Adventure #2: Guess What...you are now a 1st grade teacher!

We survived 2 days of training!! Our days are so long, but we have met some really fun people and are enjoying it for the most part! But more about that later!

Ashley and I were walking up to the school on Monday, extremely nervously and running a little late and we came up to some people who were greeting everyone as they walked in. It turned out one of the ladies was the principal of our school and as we were standing there talking with her a little bit, she suddenly said, "I'm getting an idea! You wanted to be younger Becky and we just hired someone to teach 1st grade who has a junior high background. How would you feel about switching to 1st grade?" It was a little bit of a shock to have her ask this on the sidewalk outside the school and I wasn't quite prepared for that, but I said yes! So I am now teaching 1st grade with Ashley and two other ladies. I am so excited!! It was a little bit of a mindset change, but the more I think about it and learn about it the better I think it will be. 6th grade would have been fun, but I am so much more confident in my ability to teach 1st grade and I think it will be easier for my first year! Plus I get to teach with Ashley which is what we have been hoping for since we student taught together last fall :)

Training has been going well. In the morning we have Spaulding training from 8-12:30. Spaulding is the language arts curriculum they use. It gets really long to sit in a classroom for so long, and it doesn't all really make sense, but everyone keeps telling us it will all click once we start teaching. In the afternoons we have different meetings about the school policies and stuff from 1-4:30 or 5. Today we got to learn about the math curriculum which was really exciting- its going to be fun to teach I think. We also got to ask the veteran teacher in our grade some questions about how things work and what we need to do in our rooms and stuff. It was really nice to get that information because we have been feeling a little bit in the dark.

All the teachers and staff have been really nice and we have even started making some friends! We keep wondering how in the world we got hired to teach at this school, but we are soooo thankful that we did! I think its going to be a wonderful year!

Our apartment is pretty much all set up! Once we get Internet in our apartment I will post some pictures of it! It turned out so cute with all the stuff my mom made for us (thanks mom!) and all the little homey touches we have added. We bought some plants and cactus the other day and they look so cute on our little porch area!

Thank you again for all your prayers and support! The days get long and tiring, but it is all going to be worth it and I can hardly wait to get all the little kiddos in my room and start teaching them! Love you all!!