MaD MAEYL

You'll learn what that awesome acronym stands for soon enough...

Since the last time I've updated, a lot has happened and a lot hasn't too.

We finished up our final chunk of TFA training and I've transitioned to things with the district here.

TFA and HISD are big on acronyms, as you can tell from their names (and I'm trying to start my own with MaD MAEYL [pronounced Mad Mail]), so I'll try to catch you up on a couple.

HISD is the Houston Independent School District

ACP is Alternative Certification Program

For the rest of the year, my PD (professional development) will be through HISD, and I will also be going to 4 classes within the next year to gain my teaching certificate through an ACP held at University of St. Thomas. 

(blah blah sorry to bore you)

If you need instant entertainment, check out this trailer for a movie coming out soon...

Waiting for Superman

This week we had orientation with HISD on Monday, and then we were exempt from some Curriculum meetings etc for the rest of the week.

Dave works with YES Prep, so he actually started teaching this week.

August is with me (in HISD), he's been 'Skype'ing

Training at our school doesn't actually start until tomorrow, but it was open last week, so I decided to go check it out and try to do some prepping.

Tomorrow, we get a block 8:30am-3:15pm to set up our classroom, so I wanted to plan on what I would do so I can utilize that time.

I get the corner office.

There will be roughly 20-22+ students in my class, sitting in desks of two.

I've told most of my close friends (so probably the only people reading)

 that the CLASS is grouped by gender.

And that's correct.

But even more interesting... 

the TEACHER is grouped by gender.

I'll be instructing the girls.

Hence, MaD MAEYL.

Mr. D's Math Academy for the Enrichment of Young Ladies

My new home

The TAKS, Texas Assessment of Knowledge and Skills, is the state test 

that basically tells you if a student will pass a grade or not.

The students I will be getting have a rather high passing rate ~90% (public information), but that is both English TAKS and Spanish TAKS. In fourth grade, students can take either/or, but in 5th grade, they take the English version. Usually, classrooms teach the material the way they will be administered, so, potentially, 

I could be teaching students who have 

never been taught anything in English.

This will be hard....but I like a challenge

^ (a complete phrase that the students will become familiar with)

Tomorrow, I will probably meet my Mentor at the school, as well as team leader and other teachers... 

it is our first day all together.

I'll be setting up my classroom tomorrow so look for more picture updates coming soon.

I will also be doing a lot more long term planning this week-- unit planning, revising old drafts etc.

If you were curious at all about any details, or how I might accomplish this...

HISD provides us with some curriculum guides:

YAAG, HAPGs, VAM, Scope and Sequence, TEKS/TAKS correlations

they are available to teachers and to the public

This is just one of the documents I'll be going through to plan...you can just take a gander

Also this week, we took a recommendation of our landlords for a

 local Mexican restaurant at 1308 Montrose.

The three amigos of 320 traveled down a few blocks expecting some Thursday

Kima Greggs but, unsurprisingly, arrived at a rather-expensive establishment.

You can tell a restaurant is ritzy if they fill up your water so much that you have an entire glass of ice

Y'all know I POUND the water at restaurants.

(and, yes, I know that y'all was forced and unnatural, it'll come with time)

We got Rock Band off Craigslist, too!

It was fun, until I turned CareBear and realized we were being very loud/rude 

to our downstairs neighbor Emily.

So I invited her up!

Immense entertainment and rockage ensued.

Oh, and one last surprise...

PEDROOOOOOOOOO!

He was only here for a matter of --well-- 7 hours 10:30pm-6am

But it was fun.

I'm going to really start getting busy soon

but I'll try and update as much as I can!

Call me, text me, email me.

And those of you graduating soon... Apply for TFA,

the first deadline is August 20th!

Love.