Italian Shoemakers

I am the new spokesperson for Italian Shoemakers and they don't even pay me....seriously though, if you need some shoes that REALLY feel good, check them out....my feet have been thanking me all day!

Under the Belt!

This is going to be a very interesting year! I managed to survive my first week as a new teacher. It is easy to see which students will be a breeze and which ones are going to require some "special attention". I have already had some hilarious things happen and some pretty scary things too. Lets start with the hilarious!

I walked up to this boy with a Harry Potter book on his desk and asked him if he had read all the books. He replied yes, then asked the girl beside him if she likes Harry Potter. Her response was classic. "My grandma told me I am never aloud to watch that stuff. It is full of demons! She walked in and saw me watching one of the movies and told my momma that I better never bring that junk in my house again!" So...the boy says, "well did you like the one you saw?" and here comes the good part. She says "NO! that is WIERD! I aint never seen no people flyin around before! That is just crazy"

That is when I walked away because I was laughing so hard I couldn't control it! I just love the "I aint never seen no people flyin around before" part.

The next fun experience was my 1st school dance.

The dance starts off with all the kids against the wall. Girls separate from boys. Once the music starts they all run into the center of the room and form this big circle to try and hide the forbidden behavior, (booty dancing)  Well of course it is our job as chaperone's to ruin their lives and fun by breaking up the circle. It was kind of fun breaking through that circle and watching them all scatter to the other side of the room. Almost every time I had to break up the booty dancing it was from this group of girls that used to go to our youth group. When they saw me they were like "WHAT are YOU doing here!" and I got to say, "oh, I work here now so we can see each other all the time"  :)

There were also a couple things that had me saying holy crap!

To start have you ever stood on concrete floors for eight hours? ouch! Seriously, my feet have never hurt so bad in my life.

Then there was that kid.....(I am not joking) the very first thing I had them do was answer some questions about themselves. What does this kid do....he lets out this pitiful sigh "HHHMMMMmmmmPPPPHHHH", "do we have to". I just looked at him and said "you better get over it now because if you think this is terrible then you are going to hate school". He just looked at me and then answered the questions.

Finally, there is this.....on the FIRST week of school TWO, not one, TWO of the girls in my classes got suspended for fighting. (and not with each other) I'm thinking great...I need to hire a bodyguard or something! Apparently they both got caught fighting after school in the bus loop. lovely!

Anyways, I can tell that I am really going to enjoy this school year! I love the students, the teachers are great, and I am so happy to finally be doing what I have felt destined to do all my life!

I have spent this week trying to get to know my students and their interests, but also trying to get them to know me. I told them that the reason I am there is not for a paycheck, but because I truly believe in them. Everyday before they leave, I am making them hold their hands up in the air and say "These hands can change the world" I thought for sure they would think it was stupid, but turns out the really like it. They have been the ones reminding me, "hey! don't forget the hands"

I am so ready to see the outcome of these students. I could tell when I was talking to them about changing the world and telling them that they could literally be whatever they wanted no matter what their life has been like so far, that some of those students had never had anyone believe in them before.

God, Please let me be that person who believes in even the most unreachable student. Let them feel like they can do whatever they put their minds too.

Wait...What?

Wait...What?

This week was what they like to call "pre-planning". Kind of a funny name since I did not do any pre-planning! I found out real quick that there is so much that has to be done and so little time to do it. It has been  overwhelming going from one meeting to the next, then on top of that going to professional development training too. Did I mention that while all this is happening I had to get lesson plans, sub plans, focus calenders, and bell ringers ready! By Friday :)

Thank God for the school I am at! Everyone...and I mean Everyone that I have talked to or asked for help has gone out of their way to make me feel comfortable! The principal rocks, the teachers are beyond amazing, and the janitor has helped me get my stuff together. Since I am working with such great people it helps all the stress seem manageable.

BUT...what really helped all this hard work seem worth it, was tonight. Open House. I had the chance to meet almost all of my students and their parents. As soon as I saw them walking through those halls, all terrified and confused just like I have felt, I knew I was in the right place! I am so looking forward to getting to know them and helping shape their lives.

Here is to an amazing, stressful, totally worth it year!

What was I Thinking?!?

So! This week is the start of my teaching career. It consists of going to an orientation on Monday-Thursday with all the new teachers to Lake County. We are there from 8:30-2:30 and in that six hour period they stuff as much information as possible into our already overwhelmed minds. I am starting to panic! All of the things that I should have prepared are coming to my mind by the dozen. 

Here is just a quick list off the top of my head that shows how NOT ready I am

• Get a pencil sharpener
• Create a classroom rules poster
• Figure out a system where students will turn in and pick up assignments
• Figure out the names of the 6th grade team I will be working with
• Fix the desks in my room where they will fit and yet not take up too much room
• Make a supply list for the students and myself
• Prepare lesson plans at least 3-4 weeks in advance
• Buy some Social Studies posters for my wall
• Organize the materials I do have in the classroom

You get the idea.....These are just the thoughts in my mind at this minute

While I am extremely stressed out, I am also very worn out. All of the above mentioned are things I should be doing when I get home, yet the only thing I want to do is veg-out and allow my brain to rest. I am trying to remind myself that it is natural to feel this way and that it will all get easier with time. Once I am in my routine and I get through those first few weeks of change, I will adapt like I adapt to everything else in life. I am also trying to be real and know that even if I worked from the hour I woke up until I went to sleep, I would still have a ton of stuff to do!

I can't wait until the day when I look back on this post and say, "you did it...you survived your first week!"

Philippians 4:13 

I can do everything through Him who gives me strength.

Destiny

It is so cool how God designs and directs our lives to help us become the people He wants us to be. I can remember times in my life thinking things like, "why do I have to deal with this" or "why does this always happen to me". I don't know if everyone knows their plans for life so soon, but I can remember wanting to be a teacher since I was small. My poor brother sat through so many hours of school (with a pretty bossy teacher) and when he couldn't take any more homework, well then it was up to my stuffed animals to fill that void! They were always so well behaved.

It is so amazing to finally be at the place that I have worked so hard to get to. I can't describe the feeling of destiny falling in place. It makes everything make sense. It explains why I went through some of the things I did. It explains why I had such an awful middle school experience. It explains why I grew up poor and beat the statistics that said I wouldn't succeed. (I showed you statistics!)

It is so awesome that I can stand in front of a class of middle schoolers and give them hope where they have none. I can say from experience that it truly doesn't matter where you come from, "you can be ANYTHING you set your mind to". Obviously as a teacher I want my students to walk away knowing the material I teach them, but more importantly, I want them to leave my class knowing that they can beat the odds, they can be a doctor or an astronaut. Honestly. I want to be the teacher who cares more about the student than the material. If they leave my class believing they have a future and knowing that they can make a difference in our world, then I have done the best job I could do.

I am so excited to see what happens on this new journey I am on!

Isaiah 6:8 

Then I heard the voice of the Lord saying, "Whom shall I send? And who will go for us?" And I said, "Here am I. Send me!"