Year Three is in the Books

Three years of teaching is done. To those that have been teaching a long time, it probably doesn’t sound like much, but to a third year teacher it means everything. My third year has been the easiest and hardest year all in one. I started out strong, having had two years of first days to help. I knew the material and what I wanted to teach and setting a routine was fairly easy. Then BAM, something happened and all hell broke loose. I had to submit my RESA, I had kids getting in trouble left and right, suspended, expelled, then back again. 

In the end, it came full circle. I passed RESA. The kids got a little easier to handle, well most of them anyway. Next thing I knew it was the last week of school and everything was coming to a close. We had the talent show, where the teachers did their best performance yet. Then on Friday we had a staff/student basketball game, plus a tug of war challenge. We had a great time and ended the year happily. 

Today, was the last day for the teachers, so I packed up my room. Put everything away, and met with my new team. I’m looking forward to next year, and seeing how things go. 

Love from the girl who is officially on summer break, but yet her mind is wandering and thinking about next year already. 

Living My Best Life

18 days left of school. Are you kidding me, that's it? To say that this year has gone fast is an understatement. I feel like most years I say that around this time, but this school year has truly gone fast. To say that I am 18 days away from finishing my third year is the best news. This year I am beyond ready to be done. 

So many things have happened over the past few months and life has gotten in the way of me remembering to write it all down. But, I am okay with that because life has been pretty great these past few months and I really like the way things have been going. Since January I have had a completely different outlook on life and I really feel like it has made me a better person. 

There are days where I still feel upset about the things that have happened this year, which I know is completely normal. Let's be real, you can't be happy all day every day. But, you can find something that makes you happy each day. And that's exactly what I have tried to do. In January I started a thing where I wrote down one thing that made me happy each day on a sticky note and put it in a bin. Over the past few months I have neglected to do it every day but I have consciously thought about the things that made me happy each day. So even though I haven't written it down, it has changed the way I look at life. At the end of the year it will be a great experience to look back at everything I wrote down. 

In March, I went on my first Spring Break in several years. Katie, a girl I work with, invited me to Virginia Beach with her to visit family. We had an awesome adventure while we went out there and got to know each other really well. Spending 9 1/2 hours in a car with someone will do that! Bandit came with us and got to experience all kinds of new things while we were gone. I almost didn't get to take her back with us because Katie's grandma wanted to keep her. Never having been to Virginia Beach before, there were several things that I wanted to do while we were there. One being that I wanted to see King Neptune, a huge statue that is on the beachfront. Bandit came with us that day, and it was cool to see it but way to windy to do anything else. We also ventured out to Fort Story Naval base and saw Cape Henry's Lighthouse. The first being built in 1792. The second one, which is still operational today was built almost 100 years later in 1881. Katie and I climbed the 191 stairs up to the very top of the original lighthouse and what a thigh burn that was! 

The rest of the trip was relaxing. Every night we played games with her aunt and grandma and drank wine. Most nights we played until almost midnight, not even realizing the time due to the amount of fun that was being had. They taught me several card games which I had never heard of and in turn Katie and I taught them Dicecapades. We laughed so much a couple times I ended up crying because  I was laughing so hard. 

Out of everything I have done so far this year, my best and favorite thing was rescuing/adopting a kitten this past weekend. It is something that I have been wanting to do for sometime now and I have done a lot of research in preparation for bringing another animal into the home. With the way Bandit gets with other dogs sometimes, I didn't think a puppy or dog would do well in the home but I read several things that a kitten might actually work perfect. Last month I visited SISCA and gave them my information and chatted with a consultant. We decided that a young kitten would be the best fit for Bandit and I and she said to check back in the next month or so when they would have some available. Friday morning I decided to check out SISCA's website and saw three kittens posted. One stood out to me the most and I realized that I had to know more about her. At noon I called SISCA and told them I wanted to look into adopting her and the rest is history. Everything checked out and I went and saw her Friday night after work and walked out with her. 

Belladonna was not a name that I wanted to keep for her, so I renamed her Minerva. She looks just like the cat version of Professor McGonagall from Harry Potter. Minerva has been an ornery addition to the family and Bandit and I are adjusting to life with a small child in the house. Excited to watch her grow up and see how her personality continues to be defined. 

Love from the girl who is just living her best life, one day at a time. 

OCTELA 3.0

As a relatively new teacher, having something that I look forward to every year, fuels my fire. When I was first introduced to OCTELA, I had no idea what to expect and absorbed everything, like a sponge. The opportunities that have risen from that first experience drive my teaching practices now. So here I am again, sitting in sessions, meeting authors, talking with teacher friends, old and new, and revitalizing. 

The sessions started out with a bang again this year. I learned how to silence my raging mind and what to do for my kids to do the same. I’ve heard from Carine McCandless and how the events of her past, as well as her brothers, can help students to look at life differently. My booklist has gained some diverse selections and I can’t wait to delve into them. 

Loren Long was very intriguing and the way he became an illustrator is truly fascinating. He found out he was colorblind when he was in high school, but he didn’t let that stop him from creating some of the best illustrations for children’s books. He taught us that if you have a passion and a dream, don’t let anyone tell you, you can’t do it. Prove them wrong.

I think one of my favorite things about going to this conference is hearing from authors I know nothing about. It puts people on my radar that otherwise would stay completely off grid. Mindy McGinnis was spectacular and I’m so glad that she is now in my sights. Already on chapter two of Not a Drop to Drink. She’s such a down to earth human being and had us all in tears we were laughing so hard. Her books, however, are dark and barely have any humor which is intriguing. 

As I sit here still processing everything I learned over the last two days, I can’t help but get excited for the possibility of next year’s speakers and know that I’ll actually start doing more research before hand. 

Love from the girl who has added about 10 new books to the top of her must read list, subscribed to new podcasts and feeling revitalized after a weekend “at home.” #teachlove 

Snow Dayz

2018 is off to a fantastic start. Especially coming out of the worst part of 2017. Some highs, lows, and especially ugly. But that’s over and in the past it’ll stay. Let’s get back to the present.

2018. It’s my year to be selfish. I’m making time for me, and the things that make me happy and let me tell you how wonderfully that’s going. It’s day 17 of the new year and I’ve had a smile on my face every single day. It’s refreshing. It rejuvenating. I already feel like a new me. Well, maybe it’s because I just had my first work day in the past five days.

This year has started off quite strong on the winter front. Snow, ice, freezing temps. You name it and we’ve gotten called off for it. I’m not complaining, it’s given me many days to do things I love that I haven’t done in a long time. Reading, I couldn’t tell you the last time I have read so many books, start to finish in one sitting as I’ve been able to do the past few weeks. I’m currently in the middle of books 6,7 and 8 of my 30 books for the year challenge. It’s amazing how much you can do when you make time for it. I’ve laughed, I’ve cried, I’ve had chills run down my spine. All in the name of literature. It’s liberating, I’ve been to so many places without ever leaving my cozy chair in my warm apartment. It’s something I’ve neglected for too long and now that it’s back, it’s addicting and I can’t get enough.

Something else I started doing more of, writing. It sounds cliche for the English teacher to be reading and writing, but honestly, you forget why you used to love it so much when you’re teaching it all the time. Most of the time, I’m only reading or writing for the kids sake. Not for myself. I’ve decided there needs to be a healthy balance of both. Reading and writing for the kids and for pleasure. I think that passion spills out to the kids and they see it for the good.

Speaking of my students. I’ve been so excited to start this quarter that all these snow days are throwing off my groove. My 8th graders are starting to read one of my absolute favorite books, Forged by Fire. We read the first page and a half and the gasps and sighs and “oh my gods” I got out of them reminded me of why I teach. Every single one was holding on to my every word and listening so intently to what was going to happen next. This book is real for them. They’ve gone through situations similar, if not identical to the main character in the book and they’re able to relate. It’s sad, but it’s the truth and my favorite  thing to teach them about is Resilience. I can’t wait to see where we go with this book.

As for the rest of the year I’m looking forward to trying new things, traveling and doing the things I want to do.