Funk, Funk Funky Week-New

Sam Woldman - Hayt Elementary

As I sit in my apartment creating this post, it seems that in a blink of an eye week five is complete. Each day was filled to the brim with events, lesson plans, and edTPA work. These things, paired with the impending talk of strike have made me focus on the truth presented throughout my college career. Teaching, or student teaching, requires great flexibility. This week as I was student teaching at Hayt Elementary School there was a few areas that required my flexibility.

Hayt Elementary

The first, perhaps largest area, was the talk of a strike within the Chicago Public Schools Teacher Union. The talk of striking began due to struggle to find common ground between the City of Chicago and the Teachers Union. The Union contract has not been revised for years, leading to many dissatisfied teachers. The teachers union, ready to make a statement, set a strike date for October 11, 2016.  Due to this potential strike, another area of my student teaching was affected, the completion of my EdTPA.

EdTPA, a new concept to me, is a Teacher Performance Assessment. The assessment is a student centered, subject specific, and multiple measure assessment of teaching. In order to become certified in the state of Illinois it is required. All this being stated, this assessment of teacher candidates has many components. The requirement this week was the filming of up 20 minutes of literacy instruction. These clips were supposed to highlight student’s engagement in topics, as well as teaching tactics present in a certain focus area. These videos were originally arranged to be completed by Friday October, 14. However with the strike set for next week, filming needed to be moved up. The filming provided some stress throughout the week and again reminded me of the importance of being flexible in teaching.

Even though student teaching is picking up, I am starting to realize the need for personal time. This week I have done this in small areas. Whether it is exploring new places to create lessons, attending the weekly art events, or adventuring around the city, I believe these activities are imperative to experiencing the full value of the city.

This week, outside of the classroom, I was lucky enough have time with those I love. As student teaching continues and the load gets heavier, there is less time to socialize. This weekend however, I was blessed to spend time with my parents and boyfriend. I spent a much needed weekend with my mom, dad and Jon (my boyfriend). We explored the city and cherished the times we had together. After a month without seeing them, this time was a much needed breath of fresh air.

With Jon

In addition to exploring the city together, on Sunday Jon and I made our way to Soldier Field for a Bears Football Game. Being from Illinois, and a big fan of football, obviously I was excited for this new opportunity. To make this game even more interesting the Bears were playing the Lions. The Lions are Detroit, Michigan’s Football team, a team Jon is an avid fan of. The was the first Bears win in the regular season, which made one of us very excited! Being in Soldier Field and seeing my 3rd Chicago sports team play in a little over a month, was such an amazing opportunity. I only have one team left to see, the Bulls.

Until next time,

Sam

City Life

Sam Woldman - Hayt Elementary

It has officially been a month since I entered into this new season of my life, student teaching in Chicago. This semester is filled with great personal growth and numerous eye opening moments.  Since being in Chicago I have gained information daily about myself, the stereotypes I held, and what it means to live life in the city of Chicago. Each day, I am faced with countless events that allow my narrow world-view to widen. This week as I write this post, I would like to share a few moments that have given me a new perspective of what it means to be a student teacher living in a big city.

Students goals for this school year

When heading to or from Hayt Elementary School, I spend 45 minutes on a red line train, and 15 minutes walking.  During this time, it seems I am invited into the lives of the individuals whose paths cross mine. Coming to Chicago, I initially believed the city to be an area of solitude or rare engagement with strangers. This week I have found this assumption to be incredibly incorrect.

One morning I saw that trains, despite my initial thoughts, do not isolate individuals. On the way to school I shared sorrow with a young woman, no more than 16 years old. This young girl was heading out to what she believed would be a normal school day, until she answered a phone call that changed her life. Though I only heard one side of this conversation, I knew this girl had just tragically lost a loved one. I have no knowledge of what, or how he passed, but as she wept bitterly the community of people on the train came around her. We knew at this time she needed support and love. Friends provided love and comfort through hugs, strangers provided tissues, while others lifted the hurt and pain of this girl up in prayer. The idea of isolation and brokenness is often solely present in people’s thoughts of Chicago. We overlook the good. However, as I sat praying for comfort for this young girl, the love of the people of Chicago, the very real people on my train, busted a stereotype present in my mind.

Blackhawks Game

Finally, the lesson that I have learned about living life in the big city, is that it is imperative to find good in every experience. This week, between teaching three subjects at Hayt, being observed, class at Chicago Semester, and extracurricular events, I still found time to enjoy the moments these activities provided. The most prominent example I can think of from this is the Blackhawks game I attended this week. Some of you are probably thinking, “Wow, this girl really is sporty. Last week the Cubs now the Blackhawks Game.” To you people I would say that is not entirely true. Spending the fall semester in Chicago means many sports teams (Cubs, Blackhawks, Bears and Bulls) will be in season while I am here. That being said, I have challenged myself to attend a sporting event from each one of these teams throughout the course of the semester. During my time leading up to the Blackhawks game I was dreading taking the time away from planning and preparing my lessons. However, by going to the game I was able to forget just briefly about all that had burdened and stressed me this week. The game provided me an escape from my routine, which I am learning is okay from time to time.This week while student teaching I also came to another realization about life. I CANNOT WAIT TO HAVE MY OWN CLASSROOM!! Don’t get me wrong, I have treasured my time thus far exploring fourth grade.  Being able to spend time teaching reading, social studies, and science to these wonderful, young children this week has been nothing but a blessing. I love watching as a student who has struggled with a concept for so long finally gets it, the way his eyes light up with understanding, or when a shy student slowly begins to open up and draws you the most beautiful picture. Leaving all of this after watching the relationships form and the students grow sounds heart wrenching.  These children have provided me with so much love in the past month, saying goodbye is what I dread most about student teaching.

I hope you enjoyed a brief look into the growth I have felt this week.

Until we meet again,

Sam Woldman

Cubs, Ice Cream and CPS

Sam Woldman - Hayt Elementary

Hello!

My name is Sam Woldman, and I am currently in my senior year at Calvin College, in Grand Rapids Michigan. At Calvin I am double majoring in special and elementary education, with a minor in urban education. This means the entirety of my senior year will be spent in various classrooms student teaching. This semester I have the incredible opportunity to come together in community with students from various colleges to live, work and learn in a Christian community in the city of Chicago. Throughout the fall 2016 semester I will be blogging to share my experiences from student teaching, adventuring, and navigating life (and the public transit) in Chicago.

Four weeks ago I was prepping to move into Canterbury court apartments, a wonderful apartment complex, that comes fully furnished, but was rumored to be very small. After reading countless internet reviews, and scaling the internet for pictures of the apartments, I imagined them no larger than a closet. Thankfully, my initial thoughts were incorrect. The studio apartments, which house two people, are comprised of one main room, a small kitchen area including stove and refrigerator, a HUGE closet (I mean huge, you could fit a bed inside) and a bathroom.  As someone who has never had their own room, and who lived in a dorm room for two years, this apartment seems like more than enough space. Plus with all the new opportunities to utilize around the city, who would want to be trapped inside an apartment anyway?

Prior to student teaching, and during the first few weeks of the semester, I have been seeking every opportunity for adventure the city has to offer. I have spent endless hours exploring food, taking public transit to all ends of the city, going to sporting events, and of course stopping at the beach to catch the final warm days before winter sneaks up on us. I won’t share all of these memories, as this post would never end, but I will share a few of my favorite adventures.

Sam (left) with roommate Jess

One of my favorite outings thus far happened within my first three days in the city. Some of my friends from Chicago Semester and I, on the spur of the moment, decided to see a Cubs game. Within half an hour of thinking of the idea we were heading to Wrigley Field with $13 nosebleed tickets in hand, happy as could be. For those of you who are not sports fans, the Cubs, are one of Chicago’s baseball teams. For decades the cubs have usually performed poorly, however this year they are doing splendid. Being able to get up and go, last minute to a 13 inning (usually games are only 9) baseball game, that the Cubs won, was sure a wonderful experience for my first week in Chicago.

My second adventure has to do with ice cream. For those of you who do not know me, ice cream is my absolute favorite food in the entire world. Whenever I am stressed or just went to treat myself, I will go immediately to my comfort food of ice cream. This week I was feeling the need for some quality ice cream. Upon the referral of one of the teachers where I student teach, my roommate and I hopped on the bus for 15 minutes. After ordering we watched as heavy cream and Oreos became ice cream right in front of our eyes. If you have never heard of this, I would highly suggest watching a video of rolling ice cream. If eating ice cream does not calm you, watching people make rolling ice cream sure can! This experience, plus the taste of the Nutella Oreo ice cream, just needed to be shared.

Classroom

Rolling Ice Crea

Finally, the reason I came to Chicago! To student teach of course. I am student teaching on the north side of Chicago, in a Chicago Public School called Stephan K. Hayt Elementary, or Hayt for short. Over my past three weeks in Chicago I have been blessed by my cooperating teacher as well as the 26 fourth grade students I have the pleasure of teaching. My classroom is considered an English Language Learners classroom, as well a bilingual classroom. Of the twenty-six students in the classroom, there are around sixteen different languages and dialects spoken. Though challenging at times, seeing and being a part of such a wonderfully diverse community fills me with joy daily. Whether it is seeing students break language barriers by using nonverbal communication, or observing a quiet student taking a new student who moved from Mexico less than a week ago under her wing, I cannot help but feel blessed by all the opportunities Hayt has offered me so far. Though I am only teaching two subjects currently, Science and Social Studies, I feel like the students in this fourth grade classroom are my own. I am delighted and honored to get the opportunity to learn with each one of these students.

That is all for now.

Thanks,

Sam