Cosmic Forces

Have you ever had an experience when you got the feeling everything was aligning in exactly the right way?

I finally got word that I have an interview tomorrow morning for the support services position! I found out that I am not the only applicant, but I know nothing about how many candidates there are or how qualified they are in comparison to me. I will be interviewed by a panel consisting of all three school principals (elementary, middle, & high school) as well as the director of the school, and one of the support services teachers. This is the same teacher that approached me before school started and said she felt like they made a mistake in hiring me as an assistant because I am too qualified and could be used elsewhere given my experience...

Anyway, back to the whole cosmic forces thing, I was thinking that I should come to the interview prepared with some examples of how I would modify assignments to help struggling students. I recalled learning about a note taking system called Cornell Notes, so I googled it to refresh my memory and guess what? I found a treasure!! It could not be more perfectly fitted to the job I am interviewing for.

The site is called The Learning Toolbox and from what I have checked out so far--it's phenomenal. It has links for students, parents, and teachers and is geared towards instruction for middle and high school students who are struggling learners. One of the first things I checked out was a questionnaire that either the teacher can complete based on knowledge of the student, or the student can complete. It asks questions about organization, test taking, study skills, note taking, reading, writing, math, and advanced thinking. Then there is another tool that matches each question with a particular strategy that could be used to strengthen that skill. For example, if the student gets really nervous/anxious when taking a test, the BRAVE strategy can be taught. Click here for a visual of the BRAVE strategy. I can picture making a copy of that page and having a student keep in on the desk during a test. This seems like a great way to evaluate a student's strengths and weaknesses and help them focus on some helpful strategies.

There is a whole section on the webpage devoted to the different strategies and they are listed within the same categories mentioned before: organization, test taking, note taking etc. Each strategy has a description with either a mnemonic device or visuals to help students remember the steps or key parts. The site also provides a link to a section on how to teach the strategies and offers instructional videos!

I hope I am right, but for some reason, discovering this tool today makes me feel like getting this job is totally meant to be! I always go into an interview with the attitude that all I can do is be myself and if I am the right person for the job, I will get chosen. I am not trying to pretend that I have tons of experience teaching middle and high school students, but I am trying to show them that I am committed, willing to try, and hardworking. Even if I am not chosen, I still have a great job and wonderful people that I really enjoy working with. I would be disappointed, but it's not the end of the world. Please send me some positive vibes!

If you are a middle school or high school teacher or a parent who has a child in this age group, this is a really great resource to use. Check it out!!