I survived week two! It went fairly well. There were some obstacles to overcome, but there will always be obstacles. I am starting to get the routine of it all down. It no longer takes me an hour and a half to get myself together to go home at the end of the day. Ashley and I have been able to get out fo the school by 4:00-we barely know what to do with all our time :)
This week the weather caused a little chaos for us. Monday and Tuesday there was a heat advisory so the kids had to eat lunch in our rooms instead of outside (our temporary cafeteria is benches in the shade on the side of the unfinished gym). Then Wednesday it was extremely windy and slightly rainy so once again they had to eat in our rooms. And Thursday the kids were out at recess for about 5 minutes before it started pouring sending all 26 of my first graders soaking wet back into my classroom. And Friday it poured all morning so they once again at lunch in the classroom. Not having that break made the days a little longer and the crazy weather made the kids a little more wound up. But we survived!
There have also been many moments this week that reminded me of why I love this so much. The smile that lights up a child's face when I comment on how beautiful their handwriting is and how I can tell they have been working hard on it. The cute little pictures they bring me of rainbows and notes that say how much they love first grade. And their silly giggles when I say some outrageous thing they know is just crazy. Those are the things I love so much about little kids and the reasons why I worked so hard to get to this point. And those are the things which give me the energy to wake up every morning and crawl out of bed and face all the crazy obstacles that come my way!
Thank you all so much for your faithful prayers and encouragement! There is no way I would be where I am today without the strength and guidance God has given me and so many of you have played such an important role in that. Love you and miss you all :)
Sunday, August 29, 2010
Saturday, August 21, 2010
Adventure #6: I Survived the First Week!
I don't even know where to start :) It has been a whirlwind of a week! Most of it was good, some of it was hard, some of it was painful, and it was all very tiring!
My voice is just about shot- I sound a little bit like a 13 year old boy going through puberty :) And my heels and pinky toes have blisters all over them. We can't wear flip-flops or any kind of shoe without a back to school, so my feet are going to have to get calloused really fast. And until then I will continue to limb around because my feet hurt so bad!
My kids are pretty cute! Sometimes by the end of the day they start to drive me a little nuts, but their little hugs and notes are pretty cute! And the way they smile at me so proudly when I walk around praising their beautiful handwriting reminds me of why I want to be a teacher. Those simple words hold so much power! You have all the power in the world contained in your little pinky finger as one of my college professors used to say.
Continuing to get to know the staff has been awesome as well. Everyone at the school has been so helpful and encouraging during this first week of school. It has taken us a long time to get home every day because we stand in the hallway joking with people and trading advice and stories!
Trying to figure out all the curriculum and procedures is an everyday learning process. I feel like we ask so many questions everyone must want to run and hid when they see us coming :) But they have all been so helpful and patient with us. I don't know what I would do without our team leader and my mentor and wonderful principal and office staff :)
God has been so good to me and I go to bed every night thanking and praising Him for the opportunity to be here in Arizona and doing what I've wanted to be doing for so long! Miss you all and hope you are all doing well!
My voice is just about shot- I sound a little bit like a 13 year old boy going through puberty :) And my heels and pinky toes have blisters all over them. We can't wear flip-flops or any kind of shoe without a back to school, so my feet are going to have to get calloused really fast. And until then I will continue to limb around because my feet hurt so bad!
My kids are pretty cute! Sometimes by the end of the day they start to drive me a little nuts, but their little hugs and notes are pretty cute! And the way they smile at me so proudly when I walk around praising their beautiful handwriting reminds me of why I want to be a teacher. Those simple words hold so much power! You have all the power in the world contained in your little pinky finger as one of my college professors used to say.
Continuing to get to know the staff has been awesome as well. Everyone at the school has been so helpful and encouraging during this first week of school. It has taken us a long time to get home every day because we stand in the hallway joking with people and trading advice and stories!
Trying to figure out all the curriculum and procedures is an everyday learning process. I feel like we ask so many questions everyone must want to run and hid when they see us coming :) But they have all been so helpful and patient with us. I don't know what I would do without our team leader and my mentor and wonderful principal and office staff :)
God has been so good to me and I go to bed every night thanking and praising Him for the opportunity to be here in Arizona and doing what I've wanted to be doing for so long! Miss you all and hope you are all doing well!
Sunday, August 15, 2010
Adventure #5: Classroom Finished...Now Comes Teaching
The front of the room and my desk
The book corner
The view from the window wall
The view from my door
After a very long week of moving things and scrambling to get everything in my classroom all put together before meet the teacher night on Friday, everything is finally done, at least for now. :)
Now comes the adventure of teaching these kids. I'm pretty nervous about it all, but I think it will be okay. Its going to be a little choatic and I'm sure there will be times when I have no idea what is going on or what I am going to do, but I am confident that somehow God will give me the strength to get through. Thank you again for all your prayers and support and encouagement! They are felt everyday :)
Wednesday, August 11, 2010
Adventure #4: Moving in!
This is moving week!! But it really is turning into moving days :) Construction never finishes on time and our school is no different. They have had workers there pretty much around the clock trying to get everything together so we can start school on Monday. We spent all day Tuesday moving desks and chairs from the old campus to the new. But that was all we could move because the fire marshall hadn't approved it yet so nothing flammable could be in the rooms. 9 hours standing and hauling in the hot Arizona sun is no picnic, but it was fun to meet some of the parents and continue building relationships with our co-workers. Today, Wednesday, Ashley and I spent the morning picking up some last minute things at Target. Then we loaded up our cars with all our stuff and headed over to figure out if we could get in. We ended up helping teachers who were here last year load all their books and papers on pallets to be brought over to the new campus. Then we headed over to the new campus and unloaded our cars into our rooms. There were still construction workers trying to finish things but we just moved around them and they moved around us :)
The maintance worker from the school brought over a load of pallets full of teachers boxes and no other teachers were around so Ashley and I attacked the piles and had them all unloaded by the time they left with the truck to go get another load :)
It was another long and streuous day, but so exciting to finally get into my classroom. Granted, it is currently the construction office for the school and there are blueprints laid out all over tables in the corner of the room. But its still my room and its so exciting!!! I took a couple pictures so you could all see what it looks like before I make it all cute :)
Monday, August 2, 2010
Adventure #3: Two weeks!!!
Two weeks from today I will have completed my first day of school as a real live teacher!! Its so crazy to think about and I don’t think its really even set in yet. Ashley and I look at each other every once in a while and say, “We are teachers” or “We live in Arizona” Its crazy to say but it still feels a little like summer camp or RA orientation at Crown. But I think as the days pass by it will continue to set in more and more.
Ashley and I made a trip to Lakeshore Learning Store on Saturday to stock up on all kinds of fun stuff. We then spent the next 24 hours cutting things out and gluing things together and coming up with all kinds of wonderful ideas for decorating our classroom. We also spent some time relaxing in our pool with Ashley’s cousins and getting some much needed rest.
Training is still going strong. Spalding (the language arts curriculum) is starting to make a little more sense, or we’re all going a little more crazy, and things are sort of starting to come together. But there are a lot of things that just don’t make sense and I have no idea how they are all going to come together. There is so much stuff that I keep thinking about or they keep telling us about that I have no idea how I’m going to get it all done. I’m sure it will all work out though, that’s what everyone keeps saying anyway :)
We have really enjoyed getting to know people at school. There are so many nice people and they are so patient as they answer all our questions and so friendly asking us if we found this grocery store or that restaurant. Ashley and I have come to be known as the Minnesota Twins- we are together a lot of the time and our principal called us that in a meeting so I’m pretty sure its stuck. I couldn't think of a better person to be stuck with though!
The next days will be filled with lots and lots of preparation. Which is really exciting, but it all gets a little overwhelming sometimes. But we just need to take things one day at a time and trust that it will all come together! I promise I will put up pictures of our apartment soon! Things are a little crazy around here right now because we have a friend from Legacy staying with us for the week. She’s our first house guest :)
Miss you all!!
Ashley and I made a trip to Lakeshore Learning Store on Saturday to stock up on all kinds of fun stuff. We then spent the next 24 hours cutting things out and gluing things together and coming up with all kinds of wonderful ideas for decorating our classroom. We also spent some time relaxing in our pool with Ashley’s cousins and getting some much needed rest.
Training is still going strong. Spalding (the language arts curriculum) is starting to make a little more sense, or we’re all going a little more crazy, and things are sort of starting to come together. But there are a lot of things that just don’t make sense and I have no idea how they are all going to come together. There is so much stuff that I keep thinking about or they keep telling us about that I have no idea how I’m going to get it all done. I’m sure it will all work out though, that’s what everyone keeps saying anyway :)
We have really enjoyed getting to know people at school. There are so many nice people and they are so patient as they answer all our questions and so friendly asking us if we found this grocery store or that restaurant. Ashley and I have come to be known as the Minnesota Twins- we are together a lot of the time and our principal called us that in a meeting so I’m pretty sure its stuck. I couldn't think of a better person to be stuck with though!
The next days will be filled with lots and lots of preparation. Which is really exciting, but it all gets a little overwhelming sometimes. But we just need to take things one day at a time and trust that it will all come together! I promise I will put up pictures of our apartment soon! Things are a little crazy around here right now because we have a friend from Legacy staying with us for the week. She’s our first house guest :)
Miss you all!!
Tuesday, July 27, 2010
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!!
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!!
Sunday, July 25, 2010
Adventure #1: Getting There
After many hours of planning and packing, three days of traveling, and numerous stops for coffee and bathrooms and food, we finally made it to Casa Grande, Arizona! Ashley’s dad, Gordie, and brother, Tyler, came with us on this crazy adventure to drive our 17 foot U-Haul truck full of all the things we really, really need:) We made quite the caravan with my car in front pretty much full, then the U-Haul and Ashley’s car on a trailer behind the U-Haul filled almost to overflowing with more stuff. We drove through 8 states and each had their own adventures!
Minnesota- We were really excited to be starting out and it was overcast which was perfect for driving
Iowa- It was hot and humid and pretty flat! We stopped for lunch and it was hotter there than it was in Casa Grande that day!
Missouri- Another flat, hot state! The U-Haul stalled in the middle of the freeway. It just stopped, so Gordie pulled over to the side of the road, turned it off, and then turned it back on again and it worked fine! Who knows what happened but praise the Lord that was the only car problem we had the whole trip!
Kansas- Yet another flat, hot state- we stopped for the night in Emporia. It was quite the interesting hotel! The first room we were given was flooded and the second room only had 2 really small beds. But there was a lot of floor space so we decided to take my mattress out of the U-Haul (it was the last thing we packed!) and Ashley and I slept on it on the floor of the room. It was quite comfortable!
Oklahoma- I slept through Oklahoma, but Ashley told me it was also flat and hot
Texas- Still pretty flat and very, very smelly- we drove through a short rain storm and we watched the external temperature gage on my car go from 99 to 68 in about 2 minutes. Rain really does cool things down
New Mexico- The landscape got really pretty here. We were trying to avoid mountains because the U-Haul was pretty heavy and didn’t do well with hills so we drove on a lot of back roads. It felt like we were in the middle of nowhere for a long time. We spent the night in a town called Truth and Consequences- we wanted to make it farther, but we had to stop when we drove into a monsoon. It was a little like driving in a blizzard only it was rain instead of snow. Watching the sun rise over the mountains as we drove away in the morning was awesome!
ARIZONA!!- we finally made it to Arizona about 9:00 Saturday morning! The landscape continued to be beautiful! I think we started driving a little faster because we were so excited to get out of the car and be here!
We got to our apartment complex about 11:30, walked through our apartment and signed our lease. Its so crazy to say that Ashley and I are renting our own apartment and to be putting things away and setting up our own space. The apartment is really nice, very clean and cute. The rooms are a little smaller than they looked in the pictures, but we are getting everything put in its place and I think it is going to be perfect! I’ll put up pictures when we get things all settled in.
We also drove by the school where we will be working and it looked really nice. They are not quite done with construction, but it looked like they were working hard and hopefully it will get done quickly so they can move in and we can start setting up our classrooms!
Thank you all for your prayers for us as we drove down! The Lord definitely had his hand on us keeping us safe and guiding us as we begin this journey!
Minnesota- We were really excited to be starting out and it was overcast which was perfect for driving
Iowa- It was hot and humid and pretty flat! We stopped for lunch and it was hotter there than it was in Casa Grande that day!
Missouri- Another flat, hot state! The U-Haul stalled in the middle of the freeway. It just stopped, so Gordie pulled over to the side of the road, turned it off, and then turned it back on again and it worked fine! Who knows what happened but praise the Lord that was the only car problem we had the whole trip!
Kansas- Yet another flat, hot state- we stopped for the night in Emporia. It was quite the interesting hotel! The first room we were given was flooded and the second room only had 2 really small beds. But there was a lot of floor space so we decided to take my mattress out of the U-Haul (it was the last thing we packed!) and Ashley and I slept on it on the floor of the room. It was quite comfortable!
Oklahoma- I slept through Oklahoma, but Ashley told me it was also flat and hot
Texas- Still pretty flat and very, very smelly- we drove through a short rain storm and we watched the external temperature gage on my car go from 99 to 68 in about 2 minutes. Rain really does cool things down
New Mexico- The landscape got really pretty here. We were trying to avoid mountains because the U-Haul was pretty heavy and didn’t do well with hills so we drove on a lot of back roads. It felt like we were in the middle of nowhere for a long time. We spent the night in a town called Truth and Consequences- we wanted to make it farther, but we had to stop when we drove into a monsoon. It was a little like driving in a blizzard only it was rain instead of snow. Watching the sun rise over the mountains as we drove away in the morning was awesome!
ARIZONA!!- we finally made it to Arizona about 9:00 Saturday morning! The landscape continued to be beautiful! I think we started driving a little faster because we were so excited to get out of the car and be here!
We got to our apartment complex about 11:30, walked through our apartment and signed our lease. Its so crazy to say that Ashley and I are renting our own apartment and to be putting things away and setting up our own space. The apartment is really nice, very clean and cute. The rooms are a little smaller than they looked in the pictures, but we are getting everything put in its place and I think it is going to be perfect! I’ll put up pictures when we get things all settled in.
We also drove by the school where we will be working and it looked really nice. They are not quite done with construction, but it looked like they were working hard and hopefully it will get done quickly so they can move in and we can start setting up our classrooms!
Thank you all for your prayers for us as we drove down! The Lord definitely had his hand on us keeping us safe and guiding us as we begin this journey!
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