I did a good job!

Both days of workshops went really well. I think both sets of teachers were able to take something away that they would really use. Both groups of teachers were easy to talk to, lively, asked great questions and seemed genuinely appreciative of the changes we were offering. Johanna (the owner of the company really liked what I did, how I answered questions and how upbeat I was throughout. Both days I felt really successful.

On Monday when I got home I had a voicemail from her asking if I was free on Wednesday. I said that I was and she explained that she had hired a women to do a workshop outside of Gallup, about two and half hours away from here and that she had been in a car accident and had to cancel. She asked if I was willing to step in. I said that I most certainly was. This lady was planning on giving a presentation that I actually know nothing about, so she asked me if I wanted to create something based on what I have done for her in the last year or so. She explainded that because it was so last minute and it was going to take some time to put it all together that she would give me the whole budget for the presentation. Uh. I said yes.

So I spent Monday and Tuesday night putting things together, creating an outline, making notes and rehearsing in my head. I made some CDs for the ride out there. I got the atlas out and mapped out the best route, got up early went to the gym (still loving the gym in the mornings btw.) I found the place exactly on time. It was a BIA school out literally in the middle of no where, my cell phone didn't work once I left Gallup, so I really had to trust in the directions that Johanna had given to me. I made it though, exactly on time; much to my dismay.

Everything went really well. These teachers were really receptive as well. I found out later why. The school is in the lowest tier of restructuring according to NCLB. If they don't bring up their scores one way or another, the principal is just going to hire different teachers to see if they can do a better job. So he's giving them all these professional development opportunites (where Moonlight Consulting comes in) and if they don't use them to better their students...well...bascially they are gone.

During the workshop I asked them what sort of curriculum they were working with. They could answer me when it came to Language Arts and Math, but when I asked them what they were using for Science and Social Studies they drew a blank. So I asked how they teach it. One of them admitted that they just don't because they feel like they don't have enough time to teach that and bring up the students' scores in Language Arts and Math and because niether of the other subjects are on the state test, they just don't teach them. Everyone else nodded. And me? I stood there with an incredulous look on my face taking in all the nodding heads. I couldn't beleive it. They are just digging themselves a deeper hole because those subjects are eventually going to be on the tests.

So on the spot I revised our plan for the afternoon. Part of the presentation is getting online and using lessonplanet.com to create lessons that are directly tied to the state standards for a subject. Instead of just one subject, I made them create lesson plans that worked with the state standard for more than one subject. They were actually quite successful at this and I really hope that they use this method in the future because if they don't...that hole is just going to get deeper and deeper.

Best part of all this; I made enough money to fix my car all in one go! It's at the repair shop as we speak! It may even have air condtioning when I get it back!