Well, I've kinda known for awhile, but, haven't shared yet the news that the NYC Teaching Fellows rejected me. At least they were polite enough to send a stock email response that says I can re-apply come this fall.
Note to self: If I re-apply & get chosen for another interview, I promise to create & present a kick-ass lesson plan & not come across as an incompetent flake.
I gotta admit, I know I was really nervous about having to go back to school if selected, so this should come as a relief to me, but I'm actually bummed. I was looking forward to becoming a teacher, so I may pursue that road despite the lack of NYCTF love.
We'll see.
Showing posts with label NYCTF. Show all posts
Showing posts with label NYCTF. Show all posts
Tuesday, January 08, 2013
Sunday, December 16, 2012
So, What's Been Going On?
Here's a quick list of what I've been up to the past couple of weeks:
Channukah -- Last Sunday was my mom's annual Channukah party at her apartment in the city. She & my aunt Golde cooked 100's of latkes while over 25 of us ate & hung out. It was a beautiful thing.
Presents-wise for the Putch, Just Dance 4 was the biggest hit. She also dug her belgian waffle maker. The other six nights of gifts... well-received, but won't be as memorable.
NYC Teaching Fellows -- As most of you know, I applied to become a Special Ed teacher through the NYC Teaching Fellows program at the end of November. So far, no word from them, which isn't really expected for another 3 or so weeks, but I did notice that the status of my Teaching Sample Planning Form I submitted before the interview has gone from "pending" to "complete." That just means my 5-minute lesson was reviewed. Nothing else.
Parents Association -- Holy jeez crap, this is just knocking the heck out of me. I have no other words at the time about that.
Old-Friends -- Catching-up w/ some & missing out on others.
Okie-doke, there's really a slew more that's been going on, but I've run out of time to type & have to get ready for our building's annual Holiday party -- it's starting in a bit.
Channukah -- Last Sunday was my mom's annual Channukah party at her apartment in the city. She & my aunt Golde cooked 100's of latkes while over 25 of us ate & hung out. It was a beautiful thing.
Presents-wise for the Putch, Just Dance 4 was the biggest hit. She also dug her belgian waffle maker. The other six nights of gifts... well-received, but won't be as memorable.
NYC Teaching Fellows -- As most of you know, I applied to become a Special Ed teacher through the NYC Teaching Fellows program at the end of November. So far, no word from them, which isn't really expected for another 3 or so weeks, but I did notice that the status of my Teaching Sample Planning Form I submitted before the interview has gone from "pending" to "complete." That just means my 5-minute lesson was reviewed. Nothing else.
Parents Association -- Holy jeez crap, this is just knocking the heck out of me. I have no other words at the time about that.
Old-Friends -- Catching-up w/ some & missing out on others.
Okie-doke, there's really a slew more that's been going on, but I've run out of time to type & have to get ready for our building's annual Holiday party -- it's starting in a bit.
Thursday, November 29, 2012
NYCTF Does Not Mess Around w/ Interviews
So, yesterday was my 4+ hour interview w/ the NYC Teaching Fellows program. (For those who didn't know, I applied earlier this month to become a Special Education teacher through NYCTF -- check 'em out for more info. It's pretty cool.)
I got there at 3:30pm. We were s'posed to arrive at 4pm for a 4:15pm registration & 4:30pm start-time. I wasn't the only early bird either... most folks were there before 4.
Any old ways, when told I had to take a math test, complete a written activity, give a 5-minute lesson, participate in a group activity & then do a one-on-one interview, I responded, (not verbatim), "you've got to put the pipe down b/c that ain't happening." But, it did & you know what? It was pretty darn cool & a bit fun.
I have no clue how I did on the math test. It wasn't your basic elementary school math questions, but tricky ones where they give you a scenario & you've got to come up w/ answered basic on that (ie: If Ms. Fisher wanted to teach her kids some fraction problem & there's more than one answer possible, which of the below are correct...). 30 minutes for 23 questions. I wonder if they give you the score. I shoulda asked.
The written activity was based on a short video scenario of a not-so-behaving-well class during homeroom. After watching the clip & reading the description of three kids, we had 7 minutes to craft our response to how we'd deal w/ each one's situation. Once again, not sure how I did. I submitted only a paragraph, but it was a powerful one.
After that we were split into groups & assigned classrooms to complete the interview process. We had two "selectors" (NYCTF staff) who guided & assessed our way through. The 5-minute lessons were more fun than torture, but leading up to it was painful b/c I was so nervous. We took turns -- I was third to go up. My lesson was on how to tell when the letter Y was being used as a consonant or as a vowel using the Magic of YUH. It was geared towards 1st graders. I think I did well, except for rushing through parts & not participating enough w/ the "students" to see if they were getting what I was teaching. I did that here & there, but I shoulda done more. Others also came in super-prepared w/ boards, handouts, etc. I was armed w/ doggy stickers.
The group activity was brief & painless. We had to just discuss the earlier scenario we watched & wrote about, then give a one-minute presentation on our long-term & short-term goals to achieve academic success.
Finally, came our one-on-one interviews. Luckily, we had two selectors, so they split us up. I was third again in line. We went over the 5-minute lesson. He gave me feedback -- nothing surprising -- & I had to do it over again. Then we talked for a bit about different ways I would handle certain situations.
By 8:45pm, I was on my way home. Very tired, but wired from the experience.
Ooh, before I hit "publish" let me just say the NYCTF candidates that I met yesterday were an amazing, groovy group of people. They were so dedicated and chomping at the bit to be a high-needs teacher. Just very neat.
I got there at 3:30pm. We were s'posed to arrive at 4pm for a 4:15pm registration & 4:30pm start-time. I wasn't the only early bird either... most folks were there before 4.
Any old ways, when told I had to take a math test, complete a written activity, give a 5-minute lesson, participate in a group activity & then do a one-on-one interview, I responded, (not verbatim), "you've got to put the pipe down b/c that ain't happening." But, it did & you know what? It was pretty darn cool & a bit fun.
I have no clue how I did on the math test. It wasn't your basic elementary school math questions, but tricky ones where they give you a scenario & you've got to come up w/ answered basic on that (ie: If Ms. Fisher wanted to teach her kids some fraction problem & there's more than one answer possible, which of the below are correct...). 30 minutes for 23 questions. I wonder if they give you the score. I shoulda asked.
The written activity was based on a short video scenario of a not-so-behaving-well class during homeroom. After watching the clip & reading the description of three kids, we had 7 minutes to craft our response to how we'd deal w/ each one's situation. Once again, not sure how I did. I submitted only a paragraph, but it was a powerful one.
After that we were split into groups & assigned classrooms to complete the interview process. We had two "selectors" (NYCTF staff) who guided & assessed our way through. The 5-minute lessons were more fun than torture, but leading up to it was painful b/c I was so nervous. We took turns -- I was third to go up. My lesson was on how to tell when the letter Y was being used as a consonant or as a vowel using the Magic of YUH. It was geared towards 1st graders. I think I did well, except for rushing through parts & not participating enough w/ the "students" to see if they were getting what I was teaching. I did that here & there, but I shoulda done more. Others also came in super-prepared w/ boards, handouts, etc. I was armed w/ doggy stickers.
The group activity was brief & painless. We had to just discuss the earlier scenario we watched & wrote about, then give a one-minute presentation on our long-term & short-term goals to achieve academic success.
Finally, came our one-on-one interviews. Luckily, we had two selectors, so they split us up. I was third again in line. We went over the 5-minute lesson. He gave me feedback -- nothing surprising -- & I had to do it over again. Then we talked for a bit about different ways I would handle certain situations.
By 8:45pm, I was on my way home. Very tired, but wired from the experience.
Ooh, before I hit "publish" let me just say the NYCTF candidates that I met yesterday were an amazing, groovy group of people. They were so dedicated and chomping at the bit to be a high-needs teacher. Just very neat.
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