletin board creation and creating lesson plans that didn't take hours. You know, the little tricks and techniques they don't have time to teach in ed school. I was in with a great group of first grade teachers. Scott Gupton, Christy Shearer, Jennifer Plank, and Beth Danielson really helped me to get settled into my new time in life. I also met with some of them at happy hour on Fridays. It wasn't exactly a social life, that would come in later months.
Finally we have reached the number 1 year, the 2013-14 school year at Darnell! Although I was asked to move classrooms, I was quite happy in the second grade and this year I had fewer students to teach. It was a great group. Also, the day before school started, we had a major rainstorm that resulted in much flooding due to a summer mountain fire that had decimated all of the natural water breaks. Not exactly pleasant, but any water event in Vegas is a good omen. In this year, I was taking some improvisational classes to improve my teaching style. I was also taking charge of the life skills plays in terms of casting and producing, which was further making me recognizable at the school. Now, that might sound like I was fame-seeking, when in reality other years saw me sitting quietly and just doing my job, not putting myself out there to shine. A few people were also starting to notice these little blog posts of mine, having spent some time in therapy since!
And there we have it. To sum up, scroll back up and read this again! The Kasey Kasem seance only goes so far! This list may change with future school years who knows? SO much material, so much time to waste, it may come sooner than you think!
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