Appreciate the little things...

Today was a fabulous reminder of why I do what I do each and every day. These little reminders are very nice because some days I am not sure why I do what I do every day. No two days are alike and its always an adventure.
In my preschool room, we are now up to 30 children in our room. When I started, I believe we were at around 17. Its been a tough adjustment for many of our students. And truthfully, for some of them, not a good adjustment. A smaller setting would be MUCH more beneficial for some of them. But because I am who I am, I do everything I can to make sure each student is getting as much as they can out of each and every day. Some days are much tougher than others and I leave some times wondering if I am really doing anything for any of these children and if I am making an impact in their lives. After all, isn't that the ultimate goal? The pay check is just a much appreciated bonus every two weeks ;-)
This morning when I got to work, my question was answered. The answer is yes. And I have always said, even if it is just one child I am reaching out to, I did my job.
I walked into my classroom this morning greeted by all my little rugrats yelling "Ms. Sarah (which sounds more like Sawah) is here!!" along with all of them hanging on me and giving me hugs. It truthfully is a great way to start the day! Then I had one of my little girls saying, "I wanna open my present!" I was confused until I saw three presents on the counter, one for each of the teachers in the room. She thought she as able to open the presents, even though they were from her! But hey, she is only three, I'll give her some credit ;-)
 So I opened my gift bag to find a reusable cup. Ya know? The kind with the straw and double walls so it doesn't sweat? It was filled with Crystal Light packets and a lip gloss from Victoria's Secret (which is always a nice treat!!) Then after looking again in the bag, I found their families Christmas card. Adorable. It really is the only way to describe the two siblings. They are on my top five fav kids list!! hehe But ssshhh!!! Don't tell the rest of them ;-)
And there was then one last thing; a bag of M&M's with a note tied to it. I read what it said and I almost started crying!! Well, take a look for yourself!!

This is by far the best gift I could ask for from a student. This will be one of the things that stays with me, wherever I am teaching. It is such a simple gesture, but it means the world to me, and all of us teachers we got one. So this question that I've been wrestling around with for a while was clearly answered for me this morning. My ultimate goal is to touch every child's life that I meet, but I know that might asking just a bit much! So knowing that this little girl was so excited to give each of us our gift was gift enough!! It looks like I just gotta keep doing whatever it is I am doing!! :-D

xoxo

wOOp wOOp!!!

So for any of you that are actually reading this, you know how much I love to play volleyball. Well the past two months or so, I have been playing on a women's league through community education with a good friend of mine, Nickie Everroad!! The first night we played, I realized how much I truly missed playing!! Well, it all came to an end tonight :-(
BUT!! No need for the sad face!! We played really well (once we got our heads together!) and took 2nd place out of ten teams!! We ended up losing to a really good team that has been playing together for what seems like a while. We definitely gave them a run for their money too!
The reason I am bringing this up is because driving home, I realized I haven't had this much fun in a while! Well, this type of fun. I am able to pull my competitive side out for a bit and really enjoy something I am passionate about! I don't know how to explain it, but I am so grateful Nickie asked me to play with her and her mom's team!! It feels so great to be able to do something for myself one night a week. Every night of the week it seems I am doing work, outside of work of course, or doing something for someone else. Monday nights are my nights and I have been very happy to have this opportunity!! We actually have another league starting up the first week of January and I am already anxious for it!!!
Nickie and I have played together for years and it is always so much with her! She got me into softball again for the first time in years this summer and again, so much fun!! Obviously I love volleyball just a TINY bit more ;-) hehe but either way I am doing something that I love and I am keeping myself busy!!

So here was us on our last night of the season!!---------->
(Don't mind the red, sweaty faces!)

Nickie and I are also coaching a volleyball team through Elk River JO's. We are co-coaching a 14's team and so far its been a bit of a struggle to get things going smoothly, but I am already looking forward to the season starting! We are getting the chance to take something we both enjoy doing and pass that along to younger girls in hopes of them some day doing the same thing! So hopefully we can put our skills to the test and teach them everything we know!!

Stay tuned for updates on how the team is doing!!

xoxo

The things that truly matter....

And yet again, I manage to fall behind on my blogging. Sorry to those of you that are recently new readers and actually tell me you enjoy this (*cough*Dani!!) Its been kinda crazy in my life recently! I have so many things that I want/need to blog about, I'm not even sure where to start....Yet, I always say I don't know where to begin or what to say, and some how I find myself not knowing where to stop....hmm...
Well, just this past Friday, I got to see one of my closest friends, Sara, aka my whiskey sister!!

She is living in California right now because that is where her boyfriend is stationed in the military. I miss her like crazy. We met up at school and she basically became my other half up there. We are both loud. Very loud. We both don't care what other people think of us because we are loud. We both usually have the same problems at the same time. And we both love whiskey, hence the name 'whiskey sister'. I love her with all my heart. I got to catch her up on my insane life the past few months. But seriously, it was a much needed visit!! I am very jealous she was able to head back to warmer weather, and I got to stay for the first snow fall of the season.

In our top hats we wore for a bachelorette party!

Saturday was also a busy night for me! I had another close friend of mine, Abbey, turn 24 that day! We decided we were sick of being cooped up in the house all day because of the snow so we went and closed down Tanners! hehe It was a lot of fun and it was a MUCH needed night out of the house! I was beyond exhausted on Sunday after such a long week. So after I met up with Abbey and another friend of ours for lunch, I let myself have a lazy day on Sunday which was perfect! I got to catch up on some things for work this week, which is a short week for me! Only by one day, BUT, I'll take what I can get!
And we all know that Turkey day is this week! I am very excited to be with my family Thursday because no matter what I am going through in my life, they always seem to make things a little better. A few of them won't be there this year which will be weird. I have a cousin studying abroad in Ireland this semester. Her family and one of our aunts went out to visit her, so it is going to be a weird day. But either way, I am looking forward to seeing everyone else!! I can't believe its already holiday season! Where did this year go to?!
It was a year filled with ups, downs, laughs, tears, smiles and many memories made and honestly, I wouldn't change any of it. I learned a lot about myself and who I really am as a person. I wish I would have learned some of those lessons in other ways, but I have always and will always believe that everything happens for a reason. We go through things in life to make us who we are on the other side of that event. I could have chosen to be someone entirely different than I am right now, but I know it wouldn't have been beneficial to me. I am still working on growing as a person. Still working on letting some things go. Still working on doing what is best for me. Still working on many things. But as long as I keep the important things in my vision, I know I'll be just fine =) My family and my friends are what keep me sane and they are the important things in my life. Without them, who knows who, or where I'd be today. Count your blessings every chance you get! xoxo

Its all about the kids....

I know when I get up in the morning and I am getting ready, while listening to Slacker Radio on my phone, if I get good songs, it will be a good day ;-) Today, was one of those days.
For the most part, my little munchkins had a good day! There will always be issue that arise, but that is with anyones given day. And at the end of the day, I really do adore my kids and everything I do each day is for them. I get up for them everyday! They are the ones that make me love my job and career choice!!
I do have to give some of the credit to the parents though! If it were't for a few of them, it would make every day much more difficult to get through! And speaking of great parents, I got the next couple pictures from a parent who is a joy to work with! They are from our Halloween party on Monday night and I love them! Like I said, my kids are the ones who make my day every day!

This picture is Evan, me and Kelsey, my co-teacher. We are really sad that Evan is not in our class any more! He was so much fun to work with!


And yes! Kelsey has a little mini M&M on her costume because she is pregnant!! She just found out today that she is having a boy! I am so excited for her! I love picking out baby clothes! This baby is going to be the best dressed baby in town! hehe

I know I sound like a broken record, but it is all about the kids and they all put a smile on my face!! Right now I am ready Chicken Soup for the Teacher's Soul and every story comes back to a teacher that has touch their life in one way or another. There is a quote that I love because it is so true.

A teacher affects eternity; he can never tell where his influence stops.  
                                                                                 ~Henry Brooks Adams


I hope every day that I can be a positive influence in just one of my munchkins life. They teach me something new every day! I have a daily reminder what it is like to not worry about silly things in life we don't have control over. Their biggest dilemma is asking who will be there best friend that day. Wouldn't it be nice to have that be our only problem in life?? Kids are the tiny geniuses around us and they don't even know it. They know how to live life to its fullest ;-) This career choice will not only be incredibly fulfilling every day, but it will also keep me in touch with my inner child! hehe =)


xoxo

P.S. Here is one more for another smile!

BOO!! =)

Happy Halloween!! I hope everyone enjoyed their day as much as I did!! In the spirit of the day, myself with two other teachers got dressed up! Annie is incredibly crafty and made our costumes!! We were M&M's!!

Don't we look good? ;-) hehe but the kids all were super cute in their costumes too! Lets see, we had a Buzz lightyear, Jessie (the cowgirl from Toy Story!), Repunzle, Dash from the Incredibles, a Triceratops dinosaur, Elmo, a cowboy, a firefighter and so many other adorable little munchkins! The Halloween party was a success!! There were games, candy, food, prizes and of course cute kids running around dressed up! It has been a very long day but in the end, it is all worth it! The kids looked like they were having a blast and they get a chance to just run around and be kids! And it was a day free of trying to get my group to sit still during group time which makes me a much happier M&M ;-)

I am in love with all my kids at work, but some days are just draining! I need a day like today, at least once a week!! Just a stress free day! The structure all the time drives me batty, so I can only imagine how they feel most days! I keep thinking this situation isn't ideal for me, but I really do love it. Part of me has been wondering if it what I was meant to do. But then other days, I want to be in my own EBD room! I guess I gotta work on my license first though huh?

Oh goodness, it has been a long day! I feel like I am coming off a sugar crash like all my kids! So it is time to wrap this up and get organized for in the morning! Nighty night! =)

xoxo

Where to begin?!

After all this time, I am thinking I am at a loss on where to even begin, BUT I have faith, I won't be short on words for you ;-)
So my last blog or so what about an interview I had for a job at Creative Kids Academy. Well, I have now been working there since the end of May! I am a co-lead teacher in the Preschool room in Maple Grove. I am not exactly where I would like to end up, BUT I do LOVE my students! I don't even know where to begin with details on how the last four months or so have gone so I will just start from right now!
Tomorrow is HALLOWEEN!!! So of course we are having a big, fun day for the kids. They are all going to be dressed up and I can't wait to see how cute they look in their costumes!! We have been talking about this for weeks and I think daily their costume choices change, so we'll see what they all actually show up in! Kelsey, the other lead teacher in my room and Annie, the lead toddler teacher are dressing up as M&M's (and yes I'll put up pictures once I get them!) Annie is beyond crafty so she has actually made the costumes, so I am excited to see the finished product!
So far, everything at work has been going well. It took me a while to get in a set room and feel established, but now that I am, Kelsey and I have made the room our own. We basically started over from what was in there before so I feel like we have a lot of work left to do. But parents have commented on how happy they are, so I guess that is all that matters!
So much has gone on in the past four months since my last blog, I don't know what to even cover!!
Liz, who I basically started this whole blog for since she was leaving me for Africa for student teaching, has now left me AGAIN!!! And for Africa again. She is crazy but she is good at what she does and I am incredibly proud of her! She is going to do amazing things in this world and I wish I was half as ambitious as she is!!
I am trying to save money little (very little) by little so I can get out on my own. I love ya Dad but I need to have my own place!! hehe I'll get there! Hopefully sooner rather than later!
Sometimes I let the stress of trying to save all this money get to me, and it drives me batty. I am trying to stay calm and realize it will all happen in due time and when its suppose to but I forget that sometimes.
I just had two cousins get married within the last month and a half! Super exciting! First two on Mom's side of the family! We were all sad Mom couldn't be there with us but my Aunt told me a little secret on the day of Jill's wedding. It was an outdoor wedding up in Alexandria, so naturally, everyone was a little worried about the weather cooperating. The mother of the bride, who is also my Godmother told me a little secret that made me laugh that morning! She got close to me and whispers, "I know we aren't suppose to pray to people, at least I think it sounds funny, but I asked your Mom for good weather today!" We both smile and I just told her, "Well you got your prayer answered!" The weather could not have been any better!!! It was a beautiful wedding. And a month later, my Mom did it again for Jon's wedding! I ended up pretty sick right after the ceremony with a flu bug, but again, a beautiful day for such a beautiful occasion! I am very happy for both of my cousins and hope that so far the married life has been treating them well!!!
I have had so many things take place recently in my life that I wish I could just sit down with my Mom and chat about the good, the bad and the ugly things that have happened. But I keep reminding myself, she is seeing it all! And I do have amazing people who have stepped up to be a pair or ears for me to talk to!
This all ended up being super random, so for those of you who know me and we talk on a regular basis, I'm sorry! But Liz, I hope you see this and things are going well! I know you are doing amazing things over there!
I am back at this blogging game folks so stay tuned for whats next! I'm off to get some sleep for the big Halloween party tomorrow with my munchkins! ;-)

xoxo

Wait, I just blinked...its all over?!

There are no words to explain the feeling I have that I am DONE with student teaching. It feels like weights have been lifted off my shoulders. I feel like I can breathe again. Aahhh. It. Feels. So. Good. 16 weeks are done and gone. I remember walking into my first day beyond nervous and now its all over. I had nothing to be nervous for. There were some rough times, but nothing I couldn't handle (go figure!).

I have learned so much from both of my cooperating teachers. I can't wait until I can apply what I've learned in my own classroom. And that day will also be here before I know it! I did have a moment on my last day at Otsego. I didn't think I would, but the students just got to me! I couldn't help it! Here are some of the cards and gifts I got from the little rugrats!

This picture with the dog, if you can read it, is a poem written by one of my (favorite!!) 5th graders! I was suppose to work with him to write this poem. But he wanted to write it all alone. When he finished with it I was so excited for him because it was so good!! I think he thought I was a little crazy for liking it so much, BUT on my last day he gave it to me and said it was how I was going to remember him :-D
He was the one that made me cry! I held it in though so I wasn't crying in front of him! He gave me a big hug and told me to keep the poem!

This card was from another one of my fifth graders. I can't remember exactly what the story is behind the picture but it went a little something like this. It is a Knight fighting the helicopter. The helicopter is being mind controlled by someone. He is saying hi to the Knight and throwing a bomb at them. Yup. He was a fun student to work with! Always had quiet the imagination!! The next picture is the back of his card. The circle under what he wrote, yeah, its a rock. Obviously ;-)

                                        

The next card is from yet another 5th grader of mine. Him and the one who drew the card above are good friends! You'll know why after you see this next card!! hehe The bottom picture is a picture of a quarterback. It was pretty funny how I found that out! I got the two cards from them and I was so happy to get them! Then I said, "Okay, you gotta tell me what this picture is before you go" and he said, "Well, I don't know how to draw them but its a quarterback". I loved it even more!!

This last picture is from a  3rd grade girl who was a doll! She was a joy to have in the classroom! Very cute! It says what the picture is of, even though you can tell and she wrote it. But if the writing is too small to see, its a red kangaroo!!

I loved all my cards and my poem! All of my kids really were fantastic kids and I am going to miss them all very much! These are definitely things that will get put in a special place for me to hold on to! This really is a part of teaching. If you can touch a student enough that they want to write a poem and then give it to you, you've done something for that student. There is so much more to teaching, but building that relationship with your students is where it all starts! Its the end of this chapter, but I can't wait to see what is in store!

xoxo

Just another day.

And the countdown continues! Only two days left!! Today was a great boost of confidence for me in many aspects. Lets be honest here, who doesn't love a confidence boost here and there? :-)
Yesterday because my cooperating teacher had to leave early because of sick children, I was left to run the part we were responsible for at an IEP meeting. Now, I have sat in on many IEP meetings, with a variety of parents. Some are more laid back than others, but now at Otsego, the principal is at every meeting, for the whole time, I was beyond nervous! I have been working with the particular student for eight weeks now, but the pressure to present myself at a professional level and make are to present the important points and not ramble. Well, after all of it was said and done, every one said it went well. And to top it off, I came into school this morning and my cooperating teacher told me that the principal thought a did a very good job! Woo hoo!! That made me feel awesome! Another step in the right direction!
If that didn't give me enough of a boost for the day, one of my first graders topped everything off!! After our reading group, I was still sitting in my teacher chair behind the group kidney table putting some things away. He walked up to me, with a completely serious face, patted me on the back and looked me dead in the eyes and said, "You did a good job today". Uhh....seriously?! All I could do was laugh and say "Thanks bud!" I was at a loss for words!! So not only did a get a serious compliment from my principal but also from one of my students!! My heart is going to be so sad when I can't come in and see them any more after Friday! :-(
Every day I get more and more reassured of how rewarding this career path truly is! One minute I can be dealing with a frustrating situation with one student and the next another student can make my day! My cooperating teacher and other adults in the room always say that they make our hearts happy! They are all such good students and even though I may leave exhausted most days, I leave happy! :-)
I got word this afternoon that my summer job I have lined, won't be exactly what I was hoping for. But I do have the job! I will have the chance to work my way up in the company over time and when I can show them my teaching license. To be honest, I am bummed with the news, BUT I really can't be too upset: It is a job and I do have room to move up in the company! Everything will fall into place and everything happens for a reason. I truly believe this could end up being a great opportunity for me. Just gotta keep my fingers crossed and make the best out of the situation I am given!

xoxo

So close to the finish line!

I am speechless that I only have THREE DAYS left at Otsego!! Its like I just blinked and it was over! My feelings are so torn about it all. I am going to miss the students so much because I have really made some awesome relationships with some of them; yet I am very egger to be done because that means the next big step is coming!!!....GRADUATION!!! I can't believe that day is soooo close!!! FINALLY! ;-)
Most of you who are reading this know that I am in a frustrating situation and have to take a summer class. Luckily its online so I can still stay home still; but I won't actually get my teaching license or degree until after the class is over....in August. Frustrating hardly covers how I feel about it. But, one of the things I learned this past semester is to just roll with the punches. Everything works out the way it is meant to. I just keep telling myself and something big is in store for me and things will be just fine!
I did just have an interview this last Friday at Creative Kids Academy which went really well!! I just talked to one of the directors again today and I am going to start out subbing for them at all their different locations. Lucky for me, their subs make more money, so even with gas being at $4.00 a gallon I will still be able to get to each location! ;-) I will be getting more of an official word on the job tomorrow! So keep your fingers crossed for me!!
So I know I gave you all a list of things learned at my first placement, and believe me, I have learned even more at this placement! So stay tuned Friday for the new list!
I really am going to miss this placement so much! Today the assistant in the room and I were talking with one of our first graders and he came up and gave me a big hug and told me he wished I could stay for more days! :-) Talk about making someone's day!! This was even bigger of a confidence boost today because last minute this morning before an IEP meeting my cooperating teacher got a phone call that one of her daughters got sick at daycare so she had to leave for the day to take care of her. So like I said earlier, roll with the punches. Within one text message, I was put in charge for the day! We did get a sub to come in, but she was the same age as me and graduated last December....so we had about the same about of experience.
The day was really good all day, even at the end of the day when I managed to get shoved and kicked. One student that comes in for math at the end of the day got upset because he needed to redo five of his math problems. Basically he wanted me to do them for him and I just told him that I wanted to see if he could do it. He then proceeded to shove me a little and then laugh. Then it escalated from there. An assistant in our room at the end of the day got kicked. He came up to hug me and then pinched me. Then I got kicked so we removed his shoes. Needless to say, the afternoon was a bit longer than the rest of the day! I am learning something new every day no matter what it may be!

xoxo

Slacking....

Again, I win the award for best slacker on keeping this updated! My apologies! I have been in a slump on what to write about though. I leave school every day with the same feelings, I am exhausted yet I leave very happy every day because of how much I enjoy my students and what I am doing!! I am enjoying what I am teaching, and my students just make my heart smile! I am daily writing things down that they are saying! The best is when they say things and don't understand how funny they are! Today I compliment one of my students on his shirt (it had a very large orangutang on it), I said "I really like your shirt ______!!"(fill in any name!) He looks at me and says, very seriously keep in mind, "Yeah, thank you, its a cute monkey huh?" :-) It really is the easiest things that make me happy, but they are all just so cute and such good students!
I did get to do something today that I've never done before! I had a small group of four students assigned to me and I administered the first two parts of the reading MCA test. I went into another teachers classroom this morning thinking I was just going to help her keep an eye on her students, and she surprised me and told me I was taking four of her students to the computer lab to work! At first it caught me off guard, but I knew they give teachers a script of what to say to students so I did get my composure back quickly! I did have a nervous goof up at first :-/ I just handed the students the packets without looking to see that their names were on them! Oops! I did catch it though right away and switched around the test booklets to the right students! Most teachers say how boring it is, and although it wasn't the most stimulating thing in the world, it was still exciting because it was new for me. I was put to the test and was trusted enough to be given my own group of students. I am very excited that I can add one more thing to my resume :-)
I was having dinner with a good friend last week and I was telling her all about my placement now and cute all my kids are and she stopped me and asked me, "Do you know how I know this is exactly what you should be doing?" I said, "Well, no". And she replied, "Because watching you talk about your students, you are just glowing". I was slightly embarrassed because I realized that I was probably rambling about every details of my past 6 weeks. Then I realized that its a good thing I'm glowing! It means I am enjoying what I am doing! This is exactly the setting I need to be in some day! I am learning about how I want to do things and what I don't want to do things.
I guess the story is still the same! I am in LOVE with my classroom right now and I am VERY sad that I have 10 days left! Stay posted for the things I have learned in this classroom ;-) I promise you, it will be different than my last placement!

xoxo

Spreading some joy :-)

Toady was a day that needed to be blogged about to share some joy in your life as well!! I am incredibly in love with my class! Every day those students cheer me up no matter what kind of day I am having! Each day I spend in this classroom, I want to be in an elementary setting more and more. Today was a big day for me! It was my first day full time teaching, without my teacher there, AND I was observed. It was very nerve racking! But I survived (go figure!) and I am feeling very good about everything!
It really is true that kids say the darnest things! Last Thursday, one of my first graders earned a prize for good behavior in class. He picked out a pack of Spongebob Dominoes that I had in my prize drawer. He wanted to play with them during inside recess and I said that was fine. He was lining them up and playing with them and then he said, "Ms. Z, I'm good at donimoes aren't I?" I just smile and said yes, you are good at doNimoes (in case you didn't catch why that was funny!) This particular student is full of funny quotes, without even trying. Today I was reminding my two first grader how they earn stickers from me and that one of the things they need to do is do their very best. He said without skipping a beat, "Oh I always try my very best" in a very serious tone. :-)
I have another boy who takes things very literal. And I mean everything. I had said the other week during a conversation, "Oh, I just must be chop-liver!" And we all know what that really means, but third graders, not so much; I've learned to choose my words carefully. ;-) Every since I have said those words, I have one student who likes to name me after different food! "You are my big juicy steak!", "You are my chicken fingers!" It was pretty funny so I laughed, and now, I have been every food you could think of! It makes it very hard to not smile when he is in the room!
I had probably the cutest thing happen today though! One of my first graders stays in out room after he checks in for social skills group. When he had first come in for the morning and taken off his hat, I fixed his hair for him because it was all over the place. I had said, "Oh your hair looks just silly because of your hat!!" He just laughed and said some sort of non-sense word (which is typical for him!). After social skills he went to his class room. After he came back in for reading, I just needed to laugh at him! He decided that his hair was bothering him so he gave himself a hair cut! For this particular student, I wasn't surprised at all that he had done this! So now, his blonde hair is missing a nice chunk out of the front of his hair! Luckily, if you mess up the front a little, you really can't notice!
This has been a great opportunity for me to be able to stop and enjoy the small things in life! No matter what kind of day it has been, I have many students who are able to cheer me up without even knowing it! I am truly blessed that I am able to do this every day! I hope this spread some joy into your day!

xoxo

I normally don't like snow...today can be an exception!

This morning I thought I was dreaming! Dad knocked on my door and told me to go back to bed because I had a SNOW DAY!! I think now that I'm the teacher, a snow is even better! ;-) I was so happy to hear that because I was going to be running on about 5 hours of sleep. Lesson learned. Do not get your hair done at 8:30 at night, when its suppose to be a snow storm. You will not get home at a decent hour! But luckily I made it home safely and didn't have to teach on such little sleep. So I fell back asleep and well, lets just say I definitely caught up on my sleep!
What a good snow day it was though! I got a lot done which was very nice! I got my workout in early, cleaned my room, got laundry done early for the week, printed off two sticker charts for two of my students, and I even got to watch the Twins beat the Oriole's in a spring training game, 5-2! My man Justin Morneau even played! So happy to see him again!! So I think after such a productive day, I deserve an early bed time ;-)
I know I have been a little behind on my posts here. I just come home exhausted and just want to put on my pajamas and call it a night! It has been officially confirmed that I need to work in an elementary school! As tiring as some of the little ones can be, I have fallen in love with the atmosphere! I have been given a lot of responsibility early on. Part of me isn't sure if its just my teacher being busy and not really noticing how much she is leaving me in the room, or if she really just trusts me. I'm going to go with the latter of the two! We have had a behavior intervention with one of the students and so now my teacher is working one on one with him and I have more groups than anticipated. But I am okay with that because now with that particular student removed from the two groups, I have been able to teach a lot more! I actually find myself thinking the time is over in groups because I get through as much as I normally would have before, and I have usually around 10 minutes left each time!
There is one student that has really been working well for me and in math we have had some break throughs! I am so proud of him and what he accomplished this week so far! He normally complains about school work (but what kid doesn't?!) but I can see on his face how happy he is when we tell him how well he has done! It really is just a joy to see students succeed!
I can't believe this week is my third week! The next five weeks will fly by and then its all over. But I will then be that much closer to my own classroom! I keep telling myself I won't be picky when looking for jobs, but part of me can't help but only want to apply to elementary schools ;-)

Y + Z = Cow.....

I've heard you should never pick favorites in your classroom.....sooo is it okay that its not my classroom and I may or may not have favorites? :-) I have always said I wanted to teach in an Elementary setting, and I think after this placement, I will still feel that way! There is always a kid saying something ridiculous and I can't help but laugh! Or, there is always a silly dance to be seen from one of them! I did learn something interesting yesterday though that NEEDS to be shared!! One of my first graders looked at me and said, "Guess what I learned?" I said, "What is that?" He responded with a big laugh, "Y + Z = cow"......Yeah, I don't get it either! But such is the life of a first grader!!

As much as I learned at my first placement, I am learning in a new way now. I am more on my own to figure things out. Sometimes I like the structure, of do-this and this-is-how-this-is-done. But the freedom to explore and find my own things has been nice too. This is truly what I am passionate about. I love the social skills part of this career. 

I am seeing mainstream teachers getting frustrated and giving up on their students. They are at their wits end and don't know what to do any more. There is two students right now that I would love to self-contain. It would just benefit them so much. It breaks my heart to hear one of them walk in and say that his teacher doesn't have work for him so she just sends him to us. The good thing is, he does enjoy being in the classroom with us. We try to make sure he feels comfortable in our room.

Most days I am just exhausted after I am done at school because the afternoons are so chaotic. But I really wouldn't trade what I am done for anything else. I am happy when I leave everyday and I am enjoying being up before the sun ;-) I am sure I will have plenty of more silly stories, so keep checkin' in on me!

xoxo

End of chapter one.

It is so hard to believe I am now done at Vandenberg and it has been EIGHT weeks!!! It has gone by sooo fast!! It was a bitter sweet day for me. I am excited to start a placement on Monday, but I really wish I could stay and see the students progress from where they are now! But I was told by almost every student today that I needed to come back for their end of the year banquet in May! So I know I will be able to see how they do! I really can't wait to go back and visit already :-) So over the past eight weeks I have learned a few things and I can only hope I keep learning! Enjoy!
1. Nothing is ever, EVER predictable.
2. Every day is a new adventure.
3. Patients really is a virtue.
4. Katy Perry's song, "Firework", should only be sung by her; NOT 7th grade boys.
5. Anything can be turned into a teachable moment.
6. Although I may be done with homework soon, the paperwork will never end.
7. Never take for granted the quiet moments.
8. Having a students respect, and having them like you, are not the same thing.
9. I will never stop learning. Even after my schooling is done.
10. Students have a lot to teach themselves; take the time to listen.
11. Some days are exhausting, but in the end its all worth it.
12. Middle school boys, will always be middle school boys.
13. When you are doing something you enjoy, it doesn't feel like work :-)

xoxo

All Good Things Must Come To An End.

Only three days left!! WOW! It is so hard to believe that my first eight weeks are over. Especially when I was thinking after the first week, "This will probably never end". And now here it is all wrapping up. It has been eight weeks of ups and downs. But even with the downs, I've learned more than I could have hoped I would. I have gotten the chance to meet and work with some amazing students who will be very difficult to  ever forget ;-) As nervous as I was for this whole experience, I quickly realized that this placement was a great opportunity for me in every aspect!
Although I know I have a long way before I am truly successful teacher, I have gotten my feet wet. I have gained more confidence in front of the classroom; I have experienced IEP meetings; I have put my discipline actions to use; I have created projects for students; I have set up important meetings and so much more!
A few weeks ago I was grading papers and this overwhelming feeling hit me. All of this paper work and graded papers are real, and it was my responsibility. It was a great feeling! Some day, I will be in charge of all this paper work and homework on my own. Very scary, and yet very exciting!
Scary because I still have so much yet to learn to be successful in my own room. I know I don't have everything down yet, and it will take more practice. But little by little, I am building up resources to be successful. My cooperating teacher has showed me all of her resources and it has taken her 12 years to build up her library. So far at most; I have about two binders of resources and a few books. I clearly have a long ways to go before I have multiple cabinets and drawers full :-)
Exciting because this is truly what I want to be doing with my life. The exciting and fun times out-weigh the negative times. It is so rewarding to see students do well with material I have taught them. All I wish for is one student to have their life impacted positively by being in my class. I have had a taste of that impact already. One of my students I am currently working with has now told me multiple times that I am "the coolest/best" intern she has had in the class. As small as that may be, I am going to hold on to it.
I guess it comes down to me actually being kinda sad that I am leaving all of my students on Friday! I would have never imagined me saying that eight weeks ago, but I have found the good in all my students and I wish I was able to work with them for a while longer. But ssshhh....don't tell any of them that! ;-)

Learning Never Stops

I am so sorry I have been slackin' on updating my gracious readers on how student teaching has been going! It has been pretty crazy; as usual! But I've learned that I wouldn't change my placement for anything. I am learning so many things in the classroom I am at. This is truly the best test for me to decide if this is what I really want to do. And I still can't wait to be a teacher :-)

Like I said earlier, it has been pretty crazy in the classroom. I think my students must have some spring fever already and are getting antsy for summer time! (As am I!!) But I've learned in all the crazy times, there are good times with them as well. As we all know, we just had Valentine's day. For one of the skills classes the students had last Friday, they each made three Valentine's. Two were two whoever they wanted and the third was anonymous and not for anyone in particular. Well I ended up getting three Valentine's from my students! One I thought didn't like me so that made me happy! I do think it was more of a joke for them but they were nice!

And here they are!! It was pretty sweet I thought! One of the good moments I need to soak up like a sponge and enjoy!! My time in this classroom has been short, but I am getting more and more comfortable with these kids and I really will be sad to leave in two weeks. As stressful each day could be, I love what I am doing. One student asked me one day, "Ms. Z, why do you wanna work with us? No one else does." Hearing that broke my heart. And I realized that is exactly why I want to work with students. Some students do get pushed to the side by some teachers because they don't want to deal with them. I want students to succeed. Some just need different coping strategies than others. We just need to have teachers who want to take the time to work patiently with these students.

As rewarding as I feel teaching is, it does come with some moments we would rather not remember. I did have a student who said something that really hit a nerve with me last week. To be honest, I probably could have walked away and started crying. But I just told myself that it wasn't on purpose and he didn't even know what he said. It was a real test for me to keep my cool even though I wanted to scream. Students push your buttons but you gotta roll with the punches!

Last week, this week and next week have been and will be the most stressful weeks for me. My cooperating teacher did explain that me before and now everything that has happened has been living proof of that! I have been very stressed. Very, very, very stressed. But I'm taking the stress as a sign that I am learning from everything I've been doing. I'm always thinking, "Oh, I should have done that, or maybe I'll change that next time". Always soaking up what I can like a sponge!!!

Today was a chaotic day, but over all it wasn't so bad. I was in change in the classroom for about 90% of the day. I still have a long way to go with classroom management and behavior management. But I do feel like I am learning. I am more comfortable than a few weeks ago, but I do wish I had a bit more time to practice those skills in this setting. So I guess I will be making the most of my last couple of weeks!!

xoxo

P.S. I did get my first silly bands from a student today!! Go me!! :-)

Unpredictable.

Unpredictable. Explains my day......EVERYDAY. I spent the majority of Monday night working on a lesson plan for today's (Tuesday) science class. I was really excited about it because it was going to be my chance to regain myself from Monday's afternoon. But my afternoon was shot when behaviors led to me not teaching at all from about 1:40 until the end of the day :-/
Now this afternoon was good for me because I was the one who initial confronted the student about behaviors and then it progressed from there. It could have been a very simple break and I would have been able to teach my two classes. But because of how unpredictable some of my students are, I need to stay on my feet. I need to be able to always think on a dime. I am not used to such quick thinking in a classroom yet. But I have a feeling that I will get even more practice in the next 4 1/2 weeks :-)
The first week, all the behaviors I witnessed, actually surprised me. Now, nothing surprises me any more. And I am sure I haven't even see anything close to it all yet. In fact, I know I haven't even seen it all. Students are unpredictable. My day is unpredictable. And I love it.
My teacher today said to one of my students today something that I had wrote about last week or so. Patients is a virtue. I just had to laugh to myself because I know how right she was! Today when the behavior that I addressed started, it was 1:40, it lasted until that particular student left school; after 3:00. I stood in the classroom with three other staff members just writing, documenting and waiting. It was a long afternoon. But in every moment I am learning something new with every thing that comes across my path!!

xoxo

Stress? What Stress??....

Sooo.....Today was the start of week four. Now, I know it is a Monday so I should be careful saying this, but is the week over yet?! If I have ever had a case-of-the-Mondays, it would be today. I told someone earlier that I think my students are out to end my teaching career before it has even started. Which, isn't good....at all. Again, very overwhelming day of teaching. I wanted to go out to my car and cry because again, (and I should learn by now!!) my lesson did not go how I pictured it in my head because of behaviors (and I know it probably never will). I'll be honest, because of that, it may look as though I'm not prepared for my lessons, but ask my Dad or Bradley, the two people that see my bust out my lessons, I work at them until I am 100% satisfied. That may be my problem.
I want the perfection from right off the bat. My teacher, who keep in mind has only known me for three weeks, said to me today as we were leaving for the day, "Don't beat yourself up over it. The way you are feeling right now is totally normal". This is my first EBD classroom, and on top of that, its a Day Treatment Program. So this is probably the most severe setting I will ever teach in. Hopefully. There are going to be struggles with behaviors that is going to change the dynamics of my lesson plans. I know that in my head but for some reason I can't help but want my students to learn as much as they can. I want them to have fun with their projects. But I have to keep telling myself over and over again, practice working on controlling the behaviors. I have taught a few times now where my teacher has totally pulled back and left me alone to deal with behaviors. I need to keep all of the advice she has given me in the front of my brain. I am wanting so badly for my lesson to go well I'm forgetting what is truly important for these particular students. Their behaviors.
As I was leaving school today, I kept thinking, "Oh man, why couldn't I have picked LD instead of EBD so I could just teach?". But I know why I chose EBD. Because these students can learn just as well as any other student out there. They may be learning at a different pace, but they are still learning. They just need that extra help controlling some of their behaviors. They are still great kids. I have heard countless times after being asked what I am going to school for, "Oh bless your heart, I could never do what you do". But I think anyone could, its just a matter of having the patients for it. Some times it may feel as though I am beating my head against the wall, but sooner or later something will click for a student and to see them finally connect with something is the greatest reward ever.
So as Dory would say, "Just keep swimming, just keep swimming" :-)

xoxo

Family: Mostly Sweet with a few nuts.

This week was a very looooong week. Why? I'm not really sure. Overall, I had pretty good kids this week. They did also know we had a trip to the Luge this week though and needed to behave in order to go. The Luge is built in this guy's backyard in Elk River. From what my students told me, he builds it different every year. Its a giant ice slide that goes onto a pond in his neighbor's yard. It was a lot of fun!! I wish I had pictures to share with you, normally I have pictures, this place is very hard to describe. But if you want to know more, let me know, we can have a date to the Luge in Elk River ;-)
I think I got through this week though because of my family and friends who are thinking about me. I got the chance to talk to a few of my aunts Sunday night which was nice! They are very happy for me to be getting this far and are nothing but proud of me. And their love and support means the world to me. Now, if you are reading this, you probably know me, and you know I LOVE pictures. So because I am thinking a lot about my family this week (as always!) I want to share some pictures with you before I talk about a few things I learned this week from teaching and just being with my students.

This is my cousin Emily. She is a year older
than me. We don't see each other often
but we always have a good time when
we do!

Sissie. She rocks. Even though sometimes
I want to knock her head off. I love her.

Pops!! Pretty much the best Dad ever.

Two of my YOUNGER cousins, Nate
and Kalvin, even though they look
like giants next to me now!

Kalvin, Jill and Erin. Again, Kalvin is
the youngest in this picture. Hard
to believe we are all growing up!

Grandma Lois :-) No matter what
mood you are in, you can't spend
time with this woman and not
leave smiling. Her phone calls

are like 15 minutes of free therapy.

Basically my family rocks. I wish I could put up even more pictures. Their support just means a lot to me and I would't have made it to this point in my life without them. But I have made it to where I am, and I have learned more from my student teaching experience than I ever thought possible. And I still have five weeks left of where I am, and eight more weeks at a new school!

Each day I am able to learn a little something new about each student of mine. Whether that little fact I learn be about how they do academically, or how they are as a person, it doesn't matter. Every time I learn something new, I learn a new way to possibly connect with that student. I feel that some if not most of my students need that person to connect to. I know I won't be there for them forever, but for now I am something stable for them. 

I've learned that not every student comes from the most stable home life. I already knew that, but now its been real for me. I was thinking this week how much I used to take my family for granted. School might be the only stable thing some students have in their life. With this thought in mind, I try to make the school work fun for students, while they are learning what they are suppose to be learning of course. I guess overall, I feel that my students might teach me more than I could teach them. I'm already learning a lot about them and from them. I just hope they keep bringing it on :-)

The learning never stops!

The start of week THREE already?! I know I still have five more to get through after this one, but it is already going by so quickly!! I am teaching Science and Social Studies full time now. It is still very nerve-racking! I know it will keep getting better little by little, but I just would like to be successful now!! Back to patience is a virtue huh? ;-)
I had my first official observation last week already. It went oookaayy.....not at all how I pictured it in my head the night before and all day (go figure! :-p) BUT after talking with my cooperating teaching I do feel better about it. She told me the lesson plan itself was beautiful. She also told me that if I didn't feel overwhelmed with it and nervous, she would be worried. I need to be learning as I go along, so no, I won't rock out a perfect lesson plan and delivery of it right away. Time and self-reflection is what I need to succeed. So after talking through how everything went, I do feel better about my first big observation. Although, I'll never be completely happy with how it all went, I do know it is all very typical of first observations. I don't think I will be able to stop striving for perfection for the beginning though!
After what I thought was a failure of a lesson plan, I had the opportunity to lead my first IEP meeting! For all of you who are now confused what the heck IEP means, it stands for Individualized Education Plan. Each student I work with has an IEP written for their specific learning needs. So this meeting was an annual meeting to discuss progress and further steps for the student. After that meeting my cooperating teacher did tell me I did a very good job with that which did put a smile on my face! After a struggle of an afternoon, I did get to end on a good note!
It is the start of my third week and I am already learning so much about so many different things! As scary as it was the first week to be thrown into this particular setting, I am very glad I have been given this opportunity!! :-) Stay tuned for more!

xoxo

Strong Person

I got an email from one of my aunts that really hit home for me after my first big week was over. There was more to it, but I'd like to share the gist of it with you now.

A strong person knows how to keep their life in order. 

Even with tears in their eyes, they still manage to say "I'm ok" with a smile.

This really hit home for me because it made me realize that I can get through anything. No matter what life throws at me, I can handle it. I won't always be prepared, but with the amazing people around me, supporting me, I know I can take on any curve ball thrown at me. This quote also made me think of someone else as well, who I think about and miss on a daily basis. My Mom. Without a doubt, my Mom was the toughest person I have ever met in my life. She fought the fight of her life for five years before the cancer finally was took over. I know she is in a better place now and with her best friend in the world, Sue. So for now, all I can do is be happy for her and smiling knowing she isn't hurting any more. My Mom always would tell us, "I'm okay" and then smile after, no matter how bad the situation might have been at the time. Never did she once want to ask for help or admit that maybe everything was a bit too much for her any more. Because of that, she is and always will be my hero. 

One of her sisters wrote a beautiful poem for my Mom after she passed away. Some people might look at it as a sad poem, and it might be. But now I look at it as encouragement and a remind to keep truckin'. I might get stressed, overwhelmed and frustrated teaching sometimes. But no one I know has fought a harder battle. She is the reason I am doing what I'm doing today. I love you Mom and I hope the wine and margaritas up there are even better than they are down here ;-)

Barbra Jean~

So hard to see you suffer,

On this journey you traveled so strong.

We prayed to God for healing,

He sent angels to right this wrong.

We prayed for more time together,

He gently whispered, "Remember MY truth".

Our life together is eternal,

Just not the same as we understand.

Your spirit will live forever,

On the wind of time, that's in His hands.

We say good-bye to the blessing we've cherished,

But hold fast to the truth we'll be shown.

You'll live on in our hearts for always,

We will never be alone.

Thankful for the smiles and laughter,

Our treasured memories will carry us through.

As faith leads us on to tomorrow,

When our spirits soar again with you.

-Pamela Sue

I have this hanging in my room to be reminded daily that life might seem hard, but someone out there is fighting a harder battle. With a little faith and trust, I know I can get through the tough stuff. But sometimes it is nice to have a little reminder ;-)

xoxo

Week One

It is finally Friday and I am here to talk about it! So all in all, I'd say I had a good week! ;-) I am a bit skeptical to say it this soon, but part of me is really enjoying my placement and I might start thinking about getting into a permanent placement similar to where I am now.....But I do still have 7 weeks to make up my mind :-) As scary and nerve-wraking my first day was, the week as been an incredible experience so far! I have already learned more than I ever thought I would and I am only going to keep adding to that knowledge.
My classroom is extremely busy at any given time which has been very nice. I am always helping someone or running to go pick something up or walking with someone to a different location; rarely do I get the chance to ever just sit down. This is exactly the kind of setting I've decided I need to be in. The day goes quickly and I feel that I am always helping in some sort of way. When I am sitting down (unless I'm actually working on something of course!) I feel like a waste of a body!
The nine awesome students I get to work with remind me of one of my favorite quotes:

“Every student can learn. Just not on the same day or in the same way.” ~~ George Evans

I think this is especially true in special education. Every student really can learn but you need to figure out how they are going to learn to the best of their ability and work with that. I am working with students who are all very different, ESPECIALLY when it comes to their learning abilities. I think patience is also a huge factor in how well a child is able to learn. Which now also makes me think of another quote (in case you haven't caught on by now, I'm really into quotes :-) ) "Patience is a virtue". If we aren't patient with students, we will never get any where with them because they will just become frustrated. I've already learned in my first five days that I will need to make sure I work on this. I feel that I am already pretty good at being patient with people, but when it is because the students are purposely drawing out situations to make them longer than necessary on purpose, than I have a tough time with patience!!

What I am getting at over all is that so far I am LOVING where I am placed right now. Although some situations might be stressful at times, that comes with the job and I am willing to go through that stress to get the end result. To me its all worth it in the end. If you can change one students life, than you have accomplished a great thing! I'll leave you with yet another quote ;-)

"A teacher's compassion is like a pebble thrown into a pool of water. The ripples spread far beyond the point of impact."

~ Dear Abby

Survival.

After my first day of student teaching I am sitting here typing and deleting; re-typing with more deleting, unsure of how to start this. I would say that one thing that I learned (and should have already by now!!) is that my nerves, ALWAYS get the best of me. I wasn't nervous this morning until I started my car to head out to the school. Then after that, the coffee I poured for myself wasn't sounding so good any more. But I made it to the school and after talking with my cooperating teaching after I arrived, the nerves started to settle. Although I hadn't met any of the students I'd be working with, I felt the confidence kick me in the butt and tell me to get going.
I am nervous before every placement I start; obviously with no exceptions to this one. I did have a lot people who kept telling me I would be fine and that support really did help me a lot as well.

 

I got this super awesome card ^^^^ from Amanda (Brad's sister!) who has been very awesome and supportive throughout my journey as well!!

And everyone else, my Dad, my sister, Brad, my aunts have been great with awesome words of encouragement!, and of course all my amazing friends!! You all have been wonderful! So thank you!!

After all my nerves got settled back into place and the army of butterflies I had in my stomach left, I rocked through the day. I mostly was getting used to the schedule and how things worked in the classroom. I am trying to make myself as comfortable as possible because I want the students to feel comfortable with me. The quicker they are comfortable with me, the quicker we can get things accomplished. I can already tell after the first day I will be busy (ALWAYS!!!) and I am going to learn more than I could have asked for. Essentially , that is what I wanted. The ultimate goal is to gain experience and to soak up as much as I possibly can. And I don't think any of that will be a problem! 
And the last thing I learned is that as much as I would like to call my Mom and explain everything to her, I can't. That I already knew. But I just know she is still taking care of me and I can only hope I am making her as proud as possible!! Love you Mom!!!


xoxo

Growing up!

Today I got the opportunity to spend the day in a Student Teaching orientation. I'll let you make your own assumptions on how that went! But on a serious note, I got to see all the lovely people I have been in class with for the past I don't even know how many semester which is always a treat!

After orientation, a few of the girls that I am really close with went out to get some food at Friday's. As always, we had a wonderful time and it was full of laughs and jokes! ---------->

On my drive home after about FOUR hours of sitting around laughing and enjoying our time with a HILARIOUS waiter, I got to thinking. This was my last Friday of not having a care in the world before I really need to grow up. Sure, we joke about how we need to be adults starting Monday, but we all know its true. We really are getting our feet wet in the real world. The more I thoughts about this and the more it was sinking in, I realized how excited I truly am. I may also be VERY nervous, but I can't wait to see what I can bring to the table.

I just thought it was interesting that it took an evening with good friends to realize that everything we have already accomplished in our journey will be put to good use in just a few days. I wish these ladies and everyone else in the SPED major at SCSU the best of luck in all your adventures!!

xoxo