Wow. I am so thankful that some people have been blessed with this gift:
Hahaha...
And my favorite (I've seen Steve Connell slam and I think I'm in love: it's a Facebook group!):
Wednesday, December 17
Sunday, November 16
It's been a while...
It has been a while since I posted anything significant about my life, and I figured now is a good time to change that. As I am sitting here on my kitchen counter, waiting for rice to finish cooking, I will update whoever reads this on my life here in Phoenix.
Let's start by saying that I love love love the weather right now. It's chilly at night and in the morning, so I can bundle up in a coat and drink something warm. During the day, however, the weather is warm and the sun - of course - is shining. Perfect. I cannot believe it is November. The middle of November! I went to an outdoor church service today, and I couldn't have wished for more lovely weather.
I am also really starting to love this city. There are so many cool places to go and eat at and see! I still have yet to try fry bread, and I really should do that soon. I have found some great coffee shops and places to eat that I just love.
It's such a great adventure making a new place your own. Our apartment is coming along beautifully! We have a great futon, a lamp and an amazing giant red storage ottoman in our living room. We put up a bulletin board for pictures in our dining room, and we even have some art above our mantel (and by art I mean a poster of the movie inspired by the book series my roommate and I are currently obsessed with: Twilight). I love walking in here at the end of the day. It is so cozy and simple and unlike any other place. In it's complete uniqueness, it is so ours. We have definitely made our mark here.
Speaking of the apartment: I have really been enjoying time with my roommate. We have had lots of roomie dates in the last couple of weeks, and I find her to be a very encouraging person to be around. She has a really sweet heart and a very gentle presence. She is calm and serene. I hope that rubs off on me! I am constantly reminded that most people do not have that kind of experience with roommates; I realize how blessed I am to be in this situation.
My classroom has turned into a sanctuary of sorts for me. I love being there. I love being surrounded by my students' work and I love the life they bring into the room. I have had some great days of teaching, but more often than not I leave with a headache and wondering if I really am making a difference for them. There are days with bright spots, but rare is the day when I leave thinking "That whole DAY was amazing!" Not that I lack a million things to be grateful for, but I tend to focus on the negatives at the end of the day. I am working on that. Even still, I love being in our classroom; I really do feel like that space has turned into a space we all own. I hope my kiddos feel that way, too; I have tried to create a safe place for them.
I am getting better at taking care of myself. I clean my room and the apartment pretty much every weekend, which I found out makes me feel very peaceful. I love to clean! (Thanks, Mom.) I cook batches of chicken for myself on the weekend and I try to stock up on lots of frozen veggies so I can always eat something healthy. I have been reading a lot more, which is relaxing for me. (And I've been reading books other than Twilight, New Moon, and Eclipse! I started reading Three Cups of Tea which is fascinating.) I am trying to spend time outside whenever I can. I am striving to create an existence for myself outside of my classroom, and I've been somewhat successful! I think it will keep getting better, too!
Next time I'll share more about teaching, but in light of the fact that I am trying to diversify my life a little right now, I think I'll end my post without talking anymore about school. Oh, except to say that for Halloween I was Alvin from Alvin and the Chipmunks (thank you Auntie Helene, GigiLou, Renee and Maddi for the inspiration!) and I was a huge hit! All the kids, from kindergarten to the big 6th graders knew who I was and got excited when they saw me. It was great.
My current Top 10 Favorite Things:
1. The Twilight series (seriously, it's been a while since I've been so consumed and interested in a story).
2. My roomie, H!
3. Pandora Radio.
4. Facebook Flair.
5. Matt Nathanson Station on Pandora.
6. Cooperative Learning Groups. (I'm doing less, they're doing more!)
7. My new Rusk shampoo. Smells delicious!
8. Pennies for Peace (I want to talk to my principal about starting a campaign at our school).
9. Brain Pop. (Seriously, this website is aahhhh-mazing.)
10. My new jersey sheets. So comfy.
♥ much love ♥
I am also really starting to love this city. There are so many cool places to go and eat at and see! I still have yet to try fry bread, and I really should do that soon. I have found some great coffee shops and places to eat that I just love.
It's such a great adventure making a new place your own. Our apartment is coming along beautifully! We have a great futon, a lamp and an amazing giant red storage ottoman in our living room. We put up a bulletin board for pictures in our dining room, and we even have some art above our mantel (and by art I mean a poster of the movie inspired by the book series my roommate and I are currently obsessed with: Twilight). I love walking in here at the end of the day. It is so cozy and simple and unlike any other place. In it's complete uniqueness, it is so ours. We have definitely made our mark here.
Speaking of the apartment: I have really been enjoying time with my roommate. We have had lots of roomie dates in the last couple of weeks, and I find her to be a very encouraging person to be around. She has a really sweet heart and a very gentle presence. She is calm and serene. I hope that rubs off on me! I am constantly reminded that most people do not have that kind of experience with roommates; I realize how blessed I am to be in this situation.
My classroom has turned into a sanctuary of sorts for me. I love being there. I love being surrounded by my students' work and I love the life they bring into the room. I have had some great days of teaching, but more often than not I leave with a headache and wondering if I really am making a difference for them. There are days with bright spots, but rare is the day when I leave thinking "That whole DAY was amazing!" Not that I lack a million things to be grateful for, but I tend to focus on the negatives at the end of the day. I am working on that. Even still, I love being in our classroom; I really do feel like that space has turned into a space we all own. I hope my kiddos feel that way, too; I have tried to create a safe place for them.
I am getting better at taking care of myself. I clean my room and the apartment pretty much every weekend, which I found out makes me feel very peaceful. I love to clean! (Thanks, Mom.) I cook batches of chicken for myself on the weekend and I try to stock up on lots of frozen veggies so I can always eat something healthy. I have been reading a lot more, which is relaxing for me. (And I've been reading books other than Twilight, New Moon, and Eclipse! I started reading Three Cups of Tea which is fascinating.) I am trying to spend time outside whenever I can. I am striving to create an existence for myself outside of my classroom, and I've been somewhat successful! I think it will keep getting better, too!
Next time I'll share more about teaching, but in light of the fact that I am trying to diversify my life a little right now, I think I'll end my post without talking anymore about school. Oh, except to say that for Halloween I was Alvin from Alvin and the Chipmunks (thank you Auntie Helene, GigiLou, Renee and Maddi for the inspiration!) and I was a huge hit! All the kids, from kindergarten to the big 6th graders knew who I was and got excited when they saw me. It was great.
My current Top 10 Favorite Things:
1. The Twilight series (seriously, it's been a while since I've been so consumed and interested in a story).
2. My roomie, H!
3. Pandora Radio.
4. Facebook Flair.
5. Matt Nathanson Station on Pandora.
6. Cooperative Learning Groups. (I'm doing less, they're doing more!)
7. My new Rusk shampoo. Smells delicious!
8. Pennies for Peace (I want to talk to my principal about starting a campaign at our school).
9. Brain Pop. (Seriously, this website is aahhhh-mazing.)
10. My new jersey sheets. So comfy.
♥ much love ♥
Monday, October 27
Saturday, October 25
Don't Squeal...
...Unless it's a Big Deal!
I am having a tattling problem in my class; my students really like to tell on each other for the most silly things! I am going to be trying some lessons this week to get our class perspective changed. My students need to understand what warrants telling the teacher, and what is just tattling for tattling's sake.
I have been trying to combat this with compliments. During Community Circle for the last week, they have been practicing complimenting each other on doing good or appropriate things during class. I have been really surprised and pleased to hear them say very specific examples of classmates following rules or being kind to others.
On Friday, I had the best Community Circle yet. One of my problem students who can be incredibly defiant and when he puts his mind to it he can completely derail a lesson, apologized to his fellow students for his behavior that day. He had been pretty defiant and had caused a lot of problems in the morning; my other students have gotten very good at ignoring him, but it is obvious when he is annoying the other students. This was the first time he has ever apologized for his behavior without prompting; usually his apologies are in response to punishment. This time, he wasn't even in trouble! He decided to apologize all on his own! He looked at his classmates during Community Circle and said, "I want to say I'm sorry for how I acted. I'm sorry. Next time I'll be good. I will work on it." I don't think I hid my shock very well, and when I looked at my students, they were just as surprised. Then we all started smiling, and there was a chorus of, "Thanks, C!" It was the best moment of my teaching career so far. I think I am actually starting to get through to him!
Later that afternoon, he tried to talk another student - who had hit two students and pushed me - into calming down and going to the office because he really shouldn't do this "the hard way." He said, "Hey, you can do this the hard way or the easy way. I did it the hard way and I had to stare at the wall in MRC all day. You don't want to do that. Just go to the office and you won't be in as much trouble. If you keep doing this, you'll get in more trouble!" C was a completely different student all of a sudden! I left school on Friday walking on clouds because I was feeling like I might actually be making a difference in this student's life. I hope to see my students make more and more strides in their ability to be human with each other; I want to see them actually treating each other with respect.
That's all for now...
♥
On Friday, I had the best Community Circle yet. One of my problem students who can be incredibly defiant and when he puts his mind to it he can completely derail a lesson, apologized to his fellow students for his behavior that day. He had been pretty defiant and had caused a lot of problems in the morning; my other students have gotten very good at ignoring him, but it is obvious when he is annoying the other students. This was the first time he has ever apologized for his behavior without prompting; usually his apologies are in response to punishment. This time, he wasn't even in trouble! He decided to apologize all on his own! He looked at his classmates during Community Circle and said, "I want to say I'm sorry for how I acted. I'm sorry. Next time I'll be good. I will work on it." I don't think I hid my shock very well, and when I looked at my students, they were just as surprised. Then we all started smiling, and there was a chorus of, "Thanks, C!" It was the best moment of my teaching career so far. I think I am actually starting to get through to him!
Later that afternoon, he tried to talk another student - who had hit two students and pushed me - into calming down and going to the office because he really shouldn't do this "the hard way." He said, "Hey, you can do this the hard way or the easy way. I did it the hard way and I had to stare at the wall in MRC all day. You don't want to do that. Just go to the office and you won't be in as much trouble. If you keep doing this, you'll get in more trouble!" C was a completely different student all of a sudden! I left school on Friday walking on clouds because I was feeling like I might actually be making a difference in this student's life. I hope to see my students make more and more strides in their ability to be human with each other; I want to see them actually treating each other with respect.
That's all for now...
♥
Monday, October 20
Saturday, October 18
Twilight...
I was warned. Friends told me it would suck me in, and I would not be able to stop reading. Yet even after being warned, I was completely surprised at how hard it was to tear myself away from the book Twilight! I found myself completely entranced in Edward and Bella's world; waiting anxiously to find out what would happen next. I ended up being thankful that I had to spend the day at home yesterday because I got to finish the book! (I was home because I lost my voice; I have been fighting a cold and my voice finally gave in.) I went to the bookstore last night to buy the second book in the series and I'm already halfway through it!
Thursday night our school had a fundraising event at the McDonald's down the street, and I worked a register! I have new found respect for people who work behind the counter. It is a hectic job. I had fun seeing some of my students and their parents there and we were able to raise a lot of money.
Back to resting...
♥
Thursday, October 16
The end is near...
The final debate was last night! John McCain even mentioned Teach For America. But, as per usual, both candidates said things that were not true... Thank goodness there are organizations out there committed to making sure people get the facts!
Check it out!
♥
Tuesday, October 14
Story of a Sign
Thanks to my awesome Uncle Bill for sharing this video on his blog.
And remember Joseph Gordon Levitt, the cute kid from Angels In the Outfield? Check out his YouTube Political PSA.
Much Love. ♥
Monday, October 13
Open windows
The most seriously exciting thing is happening in Phoenix: it's cooling down! The nights are wonderfully cool. I have been able to have the windows open the last two nights, and I am really enjoying that.
I was really nervous about how hard it would be to get my students back into the routine of school after a week off, but they were wonderful today!
We had a great day and, in my opinion, had the best writing lesson to date. It was fun and I saw a huge improvement in the amount of detail in the writing. The whole lesson was just fun for me, too. All I did was say "Oh my goodness, I had the BEST time during Fall Break! I can't wait to write all about it and share with you!" Then I wrote "I had a great time during Fall Break!" on the overhead, put the pen down and said "I'm done." My kids just stared at me. Not a peep. They were speechless. I reached over to turn the projector off and one student yelled "WAIT!" I looked at him and said "What's wrong?" and he said "That's not it! That's not enough." To which I replied, "Well, that's what I wrote."
I acted like there was nothing wrong with that one sentence. Suddenly all the students were, for lack of a better description, freaking out and telling me that I hadn't written enough and I had to write more. I just looked at all of them, put my hands in my pockets, shrugged and said "I don't know what else to write. That's all I have to say about it." They insisted that I write more, so I asked them what they wanted to know. They peppered me with questions: "Who did you see?" "What did you do?" "Where did you sleep?" "What did you eat?" "How did you get there?" "How long were you gone?" "What did you wear?" "What interesting things happened to you?" I looked at them - feigning complete shock - and said, "You didn't get that from the sentence I wrote?!" They yelled "NOOO!" so I wrote the answers to their questions; we read the new, detailed paragraph together, and I asked them if that was better. They said "Oh, yes!" and I turned off the projector, got serious, and said "Sometimes in your writing, I have lots of questions like that. Today I want you to think about all the things you wanted to know about what I was going to write, and answer those questions in your own writing."
Amazingly, they did! I have never seen some of them write that much before. It was so much fun! They were writing quietly for over 15 minutes! That was the best part of my day, hands down. Off to sleep... ♥
We had a great day and, in my opinion, had the best writing lesson to date. It was fun and I saw a huge improvement in the amount of detail in the writing. The whole lesson was just fun for me, too. All I did was say "Oh my goodness, I had the BEST time during Fall Break! I can't wait to write all about it and share with you!" Then I wrote "I had a great time during Fall Break!" on the overhead, put the pen down and said "I'm done." My kids just stared at me. Not a peep. They were speechless. I reached over to turn the projector off and one student yelled "WAIT!" I looked at him and said "What's wrong?" and he said "That's not it! That's not enough." To which I replied, "Well, that's what I wrote."
I acted like there was nothing wrong with that one sentence. Suddenly all the students were, for lack of a better description, freaking out and telling me that I hadn't written enough and I had to write more. I just looked at all of them, put my hands in my pockets, shrugged and said "I don't know what else to write. That's all I have to say about it." They insisted that I write more, so I asked them what they wanted to know. They peppered me with questions: "Who did you see?" "What did you do?" "Where did you sleep?" "What did you eat?" "How did you get there?" "How long were you gone?" "What did you wear?" "What interesting things happened to you?" I looked at them - feigning complete shock - and said, "You didn't get that from the sentence I wrote?!" They yelled "NOOO!" so I wrote the answers to their questions; we read the new, detailed paragraph together, and I asked them if that was better. They said "Oh, yes!" and I turned off the projector, got serious, and said "Sometimes in your writing, I have lots of questions like that. Today I want you to think about all the things you wanted to know about what I was going to write, and answer those questions in your own writing."
Amazingly, they did! I have never seen some of them write that much before. It was so much fun! They were writing quietly for over 15 minutes! That was the best part of my day, hands down. Off to sleep... ♥
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