This has been a year of transition. As you might remember, I have officially left the classroom and am now serving as our school district's Director of Special Services. This new position comes with some new responsibilities and of course much excitement! Since working on some of my new duties and trying to be very prepared to go into the new school year, I have realized that if I'm going to continue to be the best wife, mom, Christian, and educator that I can be, there will need to be some more changes taking place over the next year. And so...here is my second big announcement for 2018. Besides leaving my classroom, I'm also going to put the camera down in the near future.
I have been able to be a part of so many new marriages and family events.
I have spent time with people at the very beginning of their lives and with family members nearing the end of life. I have captured photos for friends and family members who are preparing for deployment or getting ready to announce a pregnancy. It has been such an honor for me to be included in these experiences. But now...it's time to slow down a bit on the home-front as I learn my new position at school. Of course, I still have some sessions and weddings scheduled for this fall and I still have some friends out there with gift cards waiting to be used, so the camera won't be put away for good...but I won't be scheduling anymore full sessions at this time. I will still have a fall mini-session to kind of close out the year and I might still do some sports' photos or other mini-sessions here and there, but I need to take a step back and focus on the family, the farmhouse, and my new responsibilities. I am beyond thankful to all of those clients who have chosen me to capture their memories through the years. Thank you, thank you, thank you. Feeling bittersweet at the farmhouse, Hannah ❤️🏡❤️
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And just like that...the last school year of my teaching career is over.
You might remember a few months ago when I announced my new position as the director of special services in my current district. At the time that I agreed to this position, back in late August of last year, it seemed like a lifetime away. It seemed like there was so much more time left in my classroom. I mean, nine months is a LONG time, right? And yet, here we are...the last day of school. I'd be lying if I said I was over-joyed as I left the school parking lot today. Yes, I'm excited for my new journey, but I feel like every time a season in our lives comes to an end, there is some grieving that must take place. I have known that public education was the career choice for me ever since I can remember. There was never a time in my life that I thought of any other career choice. I can remember being preschool age and "playing school" with my dolls and stuffed animals in my bedroom. (I always tried to recruit my little brother, but it wasn't quite as enjoyable for him.) My new role is exciting and refreshing and something I am looking forward to. But in reality, there are things I am losing. Things I'm giving up. Things I am having to let go of. Building relationships with the same 20-30 kids day-in and day-out. Being able to make an impact in the daily lives of the students in my classroom. Creating lessons that are engaging and interesting for my kiddos. Spending time with some of my dearest friends all day, every day...my hallway colleagues. Yes, I know I'll still be making a difference. I know I'll still be able to connect with children. I know I'll still have an impact. I know I'll be in the same building I've been in for the last eleven years. But this afternoon, my students of nine months walked out of my room. I waved goodbye to my students and headed straight to the cafeteria to set up for the celebration we have at the end of every year. When the staff get-together was finished, I headed back to my room. I walked down a mostly empty hallway to my mostly empty classroom. And it was then that I had a few tears. Okay, I had a lot of tears. Even tonight, as I sit here typing this, I have a tear rolling down my cheek. There are a lot of things to look forward to.. There's a lot to be excited about. But there are also a lot of things to be sad about...and that's okay. I think that sometimes we feel like there's something wrong with grief. Like we shouldn't feel sad when we are moving into something that seems bigger and better. Why would I be sad about this opportunity? Why would I have a hard time moving into a position that seems so perfect for me? Well...because it's normal. It's completely natural to grieve the seasons of our lives. Change is necessary and important...but change can also be difficult and painful. So as I sit here tonight on the farmhouse front porch, watching the fireflies blinking away in the field across the road...I will just have a good cry. You might remember that I believe ugly-crying is a vitally important part of life. I will cry for the thirteen years I spent in a classroom. I will cry for the dear friends and colleagues...my teaching BFFs. I will cry for lesson planning and connecting with "that one kid" and lightbulb moments for struggling learners. I will cry for read-aloud chapter books, scented chart markers, and my favorite bright pink fake leather rolling office chair that I bought on clearance for $15 a few years ago. I will cry for my teaching partner who has become like an older brother to me over the last ten years. I will cry for the comfort and the security and the partnership that will change drastically in the near future. I will cry and I will smile. I will look back fondly on the experiences and lessons and memories that have become so important to me inside the walls of my classroom. I will clean out that classroom over the next few weeks and I will move (some of) my belongings down the hallway to my new office. I can't promise that there won't be more tears. And there's nothing wrong with that. Cherish the seasons, friends. Each of our seasons is filled with important lessons and precious memories. But grieve the seasons if you have to. Tears from the farmhouse tonight...and hope for tomorrow. Much love, "Mrs. Newkirk" ❤️🏡❤️ I always love finding ways to get my students up and around during a classroom activity. The struggle comes with trying to get them moving around the room WHILE ALSO keeping them focused on what they need to be doing. Enter: task cards. In the past, I've used task cards a few times a year, for specific content tasks. However, this year, my group of kiddos REALLY needs to move often, so in addition to my usual few groups of task cards, I have purchased & downloaded several sets of pre-made task cards on Teachers Pay Teachers.
I have them use a piece of notebook paper on a clipboard. They number from 1-24, skipping lines, and find their own task card to stand by to start. They know that they are not to be standing at the same card as another student. This year, I only have 16 students, so this is easy to manage. If I had more students, I would add more task cards so each child always had a free one to go to. You are welcome to download this task card template and use it in your own classroom!
This is a big one, folks. This post will be unlike any post I've ever written. Yesterday, a student asked me about the situation and I decided it was probably time to let the cat out of the bag. My colleagues and my family, along with some friends, already know my big news. However, I feel like posting it on the blog makes it public knowledge and that can only mean one thing... This is really happening. After thirteen years as a teacher of one kind or another, I'll be leaving the classroom.
I wanted to be the reason that a student with special needs felt successful in the general education classroom. When my former students were asked later in life who their favorite teacher was...I wanted to make that list. I wanted my kiddos to look back on their time with Mrs. Newkirk as their teacher and say, "She played a small part of who I am today." I'm hopeful that I've been able to make a difference like this in the lives of kids and families over the last thirteen years. However, the Lord has also given me a passion for people with special needs. My parents opened up a group home for adults with disabilities when I was in upper-elementary school. What started out as four adult women with various needs living with us in our home from then until my high school years has now grown to three separate group homes in our small town, where we provide housing and community habilitation services for twelve ladies. Growing up in the group home led me to pursue a double-major in college...elementary education and special education. In fact, I started my career in the special education classroom and only transitioned into the general education classroom because of a series of crazy events that I believe the Lord orchestrated to give me general education experience, to allow me to meet and work with some of my very best friends in the world, and to give me an opportunity to touch the lives of many children over the last ten years. Almost nine years ago, I graduated with my masters degree in Education Administration. My plan was to continue teaching for several years and then hopefully find an elementary principal's job to finish out my career...but not for a looooooong while. And then, a few years ago, my principal (a mentor and friend to me) said, "Have you ever thought about going into special education administration?" ![]() Well, I hadn't really considered that and honestly didn't even want to think about going back to school. (Okay, in the interest of full disclosure...I didn't want to think about PAYING to go back to school.) However, the administrative team encouraged me to not dismiss the idea immediately, but instead to call and see what classes I would need to fulfill the requirements necessary for a job in special education administration. So in April of 2016, I called. And I needed two classes. Two. I needed one class that was offered only a 45-minute drive away, over three weekends that next summer. Three weekends that were open on our family calendar. I also needed an internship class that I could do right there in my home district with the Director of Special Services. And we could pay for them both in cash. No more student loans. That seemed easy enough. So I signed up, thinking it would be good to have options for my very distant future. I finished up the class over the summer of 2016 and finished the internship in the spring of 2017. Fast-forward to this past August...the beginning of this school year. Our superintendent calls me into his office to tell me that our current Director of Special Services is retiring at the end of the year and he would like me to be ready to present to the school board about the possibility of stepping into that position for the next school year. WHAT!?! Like NEXT YEAR!?! His idea was that I could be trained during this school year...to shadow our current director, to prepare to take that role the following August. Long story short, Mr. Farmhouse and I prayed about it. A host of family and friends prayed about it with us and for us. We had lots and lots of conversation about it. I talked for hours about the possibility to my current teaching partner. I contacted friends of mine who are special education directors for support and answers to my questions. I presented to the board. They offered me the job. And I accepted. I believe that I will be able to use my leadership skills, my passion for education, and my knowledge and experience working with my students and the adults in our group home with special needs in this new role. I believe that this is just another place that God can use me to make a difference in the lives of children and families. There are things about this transition that will not be easy.
With any transition, there will be some sorrow...some difficulty.
But there will also be joy, excitement, reflection, and new ideas. I am so thankful to be able to stay in my current district. I've grown so much as an educator and met so many people who are near and dear to my heart. I'm grateful to my principal for pushing me to go back to school, our superintendent for encouraging me to move forward, our school board for giving me this opportunity, our current special education director for training me, my mentor special education director from my alma mater, my colleagues (current and former) for believing in me, the two fourth grade teachers in my building that make up the other half of our team for offering so much encouragement this year, my teaching partner for all of his support through the years...especially this year, my friends, my family...our parents, grandparents, and siblings, my dear Mr. Farmhouse and our three sweet girls. I'm grateful for my students & their parents through all of my teaching years. For the life lessons that I have learned standing in front of that classroom. For the opportunities to grow and develop into the educator I am today. I'm just so very grateful. Life will be different here in the farmhouse in just a few short months. For now though, I'm going to enjoy the time I have left this year with my darling third graders...shaping young minds. Laughing with them and cheering with them. Helping them along and making sure to let them know how much they help me along, too. November 12th.
That was the last date that I wrote a blog post. I was going through life, keeping up with this fun Farmhouse journal and then BOOM..off-track. Off-track. Overwhelmed. Treading water. Survival-mode at home, at school, at Newkirk Photography. I had things I wanted to share. Inspiration I wanted to give. Encouragement I wanted to pass along. And instead...I just stopped. Just stopped. However, a lot has happened since November 12th. Deer season (I got two!). Our first Thanksgiving family dinners at the farmhouse (can't wait to share about that someday!). And we've almost made it halfway through the school year...WHAT!?! So anyway...I'm back. I'm feeling refreshed and looking forward to sharing some Farmhouse654 updates with you sooner than later. Happy Friday Eve, friends. ❤️🏡❤️ "How many sentences do I need to write to get a good grade?"
One of my third graders asked me this a few weeks ago when we started to write our first big writing assignment...the personal narrative. "There's not really a certain number of sentences...I just want you to tell the whole story. The beginning, the middle, and the end. I want to be able to picture the story in my head as I read your words and I want you to take your time adding details to help paint a mental picture for your readers." "Okay," he said, "So how many sentences would that be?" I wish I could say that it's only 8-year-olds who are asking, "How good is good enough?" But you and I both know that's not the case. I think that in most avenues of life, the bare minimum should not be the standard by which we judge ourselves. For the last four years or so, my teaching partner and I have departmentalized our instruction. He has taught the math and science while I've taught the reading, writing, and social studies. We were very comfortable in our roles. We worked together to meet the needs of each third grader in our building and we supported each other in our various responsibilities. To be frank...it worked really well for us. We had seen growth in our test scores and felt like we were in each of our elements as we shared pertinent information with our third graders, using our own teaching styles and meeting our kids' learning needs. Last year, a team from our school (including me) visited an elementary building near Columbia, Missouri, to observe how their multi-age model of teaching worked. We were blown away by so many parts of the program and decided that it was definitely worth looking into for our own school. We had meetings and planned and talked and spent time hashing out the details of how a program like this would work for our own district. Ultimately, last winter, we decided to move towards this model for the 2017-2018 school year. That meant lots of changes for the third grade team. We were each going to be teaching all subjects. We were teaming up with two other teachers. We were moving to a model that would require us to hit both third and fourth grade learning standards during the course of the school year. It would be a challenge, but we were ready. We met with our team last spring on several occasions to align our standards, to share resources and teaching strategies, and to decide how our students and teaching responsibilities would be divided. I was feeling good about the school year going into summer. And then...our house didn't sell when it was supposed to sell. We ended up having to jump through a lot of hoops by doing a lot of extra inspections on the farmhouse. My Dave Ramsey car ("Dave") needed repairs and the air conditioning went out of the Yukon ("Ramsey"). When the first few weeks of the school year came, I didn't feel refreshed or relaxed or prepared in the least. Nevertheless, we jumped in head first. Our team refreshed ourselves on everything we had talked about in the spring. We shared resources and ideas (again) and encouraged one another as we transitioned to this new way of teaching. I knew the research showed that this model would be the best thing for kids. I knew that we were capable of carrying out this model of teaching. I knew that I would hold myself to the same standard of excellence that I had insisted on keeping for my whole teaching career. And then...the students came. The first few days were great. We did lots of team-building activities, where all the third and fourth grade students met together. The four of us teachers were able to play off of each other in conversation about being a good leader and being scholarly. The first few weeks came and went and we split into our own classrooms, teaching our own subjects, to our own specific group of students. I started to realize that maybe this wasn't going to come as naturally to me as the years before. A new curriculum. A new group of students. A new school for our own two daughters. A new house (that we weren't all-the-way moved into yet). I was overwhelmed with being a wife and a mom and a teacher. I was questioning my own ability in the classroom. This had literally never happened to me. I love my job. I live to go back to school. I smile and encourage and show enthusiasm. It's what I do. Or what I have done every year of my teaching career so far. But this year...I felt like I was falling behind from the get-go. In all areas. Until one day, a friend of mine said to me, "You know...sometimes you just have to let some things go." What? Let some things go? Sorry, that actually doesn't work for me. I don't just "let things go". When I took a moment and really thought about it though...she was right. Sometimes good enough is actually good enough. Sometimes laundry folded in baskets at the bottom of the stairs instead of put away into drawers is good enough. Sometimes a Happy Meal from McDonalds on the way home instead of a home-cooked meal is good enough. Sometimes putting the toddler to bed after wiping her down with a baby wipe instead of actually giving her a bath is good enough. Sometimes taking one whole Saturday morning to catch up on grading papers instead of doing it every evening is good enough. I'm not suggesting that we lower the standard for everything in life to "good enough". I think sometimes we have to realize that even when we're not feeling able to be our very best, we can still do good in the world. Even when we're struggling to keep afloat, we can make a difference. Even when we don't feel like we can reach the standard of excellence that we usually strive for...sometimes good enough is good enough. Today was day #5 of my school year, but day #1 for the girls. This year, I have a third grader and a fifth grader. How. Did. That. Happen??? This year, Claire Bear decided to join Harlee and attend school at the alma mater of Mr. Farmhouse and I.
We knew this would happen eventually. We wanted them to become Adrian Blackhawks eventually. But here we are. Here I am. I drop them off at 6:30 a.m. to various family members and I drive out of town. I arrive at school by myself. I get ready for my day. I teach. After school, no children come into my room to tell me about their day. Nobody asks me for snacks. Nobody complains that I'm taking too long or that they're ready to go. I do what I need to do in the peace and quiet. Too peaceful and too quiet. I miss them. I'm so excited for what they are going to do this year. The ways they'll grow. The things they'll learn. The relationships they'll build. This is a year of many firsts. Things are changing at the farmhouse and I'm trying hard to embrace it. To enjoy the transitions and embrace the subtle differences that I'm seeing every day in the girls. The truth is though...sometimes I'd like to just have them back in kindergarten, sticking their little heads in my classroom door making the sign for "I love you". Have a great school year, my sweet girls. You're my most favorite 8 & 10 year olds in the whole wide world. Oh yeah, and Mattie, you're my favorite 3 year old in the whole wide world, too. P.S. My mom bought them matching friendship necklaces to help Claire make the transition. "Best" "Buds" "Forever" Be still my heart. ❤️🏡❤️ 10:01 p.m. and I am nowhere near climbing in bed. Tomorrow is the first day of school. I'm starting my 13th (and-a-half) year in the classroom and the excitement and nervousness that I feel the night before beginning a new school year never changes. I feel like a kid on Christmas Eve. Full of anticipation. Joy. Enthusiasm. And if we're being honest...some anxiety. You see...I know that I've had a few months "off". I know that seems like a long time. I should be rested and refreshed. I've even heard people say, "Must be nice to have a two-month vacation!" And it is.
All of our planning and preparation and worrying and fretting is getting ready to pay off in a big way.
Let's do this. Happy First Day of School! ❤️🏡❤️ "Dear Third Grade Parent" is the way I start numerous letters through the school year. Field trip notes, notes about grade cards and school events, and notes including class announcements. Before the school year begins though, there are different types of things coming to mind when I think about writing a letter to my future students' parents.
We are a team. Please, please, PLEASE hear me on this. I am on your side. I am on your child's side. Every school year, at some point, a difficult conversation will come up. Your child will say or do something that is not appropriate. He will neglect to do his homework. She will make an unkind remark to another student at recess. He will rush through his work without putting forth his best effort. It will happen. Children make mistakes. Teachers make mistakes. Parents make mistakes. We all make mistakes. We have to work together so your students knows that we are fighting for him or her. We expect that he will try hard and be kind and treat others the way he wants to be treated. We expect that she will be responsible and persistent and loving towards others. You know your child better than anyone. You know what makes him tick and what makes her shut down. You are your child's number 1 cheerleader and biggest advocate. Let's team up and help your child to stretch and grow this year. When we expect this TOGETHER, our kids WILL rise up to meet our expectations. Please back me up at home and I promise that I will back you up in the classroom.
There is power in the words and actions of a child in a public school setting. Your child has the ability to change the world with his words. He can encourage and inspire his classmates. She can motivate and include her peers. By being an example of acceptance and humility, your child has the power to be a difference-maker in his school...even at age 8 or 9. Please talk with your child about showing mercy and kindness. I will work hard to build a community of friendship and inclusion in our classroom through the day, but please build on this culture in your home...around the dinner table, in your vehicle, and after ballgames. Remind them that some of their friends might be hurting because of situations at home. They might be feeling left out on the playground, even if nobody is excluding them on purpose. Let's strive to raise kids who are kind and compassionate and who invite other children into their circle. I am human. Yes, I am a teacher. I have been doing this a long time. I have a degree that says I know how to do this job, but I am human. I mess up. I have a bad day every once in a while. I work hard to meet the needs of every individual student and I still miss the mark sometimes. I forget to do things. I am married and a mother myself. Sometimes, if we're being honest, our mornings do not run as smoothly as I wish they would. Every once in a while, I might still be thinking about something that happened at home when I greet my students in the morning. I should be able to separate my personal life from my school life, but I am human. However, I can promise you this. I will love your child as if he or she were my own. I will worry about him and fret about her. I will see things at WalMart that remind me of my students and make impulse purchases on my grocery trip just to see them smile the next morning. I will have sleepless nights this school year, thinking about whether some of my students are being fed or given appropriate shelter. I will buy book after book on Amazon until I can crack the code of what makes your child love reading. Sometimes, I will find something out about a student and I will contemplate inviting that child to come be a part of our family. Third Grade Parent, we have about 36 weeks together this year. Let's work together and make this the best year that we can for your student. You support me and I will support you, as we support your sweet boy or girl. Let's give her our very best every single day. And let's encourage him to give his best every single day, too. We can do this. Love, Mrs. Newkirk
Well, I haven't blogged for five days.
This is the longest I've gone without sharing my thoughts on the ol' blog and I can tell you exactly why. Over the last few days, I have become extremely overwhelmed as the school year begins. This is normal for (I would dare to guess) 99% of teachers. There is always one more thing to be done. Putting a classroom together. Preparing curriculum. Staff meetings. Making copies. Cutting out letters. Meeting with the teaching team. And in the whole scheme of life, all of these things are normal and wonderful and necessary. But this year, I'm having a hard time with it all. We're having some curriculum changes. I didn't get into school as early as I would have hoped. I focused on the farmhouse all summer. We've gone from letting the girls stay up later and sleep in, to school year bedtime and waking up early. I know that I have these feelings every year and that on Monday night when my darling little third graders walk through the door on "Back-to-School Night", that I will be fine. I will be ready. But for now, I will enjoy this last full weekend at home with my family before the school year takes off in full swing. Make it a good one, friends. Take some time to breathe and rest over the next few years. Happy (Almost) School Year. ❤️?❤️ |
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