We're just about halfway done

with BTH this summer. It sure does feel like the halfway mark. The novelty has started to wear off and I'm not close enough to the end to start feeling nostalgic. This three-day weekend will definitely serve as a good break. Nevertheless, I'm still enjoying my summer job, which I learned today is among the top ten internships in the nation (up there with working with the White House and MTV).

It's been raining in Houston all week long and it looks like it's going to keep raining. I'm sure that has a lot to do with the fact that everyone's just been feeling tired all week. Today was an awesome day though. One of my problem children (a really bright kid with a whole lot of energy) was really upset because he got his first YO (Your Opportunity to complete an assignment you failed to complete). He wanted to go the whole summer without getting one, and he felt bad because there was just a misunderstanding as to what the assignment was. Later today, he and I kicked around a soccer ball in the gym, due to the inclement weather. I really enjoyed that; I could tell he did too. There was another misunderstanding between another student and teacher. The student was really upset about having been reprimanded. I pulled her aside and talked to her about it. It went really well. The children really do inspire me to be the best teacher I can be, both in and out the classroom. I can tell that they really do care about how they do at BTH.

Tomorrow will be the event formerly known as the 8th grade lock-in and currently known as the 8th grade extravaganza. I'm head of the committee in charge of throwing the event. I hope it goes well. There's supposed to be a large turn out, so with so many people, I think everyone will have a good time.

Yesterday's classes didn't

go as well as I had hoped for. It seemed like I lost all the momentum from last week over the weekend. I'm just now realizing that I teach first period on Monday, so maybe that had something to do with it.

*****

I know Breakthrough is all about the kids, but today my eyes really opened up to another aspect of Breakthrough: making great teachers. It's really unbelievable what happens when you put thirty-some-odd 17-24 year-olds in charge of teaching almost 1oo middle school kids. It works. And not only that, I can already see how it improves everyone's teaching. I'm so grateful that I can teach alongside so many people my age who are genuinely excited about education and motivated to reform how we educate our children.

I really owe it to my coworkers. The other day I was in the faculty room and everyone was genuinely enjoying themselves and I realized the difference between the teachers in our schools and Breakthrough teachers: we work together to make sure we are all the best teachers we can be (not that teachers don't do this, it's just that it is quite a different thing at BTH). It's very inspiring to have a fellow teacher who is concerned how I feel about a class not going as planned or anything that could get in the way of me being the best teacher i can be.

This organization could not have a more appropriate name: Breakthrough Collaborative. It really is the only way to describe it.

The second week

of BTH is done, son. I've spent the past three days as Mr. Martínez (the teacher, not the SJC student (at SJC we refer to each other by our last names)). I know I mention this everyday now, but I've never been more excited about anything else before.

I tried having a seminar-style discussion with my English classes today about fate. It went really well. The girls in one of my classes remain pretty silent, but I'm sure they just need a little more time to get comfortable in class. My other class was just amazing. A few minutes into the discussion the students stopped directing all their comments towards me and were actually talking to each other.

I've wanted to be an English teacher for a few years now, and I've always thought about teaching high school. Now that I've been working at BTH I've just started thinking about middle school. I've been thinking back to when I was in middle school. That's when I was introduced to literature. I never thought of those years as being very pivotal, but BTH has definitely opened my eyes to the importance of a good middle school education.


This summer is going to be amazing.

I've decided to blog

about my summer teaching at Breakthrough Houston. I was inspired by one of my fellow teacher's blog so I thought it would be a great idea to keep a written account of how my summer as a Breakthrough teacher goes. For those of you who don't know what Breakthrough is check out the site www.breakthroughcollaborative.org/.

I've been working at BTH for the past week and a half now and it's just been great. I'm really fortunate to be working with an amazing group of people. It's so exciting and inspiring to spend so much time with talented individuals who are passionate about education. I've learned so much about being a teacher in these past few days already, and I've only been teaching for one day.

*****

I've been wanting to teach for a few years now, and several people have told me I would make a great teacher, but before this summer I never held a position similar to being a teacher. We did an exercise the other day and we had to choose which animal we identify with according to our teaching styles. I was a fox (the other choices were deer, tiger and horse). I may be foxy but I'm very much trying to create my own teaching style. It's definitely going to take some practice to become a great teacher, but as someone who's benefited tremendously from great teachers and a great education, it's the best thing I can do to reciprocate all the goodness that's been bestowed on me (Quid Quo Pro).

I feel like this summer I've started a life-long relationship with education and I couldn't be happier. I was a little skeptical at first, but just one day into teaching I know this is what I want to do.