Bragging Comes First
I have a blog post started about the recent birthday parties I have had going on, but well it is going to have to wait. In all fairness I don't have all the pictures off the camera yet.
Where do I start? The last three days have been an absolute blast. I am not going to count today(day number four) in that because getting back to the room at 2 a.m.just to get ready for my driver to pick me up at 5 to go the airport to sit for two hours- not so much of a blast.
Monday morning I boarded a plane to Princeton, New Jersey. I was nominated as one of three in the state to participate in a nation wide panel for ETS ( the people that make the GRE, Praxis series, etc. testing). The purpose of the panel I sat on was to determine a passing score for a newly developed test-Teaching Reading:Elementary Education. Let me stop right here for just a minute to say, Katy you would not love me right now.
After getting picked up from the airport, my new friend Dennis ( who said I was a complete doll-ha!) took me to the little inn I was staying at directly across from Princeton University.
Can I just say, an absolutely breathtaking university. Really all of Princeton was just a big ball of cuteness.
Because I was so tried from traveling I decided to stay at the inn Monday afternoon. I kept thinking I would get out and explore a little, but I really didn't. It was so fabulous being able to read and nap and just have quite time. I did go downstairs and get dinner and hang out and people watch for a bit. Overall I just loved loved my down time.
Tuesday was get to work day. We had to arrive at 8:30. They had a breakfast buffet set up for us,feed us snacks twice throughout the day and a had a lunch buffet.
The actual panel was pretty intense. They took the security of it all pretty serious and there were people in the back of the room observing us all the time. I felt like a complete dork during introduction time. We went around and told who we were and what we did. Everyone in the room was some fancy professor or curriculum developer or something and I had to say " Andrea Watson Kindergarten Teacher". Ha!
I really had so much fun though. We took the test and then analyzed every question for the content and difficulty level. I was very proud of myself because I totally held my own and even proved some of the " know it alls" wrong with some valid points. I did love hearing about the different opinions and ideas from different educators across the country. I also have to say, and it may sound like I am really full of myself, but this process made me realize that I want to do something more, something bigger. I love my role as a kindergarten teacher. I don't take the importance of it lightly, but I just think I have so much more to offer. Despite my tendency to stay in my comfort box ;I see such a bigger picture out there and I hope I hold on to that.
Ok enough of that blah blah. Tuesday night I made some friends and we went to a local steak house on the square. Just in case some of you are wondering, I managed to spend every dime of my $57 dinner allowance every night. Ha.
After dinner we decided to roam around downtown and around the Princeton campus. I had a great time making new friends.
I know these are really dark. It was late and the best I could do with my phone. Just trust me; beautiful old buildings.
Wednesday morning we didn't have to start working until 9:00. I slept in, awwwww, and we got started with our debate on the final passing score. Not that this means a darn thing to most of you and the final score will be a scale score, but my personal passing score suggestion was a 4.49 points higher than the final group average. I apparently have a slightly higher expectation of test takers. Once again not that half of you care but, if you ever want to look it up, my name will be published on the final test report.
We got finished at 1:30 . Yay! Plenty of time to go into the city. The train ride was about an hour, so not bad at all. I got to shop, see Jersey Boys off Broadway and eat Juniors cheesecake. Absolutely in love!
And if you didn't already hate me enough, I weighed myself scared of what three straight days of dessert with lunch and dessert with dinner did to me. I lost a pound. I know sometimes I shouldn't share, right.
You are all probably about done reading my novel I am writing here, but I have to tell you about my airport experience this morning. This is the first time I have flown alone. It hasn't been as bad as I thought it would be. Really it has been completely fine. Any way this morning I am standing in line to go through security. All the sudden the guy opens the zippy closey thing that forms the line you stand in. He grabs my arm and points me down a different corridor away from the people waiting for security. I didn't have a clue what was going on, but I am not going to argue. I get down to this separate security thing and the people just wave me on through. That's it. No walk through the get you picture taken thing, no take your liquids out, nothing. They did have me put my bag on the conveyer belt but no one even looked at it. They just ran it through as fast as I could walk to it. That honestly scares me a little bit. I am in Newark International airport. What the heck was that all about? I guess I look sweet and innocent?
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Where do I start? The last three days have been an absolute blast. I am not going to count today(day number four) in that because getting back to the room at 2 a.m.just to get ready for my driver to pick me up at 5 to go the airport to sit for two hours- not so much of a blast.
Monday morning I boarded a plane to Princeton, New Jersey. I was nominated as one of three in the state to participate in a nation wide panel for ETS ( the people that make the GRE, Praxis series, etc. testing). The purpose of the panel I sat on was to determine a passing score for a newly developed test-Teaching Reading:Elementary Education. Let me stop right here for just a minute to say, Katy you would not love me right now.
After getting picked up from the airport, my new friend Dennis ( who said I was a complete doll-ha!) took me to the little inn I was staying at directly across from Princeton University.
Can I just say, an absolutely breathtaking university. Really all of Princeton was just a big ball of cuteness.
Because I was so tried from traveling I decided to stay at the inn Monday afternoon. I kept thinking I would get out and explore a little, but I really didn't. It was so fabulous being able to read and nap and just have quite time. I did go downstairs and get dinner and hang out and people watch for a bit. Overall I just loved loved my down time.
Tuesday was get to work day. We had to arrive at 8:30. They had a breakfast buffet set up for us,feed us snacks twice throughout the day and a had a lunch buffet.
The actual panel was pretty intense. They took the security of it all pretty serious and there were people in the back of the room observing us all the time. I felt like a complete dork during introduction time. We went around and told who we were and what we did. Everyone in the room was some fancy professor or curriculum developer or something and I had to say " Andrea Watson Kindergarten Teacher". Ha!
I really had so much fun though. We took the test and then analyzed every question for the content and difficulty level. I was very proud of myself because I totally held my own and even proved some of the " know it alls" wrong with some valid points. I did love hearing about the different opinions and ideas from different educators across the country. I also have to say, and it may sound like I am really full of myself, but this process made me realize that I want to do something more, something bigger. I love my role as a kindergarten teacher. I don't take the importance of it lightly, but I just think I have so much more to offer. Despite my tendency to stay in my comfort box ;I see such a bigger picture out there and I hope I hold on to that.
Ok enough of that blah blah. Tuesday night I made some friends and we went to a local steak house on the square. Just in case some of you are wondering, I managed to spend every dime of my $57 dinner allowance every night. Ha.
After dinner we decided to roam around downtown and around the Princeton campus. I had a great time making new friends.
I know these are really dark. It was late and the best I could do with my phone. Just trust me; beautiful old buildings.
Wednesday morning we didn't have to start working until 9:00. I slept in, awwwww, and we got started with our debate on the final passing score. Not that this means a darn thing to most of you and the final score will be a scale score, but my personal passing score suggestion was a 4.49 points higher than the final group average. I apparently have a slightly higher expectation of test takers. Once again not that half of you care but, if you ever want to look it up, my name will be published on the final test report.
We got finished at 1:30 . Yay! Plenty of time to go into the city. The train ride was about an hour, so not bad at all. I got to shop, see Jersey Boys off Broadway and eat Juniors cheesecake. Absolutely in love!
And if you didn't already hate me enough, I weighed myself scared of what three straight days of dessert with lunch and dessert with dinner did to me. I lost a pound. I know sometimes I shouldn't share, right.
You are all probably about done reading my novel I am writing here, but I have to tell you about my airport experience this morning. This is the first time I have flown alone. It hasn't been as bad as I thought it would be. Really it has been completely fine. Any way this morning I am standing in line to go through security. All the sudden the guy opens the zippy closey thing that forms the line you stand in. He grabs my arm and points me down a different corridor away from the people waiting for security. I didn't have a clue what was going on, but I am not going to argue. I get down to this separate security thing and the people just wave me on through. That's it. No walk through the get you picture taken thing, no take your liquids out, nothing. They did have me put my bag on the conveyer belt but no one even looked at it. They just ran it through as fast as I could walk to it. That honestly scares me a little bit. I am in Newark International airport. What the heck was that all about? I guess I look sweet and innocent?
- Posted using BlogPress from my
I am so proud of you!! You deserve and can do anything you want!!
ReplyDeleteHere, Here!! Andrea. This is Melissa's mama. As a young teacher I was one of two teachers to write the course content guideline for Arkansas Survey of Fine Arts. I knew teachers all over the state received that document and said "Really, you have got to be kidding me". Ha.
ReplyDeleteCongrats on your achievement.