Things are lookin' up!

I have been solo teaching this week. It has been absolutely wonderful and absolutely exhausting! I know I'm only standing, walking, and talking, but at the end of they day I'm just plain out pooped! Today I was observed by my University Supervisor and it went really well! One observation down and two to go. The next two will be 'drop ins', so cross your fingers we're doing something productive the next time he stops by! My last post about school was a little melodramatic, and since then things have not gotten much better, but my attitude and perspective have changed a ton. I've had two days of solo teaching and the students have learned about decimals, light, and explorers. We mapped out Columbus' explorations and searched the room for objects that were translucent, transparent, and opaque. I've been having so much fun with the kids and they are really responding to the material. These are the things that are keeping me positive and will help me survive the next few months. I'm putting applications in to three counties this week, and next week I'm going to a Teacher Recruitment Day. I would love, love, love to find a job in the county I'm currently in, so cross your fingers with me for that, too!

Oh...and my life OTHER than school. That's going great, too! I really love the feeling days like today give me. Days that are just normal and good and nothing 'great' and nothing 'awful' is going on. It makes me wish I could bottle up the happiness I have right now and save some for a later, inevitable bad day.

I hope everyone has a great week! Oh! I'm also anxiously waiting for my necklace to come! Cathy makes awesome jewelry and she made the perfect necklace for me!!

The beginning of her story...

I am writing this post for several reasons...

1. I need to vent. I get some out when I talk to my husband; some when I talk to Heather. I end up feeling a bit better, but still holding back because I don't want to complain to them every time they talk to me. But I really just need to get the bad out and focus on the good.

2. I want to be able to look back at this post and say..."See, I knew I was right!"

And so...I vent.

"Once upon a time there was a girl who was pretending to be a 'grown up'. She put in her almost four years of papers, projects, and hoop jumping. She was ready. She walked into the classroom with her shoulders back and a smile on her face. Deep down she knew she would probably feel more comfortable in one of the student's desks than at the podium, but nevertheless she stayed confident. This was her time to shine. Her time to turn her theories into practice and to prove to herself that all of that work was worth it! She sat down with her color coded tabbed notebook, her papers agonizingly organized, and to do list handy. This...is where her nightmare began.

Ok. So nightmare is a little dramatic. But after the first few minutes of being in the classroom she knew that everything she'd work hard to learn in the past years was out the window. Lesson plans, organization, structure, schedules. All gone. She remained positive and the smile stayed. She chalked it up to 'different teaching styles'. 'A learning experience'. 'Ying and yang?'...hell something had to help it all make sense.

Side note: (She is on day FOUR of around 70 at the time of this post.)

She struggles with her naivity and reality. She constantly questions the comments of her 'peers'. She finds herself thinking more often than she'd like; "Did that REALLY just happen?"

All details aside, that's her story so far. What I have realized from this story is that my philosophy of education is even more important to me now than ever. I firmly believe that not only is every child capable of learning, but every child should be given the opportunity to learn. And not only is that cliche true, but it's my direct responsibility to be the facilitator of that knowledge. Not to just put it on a plate and serve it to them, but to actually spoon feed every single bite to make sure each student is getting what they need. The saying 'that kid just doesn't get it' does not apply to me. My experiences in the past few days have helped me realize that not only is this what I'm supposed to be doing; I'm actually going to be good at it. And that gives me hope. I'm going to continue to try to make this a good experience, but it's getting harder by the day. It's my last hoop. I didn't come this far to fall now. Lord, help me get through these next few months....

Ab Phab's at it again!!

Thursday was my first day back to the classroom. It was an interesting day to say the least. I'll blog about Student Teaching later, but the best part of that day was what happened AFTER school! First, my sweet Chase had a program at his school. He sang patriotic songs and made me the proudest parent in the room. Sometimes I feel like I have so much pride and love for him that I'm going to explode. Good Job, Chase!!


After Chase's program I met my Alpha Beta Phabulosa girls at Buffalo's for Trivia and beverages. There were a few of us missing, but we had such a good time! It was just what I needed to help me unwind after a long day. I love these girls!!

Jumping into a great '08!

Six days into the new year and I am feeling great! I knew as soon as I said "3...2...1." and kissed my hubby that things were somehow about to get so much better. I feel less stress, less sorrow, and I just feel like 'me' again. I don't know how a new calender date pulled all of that off, but I'm not asking questions!!

The holidays are over and school starts back Tuesday. I'm really hoping that I can keep this whole calm and collected feeling during my Student Teaching. I want to focus on enjoying this experience instead of letting it overwhelm and stress me. Since this was my last weekend officially 'to do' list free (yeah...I know those of you that know me, know that I will always have a 'to do' list) I decided to try to make the best of it! Heather and I took our boys to Kangaroo Kids. We had such a good time! I sat on the sidelines a lot of the time with a Pilates induced pulled muscle in my back, but it gave me the opportunity to get some great shots! More to come this week...I'm sure I'll have lots of school updates after my orientation this week, plus....Girls Night again! Trivia Thursday night with the Ab Phab girls! I can't wait!!