So here's an update as to the adventures with my car this past week:
Wednesday morning it breaks down while I was on my way to school. As much as it stunk, I could not have asked for a better location or better timing. I was only going about 20mph when it started slowing down, made it off the road before it stopped, and no one was around so I wasn't worried about someone hitting me. I called AAA, got it towed for free (they were there within 10 minutes), and I was in the classroom within an hour.
Thursday, my mentor teacher's husband checks out my car--timing belt is broken.
Friday, my car gets towed to "Doctor-D's" as recommended by a teacher at Ashton.
Saturday, Doctor D calls and says I have about a 50/50 shot of it being okay.
Monday, no word (praying like crazy).
Tuesday, I get a call from Doctor D telling me to go play the lottery. My car will be fine with a couple new belts and ready by Wednesday afternoon.
Wednesday, I pick it up and everything seems fine so far! Just in time to drive to the airport to go home tomorrow! I am so blessed.
To top it all off, I was not only taken to church and our connect group on Sunday by someone I had just met a few times, but I was also offered a brand new truck to drive around until mine got fixed by one of the guys there. To say I am blessed and supported is an understatement. I never realized how many people had my back down here. From the rides to and from school, to church and the connect group, to and from dinner, etc. it became really obvious. This past week has definitely allowed me to open my eyes to all of that.
Oh and did I mention the RETIRED TEACHER's GARAGE SALE? No? Well let me explain. A local teacher retired and had a garage and driveway full of books and materials that she wanted to get rid of. I left with a box full of books, unifix cubes, counters, etc. She was incredibly nice and even gave Caitlyn and I a box of themed lessons and activites to split for free! The materials in there were incredible and that alone was worth going for!
On a sadder note, we did have to say goodbye to our new friend, Autumn this week :(. She was only doing half of the program here so she had to leave last week. It's weird thinking that she won't be here for our weekend adventures anymore. But I'm glad we had a nice night at the Ringling mansion with everyone before she left. I'm sure she'll have a great experience at Crestview and I'll see her in December!
In the classroom: taking over has gone really well, but I'm still struggling with finding a balance between trying my own thing and doing what my MT thinks I should do. The kids are still obsessed with fall leaves and snow, which most of them have never seen nor played in. The observation with my supervisor went really well last week, it just didn't count as a formal observation. As much as I want to be frustrated that the one observation that she liked isn't counting towards my grade, I can't be upset because it did go so well (the kids loved it, I couldn't get them to stop at the end, and they truly remembered the material).
They loved the gravity lesson yesterday as well. In my opening questions, I realized they already knew more than I thought they would, so I changed it up on the spot. I had them giggling, jumping up and down, and yet still learning more complex issues about gravity. Even the boy who speaks little English wanted to participate and come up in the front of the room. He is starting to open up so much more, at least in Math and Science.
Tomorrow is my first day without my MT there. It should be good finally getting to truly take over with the sub there. Tomorrow is also Carnival day, which I am sad to miss, but not sad that I'm going HOME!! I cannot believe it is already here, or that I've already completed over half of my time here. Praying for safe travels and a nice break at home. But for now it's time to finish up plans for next week.
iHasta luego!
Wednesday, October 24, 2012
Tuesday, October 16, 2012
"How to Hug a Vampire"
It's crazy to think that in less than a week I will have complete control over a classroom of first graders. I've been teaching nearly the whole day for weeks now, but Monday is the official start to my "full-time" teaching. I've already taught and done everything that I'll be taking over, I just haven't done all of it at once. It will definitely be a test of how well I can handle being an actual teacher. My lesson on Fire Safety went amazingly today and I'm really happy with how well they did with it (and they didn't want to stop at the end!). They also took a math test today, which the typically lower scorers improved a lot but some of the typically higher scorers dropped because they didn't follow directions. Guess that will prove to them the importance of waiting for me to read the question and give instructions. They still get excited about filling each others' buckets which is awesome.
As for outside of the classroom, we went to Fruitville Grove Farm and the Point of Rocks over the weekend. The Fruitville Grove had a fall festival starting that day and it was really nice to finally feel a hint of fall. There were pumpkins, fresh apple cider, fresh fruit, etc. What threw me off was the near 90 degree weather and the sand paths I was walking on to get from one place to another. As nice as it was, I'm still looking forward to getting the real fall feeling at Shaw's NEXT weekend when I come home! I can't believe it's next weekend! :)
In order to get to the Point of Rocks, you have to go out into the ocean, climb on a concrete platform, then climb across some more rocks. Since we went at low tide, it wasn't nearly as difficult as I thought it might be. It was a secluded little area away from most of the typical tourists that flood the area. After finding some seashells, we headed back along the beach, listening to the sound of the drums from the public beach.
The message Sunday morning was about "How to Hug a Vampire" which ultimately meant 'How to love the people that suck the life out of you'. It was really eye opening and inspiring and I have been in a much better mood about things since then. The main points were: 1. We are life-suckers too. 2. Create a property line (don't let people in closer to your heart than they should be--guard your heart). 3. Stay in God's purpose. Ultimately there are 2 ways to fall out of yourself, you can either fall into sin or fall into a 'religious leader's' lifestyle. When you are struggling with something or someone, it is important to realize that your reaction to that situation shows more about you and your character than the situation itself.
I also joined the YMCA this weekend. I was talking to someone from The Shore and she mentioned them, after a few hours of checking the places out and driving around, I found one about 20 minutes away with 2-1m and 1-3m boards! Plus they're outside, which is clearly a requirement, I am in Florida after all. I was really excited to find it and can't wait to get started again.
That's about all for now. I'm still struggling with the washing machine, but if that's my biggest challenge right now, I must be pretty blessed!
As for outside of the classroom, we went to Fruitville Grove Farm and the Point of Rocks over the weekend. The Fruitville Grove had a fall festival starting that day and it was really nice to finally feel a hint of fall. There were pumpkins, fresh apple cider, fresh fruit, etc. What threw me off was the near 90 degree weather and the sand paths I was walking on to get from one place to another. As nice as it was, I'm still looking forward to getting the real fall feeling at Shaw's NEXT weekend when I come home! I can't believe it's next weekend! :)
In order to get to the Point of Rocks, you have to go out into the ocean, climb on a concrete platform, then climb across some more rocks. Since we went at low tide, it wasn't nearly as difficult as I thought it might be. It was a secluded little area away from most of the typical tourists that flood the area. After finding some seashells, we headed back along the beach, listening to the sound of the drums from the public beach.
The message Sunday morning was about "How to Hug a Vampire" which ultimately meant 'How to love the people that suck the life out of you'. It was really eye opening and inspiring and I have been in a much better mood about things since then. The main points were: 1. We are life-suckers too. 2. Create a property line (don't let people in closer to your heart than they should be--guard your heart). 3. Stay in God's purpose. Ultimately there are 2 ways to fall out of yourself, you can either fall into sin or fall into a 'religious leader's' lifestyle. When you are struggling with something or someone, it is important to realize that your reaction to that situation shows more about you and your character than the situation itself.
I also joined the YMCA this weekend. I was talking to someone from The Shore and she mentioned them, after a few hours of checking the places out and driving around, I found one about 20 minutes away with 2-1m and 1-3m boards! Plus they're outside, which is clearly a requirement, I am in Florida after all. I was really excited to find it and can't wait to get started again.
That's about all for now. I'm still struggling with the washing machine, but if that's my biggest challenge right now, I must be pretty blessed!
Thursday, October 11, 2012
"Home"
It's crazy how different things are from one state to another, and how we don't realize what we truly have until we live somewhere else, or are conversing with someone from another state. Yesterday one of the first grade teachers left to go back north (one of the states with an 'I'...) where she is originally from. She sent a picture of the leaves turning red that she could see from the car and the rest of the teachers went nuts over it. They were so jealous and in such awe at this distance shot of a mostly hidden tree with leaves turning red. Even the kids are mesmorized at the idea of the leaves changing colors in the fall. I've been so accustomed to it I never thought about how exciting that would be for someone who had never seen it. Yes, I think it's beautiful don't get me wrong, but until now I've been so used to that sight that I never realized how amazing it is to be able to see that year after year.
The same with snow. Everyone here, especially the kids (of whom most of them have NEVER seen real snow before), are entranced at the idea. I can't tell you how many times they have written about it in their journals on topics like "What makes you happy?" or "What do you like to do for fun?". They are so amazed by the concept, even though they haven't seen it. When I asked one little girl (who had never seen snow before) why she wrote that she liked building snowmen and snowball fights, she replied that she "just knew" it was a lot of fun. It took me back and made me think about how much faith they all had that snow was as amazing as everyone seemed to say it was. That's the kind of faith I want to have in my life. Even though I can't physically see Jesus or hold Him in my hand, I want to continue to have such faith in everything I read and discuss, that my faith cannot be shaken. My mentor teacher said she had driven all the way to Georgia one year just so her girls could see snow. They were thrilled to find the grass lightly dusted with snow, half of the grass still showing. In Ohio I wouldn't normally even turn my head at such a sight. It seems so ordinary to me I forget how extraordinary it really is.
And in all of this, I think about how people from Ohio have that same excitement at the thought of going to a sunny beach, seeing palm trees, and playing in the ocean. It's crazy how routine that seems to everyone here, especially those who have lived here all their lives. It just goes to show you how much you can miss, even on a seemingly ordinary day. I have definitely been taking a lot of Ohio's beauty for granted, and I'm so glad I've had this opportunity to appreciate all that I have back at home.
It's also nice to know I'm not crazy for getting homesick. A veteran teacher, who's been away from home for years, still gets so homesick she takes off for a few days and flys home for the weekend. I'm not too excited about going home to cold weather, but I'm glad I get to go home in 2 weeks to still experience a little bit of fall. Hopefully I'll get to bring back some leaves to show the kids.
The same with snow. Everyone here, especially the kids (of whom most of them have NEVER seen real snow before), are entranced at the idea. I can't tell you how many times they have written about it in their journals on topics like "What makes you happy?" or "What do you like to do for fun?". They are so amazed by the concept, even though they haven't seen it. When I asked one little girl (who had never seen snow before) why she wrote that she liked building snowmen and snowball fights, she replied that she "just knew" it was a lot of fun. It took me back and made me think about how much faith they all had that snow was as amazing as everyone seemed to say it was. That's the kind of faith I want to have in my life. Even though I can't physically see Jesus or hold Him in my hand, I want to continue to have such faith in everything I read and discuss, that my faith cannot be shaken. My mentor teacher said she had driven all the way to Georgia one year just so her girls could see snow. They were thrilled to find the grass lightly dusted with snow, half of the grass still showing. In Ohio I wouldn't normally even turn my head at such a sight. It seems so ordinary to me I forget how extraordinary it really is.
And in all of this, I think about how people from Ohio have that same excitement at the thought of going to a sunny beach, seeing palm trees, and playing in the ocean. It's crazy how routine that seems to everyone here, especially those who have lived here all their lives. It just goes to show you how much you can miss, even on a seemingly ordinary day. I have definitely been taking a lot of Ohio's beauty for granted, and I'm so glad I've had this opportunity to appreciate all that I have back at home.
It's also nice to know I'm not crazy for getting homesick. A veteran teacher, who's been away from home for years, still gets so homesick she takes off for a few days and flys home for the weekend. I'm not too excited about going home to cold weather, but I'm glad I get to go home in 2 weeks to still experience a little bit of fall. Hopefully I'll get to bring back some leaves to show the kids.
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