Doc Brown, Can I Borrow the DeLorean?

Though it is Friday and the Teacher Coma has definitely kicked in, I can't quit blogging my blessings on only the second day! Here goes... 


There is a scene in the movie Knocked Up where the two main couples are sitting around a table in a fancy restaurant. One thing leads to another in their conversation and the men discuss how they would love to borrow Doc Brown's DeLorean. I'm gonna throw you in my DeLorean and gun it to 88. I completely understand that sentiment. I would like to borrow Doc Brown's DeLorean. It would be great to say that there are no regrets, only lessons learned, but that would be dishonest. I regret plenty of things. Am I thankful for the lessons I've learned? Absolutely. That does not change the fact that if I could go back and do some things differently, I most definitely would try to change the outcome. Alas, I have no DeLorean... only lessons learned. Moving forward means being present, which for me right now also means counting my blessings, so that they do not become curses. 


Blessing #2: Zumba
All-knowing Wikipedia describes Zumba as A workout [that] mixes body sculpting movements with dance steps derived from cumbia, merengue, salsa, reggaeton, hip hop, mambo,rumba, flamenco, and calypso and Salsaton. The routines feature aerobic interval training with a combination of fast and slow rhythms. It targets areas such as the glutes, legs, arms, abdominals, and the heart. A Zumba class is typically not formulaic in that instructors often add on their own music choices and choreographies to make their class presentation locally unique. Today I took my first Zumba class. After bumbling through many of the moves for almost an hour, I came to this conclusion: in order to be (or feel) successful at Zumba, one must either be a) a good dancer or b) unafraid to make a fool of themselves/able to laugh at their own misfortune. Unfortunately, I am not a good dancer. Fortunately, I do not take myself too seriously and I am able to laugh at my own misfortune. Zumba was a blast! (Side note: I am now a member of L.A. Fitness. What?!) What a blessing to be able to have fun while also keeping your body healthy. 

Don't forget to count your blessings.

Much love. ♥

Blessings Ignored

I said I would update...

At times I find myself envious of those who can pick up and move on with life. I am a wallower. Often I get so consumed by my wallowing that everything else in life comes to a complete halt. No longer can I see the many blessings that occur daily; all the focus is on what I am lacking. I was thinking about that this weekend during an almost 8 hour drive back to Phoenix after a whirlwind 1 1/2 day trip home to California. All that time also allowed me to consider why the need to wallow is so strong... As much as feeling sorry for myself seems appropriate or justified, in the end, it keeps me from being the person I really want to be. Then I stopped for gas at a station in the middle of the California desert just before the Arizona border. As I pulled out my credit card and thought about my recent pay cut, a bunch of other papers fell out. One was a fortune I saved from the cookie at a Chinese restaurant a few weeks back. It read: To be upset over what you don't have is to waste what you do have.

Wow.

I know some people don't believe in fate or serendipity or divine intervention or whatever label one might give that kind of coincidence, but I absolutely do believe. That fortune jolted the memory of a quote from a book I read this summer, The Alchemist. In the story, a merchant tells the young boy on a journey to find his Personal Legend that Every blessing ignored becomes a curse. There is so much truth in those 6 words... At another point in the story, I was struck by this: When each day is the same as the next, it's because people fail to recognize the good things that happen in their lives every day that the sun rises.

After paying for my gas, I got back in the car and started driving, still pondering the idea of blessings ignored becoming curses. Knowing that I needed to be more aware of the blessings that happen in my life every day that the sun rises, I was trying to think of a way to create accountability for counting my blessings. In another serendipitous moment, I remembered the plot of a movie I recently saw: Julie & Julia. Julie decides to cook all of Julia Child's recipes in one year and to keep herself accountable, she commits to blogging about it daily. In the spirit of The Alchemist and Julie & Julia, I am going to commit to blogging about at least one blessing -- however big or small -- that happens in my life every day. Please keep me accountable, friends... I need this. Hopefully you'll enjoy them, too! I can't promise they'll be enlightened or deep, but I will post them. If I don't make myself acknowledge blessings, I will continue to wallow in the past instead of being present.

In review... Fortune + The Alchemist + Julie & Julia + 8 hour drive = A Blessing A Day on my blog.

Here goes...

Blessing #1: Treasure Maps

I am so blessed... at my school, there is a 5th grade teacher who has taken it upon himself to create a fun game with my class. In his room, he has a cape, plastic pirate hook and pirate hat. Occasionally he would put them on and walk by my classroom or by my students in the hallway, sending the kids into fits of laughter and plastering perma-smiles on their precious little faces. This week, he kicked it up about 1,000 notches. While we were at lunch and recess, he went into my room, leaving behind a drawing on our whiteboard and a paper treasure box containing a letter. The letter informed me and my students that he would be hiding pirate treasure somewhere in our school -- would we be the ones to find it? Each day, we get another piece of the treasure map in a little paper chest hidden somewhere in the classroom. We got our first piece today. After gluing it onto the map holder, we followed the path we had and made a prediction about where the next piece would send us... My kids are so thrilled! It makes my heart happy to watch them so excited. That's my blessing for today... Treasure Maps.

Next time, more about my classroom, I promise! I'll end with saying that the second year of teaching is a completely different experience than the first! While I miss my students from last year more than I ever imagined I would, I love many things about this year so far.

Don't forget to count your blessings!

Much love. ♥

Update soon...

I am so bad at updating this blog; I'm sorry! Family and friends, I am updating tonight! :) Until then...

Each of us experiences life in our own context, but for all of us there is a struggle to balance the reality of life with our needs and our dreams. Perhaps the most difficult thing of all is to value our life and who we are, and to direct our life in a manner that honors it...

So true. ♥

Finish Line

Wow. I meant to update sooner, I really did! Life happens, I guess... 

5 weeks. 5 weeks left. 5 weeks left in the school year! I only hope I have taught all that I need to teach my students. Sometimes I find myself wondering if I've done enough. It's a question I cannot answer though; not truly. I feel that I've done all I can, but is that the same as doing enough? I used to think so... TFA instills such a sense of urgency, though, that I often find myself questioning that belief. 

Speaking of TFA, I do not know how I would have managed to teach this class of students in this place, with as much success as I have managed to attain without TFA. Teach For America provides so many resources and avenues of support that I wonder how any teacher makes it through their first year any other way! 

My kiddos amaze me. Recent favorite quotes: 

"That [Terra Nova] was easy. Because you know all that stuff on there? We learned it in class."

"An objective is something you can say at the end of the lesson and it will be true!" 

"I don't want to go to 3rd grade and leave you, Ms. Lamontagne." 

"So, which one of you has a crush on me?" 

"I heart you so so so much, you fool." 

"Ms. Lamontagne, how do butterflies have babies?" 

Well, they don't have babies like people, they lay eggs. 

"No, like, how do they HAVE the babies, Ms. Lamontagne. Like, how do they MAKE them?"

Um... I am sure we can find that answer in one of our books on butterflies... 

I am really going to miss these kids next year. I cannot imagine having another class of students next year! As much as I am excited to be better at all of this - and I know that comes with time and experience - it will be strange to have another group of children in my room! I am sure they will be as great as this group, but they will not be the same... 

I guess that's all for now... 

More to come! ♥ 

Coming soon...

An update! I have been just terrible about updating... ugh. Photos and stories to come soon! 

For now, know that I am overwhelmed but encouraged, and eagerly anticipating spring break! 

Snow.

Today I saw snow! I was so excited. A friend and I headed up to Flagstaff and stopped in Sedona on our way. We saw beautiful scenery and the best part: s-n-o-w! 

A bug's eye view of Sedona. 

The red dirt. 

Sedona.

Breathtaking.

Beauty.

I live here!

Wow. 

Sigh.

S-N-O-W!

I was very thrilled about the snow!

It was a good day. Old town Flagstaff is lovely, and we found the best place for lunch. Sedona was breathtaking. This day renewed my faith in this state... I was beginning to believe the whole place was strip-mall-y like Phoenix can be. I forgot how much open space there is here. 

Much love. 

Hope.

Hope is a state of mind, not of the world...

It is an orientation of the spirit,

an orientation of the heart;

it transcends the world that is immediately experienced,

and is anchored somewhere beyond its horizons...

Hope, in this deep and powerful sense,

is not the same as joy that things are going well,

or willingness to invest in enterprises that are

obviously heading for ....success,

but rather, an ability to work for something

because it is good, not just because

it stands a chance to succeed.

--Vaclav Havel

Got this quote in my inbox this week as a part of my Ripply Anniversary email. Ripples is an amazing source of inspiration every Monday morning. This quote gave me inspiration for the first week back at school! Monday began the second half of the year and brought BIG changes to my room; I put into motion a new management system, complete with new rewards and consequences. The students responded really well and I found this week flying by without many obstacles popping up; on Friday, I raffled off lunch with me (part of the new reward system is a weekly raffle for lunch with me; therefore, the more raffle tickets you get during the week for following class expectations, the more likely you are to get picked on Friday. Of course, I can always "pick" a student who I think really could use the boost and they would never know...) and the students who ate lunch with me told me that this was the "funnest" week ever. They shared that they think they are doing "gooder" in class because of the new expectations and the tickets. That made me smile and say, "Well, I am very happy you feel you are doing better in class. I think you are, too!" 

I enforced a new rule about our Compliment Chain -- we get a link on our chain every time we get a compliment in the hallway/on the playground/in the cafeteria for how quiet and well-behaved our line is -- and the students had until Friday to hit the floor with the Chain or I would cut it down and we would start all over again. That means we needed more than 20 compliments this week on our line. We hit the floor Thursday before lunch. They were so excited and I gave them the ice cream party they deserved. (Thank heaven for the dollar store: ice cream for 18 for $4!) I am really proud of them. Plus, with all the excellent behavior, we actually got everything done that we needed to do this week! We got so much done. 

This week definitely reinforced for me the absolute necessity for a simple management system that I can still manipulate if I need to. Of course, I went through almost an entire roll of raffle tickets, but I figure that it was well worth the time spent tearing them apart and the money spent on them to have such a quiet, productive, well-run classroom. 

Now I am off to continue planning for next week, which I am determined will be even more successful! 

Much love. ♥

2008: A year to remember.

Every year is important. Every second is important. But in my short 23 years on this planet, 2008 was the most insane, fun, life-changing year. I decided to make two lists: The Best and The Worst of 2008. These are all-encompassing lists (events, people, movies, music, books), in no particular order. Some of them have comments with them; others I feel might not need them. Either way, I thought it would be a fun way to recap my year and reflect. The Best of 2008

• Graduation: I finally did it!
• Joining Teach For America. I would not be able to be the teacher I am without this organization; I am constantly inspired by other corps members and their stories. It is such an honor and privilege to be a part of this movement that is truly making progress toward ending educational inequity.
• Moving to Phoenix, AZ. 
• Ulcerative colitis (Seems weird that it makes the Best List, but I found out so much about myself through being that sick. Also, I learned to appreciate my health in a new way!)
• My roommate, Heather. As previously mentioned, I know I hit the roommie jackpot. I can only hope to be so fortunate next year, since she is getting married in June!
• The Shining Stars of Room 206. They are amazing. As tough as some days are - and they can be brutal - I can not imagine a more amazing first class. 
• My PD. She is awesome. 
• Netflix. 
• Finally growing out my nails. 
• November 4, 2008. Enough said. 
• The Twilight book series. 
• The Ped Egg. As seen on TV. It is amazing. I've been quoted as saying it changed my life. 
• Ikea. 
• Fresh & Easy. Thank goodness for that grocery store. 
• Teacher's discounts. Amazing!
• Cheap, easy, popular Halloween costumes. I was Alvin. It was pretty awesome. 
• Sonora Brewery. 
• Osborn TFA Happy Hours. 
• Our pink Christmas tree. 
• Finally being able to teach expanded notation in such a way that my kids get it! 
• Last Chance. Also life-changing. (The retail hierarchy is as follows: Nordstrom's, Nordstrom's Rack, Last Chance. Nordstrom's clothing for $6. Cue the angelic choirs.)
• My students speaking to the cafeteria and janitorial staff in Spanish. 
• 3rd grade at Mary Buren Elementary in Guadalupe, CA. 
• Kindergarten at Georgia Brown Elementary in Paso Robles, CA. 
• AK winning ASI Pres. 
• Seeing Eric Hutchinson at Cal Poly. I kind of freaked out when I found out he was coming.
• Furnishing my first apartment. 
• The amazing staff at my school. 
• The 3rd grade DL teacher at my school. Don't know what I would do without her!
• Pandora Radio. 
• Rose Linda Bulls. 
• Discovering the "Magic Music" that lulls my students into almost silence. Jack Johnson and Hollywood Love songs on piano.
• Getting carpet in my classroom. 
• Actually having my own classroom!
• T.I.'s "Life Your Life." Seriously: Numa numa song + Rhianna + catchy lyrics = amazing. 
• Jason Mraz's We Sing. We Dance. We Steal Things. Great CD. 
• Perez Hilton. 
• Hulu
• Facebook Flair. 
• TFA acronyms. Love them. 
• Road tripping to Phoenix with Rachel. 
• The way being back in California feels now. 
• Hearing about my friends' new, exciting, grown-up lives. 
• Finally living near a Chipotle. 
• Palatte diner. 
• My first paycheck. 
• Voting in an historic election. 
• McTeacher's Night. I got to make McFlurries!
• The movie Iron Man. 
• Phoenix adventures. Dive bars that aren't really dive bars. Antique shops that aren't really antique shops. This city is full of surprises!
• Finding out I can manage a classroom full of 7 and 8 year olds!
• Watching my students' fluency scores grow. 
• Seeing my students use blending to sound out words. 
• Hearing my students say "I like it when..." "I appreciate..." and "I am concerned about..." 
• Cooking for myself. 
• Having faith that I did make the right choice. 
• My dad coming to be here with my for my colonoscopy. 
• The amazing second grade team at my school. We've had our bumps in the road, but I really couldn't ask for a more supportive team!
• Seeing my students get excited about Spanish week. 
• Rocking my students' worlds simply by rearranging the furniture in our room. 
• Z Pizza. 
• All the shopping in Phoenix. 
• Living right down the street from Chase Field. 
• Decorating my graduation cap with my mom. It served its purpose: the only way my family was able to find me was by seeing the pipe cleaners on top!
• My first Ikea shopping trip with my mom to buy things for my apartment. 
• Staying at the Clarendon. 
• Going to the Cardinal's training facility. 
• Standing up for myself. 
• Chatting with my mom on g-chat. 
• Going to my first teacher job fair with my mom in San Jose. 
• Starting a penny drive in the third grade classroom I student taught in that raised over $80 before I left. 
• Watching my brother get closer to his dreams. 
• Being so blessed. 

The Worst of 2008

• Ulcerative colitis. Seriously, ew. Not fun. 
• Colonoscopy. 
• Endoscopy. 
• Finding out the jokes about teacher salaries are true. 
• Not seeing my mom all the time. 
• Being far away from my girls. 
• ASU dorms. I was not made to share such a small bathroom with 3 other people. Thankfully I had a great roomie there, too!
• Trying to find a church. 
• Feeling helpless with some of my students. 
• Wondering if I am really making a difference. 
• Being scared I made the wrong choice. 
• AC bills in Phoenix. 

I am glad my worst list is so small... I really have nothing to complain about. I am blessed beyond my own comprehension. I cannot believe all of the wonderful things that have happened to me this year. I know 2009 will be another amazing year; it will go by even faster than 2008!

Things I Am Looking Forward to in 2009

• Spring Training!
• The draft. 
• Spring Break. 
• My kids kicking butt on the 2nd and 3rd trimester benchmarks. 
• Finishing my first year of teaching. 
• Starting my second year really knowing what I am doing!
• Summer 2009. Don't know what it holds yet, but I am excited!
• Heather's wedding. 
• Going to the Grand Canyon. 
• More Phoenix adventures. 

I hope I didn't forget anything. :) 

Much love. 

What are you fighting for?

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!):

Good stuff.

Lately, I've been missing Another Type of Groove. :) This made me feel better. ♥