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. ♥

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 ♥

This is why...

...I love YouTube. These kids are awesome! ♥

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...

♥

Oh, no, it's just an earmark...

I think I love this guy...

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... ♥