Making changes to this blog

Why did I change everything?

     If you followed my blog before you know that it used to be Science in the Middle but due to a huge change in my educator career I have decided to make some changes to my blog as well. 

     The first change I am obviously making is to the title of my blog. My blog will now be titled "Gifted Guzman" just like my YouTube channel and my Twitter account. I decided to make this change because I am working towards creating a brand that people can trust, an image of someone

who knows what they are talking about and who can offer exceptional educational advice to teachers, parents and students. This is not just about an image to me though, it is about how I see myself and what I have seen over the course of my career. I know how much I love being an educator, I know how important this profession is to me, I know how much work I put in to being amazing at what I do and I know what I have to offer to other educators, so now I want to truly share all that I know.

     Now on to a little about me and the changes I've made in my career. If you have been following me you know that during the first two years of my teaching career I worked in a charter school where I taught 5th, 6th, 7th and 8th grade science then after lunch I re-taught the 8th graders the 7th grade Texas state math standards they would need in order to be

successful in 8th grade math and then I also taught art to the 5th-8th grade girls. There was minimal curriculum, no resources (I spent $2,500.00 the first year on resources and I made $32,000.00 a year and had 3 boys of my own.) and I was not allowed to have a mentor the first year because the school had failed so many state standards they were in trouble. By my second year teaching the whole middle school staff was fired except me and I was put in charge. It was daunting and trial by fire but it was the most valuable experience because I rose to the occasions and learned so much. Next I moved to a large district in my city and I taught 7th grade science to all types of students from general education to special education, from students who spoke English as a second language to those who were labeled gifted and talented. I was also the journalism sponsor so I worked with students on the yearbook and online newspaper. I got a grant for the campus so we created a schoolyard habitat, a garden and a recycling program and held an environmental fair. I
worked at that campus for four years. Last school year I accepted a position as the gifted and talented specialist at a new campus in my district. I taught my own 6th grade English Language Arts classes, (this was my first time teaching ELA) I team taught with all of the other gifted and talented teachers, (in science, social studies, ELA and math 6th - 8th grade) I organized the students year long projects and I was a new teacher mentor. I am also continuing to work on my Master's degree in curriculum and instruction (I have 2 classes left).

     As you can see I have thrown myself into being an educator and I have made the most of every experience I have been given. My goal now is to share those experiences and my insight with other educators. I will begin slowly as I finish college but I hope to post more often once I am finished. I will have new experiences during the next school year as I teach 7th grade ELA this coming year and 6th grade science. I am sure I will have numerous ideas to share.

In the meantime you can also watch my YouTube videos where I talk about educator ideas as well.

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCTXeCjvts-EfAsnh15pc4HA

Until next time, I'm Gifted Guzman.