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