Food for Thought

This year has been really eye opening to me for the troubles and hardships English Language Learners need to go through in their education experiences. I was starting to learn the last two years while attending Molloy for their amazing TESOL program, but when I began my first year at West Hempstead Schools I got a first hand experience myself. I have six students who are listed as ELLs, but there are many who flirt with that borderline. The first thing I noticed is the obvious academic gap there is. They have no choice but to struggle in a general education track, even with the added resources they get. All my ELLs have iPads or chrome books and student resource rooms during the day. It is not enough. These students struggle in class because they call behind, they become disengaged due to these struggles, and end up almost giving up during class. I always go out of my way to create adaptations and make sure they are up to date, but I know not all of their other teachers do that.

As I finish up second semester of teaching ever, I feel its time to self reflect about the things that have gone better then expected, things that have gone worse than expected, and things I never thought Id have to worry about. To start, a few things I was thinking was going to be challenging as a first year teacher has seemed to be easier than realized. I thought the actual "teaching" was going to be hard for me. Planning every day, being in front of children I don't know. Surprisingly, I have discovered that teaching is the "easy" part of this job. I say easy with a grain of salt because its not easy everyday. But, its the thing I love to do! And it comes easier than some of the other things that have puzzled me. One thing that is harder than I thought it would be is the time management. Time management to lesson plan, grade papers, go to professional development courses, and go to my graduate classes at night. I knew it was going to be tough, but no

When do you wake up in the morning? I watched a video about one of the worlds most famous crossfit coaches the other day, Ben Bergeron. One thing he consistently stressed was the importance of "Winning The Morning". I was intrigued by this idea and decided Id adopt it. Since waking up earlier, I find myself much more productive without any increase in any extra effort. I wake up in the morning at 530am every single week day and 6 am on the weekends. During the week, 530 isn't much earlier than I was already waking up. Waking up at this time allows me to get breakfast in and get to work 55 minutes early every day. This 55 minutes allows me to prep for my day of teaching and set up some things I might need for my evening classes at Molloy. The real difference I feel now is on the weekends. I use to wake up around 9 in the morning and go to the gym at 10am. I am now at the gym working out by 630am on the weekends. At around 10am, I am home with my fitness done for the

Isaac Newton 's first law of motion is roughly stated, "An object in motion stays in motion and an object at rest stays at rest.". I once jokingly said that to one of my kids I train in strength and conditioning, but now I believe it to be true with not only the laws of physics. Since I was about 14, I have been in love with the process of fitness. Between all the sports I played in high school and college, and even to this day competing in Crossfit and training kids, it has been and always will be part of my life. It is more than just physical health to me. It is the way I decompress from my hectic schedule and any kind of free time I get, I usually put into fitness. So, for me it has been helping me be sane , healthy, and happy. I now also try to give that love of fitness to others that are looking for that type of direction. Daily fitness doesn't have to be hours in the gym or with a personal trainer. Fitness is anything active that can clear the mind,

I always say it to my students and players, "Look yourself in the mirror...if you can honestly say you're doing everything you can do to be better, than you are fine". Honestly, it's a pretty corny saying, but as I age like fine wine, I catch myself saying more catch phrases and "dad-jokes" consistently. On a serious note, when was the last time you looked in the mirror and asked yourself a similar question? Too often today, we find excuses or blame others for our failures. I am not perfect, I catch myself doing it as well, but I always keep myself checked when those thoughts come into my head. Failures are completely normal and its how we react to these failures that make us great. For example, this past week I have been more stressed and consumed with anxiety than I have ever been in my 23 years of life. I am currently teaching my first full year as a science teacher, teaching three completely different levels of science, all while taking full-time cre

Everyone has heard someone say something on the lines of, "You were born to be a great writer!". To most people that seems like a compliment and something to be proud of, but it's an example of how a majority of people have a fixed mindset . Telling someone they were born to be a great writer usually has the intention to be positive, but what that person is doing is discrediting the hard work and time that writer put into perfecting their craft. This writer now might start to think, "I studied grammar rules and practiced writing for hours a night, I am definitely not born to be a great writer. I just fooled this person". To believe that a person is born with all their abilities, intelligence, and talent is a consistent negative outlook on life. It leaves no room for improvement, learning, and growth. A growth mindset is the most important attribute to carry in life. This growth mindset is what can provide the grit and motivation to become exceptional in th