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 :)

Adventure #7: Two weeks down!

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 :)

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!

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 :)