These things are making me incredibly happy right now...

Okay, so my first happy item is a cheesy one, but that doesn't make it any less true -- I am so happy I have over 140 followers! I still remember when I had maybe five followers, and so it's just unbelievable to me that this many people are actually interested in what I have to say. I began blogging for myself, but now I can honestly say blogging is no longer just a solitary past time for me -- it's now a means of communication as well. Thanks for making it a two-way street, bloggy readers. :)

Today my AP English Language students took their exam, after 10 long months of preparation. What this means is that I can finally breathe a sigh of relief now -- the hard part is over. Now begins the second hard part: the waiting!

I'm loving the offer Starbucks is currently having for their frappes  -- all frappes are half price from now until Sunday, only between the hours of 3-5 PM. Let's just say my local Starbucks has come to know me very well. ;)

I recently discovered some online vendors through Amazon that sell books by a favorite author of mine, Patricia Veryan, for dirt cheap. (I'm talking pennies.) Score!

It took forever for my bangs to grow out again, but now that they're a bit past my chin, my hair is getting close to my desired length -- I have layers and I want the longest part, currently just past my shoulders, to reach the middle of my back. I love that I can style my hair differently now that it has gotten longer!

Okay, so while this may not be conducive to my diet, I am totally in love with Nature Valley's new Nut Clusters -- they're little bits of heaven mixed with joy. Trust.

I'm loving that le boyf's birthday is next Monday because that means I get to spoil him, something he doesn't always let me do!

picture via we heart it

 What's making you happy today?

Please vote for me! :-)

I love being an English teacher. I truly do. Not only do I get to talk about my favorite things all day (reading and writing), but I get paid for it. It's a win-win situation, you see.

As if it couldn't get any better, I am participating in a Microgrant program sponsored by Weekly Reader and an online community, called WeAreTeachers. The 5 recipients of this grant receive $200 to promote “literacy” in their school, as well as a Flip video camera. Recipients are selected through an online voting process. If you have a moment, I’d really appreciate you voting for my project. It would really mean a lot to me to have your vote and support!

Just go to http://www.weareteachers.com/web/literacy/mg_vote and follow the directions there. You can find me by inputting my full name, Ana Cristina Simon, in the orange search box. Thanks! :)

To teach is to briefly take part in a child's life.

Today I am grieving the loss of two of my former students' brothers. One was 22 and an aspiring musician named Myles Davis. He passed away after trying to move a downed wire off the road last week. The other was a 17 year-old boy named Edwin Whitehead who was about to start his senior year. He drowned in a lake yesterday afternoon.

It's not the same to lose the relative of a former student as it is to lose a former student -- I should know, as one of my first students named Kevin Garcia died last year in a car accident. He was only 18. I still feel an indelible sadness every time I remember Kevin's smile. But while losing the loved one of a former student is not the same, it still hurts, because I know my former student is suffering.

I grieve every time I hear about a child's death because it seems unfair, almost cruel. It makes me question my mortality -- am I not as invincible as I seem? It even makes me question my faith -- why does God have to take someone whose life is just beginning?

In trying to answer these questions, I learn lessons that are as valuable as they are grueling. I've learned that to teach is to briefly take part in a child's life. Sometimes I am fortunate and the experience transcends graduation -- I have former students that I still keep in touch with, along with their families. I've also learned not to take my students for granted, as sometimes they are taken away too soon. I have been teaching 7 years, roughly 120-150 students a year. That's a lot of students, a lot of lives that have touched mine. I hope I've touched theirs, too, at least in some small way.

As I type this, I have the Davis, Whitehead, and Garcia families in my thoughts and prayers. The pull of tears at the back of my throat has been with me all day, as well as the reminder that life is fleeting and never to be taken for granted.

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All content on this site is the sole property of Ana Cristina Simon, unless otherwise stated, and is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 United States License.

"See Me After Class" -- A Must Buy for Teachers!

One of my friends and co-workers, Roxanna Elden, recently wrote her first book, See Me After Class: Advice for Teachers by Teachers. Roxanna is a Creative Writing teacher who has taught everywhere from Chicago to Miami and everyone from elementary school kiddies to adults. In addition to teaching and writing creatively, Roxanna is also a talented stand-up comedian, drawing upon much of her experiences in the classroom for her material.

She currently teaches at Happy High School (the name has been changed to protect both the innocent and the guilty) with me and is quite popular among the rugrats. I'm happy to see her gain recognition outside of the classroom as well!

This book is a must buy for teachers, new and veteran alike, because it has advice from actual teachers. No one knows our job better than us, so why are you going to trust the advice of someone other than a person who's actually stood behind the podium on the first day of school and felt what that kind of pressure is like?

I'm excited that Roxy is going to be having a Book Signing event at the Books & Books in Coral Gables in a couple weeks, and I can't wait to read her book. Yay, I have a friend who's famous. :-D

Roxy's book hits bookstores on June 2nd. In the meantime, you can check out her website to learn more about the book and about upcoming events in your area. I wrote a news article about her book here.

Do you have any teachers you still remember to this day? Share your memories in the comments!

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All content on this site is the sole property of Ana Cristina Simon, unless otherwise stated, and is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 United States License.

Where do Sundays go?

Well, there are just 5 weeks left of school now. I am both happy and sad about this. Happy, because, well, duh -- I need the time off! ;-D Sad, because I really like my students this year. I mean, I lucked out on the Student Lottery *big-time* this school year. Normally I have at least one student I (almost) want to strangulate. This year, I love every single one of them. No lie.

But I still want these 5 weeks to be over and done with!

I am planned as far as lessons go until June 4th, the last day of class, but I still have Mount Everest to grade. I really want to finish grading my AP students' practice tests so they can know their projected score. Their AP English Language test is on May 13th (eep!). I hope they're ready. I think they are, and I've done everything in my power to get them ready, but I still worry for them. We shall see...

Well, Sunday came and went pretty much. Where does the time go on Sundays? Seriously. At least I had a fun weekend. On Friday I went with a friend to this all girls' event, Shecky's. It's a sort of shopping event that equals heaven. Normally I go hog-wild buying jewelry and purses and stuff, but I was good this year and left with only a leather bracelet. Pictures are forthcoming.

Saturday I started watching a new anime with Ricky, "Gurren Lagann." It's awesome! I also played PixelJunk Monsters in between grading and napping. :p

Today I will finish grading and maybe play another round of PixelJunk. Maybe.

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All content on this site is the sole property of Ana Cristina Simon, unless otherwise stated, and is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 United States License.

So apparently I'm "Distinguished."

This week I took the two exams I needed in order to complete my teaching certification with ABCTE: the Professional Teaching Knowledge Exam and English Language Arts (6-12) Exam. I found out about this certification program by complete accident -- my temporary teaching certificate expires on June 30th, and after taking the Florida teaching certification exams and thinking that was all I needed to be on track, I received a quite unwelcome surprise when my oh-so-wonderful state notified me I needed to take six education courses to complete my certification.

What?!

Yeah, that was pretty much my reaction. Plus a couple of expletives that are not worth repeating here on my family-friendly blog. So I fretted and fumed and was all set to murder myself via six classes in one semester at FIU while teaching full-time. (FYI: the tuition would've cost me over $5,000.00, not to mention the cost of my sanity and time.) I figured, this is what I have to do. It sucks, but I love teaching, so I will do it.

I forget how I found out about ABCTE. Possibly during my mad scramble online to research the different routes to certification. I registered to take my six classes of EPIC FAIL at the beginning of December. On December 18th, I found out about the program. How you had to pay $800.00 upfront and then just pass two exams in order to complete the program. No classes. No other work. Just pay the money and take the exams. That same day I dropped the six classes of EPIC FAIL at FIU and signed up with ABCTE.

Now the exams were the same ones I took previously, except that they were ABCTE's version and supposedly harder than Florida's exams. And yes, I did have to shell out $800.00, but I figured that was a deal compared to the $5,000+ I would've paid at FIU. So I was thrilled, yes. I couldn't believe there was no catch.

The catch was this -- ABCTE's exams are much harder than Florida's certification exams. I discovered this after taking some practice tests online. This made me order their CD-ROM Practice Tests, which I used to help me study in the last two weeks leading up to my first exam. Thank God I bought those CD-ROMs... I truly believe they helped me pass the tests. :-D

So I took the Education exam on Monday and scored a 295. You need a 270 to pass. I would've been happy with a flipping 270, but was pleased with the 295. The score sheet for the Education exam said I was "Proficient" and that was enough for me. Especially since I kept getting a 267 on the practice tests on the CD-ROM. :-0

On Wednesday I took my remaning test, English. You also need a 270 to pass on that one. I got a 354. :-) The score sheet said I was "Distinguished." This elicited a hearty chuckle from me.

So Reader, I am both Proficient and Distinguished. Does this mean I can pass GO and collect my $200.00? Not yet. I don't receive confirmation of my having passed either exam until my essays for both are scored. You need a 4 to pass. I'm really, really hoping I passed. I'm cautiously optimistic for now. ABTCE told me it usually takes a month for them to grade the essays...

It's going to be a long month!

At least I can use that time to start work on my next quest, THE THESIS.

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By the by, if you haven't taken my Bloggiversary Quiz yet, what are you waiting for?! The deadline is tomorrow. I will post the results then. :)