i'm excellent.

at least that's what my principal thinks! she nominated me for the nyctf award in classroom excellence. anyone can apply and you don't have to be nominated to even be considered for the award, but i'm very excited that my principal went out of the way to recommend me for one. i asked around my class on monday night and no one else has been nominated yet.

the thing is, i probably won't win the award since nyctf is very big on touting the prestigious universities the program member attended prior to teaching, as well as the careers many of us came from, such as lawyer, hedge fund manager, etc. if you win this award, there is a tell-all press release, along with promotional material on their website, plus you have to give a speech to the incoming cohort in the summer.

i was just a stay at home mother who worked for an internet business for many years while attending a city university part time until i finally graduated and applied to the fellows. there's nothing prestigious or even remotely interesting about my path to teaching, so i doubt i would even come close to winning the award if i apply. now the $2000 award money would be nice, but that's not what really matters. as much as i bitch on here and write about the crappy lessons i do, i really have done some great stuff this year. and as much as my principal and our educational partners tell me this, it is really meaningful to know that they went out of their way to suggest to someone else that i was an exceptional first year educator. it kinda reaffirms what i do, award or not.