Week 1

I have officially made it through my first week of school, and while the experience was absolutely exhausting, the situation really could not be more ideal. My school, students, fellow teachers, and the administration are all fantastic. It is going to be challenging but there is lots of support available, and I am excited for Week 2.

Each day, I wake up and take the “4” up to the Bronx where I teach three periods of 7th grade math, one period of advisory, and meet with the rest of the 7th grade team. On Tuesday and Wednesday I have graduate school classes at Lehman College, and on the weekend I make up all the sleep that I did not get through the rest of the week : )

The neighborhood where the school is located is pretty residential, and there is a park right outside where families with small children spend a lot of time. Across the street is a commercial strip with a grocery store, local/chain restaurants, a dollar store, etc… The area actually reminds me a lot of Pence Street in Columbus; however, there is a heavier Dominican influence rather than Mexican.

My students in my home room are energetic, diverse, and eager to learn. They are going to be a handful, but they have a ton of personality, and it is going to be fun to build relationships with them. The majority are from the Caribbean- DR, Puerto Rico, and Jamaica- many of whom were either born abroad or are first generation Americans. This week, we had advisory for 3 hours each day, so I have gotten to know those students much better than my other two math classes; however, after reading their student surveys, I was excited to discover that many listed math as their favorite subject, Harvard as their favorite college, and are looking forward to participating in “math club” after school. They have had some pretty fantastic math teachers in the past, and I hope that I can rise to the occasion and challenge them like they want/need to be.

Other than school, I am slowly getting established in the city. I have my apartment (yay!) with two fantastic, Midwest roommates. My amazing parents were kind enough to drive out from Indiana to help me set it up. It was great to see them, and a ton of fun to show them at least some of the city. I think graduate school will be doable, and fortunately, my teachers seem friendly and intelligent. New York continues to provide new places to see, things to do, and people to meet, and I am glad that I have at least two years to take it all in.

Expect pictures of the apartment, school, students, etc… to be posted soon. I will keep you abreast of any new/exciting happenings in the Big Apple, I would appreciate you doing the same. How is life in Chi-town, Bloomington, C-bus??? Please keep in touch and come visit soon.

Lots of love, Katie