First Day of School

Even though this will be my fifth year of teaching and my class role doesn't look bad at all, I am getting a little nervous about the first day of school. I get so nervous that I sometimes feel like I'm the one going to the third grade. I know the importance of starting off the year being stern enough that the students take me seriously, but at the same time, I don't want to seem scary to the children. In all my years of teaching, this has never been a problem, but I still worry about it every year.

With that being said, I have begun the preparations for August 9th. I got SO much done at Make -n- Take today and am planning to go set up my classroom later this week. I have also begun to mentally prepare and am trying my best to get back on schedule with going to to bed on time and waking up bright and early. As much as I love summer vacation, towards the end of it, I start to get ready to go back to work and can't wait to get busy teaching my third graders!!

Tomorrow

I have two Make-n-Take sessions scheduled for tomorrow and as crazy as it sounds, I'm super excited!! No matter what else I do during the summer, I always make sure that I sign up for Make-n-Take. For those of you who may not know, Make-n-Take is a "workshop" for teachers (and parents) to go and make things for the school year. Everything is free and you can get as much as you'd like as long as you use it to make something. For example, if you wanted a piece of poster board, you'd actually have to make it into a poster instead of taking it home blank. In addition to getting all kinds of stuff for my classroom, my grade-level coworkers and I always sign up to go together and I really enjoy their company (which I don't get too much during the year because I'm always with the kids).

The consultant at my math workshop last week was from Maine and she told us all about something even cooler than Make-n-Take. They have a huge warehouse called Ruth's Reusable Resources that teachers can "shop" at and take anything they want. At this warehouse, people have donated all kinds of classroom materials, computers, and even tables that teachers can take. She told us that there are very few rules and limitations on how many of each thing teachers can take (for example, only one computer per teacher). This sounds so nice and I would love to have something like this for teachers in Mobile!

The End

It's so hard to believe that we only have a few more assignments to complete before the end of the semester. Of course I'm thrilled about being closer to receiving my Master's, but at the same time, I wish I could continue to learn about teaching language arts. Before taking this class, I would have said that I disliked teaching writing more than any other subject (for several different reasons). However, after this class, I feel good about walking into my classroom and helping my third graders enhance their writing and become life-long writers.

Yesterday, my group and I had our literature circle chat (our book was about teaching memoir writing to students) and I learned so much from everyone. We got so into sharing our ideas and techniques in our classrooms that the chat lasted about an hour longer than we had scheduled. While we talked mainly about teaching the memoir genre to our students, we also shared some classroom management tips, some of which I have never heard of and can't wait to try in my own classroom.

When I found out that I would be require to blog three whole times a week for this class, I was really worried because I admit, I'm a pretty boring person and was worried I would quickly run out of things to talk about. However, I have REALLY enjoyed blogging (it's been very cathartic to share even my most boring thoughts) and will definitely keep up my blog after the end of class. I have always loved being in school and learning, but I have to say that taking this course has been one of the best decisions I have made in my college career and will DEFINITELY make me a better teacher!

Exciting

I found out today that my grandparents from Pennsylvania will be visiting sometime in the next five months. An exact date hasn't been picked because they are both retired and stay on the road most of the time. My mom's entire family lives in Pennsylvania, but because I've been in school and teaching for years now, I haven't been able to visit them in quite some time. So of course, I'm extremely excited for them to be coming down for a little bit!! When I was little, my family and I would travel to Pennsylvania or the my family and grandparents would meet somewhere halfway in between (like Dollywood), so even with all the distance we have stayed extremely close throughout the years. My grandma is a retired teacher, so I know I can always count on her for advice for making it through those tough days. My grandfather is hilarious and constant laughter is pretty much a given when spending time with him. Knowing that I get to spend some time with them in the near future is wonderful and I can't wait!!!

Math

As the school year quickly nears, I have been attending a training for the new math Investigations books that have been purchased by the system. I have always loved numbers and math so I have always thought of myself as a great math teacher, but I can say I am very excited to try out these new resources! I have personally witnessed the importance of allowing students plenty of time for hands-on and interaction during math and these materials are certain to do just that. It sounds silly, but I have had a ton of fun at the training while pretending to be a third-grader and doing all the things my students will get to do. I can only think that if I, a twenty-five year old, find these games and activities fun, my eight year olds are surely going to love them! One of my favorite things about being a teacher is finding new things that I know my children will get excited about so I am extremely excited to put these resources to good use in my classroom.

Hard To Believe

Wow! It's hard to believe, but summer vacation is almost over. I work at a small rural school so I know most of the students long before they reach my classroom for third grade. Yesterday, I was able to see my class role for the upcoming year and I am super excited!! In my four previous years of teaching I have been so blessed with absolutely awesome classes and it looks like this year will be no different. Honestly though, the majority of the kids at my school are wonderful. We are lucky to have very few disciplinary problems throughout the year and it truly makes it so much easier to do my job when the kids are so wonderful and cooperative! When I'm not constantly worrying about discipline, I am able to allow my students to talk, share, and have fun while learning. Seeing the looks on my students' faces when they are actually enjoying being at school and learning makes waking up and going to work everyday so completely worthwhile that there is nothing else in the world I would rather do for a living!

What a Beautiful Day

Well, I don't have much to say except that again, I truly felt blessed to be alive today. While the news station I watch predicted an 80 percent chance of rain today, my house didn't get a drop of rain. Usually this would disappoint me, but the temperature was so pleasant today that I really enjoyed being able to spend time outside with my puppy. I absolutely love how simple she is and how happy she gets just to play fetch with a stick from the pine tree in our yard. Seeing her so carefree is so relaxing to me (and usually at just the right times). It's amazing that she always seems to know when I need a little pick-me-up and can ALWAYS deliver. It's outrageous that I adopted her thinking I would save her from a possible life of despair, but in actuality, she is the one who always rescues me from my sorrows.

Independence

Happy 4th everyone!!! As I write, I am watching my neighborhood fireworks show and it is absolutely beautiful. However, I want to take some time to thank all those who have and who still are serving our country. As a child of two military parents, I have seen first-hand how devastating it is to send your loved one away for years at a time, sometimes straight into danger, to serve our country. Yet, millions of people willing do so if only for the love of our country. No matter how one feels about the war, the current economy, or any other problems our country may face, that same person would be hard-pressed to deny that our country is a great one! Yes, we may feel that some things could be improved, but because people die for our freedom everyday, we are ABLE to feel this way without persecution. So, while life right now may be a little tough, let's give a little more thought to those who have fought and died for our country and what a great country it has become because of these people!!!

Rain

There's no type of weather I love more than rain. I would be perfectly content living in a city that got rain everyday of the year. When I look up at the sky and see that rain is on the way, I truly feel happy. While many people would completely disagree with my opinion, can these people honestly say that they don't feel relaxed when they hear the sound of rain falling on the roof? I also love to crack the windows during a light shower and savor the distinctly refreshing smell of the rain. In addition to loving rain myself, I always notice that the animals in my backyard seem invigorated after a rain as well. A little rain shower just seems to make the world a more lively place and I certainly feel that energy myself.

Hurricane Season 2010

Many have contemplated how a hurricane could potentially affect the process to stop and clean up the oil spewing into the Gulf of Mexico. Meteorologists are speculating that Alex will become a hurricane before reaching land and believe it will hit closer to Texas and Mexico, hopefully lessening the impact on the Gulf oil containment efforts. However, any other hurricane can (and most likely will) have an impact on the condition in the Gulf. In order to allow ships to evacuate and then come back, work efforts could be halted for at least five days before and after the storm. Until something further is done, oil will continue to flow freely into the ocean for these ten days. In addition, waves, wind, and heavy rain could also force more oil towards the shoreline. Again, this affects humans, their livelihoods, and innocent sea life. Until this oil leak has been completely plugged (and probably for long after) the Gulf needs all the prayers it can get.

Today

"This is the day the Lord has made. We will rejoice and be glad in it."---Psalm 118:24

Once again, today was a beautiful day and it made me realize how truly blessed I am. After a much-needed afternoon downpour, I went outside to enjoy some fresh air. Not only had the sun come back out, but the quick rain must have refreshed the animals because I watched them scampering and fluttering all over the place. A gigantic yellow butterfly sucked nectar from a beautiful pink flower bush. Two squirrels scurried up and down my trees teasing my dachshund by staying just out of her reach. A gorgeous bright red cardinal pecked in the grass looking for a nice, juicy dinner. All of these beautiful creatures made me feel so close to the Lord and the world He has created. If I ever forget to be thankful for the little things in life, I know all I have to do is step out of my house and into the wonderland that God has created in my backyard.

Summertime Loss

I'm a little off topic with this one, but this thought crossed my mind as I was enjoying nature this evening. As I walked my around my neighborhood this evening, I noticed that things were unusually quiet. It was beautiful outside, but I saw none of the neighborhood children outside enjoying the fresh air. As we know, many children are spending less time outside and more time watching television and playing video games. As teachers, we also know that all this time spent on "mind-numbing" activities causes the average student to lose quite a bit of knowledge over the summer. Many schools are attempting to stop this lose by requiring students to read, finish math packets, or complete other educational activities. Students at my school (from kindergarten to fifth grade) are required to read two books selected by the teachers and then prepare a project, such as a book report or diorama, to turn in within the first week of school. However, this rarely happens. As sad as it is, parents in our community cannot always afford to buy the books and expecting the public library to supply the same book to 100 students is not feasible either. How can I expect students to read and complete a project when their parents truly cannot put the money aside to buy the books for them? At the same time, I know that these students are the ones that usually get the least help at home and REALLY need to have something they are expected to do over summer to stop the usual knowledge loss. I would really LOVE any ideas about how my coworkers and I could stop this loss without expecting parents to take on the financial burden, which in turn actually hinders the children.

Summer

Ah....the first day of summer. But, for how long have we been experiencing heat indexes in the hundreds now? I often wonder why we even acknowledge the first day of summer down here in Mobile, when truly we've been experiencing summer for weeks now.

Today though, I felt was a different story. I know many would disagree, but I couldn't have asked for a more beautiful start to summer. Today, spending time outside was actually enjoyable, instead of the usual feeling of spending hours in a sauna. Because I love spending time outside so much, I absolutely love days like these! Sometimes I just like to sit on the back porch and watch and listen to nature and today was the perfect day for doing this. It's doubtful we will get so lucky, but it sure would be nice for the rest of the summer to be so pleasant.

The Babies

Well, my baby birds have not only hatched, but they have now flown away. They only first left yesterday so they are still hanging around my backyard and they are so cute as they learn to fly! I'm not sure what kind of bird they are, but they have the prettiest yellow stripes down both sides of their beaks. While I do love watching them, I think my little dachshund loves it even more. She will just lay in the grass and attentively watch them fly around for hours. She's usually full of energy and I have never seen her so still and quiet. It's amazing and absolutely adorable how entranced she is by them. I'm so happy for this miracle to be a part of my yard and hope more babies join us as the summer goes on.

Helping Oceanlife

While I have no desire to discuss the politics of the Gulf oil spill, my blog is about nature and I am sure all of you are aware of the devastating impact this tragedy is having on nature. It is absolutely heart-wrenching to see helpless sea life struggle to breathe through their oil-covered mouths. Those who wish to help these animals must first go through training and this is not feasible for everyone. However, there is something quite simple these people can do. As you all know, Dawn dish soap is commonly used to wash the oil off the sea animals. For some time now, Dawn has been donating $1 of every purchase towards this cause. All consumers must do is log onto the Dawn website and enter a code to show that they purchased a bottle. Doing something like this is a quick and easy way to help the rescue effort of those animals affected by the oil. If any of you know of any companies donating some of their profit to the relief effort or know of any volunteer opportunities, please feel free to share with the rest of us. Regardless of what happens with this spill in the future, it has already created millions of victims, including animals, and we should do whatever we can to help them.

Gardens

Yet another reason I enjoy spring is the fact that plants begin to bloom. In my backyard, I grow several kinds of food, including satsumas, blueberries, and cabbage. I love knowing exactly what has been used to grow my food and that I can bring it in straight from the yard to prepare it. However, I seem to have a problem making my flowers grow as beautifully as my fruits and vegetables. I have gone as far as researching on the Internet and followed directions exactly, but my poor flowers still wilt within a few days. My mom jokes that even though they're easy to grow, I'm the only person she's ever known to kill a cactus and she's probably right. My dad has such beautiful gardens as his house, but apparently I didn't inherit his ability and his advice hasn't seemed to help much either. I'm not going to give up though and hopefully by the end of this semester, I will be able to post a picture of at least one flower I have been able to keep alive.

Beauty

Not long ago, after an afternoon thunderstorm, I noticed a double rainbow arching through the sky. It had to have been the brightest rainbow I have ever seen and was absolutely breath-taking. Looking at this rainbow made me realize how blessed my life truly is. I thought about people who are unable to see or hear the beauty of nature and about the gifts they are missing out on. Then, I thought about people I know personally who feel so rushed and stressed by life that they feel they can't take time to enjoy the simpler things in life. So many people seem to be living such a fast-paced life that something as wondrous as a rainbow goes unnoticed and unappreciated. As cliched as it may seem, I believe lives would be so much less stressful if people just took the time to stop and smell the roses. I feel so lucky to be able to enjoy the splendor of nature and suggest that no one ever take advantage of this ability.

The Nest

If asked my favorite season, I would definitely choose spring. I love the weather, the sights and sounds, and the reawakening of nature. To me, it is truly amazing to watch the new beginnings that come with spring. While working outside sometime last week, I stepped into my shed in an effort to find something I needed. As soon as I stepped foot inside, a tiny bird flew past my head. I walked into the direction she came flying from and found a gorgeous nest inside an empty shoebox. While looking at the intricate detail she had put into making this nest, I realized that it was already filled with minute, pale pink eggs. As crazy as it may sound, the thought of how hard this tiny creature worked to make a loving home for her babies took my breath away. Of course, I have been checking on the nest daily and cannot wait until these precious baby birds hatch and become part of the wildlife in my backyard.