"That I may publish with the voice of thanksgiving, and tell of all thy wondrous works." [Psalm 26:7]

I realize that it has been a bit of time since I last updated. My life is crazy busy right now. I know that I always say that but as soon as I think it can’t get any worse, it does. Right now, I am in the process of doing homework, writing knowledge statements (papers that prove I know how to teach each subject) and preparing presentations for next week.

I am thankful for my current schooling:

This past week was parent/teacher conferences. While the kids have the week off for Thanksgiving break, we teachers spent Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday with parents, discussing their children. I was very excited for this, knowing full well the drama, the tears, and the happiness that these meetings can bring. Let’s just say I was not let down.

I never thought that the meetings would be so much like a therapy session. Parents were eager to tell us all their problems and how little Johnny can’t concentrate at home. It was sad really. Several adults and children had tears of joy and fear coming into the conference but I am happy to say that every conference ended on a good note. My host teacher is great with word choice and making people feel comfortable. She likes to talk about the positive things that each student is doing in class. She brings up the struggles in a positive way and I feel that we might see some changes from students next week in class. What a great learning experience.

I am thankful for my family:

As most know, it has been a crazy few months of stress on my family. Several family members have been in and out of the hospital for different reasons. My great grandmother passed away not too long ago. And a few weeks ago was the anniversary of my grandmother's (on my dad’s side) death from cancer. I often wonder what she would think of me and what she would be like if she were alive today.

Overall, I am so grateful to have a family that puts up with my constant rambling about all the new things I am learning in school. They put up with my excitement and nervousness about the future. I am grateful for my parents who have helped me through college in many ways and I am sure are happy to see the end drawing near. I am thankful for my brother whom I have grown closer to the farther apart we live. I am thankful for a niece who loves me though I can’t see her every day. I am also thankful that she will now talk to me on the phone and never ceases to make me laugh.

I could go on and on…

I am thankful for my friends, past and present:

I am so happy that I have managed to make a few new friends this year. With the hectic schedule, some friends have been placed on the back burner. While it’s not ideal, it is the way things have to be for this year. I am happy to say that I have made friends with other student teachers who can empathize with my situation. Not only that, but they are funny and upbeat. Knowing that the winter days are getting shorter and shorter, it’s nice to have a few happy, helpful friends on the long dark winter days.

I am constantly in awe of how time changes things. Right now, the Paradise Jam is taking place in the Virgin Islands. I remember sitting in the stands watching the games and wishing I were back up here. Now, I would give anything for a bit of sun! Ha! Anyways, so much has changed since then. I have lost friends due to distance, differences, and/or distractions. But I can honestly say that I am thankful for the experiences they gave me and the hardships I have overcome. I am thankful for their exits, some exuberant and others quiet. I have learned from them all.

Overall, I am thankful for the people that come in and out of my life. They bring joy and a sense of peace. Some bring drama and a devious spirit. Either way, they make life fun and challenging. I can’t imagine it any other way.

Lastly, I am thankful for the snow:

Juneau has been under a winter storm warning on and off for a few days now. We continue to get snow on top of snow, on top of snow. It rains, it melts, and then it snows again. Last night we received somewhere around a foot of snow and it is still falling. While it is freezing outside and my car is completely hidden under the winter blanket, I am grateful.

I am grateful because the snow is beautiful. I will admit that I was dreading winter but I had forgotten how beautiful Juneau looks with a layer of snow on it. Not only does it look like a postcard, but the pure white covering the evergreens and the icicles hanging off the buildings get me in the mood for Christmas. I’m thinking the 14 hour travel home might not be sooo bad now.

On top of the beauty, the snow is keeping me inside. It is forcing me to sit here and update my blog. After which, I am starting my homework. Like I mentioned before, I have readings, papers, and presentations to finish before NEXT WEEK! Thank God the snow has literally blocked in my car, not to mention my front porch. I have a feeling I will be getting a lot of work done over the next few days! Hurray!

What are you thankful for?

I Hope Everyone Has A Wonderful Thanksgiving!

I never teach my pupils; I only attempt to provide the conditions in which they can learn. - Albert Einstein

It seems like time is flying by because I have so much to do and nowhere to start. I am caught up on all my classes. I guess that's the good news. Yet, as the end of the semester draws nearer, I feel like I'm having a panic attack. I have so many papers to write, papers that will be in my portfolio. I can BS a paper like no one else but I figure that any paper that will stick in my portfolio should probably be well written and something I am confident about. I need to find some time to start on these even though they aren't do for several more weeks.

Let's see....Whats new? Well, I went out Friday night for the first time since summer break. I met up with several of the masters students for pizza and then we watched a band play at The Alaskan. It was funny to see how the majority of us teachers were leaving as the actual bar crowd was starting to arrive. A full day at school is an exhausting job. Some of these masters students have under twenty students in their class and they complain about how tired they are. It makes me feel good to know that our class is approaching thirty students and I'm hanging in there.

Speaking of my host classroom, things are going really well. This past week we got our first snow of the season. It was something like 8-10 inches and the students were CRAZY. Three recesses a day, on snowy days, means three recesses to get completely soaked and wild! With the arrival of snow, I felt it necessary to change the tree outside of the classroom. Here are the pictures so far of the seasonal tree:

I have to say that I'm impressed by my creativity here. It's not amazing but at least it looks like a tree! HA! The students really loved it and I had a few helping me. They put "holiday hats" on each bird. We also made a snowman that stands right beside our classroom door.

Parent teacher conferences are coming up and my host teacher likes to have the classroom nearly sparkling with student creativity. Their work is going to be hanging all around the room and we both think that the lovely tree (which most parents don't even notice) is a good addition. If there is one thing that I have learned from this entire experience so far (and there are many things I have learned) it is that teachers do SO much for their students and parents.

Not only do they keep the students safe at school and teach them, but they support them in extracurricular activities, they push them to do better at whatever they are involved in, they really take on the role of a second or third parent. To top it all off, they put a TON of work into their classrooms to make the classroom a safe, fun, place that can foster learning. Sadly, much of this goes unnoticed, even by the best parents. Half of the parents hold some sort of grudge against the teacher who MUST be out to get their child, and they don't even care that while they are at work, you are taking the time to sit one-on-one with their child (a 4th/5th grader) in order to get her reading above a first grade level (which is of course the schools fault to begin with). I truly believe that if parents were to completely support teachers and work with schools, the world would be a better place. But that is a soapbox I could write about forever.

So my week....well, I have to get in a literacy lesson plan sometime. So far, my host teacher has shot down a few of my ideas. We just don't have very much time in the day to work in new routines. I also have an assignment due tomorrow where I have to update my resume, answer interview questions, and fill out job applications. It's pretty exciting and a little unnerving that I don't have any idea where I want to end up after this year. I guess that means I can fill out applications from all over. Why not, right?

The school district has Friday off for veterans day this week. I'm very excited for the three day weekend. Thus far, anytime we have had a three/four day weekend, I have been in the classroom for teacher work days. Not this time. We all get a break and it is MUCH needed. I'm going to work my hardest to catch up on Everything so that I can really relax. I'm not sure if it will happen, but can't hurt trying.