A Collection of Observations

Yes, I know it's been almost 2 months since my last measly update. Who knew that when I started teaching I would have ZERO time for anything else besides working, planning, eating and sleeping (you teachers knew...)? Not even time to take care of my house, take care of Chance, watch TV, sleep enough, etc.

So, to recap the last 8 weeks of my life as a teacher (I have survived, have more stories than I thought possible in this amount of time, and have not cried once!), I thought a list of bullet points would be appropriate. First, a list of general observations about the profession as a whole:

• Teaching is HARD! Very different than anything else I've ever done.
• The workload is much more than I expected--I'm always doing something to prep or plan or grade.
• I've never worked harder--11- or 12-hour days during the last week of the 6 weeks, working at night from home, up early to get to work, etc.
• I'm more tired at the end of the day and week than I have been before. It's funny to notice that around 3:30 on Friday, I start to fade immediately. Friday nights are not about dates anymore; it's about getting into my sweats on the couch and waiting until Saturday to have fun. :)
• My brain never turns off. If I wake up in the middle of the night, if I can't fall asleep, if I space out on the couch, I think about the next day or next week in class. What I will do, what strategies I will use, sometimes dreading my problem students, etc. :)
• Teaching is challenging--both in good ways and bad. It's a challenge to present information in the best possible way, to engage my students, to manage them and keep them under control, to keep my energy and excitement up at the end of the day and maintain my composure in difficult situations.
• Teaching can be frustrating--one thing that gets me is all the training and time out of class I've experienced. I'm all for professional development and relevant training, but it feels like I've been out of my classroom at least once every 2-3 weeks, so that can be frustrating. It's not the actual being out of class, but the catch-up I have to do once I'm back, because my students do othing when I'm not there with them.
• Lastly, teaching is exciting. I teach things I love, really get into the content and enjoy what I'm doing, in spite of the difficulties.

Next, some observations I've uncovered from working specifically at Waco High:

• My kids are very difficult, and they come from a tough community. It's a low-SES community, and the problems my students face are more difficult than anything I've ever had to experience or deal with.
• So far, I've been yelled at, called names, grabbed, felt threatened and have all kinds of crazy stories...
• But I've also enjoyed seeing success burgeoning from some of my students. Some of them really enjoy English and are very good at what they're doing--which is obviously very exciting for me.
• I love my co-teachers. There are several new English teachers too, and we've bonded, as well as the existing teachers. I've made friends, and really enjoy working in teams with all of them. It's nice to have such a camaraderie within the department.
• I really respect our administration. In the times I've had difficulties with students or questions or problems, I have felt very supported and encouraged. I have had very positive interactions with my principal and assistant principals.
• Classroom management takes up a large percentage of my time. On a bad day, it could be 70%, on a good day, it's more like 20%. I have some consistently bad classes, one class I look forward to seeing every day, and some with a mix. But every class has at least one major "problem student" that I have to work extra hard to manage. It's just something I have to figure out and work to finesse.
• The end of the 6 Weeks was crazy. That's the week I worked 11-12 hour days. A district assessment, short stories to grade, all kinds of work to get grades done and we were out at training for 2 solid days. It was just nuts, but I hope I learned enough to not repeat those mistakes next time.
• I have a growing rapport with my students and some classes. We're all getting used to each other and kind of settling in to things. I'm able to somewhat joke around with some classes and develop more of a relationship with them--only the ones who can handle it. :)
• Most importantly, I've been told by several different people that I'm doing a good job, which makes it easier to handle the not-so-good days. It's nice to know I'm doing well figuring out all the unknowns.

So there you have it--the 1st 8 weks of school through the eyes of a new teacher. August and September held other major events (Erik & Amanda's wedding, Baylor football, new Sunday School class, etc.), but somehow teaching takes mental precedence over all. I'm really happy with how I'm settling into things, with what I'm doing and where I am. I'm so grateful that God set these opportunities in line for me, and I'm looking forward to how much more I'll know in 8 more weeks (which, by the way, will be just in time for Christmas break!)! :)

Slacker...

One day I will update again. But when I get so far behind that so much has happened, it's hard to re-start again. And right now, the 1st week of school is all I can think, breathe, sleep, etc. It's been rough. What I expected, but very tough. I'll have to gather my thoughts soon... Taking solace in our Spirit Thursday and Friday--jeans and WHS t-shirts for everyone! It's the small things that make life OK sometimes. :)

Where did the last 3 weeks go???

I need to stop my head from spinning, because I'm not sure if all of this really happened. In the last 3 weeks, I started and finished one class at MCC, got a job (more in a minute), celebrated a major milestone with Mom and enjoyed am still enjoying vacation!

My first Pedagogy and Professional Responsibility class FLEW by! We had 11 class sessions, and I learned everything from planning lessons and units, the joys of TExESland, took a lot of practice tests and taught a lesson I created from scratch! I made some friends from many different backgrounds and ages, and some I'm going to be teaching with in the fall!

My teacher in this class has taught at Waco High for almost 40 years, and she was so helpful teaching all of us and getting us connections for interviews. She was extremely helpful introducing me to the English dept. chair and assistant principal, and I had an interview with them last Monday.

They're doing lots of renovations at the school for next year, so there wasn't any A/C or much lighting, so we packed up and had our interview at Cafe Cappuccino down the road! I thought it went really well and that I answered the questions well and showed them why I would be a good English teacher and colleague. I knew it might be a while before I heard anything because WISD as a whole had a lot of positions to fill. But Thursday afternoon I got a call from HR offering me a positiong teaching 10th grade English!!! We still have to straighten out a snag with my English content test (required before I can teach, but not offered again until August 29--4 days after school starts), but I am SO EXCITED to have a job, the guarantee of an income for next year and a place where I can put my talents to use and work with students. I am well aware that my first year of teaching is going to be really difficult, but God has worked all these details together so smoothly that I know this is the right direction for me.

I have another class that starts July 6-21, I have my PPR state test July 10, then I'm off until August 10 when new teacher training starts. Then I'll be in for a whirlwind (what's new?) until school starts August 25. Factor in several weddings and parties between now and then and we've got a busy rest of the summer lined up!

In the midst of all of this, we celebrated a milestone for Mom last week. Wednesday, June 24, was her one-year diagnosis anniversary. We reflected on all that has happened in the last year and all we have to be thankful for. We sent some flowers and M&D went out to eat to mark the occasion. Mom is doing so well and is on track to finish her surgeries late this year/early next. She's getting back to her "normal" and enjoying life again. On Wednesday, she told me that if she could go back to a year ago and avoid this cancer diagnosis, she would choose not to because of all the blessings and lessons she's gained through this. That floored me--can you imagine saying the same thing? God indeed has blessed and strengthened her.

So here I am, with still a week of vacation left--indulging in movie nights with friends, laying out, working out, cooking, babysitting Mase, seeing Chitty Chitty Bang Bang with Mom on Thursday and loving this teacher's life! I'm sure the 2.5 weeks of my next class will fly by as well, and then we'll be on the home stretch till school starts!

So there you have it-a whole bunch of life changes and exciting plans! Can't wait for what's to come!

A Year of Wedded Bliss

I'm severely delinquent on this post because it's been a whole 10 days since our anniversary, but this is my record of our life, and I need to write about it!

Before we left, we decided to exchange gifts so we wouldn't have to bring them with us. I got Chance a book he really wanted to read and surprised him with a new Bible. He had no idea, so I felt proud of my paper gift. I'd given him ideas of what I wanted, but the boy listens to me and knows me so well, he already was planning to get me what I wanted most--a lovely, shelf-worthy set of the Complete Works of Shakespeare! Perfect for an English teacher and for my classroom in the fall! "Paper" was a hard gift description, but we did really well for each other.

So then we headed out... We knew we wanted to go back to the Gaylord Texan because we stayed there after the wedding. We found a terrific deal there because it was our anniversary and were so excited. When we got there, Chance parked while I checked us in. And who should I run in to behind the reception desk? A friend from church back in the day who I hadn't seen in several years! We caught up for a few minutes, he asked where I had booked and said, "We can do better than that..." and TOTALLY UPGRADED us into a legit room! Stoked...

We got settled into our room and walked around the hotel and ate at one of the restaurants--a nice, low-key evening. There were fireworks over Lake Grapevine that night and we had a solid view from the window wall in our room. So much fun!

Saturday morning we woke up and headed to the Ft. Worth Zoo! We really like the zoo and it was a lot of fun. It got a little hot, and a little crowded with all the strollers and babies and people, but we really enjoyed it. At the end of the afternoon, we needed a nap and a shower, so we did, and then got ready for our fancy dinner at the Reata in downtown Ft. Worth.

I got to wear one of my favorite dresses and we had one of the best meals ever! I'd never been to the Reata (unfortunately we didn't eat on the historic rooftop...) and it was excellent. Great Texas ambiance, yummy food and a great location. I think M&D may go there for Dad's birthday next month.

Sunday morning we checked out, had breakfast, and stopped by to see M&D on our way back to Waco. We made it back in time for our final Dave Ramsey Financial Peace University class and graduated from that! We went home and had wedding cake and champagne in our toasting flutes. The cake was still really good after a year! (Dad is a food-saving guru and saran-wrapped it before food-saving it, so it was extra fresh.) We watched our DVD of the ceremony and relived our favorite memories. What a fun tradition to start!

So our year has come and gone... At times it has felt like 10 years (in a good way!) and other times I feel like we were just walking down the aisle last week. So much has happened this year, but it's so comfortable being with Chance that I feel like we've been together for ages (5 years this fall!). It was a fantastic weekend to celebrate our major milestone.

At last...

"You can do anything you want on your last day of work." Guess that's pretty true, huh? I don't know that I'll be testing that theory in its entirety, but it's a nice sentiment to stick with me today.

Chance made me breakfast this morning before I left for work (for the last time!), and I'm spending the day wrapping up things, emailing people I work with remotely, cleaning off my computer and living for my lunch date with friends! I may take off early this afternoon, so we'll see. I don't plan to look back much--just look ahead and focus on my exciting future plans.

Do you ever wonder what you blog about most? I have categories to tell me that, but as far as favorite topics/words/themes? I have seen this on other friend's blogs and wanted to see what my results would be. This is my Wordle!

It scanned my blog and filtered my favorite and most-used words. It was funny to see what I write about. You can edit for shape and color, and it's a fun thing to play around with!

Wish me luck on my last day! (Anniversary pics are STILL to come--they're on the computer at home.) I'm outta here! :)

School Days, School Daze

Back in the good old days when I had a Xanga blog instead of this one, I wrote a post in my last semester of college when I had my “last first” day of school. Little did I know then, that would not be an accurate statement. I’ll have “first days of school” for the rest of my career. And my “next first” day of school is Monday!

Who can’t help but think of the classic Billy Madison scene where he’s waiting for the bus to take him back to school and he sings this little ditty:

“Back to school, back to school, to prove to Dad that I’m not a fool. I got my lunch packed up. My shoes tied tight. I hope I don’t get in a fight. OHHHHH, back to school, back to school, back… to… school…”

So on Monday at 7:30 a.m., I’ll leave our house with my lunch packed up and shoes tied tight (or sandals firmly fastened), and I’ll head to MCC for my first of many summer classes. I’ll be in class from 8-5, Monday through Thursday, and I’ll get my Fridays off. (Hallelujah!) So for the most part, it will seem like I’m still doing the whole job thing, it will just be at a different place. And without a paycheck. Ouch.

I went out to MCC yesterday to get my student ID and parking decal and pay for classes (double ouch). It’s a really weird feeling to be preparing to go back to school. I’ve been having those same feelings like I did in college. Will I know where to find my classroom? Will there be anyone I know in my class? What will I do for lunch? Will my teacher be good and nice? Is it cold in the classrooms (totally a “me” question…)? Will I make friends?

The time is going to fly by—one class for 3.5 weeks, another for 2.5 weeks—and hopefully by mid-July when it’s over, I will have secured a job! I’ve been applying all over—Midway, Waco, China Spring and McGregor ISDs so far—and I’ll continue to follow up and send more applications all summer. There IS a job open for me; I just have to find it.

I will post about our anniversary weekend soon (it was, in a word, fantastic!) and I’ll be sure to let you know how my first day of school (again) goes. But I would be remiss if I didn’t update you about Mom’s good news!

She had her first post-radiation scan last week (can you believe it’s been 3 months since her last treatment?) and went to her oncologist for the results yesterday. We were all a little anxious just to get the word back, and the word was GOOD! Everything looks clear and wonderful, and they’ll test her again in 3 more months. And so will be the status quo for the next couple of years until they space out more. But praise be to God for watching over her healing and taking care of her! Now we’ll look forward to reconstruction at the end of the summer and more good news tests.

Have a good evening, everyone!

How Sweet It Is Indeed

I'm itching for 5 p.m. moreso than usual today. As soon as the workbell chimes, Chance and I are hitting the road to celebrate our first anniversary!

We're spending the weekend in Grapevine/Fort Worth--returning to the Gaylord Texan, where we stayed after the wedding, going to the zoo, eating at the Reata, exchanging our paper anniversary gifts (and I think we'll ACTUALLY surprise each other!), toasting with our wedding champagne flutes, eating year-old cake and watching our wedding DVD. Sounds like we're setting up a lot of fun traditions!

Since we're in saving mode to pay for school and maintain our house down payment fund, we decided to forego the European vacation of our my dreams, a week in Disney World, or Chance's pick--a tour of the MLB ballparks around the country. :) We'll do all of those things one day, but right now we're just looking forward to a weekend away doing stuff we normally don't get to do and celebrating 365 days of wedded bliss!

Everyone tells you before you get married that marriage is difficult, and the first year is the hardest, etc., and I guess in some ways it's been true. This year was very hard for our family, dealing with Mom's cancer diagnosis and scary journey. It was hard to figure out a routine of life and settle into it. It was hard being stuck in a crummy, stressful job. And it was hard to teach ourselves to be wise and frugal with our money.

But how wonderful has this year been too? How gracious has God been to us? It was wonderful to celebrate the end of Mom's treatment, anticipate future clean bills of health, and grow much closer as a family. It was wonderful to get comfortable with each other living together--cooking meals, getting ready in the mornings, filling and emptying our DVR, joining our church and making new friends. It was wonderful to be supportive of each other through stressful times and celebrate new plans for the future. And it IS wonderful to know we're setting a good financial foundation for ourselves and not worrying about debt.

Sure, some things about being married can be difficult. But really, when you are sharing your life with your best friend and feeling God's graces on you, how tough can life be? Truthfully, I'm more shocked at how QUICKLY the year passed more than I am surprised at how much fun it was. We don't really feel like newlyweds anymore, and we can get on with the process of counting up the years and memories as they come.

What an incredible year this has been! I have no idea what the future holds for us, but I am so happy to love the one I'm with for all of our days together.