Upon entering the classroom for the first time at the Mississippi Techer Corps Summer School, I actually thought it was okay to write everything on the board including notes, and activities (Let's all laugh together). I very quickly learned to use what I have, and that includes computers, projectors, laptops, and anything that goes along with it. During my time at Byram Middle School it was definitely a time of growth and progress, not only as an educator, but as a human being. Coming into Blackburn Middle School, where I've been teaching my second year, the biggest changes I made was of course changing my school. I know you're thinking, “Woah! What on earth does that have to do with management changes.” I’ll tell you what…a lot. This year I am at Blackburn Laboratory Middle School, and while I wanted to make a school change, unlike most in a program like mine, I decided to also follow my principal from my first administration. During my first year at Byram Middle School, it got ugly…and when I say ugly…I mean U G L Y. My principal ended up being moved to central office, we got someone new, and it was completely different. When Dr. Nelson found her way to a new school this fall, she called and said come on…so I did. I decided to abandon a seemingly well oiled machine for an F school, in a district that is on probation, and kids who are in so many messed up situations that it slightly resembles a ten car pile up on the interstate. I said all of that to make a point that this huge change brought with it many smaller changes. Part of these changes deal with my team, we are one. Last year everyone from one class to the next had different rules, procedures, consequences, etc. This year we don’t. The students do the same thing for every class. Planners are checked for every class, students enter and exit each class in the same manner, they even place their backpacks in the same location, the back of the classroom. This is another change. No more backpacks at the desk. This cuts down on students being able to sneak food and other things during class. They remove everything before class that they need by checking the materials board next to the agenda by the door. It’s amazing! My reward system is another thing that has changed. The only true reward system I have now is the marble jar, other than that I just love my students. I’ve found that while they would love some hot chips or candy, most of them appreciate a hug or “cuddles” as I call them so much more. Plus, I can't afford that stuff, and since I have to buy my own copy paper I'm not even going to try. Even when they do service projects (Yes we make our pod do service projects) they don’t get a reward for it, not even a grade. They get a pat on the back and the satisfaction of helping someone else. That’s the way I look at their behavior, it’s something they should already do, and when they do it they benefit from it already by creating a healthy learning environment. Langston Hughes once said, “When peoples care for you and cry for you, they can straighten out your soul,” that’s the way I look at my students as souls being straightened. Since my whole team is strong and in charge these changes that we’ve all made are building strong students! As the end of the school year approaches, my transformation will yet again take place. I will no longer be in the classroom, but thanks to the help of my colleagues, classmates, and family I will be entering the field of law as a student. It is with much anticipation that I use my transformation over the past two years to not only continue growing, but to make differences for children outside of the classroom.