Q: How many years of experience do you have teaching?

A: I'm about to begin my fifth year.

Q: Why did you choose to teach?

A: I've always worked well with children, and teaching was something that interested me a great deal.

Q: What grade level do you teach?

A: I currently teach 9th through 12th, but taught 6th through 8th for three years.

Q: What do you find is the most challenging aspect of your daily routine with students?

A: Teaching has a lot of challenges, but holding the students' attention and keeping them on task is the toughest for me.

Q: How do you get organized for the first day & first week of a new school year?

A: It's really easy after your first couple of years. There are certain things that need to be done every year, and you make a list and check things off as they get done. Then you revisit your lesson plans, freshen them up, and you're ready to go.

Q: What subjects do you teach?

A: I am currently teaching Arts in Medicine and AP Art History.

Q: What subjects do you most enjoy teaching?

A: Anything art related. It's what I know best.

Q: Have you developed any unique strategies for teaching, staying organized or anything else?

A: I wouldn't say it's a unique strategy, but I'm extremely organized and keep all of my work and content in order so that I can revisit anything I've taught at any time.

Q: What has been your biggest lesson or point of personal growth since you first became a teacher?

A: The biggest lesson that I learned was during my first year. Not all students come from great homes and you have to work extra hard and have a great deal of patience to reach difficult students. They need to know that you care.

Q: Do you have any success stories about a particular student, or anything else? If so, share one!

A: I've had a number of great students, but my favorite story to tell (what I consider a success) occurred about three years ago. A student that was easily distracted and needed constant redirection in my class throughout the year came back from a Spring Break trip very excited. He told me that he went to a museum and he saw "The Starry Night" in person and was able to tell his family all about the piece because of what he learned in my class. This made me feel very proud of him and myself.

Q: Is there a burning question you WISH someone would ask you about your job?

A: I wish more people would ask me what it's like when a student "gets it." It's such a great feeling. So many people think of teaching negatively that they don't realize how awesome it can be when you're successful with the students.

Q: Additional thoughts you would like to add?

A: My parting advice would be that if you don't like children, please do not teach. I've seen a few people that did not go into teaching for the right reasons. These folks made themselves and their students miserable. You've got to enjoy it if you want the students to learn.

Thank you to Mr. Dent for participating in our "From the Classroom of" series and giving us all a more personal look into the lives of teachers! We'll be celebrating our educators all month long, so be sure to check back next Monday to meet another teacher busy preparing for back-to-school!

Q: How many years of experience do you have teaching?

A: This will be my 6th year.

Q: Why did you choose to teach?

A: I'd always been good with kids. I was working in a daycare and one of my kid’s teachers was a math coach at an inner city school in Jacksonville. She thought I could make a difference there. So I gave it a try... and I did :-)

Q: What grade level do you teach?

A: I've taught kindergarten, 1st and 3^rd grades. I'll be teaching 1st this year.

Q: What do you find is the most challenging aspect of your daily routine with students?

A: I know it's cliché, but you work with what you're given. Every child is different, made up of different experiences (or lack of). Their families are different. Their opportunities are different. What they've learned before they've met you is different. Sometimes it's a struggle, but once you get to know your kids - really know them - who they are, where they come from, what motivates them, once you get that out of the way, teaching is easy.

Q: How do you get organized for the first day and first week of a new school year?

A: I have no idea, lol. Seriously, I am the worst procrastinator ever.

Q: What subjects do you teach?

A: Reading, writing, math and science.

Q: What subjects do you most enjoy teaching?

A: Reading. I like teaching the enjoyment of reading and getting to see the lights click on as kids realize the worlds that are opening up for them.

Q: Have you developed any unique strategies for teaching, staying organized or anything else?

A: I'm really good at behavior management. In the school I've spent my last 5 years in, too many kids miss out on education because the behavior takes up too much time. I start my year with rituals and routines, and then I'm consistent the rest of the year. If the kids know what to expect, it adds a level of security for them. They know what to expect and what's expected of them; they don't have to guess. And they don't have to be afraid to get it wrong. Many of my kids over the years have come from homes that are ever-changing, where they don't know what to expect, don't know how to respond, and often times don't feel safe. My kids know they are safe with me, that they can trust me and that I will ALWAYS do what's best for them. When your kids know you love them, they'll give you their best, every time.

Q: What has been your biggest lesson or point of personal growth since you first became a teacher?

A: Getting past my opinions of how things should be, seeing them for what they are, and doing my best regardless.

Q: Do you have any success stories about a particular student, or anything else? If so, share one!

A: When I taught third grade two years ago. First of all, I was supposed to teach kindergarten that year, so when the principal came to me the week of pre-planning and asked me to move to third I was completely unprepared. But I did it, because that's what teachers do – whatever is best for the kids. I am definitely not the best third grade teacher that ever was but it did provide me with the best experience of my teaching career so far. I had a young man in my class that was repeating because he hadn't passed his FSA. In fact, they had allowed him to go to 4th grade unofficially and he was supposed to be completing his portfolio (basically a collection of reading passages and questions to show proof that he'd learned what he needs to the year before. He didn't finish them in time and they sent him, along with a few others, back to third grade. He hated reading and thought he would never be good at it. I can't imagine what gave him that idea. But, it goes back to what I said earlier about knowing your kids, I found out he like animals. (LOVED is more like it.) He knew and remembered everything he'd ever seen on animal planet. The day he realized he could learn as much or more about his favorite animals from books and online articles than he ever could watching TV, I saw the light in his eyes when he said “Mrs. Jones, thank you for showing me how much fun reading is!” I was so excited for him. And, at the end of the year, he passed his FSA with a good, solid 3. He was so proud of himself! I was proud of him too and he gave me the biggest hug!

Q: Is there a burning question you WISH someone would ask you about your job?

A: What do your students need? How can we volunteer in your classroom? How about lunch?

Q: Additional thoughts you would like to add?

A: I LOVE teaching. I may have stumbled into the career, but it makes me happy. I see people, teachers, waitresses and other professionals, that you can just tell they hate their jobs... stop! You're not doing anyone any favors by staying in a job you don't like, and you'll certainly never be the best at it. But when you love something, when you find your passion, nothing can stop you!

We'd like to send a HUGE thank you to Mrs. Jones for letting us get to know her a little more! Be sure to check back next week to get to know another teacher during our "From the Classroom" of blog post series as we get ready for back-to-school!

Students are Missing Out

A survey commissioned for children’s charity World Vision in 2010 found that one in five children had never received a handwritten letter, according to The Guardian. Seeing as technology has only grown since then, it is very likely these statistics have risen. This fact will more than likely not be shocking or even news for educators, but there’s no better time to address the issue than now. Brian Hall, a contributing writer on ReadWrite.com, said he’d recently discovered his son, a senior in high school, had never been taught to address mail. “How is it possible that the world’s most connected, most tech-savvy generation ever does not know how to mail a letter,” Hall wrote. “What else don’t they know?”

Writing by Hand has Real Benefits

A common assumption is children no longer need to know how to send mail. With email, text messages and social media messaging capabilities, what’s the point? Studies show there’s a number of ways we benefit from writing by hand. According to Dr. Marc Seifier, a handwriting expert and author of an analysis on the subject, handwriting helps the brain in these seven ways:

1. It has a calming effect.
2. It coordinates the left brain and the right brain.
3. It boosts cognitive skills.
4. It inspires creativity.
5. It sharpens aging minds.
6. It improves memory.
7. It uses more of your brain.

Writing by hand is especially important for young children because it’s an imperative tool in improving cognitive skills. Giving a child a task like writing a letter is more engaging and can be more enjoyable. It’s also empowering as it makes them feel what they have to say is important.

The Solution

We understand time and resources are often limited for educators. For this reason, we’ve created a “Letter Writing” project with step-by-step instructions for teachers to use in their classrooms. We’ll provide you with a list of the supplies needed, where to find them and how to have them delivered directly to your classroom.

How to Write a Letter: Teaching your Students with Ease

What you’ll need:

• Copy Paper or Stationery
• Envelopes
• Stamps
• Customized Return Address stamp including your school’s address

*Note: order quantity according to the size of your class and order additional for mistakes. Leave ‘name’ portion of the address stamp blank so each student can fill in their name when addressing their letter.

Step-by-Step Instructions

1. A few days before you begin the project, instruct each child to think of a person they would like to write a letter to and what they would like to tell them. If you’re teaching younger children, inform the parents of the project. Ask them to bring in the address of the person their child would like to send their letter to.
2. On the day of the project, distribute the supplies to each child (one piece of paper or stationery, one envelope, one stamp).
3. Instruct the children to begin writing their letter to whoever they chose to send it to. Allow 30 minutes to one hour for them to do this (varying by age group).
4. As they write their letters, distribute the addresses brought in by the parents.
5. After they’ve finished writing, show them the proper way to fold the letter (depending on the size of envelopes you bought).
6. Have them leave the letter outside of the envelope as they address it.
7. Display on your chalk or white board the proper way to address a letter.
8. Instruct the children to carefully copy the address provided by their parents onto the envelope.
9. Have each child raise their hand when they are finished. As they finish, bring your personalized return address stamp around to each student. Instruct them to leave enough room above the stamp to fill in their name, then have them stamp their envelope.
10. Now have them place their letters inside the envelope and seal it.
11. Refer to your illustration on the board and have them place their postage stamps in the proper area.
12. Review the addresses on each envelope ensuring they addressed it properly.
13. Collect the mail and send it yourself, or go on a group trip to the mail box.
14. Wait for them to receive their reply letter!

A project like this will develop a love for sending and receiving letters. Sending snail mail may be a less efficient way to communicate, but it’s one that expresses how important the recipient is. Teaching your students the art of sending mail is something they won’t soon forget!

But being a teacher may not be all sunshine and rainbows. Every year you as a teacher, are tasked with the responsibility of instilling in the future generations all the basic knowledge that they will need to succeed, not just in the classroom, but also in life itself.

Unlike most jobs where the work day ends at 5 o’clock, the students all leave to go home anywhere from 2 - 4 in the afternoon and they are often the only ones. Teachers often arrive to class much earlier than the students, and stay long after they're gone. Even after they finally get to go home themselves, there is never any shortage of papers and homework assignments to grade even though they aren't getting paid to work after hours. In fact, the lowest recorded salary paid to a teacher in Florida as recorded for the 2012-2013 school year was roughly $30, 910. We hope you can agree that this figure is extremely low for someone dedicating their time and lives to educating the up-and-coming generations. So remember that nice lengthy summer vacation that all those teachers receive every year? The sad truth is that many make it a point to take on a summer job to help get them through the season.

So what is the very best thank you gift you can give your child's teacher on the first day of school or in addition to the required classroom supplies that every teacher hands out at the beginning of the year? Why not give them the gift of time? Sounds easier said than done doesn't it? Well we here at Simply Stamps are here to tell you that giving this precious gift may be a lot easier that you may believe. Think about it, what takes up the majority of any teachers time? Ask any one of them and you will undoubtedly hear that the answer is grading! Wouldn't it be awesome if you were able to help them through their gigantic stack of work needing to be graded in just a fraction of the time?

Introducing our teacher stamps! Available in traditional hand stamp style, or a speedy self inking format, these stamps will last for years and years to come and will make grading so much faster and far less tedious. We've got a stamp for every grading situation a teacher could possibly encounter! From words of encouragement, requests for parental signature, to anything and everything in between. With a well stocked assortment of expressions and exclamations for them to choose from, we've truly got it all!

This year give your child's teacher the much needed grading boost they'll need so they can finally manage some actual free time and keep their work life at work! Order today!