I'm Getting Ready for You....

I am still pinching myself! I can't believe it's true that I'm going to be your Social Studies teacher this coming fall! I'm so excited! You have no idea how hard I worked to BECOME your Social Studies teacher...

Let me share the story with you; I think it's important that you and your folks know the tale...

When I graduated from college (Christian Brothers University), I earned two degrees; one in English and one in history. Later on in life, when I went into teaching,  I became an English teacher and took all of the necessary tests to get my state license for middle school/high school English and Language Arts. I was an English teacher for many, many years and was very happy teaching that subject. However, every once in a long while, I would wish I had also gotten my history certification so that someday I could enjoy my other academic love. Strangely enough, the opportunity presented itself to me in March. Through budget cuts, the Creative Writing class I had taught for the past few years was going to be deleted from the course offerings and there was a social studies position to be filled.

Suddenly, I had THREE WEEKS to get ready for the hardest test of my life! It was the Praxis II World History & United States History for grades 7-12. My goodness! I devoured 4 history textbooks and 1,000 history flashcards to get ready. Believe me, on the day of the test my stomach was full of butterflies! It was not a test that asked you to choose a factually correct answer; it was a test that required you to infer the correct scenario given a specific set of historical circumstances. Boys and girls, I can tell you that my heart was low when I left the test site and I just knew that my dream of becoming your teacher was not going to come true.... BUT!....

As luck and good fortune (and tons of studying) would have it, I made a great score, screamed with happiness and danced a "Jig of Joy" for Mrs. Murphy (the Wonderkids Social Studies teacher). Then, I rolled up my sleeves to get ready for all of you wonderful rising seventh graders who will be on the Falcons team this fall! I can't wait to meet those of you I don't know; and, am looking forward to seeing some of my darling sixth graders from this past year. We're going to have such a fun year!

This blog will be a record of our year, a resource for you to refer to for homework, projects, tests, and TCAP practice. It will be a resource for internet links that I ask you to use or quizzes I ask you to take, as well as a spot where you can contribute your feelings about the journey we will undertake together through the world of geography and cultures.

Throughout the summer you will find new and exciting things added to this blog. Make sure you check out the widgets to the right and below my post; there will be more to come. If you have any questions feel totally free to email me through the gmail account listed at the top of the page (mrs.morton.wsms@gmail.com).

I hope each and every one of you have a fantastic summer and will be fresh and renewed to return to school ready to learn! Remember when you enter my classroom in August that we will be on a year-long search for the role that geography plays in shaping this ever-changing planet we call Earth. Please watch the second video below and be inspired to become a young geographer this fall...

p.s. watch the video on full screen to get a better effect