Adventure #10: Surviving Parent Teacher Conferences

The week is over! It was a very long and busy one filled with lots of new adventures. Monday and Tuesday were pretty normal, teaching and getting ready for conferences and hanging out with friends. Then Wednesday and Thursday were half days at school with parent teacher conferences in the afternoon/evening. They went really well I felt. The parents were all very friendly and it was good to get a chance to meet with them and talk about how well their students are doing. My eye made a really good ice-breaker! It was fun to hear how concerned all the kids were for me :)

Friday was a full day and it was a little rough. I was exhausted from conferences and the busy week and the kids were a little nuts coming off two half days. But we made it through and I got to sleep for as long as I wanted to which was a amazing!!

This morning I got some much needed cleaning done and sorted through the piles that have been getting larger and larger. It feels so good to have things put away and orgainized again! Its a good way to gear up for another week :)



My eye is so much better!

Black Eye Update :)

Sunday night

Tuesday night

Wednesday night

My eye is doing much better! Monday was a long sore day because I hadn't really done much all weekend and then I had to talk and teach and move around all day and that made my face really sore! Everyone at school was very impressed by how colorful it was. All the kids were staring at me as I walked down the hall and there are all kinds of stories going around :) Yesterday was better but still a little sore. Today it was pretty good. My eye is much less swollen and actually feels almost normal- sometimes I kind of forget its there and then wonder why people are staring at me so funny :) My nose has been sore more painful today. It got hit too and is bruising a little bit, and I think there is a lot of pressure built up there and its been kind of painful. But I'm doing well and continuing to heal. And if nothing else, it makes a really good ice breaker for parent teacher conferences :)

Adventure #9: Week Five and a Lovely Black Eye!

Its hard to believe we are already at the end of week 5, which is also the end of our first grading period. It seems like just yesterday we were packing up the U-Haul to begin this crazy adventure. And now here we sit grading papers trying to get everything put in so we can submit grades for report cards. And then we have to get ready for parent-teacher conferences next week and the craziness continues.

This week went fairly well. I am starting to figure out a routine and when I need to do what. There are always days when things get thrown at me and something doesn't get done, but I am figuring out how to handle it all-I think. Instead of getting overwhelmed by everything that has to get done, I am starting to learn that somethings will just have to wait until tomorrow or the next day. I love going to school everyday and teaching my students and watching as their eyes light up when they finally understand something they have been working so hard on. The days get long and crazy, but their sweet faces and hugs and notes make it all so worth it.

And of course we have to have a little fun thrown in to keep us all from going mad :) Yesterday they had a blow-up waterslide at school for a jr. high reward day. It was a half-day so after the potluck lunch, they let the teachers have a turn on the waterslide! It was a blast and we were all having a great time- until we decided to try and fit four people down at once. And that's when I got an elbow in my cheek bone. It was really quite funny and I popped up laughing, but then I got a little nervous when I could see a bump under my eye forming. Ashley looked at me, and said its bleeding, we better get you into the nurse's office. So they took me in and cleaned off the little scrape and put some ice on it to try and keep the swelling down. Then I had to sit in the nurse's office for about 45 minutes while everyone was in training. After sitting for about 45 minutes with ice on it, I could tell the swelling was getting worse since I could feel it going up into my eye. So the assistant principal called Ashley out of the training and she took me to the doctor. They took x-rays and said nothing is broken I just got hit really good. They gave me some pain meds and sent me home :) I have been watching it swell and turn fun colors ever since. I am exciting to watch and see what colors it will turn. It really is not that painful, it just feels really funny! It will sure be a good story to talk about next week at parent teacher conferences :)


The eye right after I got home from the doctor.

The eye this morning- so much prettier!

Well I'm off to grade my pile of papers! I'll post more pictures as my eye continues to turn pretty colors! Love you all

Adventure #8: California Weekend!

I can hardly believe we've finished three and a half weeks! The days are flying by! I think that's a good thing, but it seems there is never enough time to finish everything I want to finish :)

Week three was a little long and stressful. The copier in the school ran out of toner so we were scampering around trying to find a way to teach without copies. The office staff was so wonderful and things actually worked out okay, but it all left me feeling kind of scatter brained and unprepared. But we made it through the week and I'm sure all the kiddos learned something- I hope so anyway! Friday was a half day which meant the kids were crazy with anticipation because they got out of school early and got a long weekend! After they all went home we had a training about some ways to challenge our students. It was good to learn some new techniques, but I was tired by the end of it.

After the training we packed up our stuff and headed to Irvine California with the Light family. Marvin is the maintance guy at our school and Stacey is a second grade teacher. They have two little girls, Lexi and Reese, who are so sweet and fun to hang out with. We went to visit one of Marvin's friends and we had a blast. Saturday we spent the whole day at the pool, which was beautiful, and got really sunburnt. Then Sunday we went to Laguna Beach to check out the beach. Then Ashley and I did some shopping while the rest of the family went back and changed clothes. We then had dinner in Newport Beach and checked out the boardwalk. Monday morning we packed up and headed back to Casa Grande. All in all it was a great relaxing weekend and I'm so glad we went.


Reese and I going a little nuts in the car :)

Newport Beach Pier

Classic Lexi and Reese moment

Chilling on the beach with my FBF BFF :)

The whole crew- Ashley, Me, Reese, Lexi, Stacey, and Marvin

Lexi and I chilling by a fountain :)

This week has been going really well. I have started to feel like I am actually teaching my students something. Not that they haven't been learning things before, but the content is getting a little more in depth. I have been feeling like my relationships with my students are really starting to form and its a wonderful feeling. It is so wonderful to have days where I am reminded over and over again of why I want to be a teacher!

Thanks again for all your love and support! I greatly, greatly appreciate it :)