It's been awhile...

Today was a bummer day for some reason. I didn't especially want to get up this morning and we were pretty rushed getting out of here on time. I wasn't thrilled with my lessons for the day and it showed. My co-op has been challenging me to do more creative things and I feel like I have been. I think she is holding me to pretty high standards and I want to rise up to the challenge, but it takes A LOT more time and effort that I have not been putting into my planning.

I prayed throughout the day that God would make me humble and teachable and that I would have renewed energy for tonight's planning. I want to embrace this time as a time to grow and learn and not simply "get by."

Please pray that I will put the time and effort needed to benefit my students and to better myself as an educator.

another good day

Hello again! Today was a good day at St. Johns. I enjoyed the students today a lot. My co-op is really funny and I just enjoy being in the classroom.

I taught today and my co-op was out of the room. She had a team curriculum meeting, so I did vocabulary and read a chapter from "By the Great Horn Spoon!" to the students. They are excellent students and pay attention! Haha. I really appreciate them. I also took them outside and we played "Newcomb," a game on the turf outside.

The weather was nice today and I felt hot for the first time since we've arrived. Todd and I decided to ride bikes on the trail by our house. It was breezy, but felt good to ride.

I am going to go help with dinner. Will write soon!

hello from california!!

We made it! We began our journey Thursday afternoon and arrived in California Saturday afternoon. We saw family in Colorado and Las Vegas. They were quick trips, but really enjoyable. The trip went surprisingly well and was fun! The scenery was beautiful and I had a few movies to occupy my mind. :) I also took a turn driving.

Since arriving, it has been a whirlwind. We were quickly swept up into the hurried California pace. That is going to be an adjustment!

The weather is relatively warm here, even though the locals think it is chilly! It is comical.

Before today, our trip had been a mini-vacation. I was a little unsure of what it would be like to jump into another classroom. We left pretty early this morning and were able to avoid heavy traffic on the freeway. It took about 15 minutes to get to school, which is pretty close! We met Todd's teacher and he gave us a tour. I then went into my classroom and read notes the students had written to me. It was good to familiarize myself with names before the day began.

My co-op arrived and introduced herself. She is very confident and efficient. Those are my best descriptor words so far. I think she will be EXCELLENT to work with. I really, really like her. She is slightly intimidating because I think she is such a good teacher. She had such command in the classroom and is very much in control. I really like her style and think we will get along great. I know I will be challenged, but I am excited to learn from her.

I really, really enjoyed today. I think it is going to be a really good experience. My co-op is also going to set me up with time in both the K and 1st classrooms to prepare for next year. I am really thankful she is so ready and willing to help make this a good experience for me. I am looking forward to tomorrow!

Last week!

I cannot believe how quickly the time has flown by. Todd and I were super busy this weekend, frantically crossing things off of my ever-growing "to-do" list! We really were able to get a lot accomplished. Our house looks like a disaster, but it is organized chaos--I promise!

This week will be relatively easy in regards to schoolwork. I am only teaching English this week so I have had lots of time to make copies of good hand-outs my co-op has and sit in on a few other teachers.

I am really looking foward to tomorrow, where I will spend my afternoon in the Kindergarten classroom!

I really will miss the students. It will be difficult to leave, but there is much excitement ahead!

A good week...

Yesterday was a really good day. Two of my strugglers in math were really getting multiplication and were getting SO excited about it. It was really, really neat.

Also, we talked a little bit about September 11 (the kids I am teaching were one year olds!!! I felt sooo old. I couldn't believe it!! It is so, so recent in my mind.) Anywho...we had an amazing discussion about Islam and a little bit about the beliefs and how we could respond to it. It was beautiful to see and hear the faith of children...answering how they would share Jesus' love and God's word with someone who didn't know the truth. Then kids starting sharing answers of times they'd shared with neighbors, relatives, etc. about Jesus. So incredible!

Then...we did Science class. I gave each of the students a book and they could choose an animal and read a little about their animal. They were so excited about it and were telling me all kinds of cool facts they found. The room was filled with a joy for learning.

Today was really good as well. I really started to like the kids...I know that sounds funny. I have loved them all along, but today started to enjoy them so much and laugh at their humor. I have been teaching them powerpoint and each student is making their own presentation called "My Story." It has been so neat to learn little things about each child.

We also continued with the animals in Science and they continued to be really excited about them and share with me various animal stories. It was really enjoyable!!

The weather is BEAUTIFUL and it is going to be a good evening. I'm slightly overwhelmed with the things to do to finish out student teaching 1 strong and to prepare for leaving for student teaching 2. I'm so thankful for Todd! :)

Still learning

I am thoroughly enjoying my weekend so far! Today has been very relaxing and there is still a lot of time left!

This week went well. A new added difficulty was actually stemming from an unexpected source--my co-op. She has been having some stresses in her life and shared them with me this week. It came very unexpectedly and I still feel confused about a lot of what she shared. It has been an interesting challenge to attempt to be an encouragement for her as well this week. Please pray for her to be reminded of the overwhelming love of our Father for her!

My teaching went relatively smoothly this week. The students did fantastic with the science tests and seemed to remember things so well! It was great. I'm really regretting not using this unit I taught for a "teacher work sample" I have to do for a Student Teaching...bummer! I just think I had a lot of good ideas and the students did well with the material...oh well.

I am still trying to figure out different things about classroom management, but I continue to grow and improve in this area.

I will be observed this week and also add English to my list. I really, really enjoy teaching! I can't believe this will be the last full week at Messiah...the next week is National Lutheran School's week (which will be CRAZY!) and only four days! There is so, so much to do before we leave. It is kind of scary.

I will write again soon!

Day off!

I have been enjoying a day off today. I had Methods class this morning and then have been working on crossing off items from my "to-do" list. It has been GREAT to be home a lot this weekend!

I am really looking forward to the week. This week I will add math and computer to my teaching responsibilities. We also finished up our "Stone Fox" book for Social Studies, so I will be moving back into the textbook. I will continue with Science as well. It is really fun to add responsibility. I really enjoy adding more subjects and it really makes the day go quickly!

Todd and I had our formal interview with Amazing Grace in Seattle on Sunday afternoon. I was pretty nervous beforehand, but Todd was confident and I think that helped! It went smoothly and we are very, very excited about the likelihood of us serving there this coming year.

Again, thank you for your prayers and interest in this teaching adventure! I am excited to see how I've been stretched and have grown through this experience!

It's been awhile...

I'm not sure why I haven't written in so long. Obviously it's been busy, but I just haven't made time for this!

This week has been a good one. I really, really have enjoyed teaching. I have found it very rewarding.

We had a substitute teacher today, so that was very interesting. I basically was a "teacher aid" for her and made copies and such. It was kind of strange...I have been teaching quite a bit and she had an art project and worksheet packets for the students to do and my lessons were cut in half. I just don't think good communication happened and she didn't really expect a lot from me, which was disappointing. Anyways...we are very behind where I wanted to be with our Science unit, but that's okay.

Todd and I went to a "Valentine's Adventure" at his school in Utica. The K-2 students put on a dinner (with lots of parent help!). They were dressed SO cute and had special roles, passing out certain items and telling people where to sit. The K students did a very funny presentation where the teacher had asked them questions and they filled in what came to mind. The teacher asked things like, "Why did your mommy marry your daddy?" and other questions like that. Todd and I were laughing so much! It was really enjoyable. I have been thinking a lot lately about whether I can teach children that young...and today my heart was really filled with a love for children that age. :)

I am feeling slightly stressed with upcoming things: ST 2 in California, figuring out housing stuff, our possible first job in Seattle as a kindergarten teacher, some things I have to finish up for my endorsement in May, etc. There is a lot that is weighing on my mind.

Thanks for the prayers!

Another good day...

Today was pretty good. It went quickly again...and I was excited about my two lessons.

Stone Fox Ch. 2 went well. The students seemed excited to read it again and are anxious to keep going. It is wonderful to have them engaged!

I also did baseball review for our science class. All things considering, it went well! This class can really over-do things and tends to go crazy in fun activities, but this one went pretty well. My back-up was to do the book review as a class in case it got crazy. Two boys were SO competitive and argued with me about number of outs and score and all kinds of stuff! It makes me sad that they are so distracted by that. We had a chat that the point of this is to review the science material...I really hope to make some strides with these two.

Off to plan for tomorrow...another chapter or two of Stone Fox and a Science test!

Quick Day!

Today flew by...I'm not really sure why, but it went really quickly! I was excited to go to school this morning. It was beautiful outside. The bushes, trees, and plants were covered with a light snow. I really enjoyed the drive to Lincoln.

I introduced "Stone Fox" today, a book about a young boy who enters a dogsled race to save his Grandfather's farm and is racing against fierce competitors! It is an excellent book and I am very excited to use it with this class! Today we looked at the author, shared stories about our relationships with dogs, made predictions about the title, and read Ch. 1. The students were pretty excited and wanted me to keep reading--which is great!

I also taught Science. We watched a video--Bill Nye "Pollution Solutions." It was excellent! We discussed the video, I did an experiment, and we read from our text in groups. I then had each student make a "commitment card" about their personal choices to improve how they treat God's creation. I told them to tell their parents about it and hang it on the fridge as a reminder.

I am doing a review tomorrow for my Science test (we are playing a baseball game with review questions) and also doing more with Stone Fox.

**Big news! Found out today Todd and I will be at St. John's Lutheran School in Orange! We had been hoping and we were told this morning that it is final! I will be in 4th grade and Todd in 6th.

Thanks for the prayers! I feel like I am learning SO much.

Ups and Downs

I am excited to share! I had a very interesting week. I continued to teach Science and we will be taking a test on Wednesday. This is definitely a test for how well I was able to get the material across to the students and if they are able to remember and perform well. I am excited to learn more about testing and preparing students for a test.

My down day was Thursday. The students were boisterous alllll day. We had boys getting into fights (physical and verbal) over the football game at recess, where they were standing in line, what color someone's hat was in a movie, you NAME it! I felt like I was in some sort of school working solely on teaching behavior. It was a very difficult day, a real test. In Science, we were working in groups and I had two boys near tears over things that were said. I was very surprised and disappointed by the way they were treating one another.

After the students left, my co-op said, "What a day, huh?" and the tears began to flow!! She told me that was one of her most difficult days yet. She also informed me that this has been her most difficult class ever (she has taught for 11 years) because of the dynamics of the students. The boys' personalities really clash. She also said that many of the students are the oldest in the family and some are only children, so that adds challenges as well. She also told me that had considered not having a student teacher due to the difficulties of this class. I was pretty disappointed and frustrated by this information, really wanting to be in a welcoming environment where I can thrive and not a place where I am breaking up fights and solely managing the students.

Todd treated me wonderfully when I returned home with dark chocolate and a pizza. I had a relaxing evening and spent time journalling and praying.

Friday I went to school with a renewed attitude, hoping to be able to reach the students with love. I was supposed to teach religion, so I scratched the original book and wrote a devotion/lesson on God's great love for us and the love we can show others through the power of the Spirit.

We had a good discussion and I had the students journal about things they've struggled with/messed up on and how we can work to improve it. I had one boy write, "I am often angry with some of my friends, but I know that God can fill my angry spots with his love." How wonderful!

My co-op had rearranged the students and had a few strategies to try, providing many opportunities for students to work together on different assignments. It was beautiful to see their cooperation and love when the day before had went so poorly!! I was truly energized by the students. What a great feeling!

My co-op said it was the best and most refreshing day she'd had all year! How wonderful. Praise Jesus!

Thank you for your concern, love and prayers.

Prayers needed!

I can't believe I haven't written since Monday! It has been a very, VERY challenging week, particularly with the students' behaviors. There has been a significant increase in anger with each other and disrespect. It has been very disheartening!

I am going to change from the normal religion lesson for tomorrow and do a lesson on God's great love for us and how we can love others. I'm confident that God's word will be powerful and effective and will accomplish His purpose.

Thanks for the prayers!

Formal Observation

I taught Science today. We did investigation centers where the students used handlenses to look at soil and sand. I had them compare and contrast what they saw and felt. They seemed very excited and on-task, which is always encouraging! I had a mix of hands-on activities and some time where the students needed to sit in their seats and do a report about their observations. We also looked in the text and talked about some new vocabulary. It seemed to be a good balance.

I was observed by my university supervisor during this lesson. I was nervous leading up to her visit, but once I began teaching felt very confident in my lesson. Things went relatively smoothly and she had really positive comments for me. It feels good to have three days of teaching done!

I had a little girl begin to cry at lunch today, sharing with me a financial struggle in her family. It caught me off guard, but we were able to talk about tough times and laughed by the end of our talk.

One thing I am really striving towards right now is working on positive reinforcement. I know that there are certain students I am constantly speaking with about their behavior...and it seems that my communication with them is mostly negative. I really want to try to praise them when I see them on task, participating, etc.

Yay for Fridays!

I had a really enjoyable Friday with the students. The snow coming down was beautiful, but not so fun to drive home in!

I had to discipline a few boys today...lots of erasers flying and things being catapulted across the room after several warnings. I am trying to come up with a center or activity where we can measure how far they can launch their erasers and show them that there is a place for it, but it is NOT during a lesson!

I taught Science again. The students were EXTREMELY squirrely all day, so I was anticipating a restless last period. Having Science at the very end of the day is an interesting challenge in itself. I need to realize that they will have lots of energy and set up centers and things they can investigate and move around. We are looking at different types of soil, so I am excited to figure out how to let them be curious and ask lots of questions, but not get out of hand with the materials.

I am gaining confidence being in front of the class and managing students' behaviors as I'm teaching. I really am learning a lot.

Looking forward to Monday--I have my first supervisor observation! Pray that I can be teachable and humble as she gives me suggestions.

A day of encouragement

Today was so much better! I haven't had a "bad" day of teaching yet, but was quite overwhelemed last night. I want to be an effective and excellent teacher, but was really wrestling with how to do that and maintain my sanity! I spoke with a good friend (who is teaching in Indonesia right now) on skype and she prayed with me and it really was an encouragement to my heart. She reminded me of my purpose as a teacher is much more than lesson plans and activities; rather, it is to love my students and share the love of our Father with them. I also was able to speak with a mentor/former professor, who freed me from a lot of guilt and worry and helped me to laugh. She told me that this first phase of student teaching is the most difficult and that she is confident in my abilities. God provided the right words from these two.

I felt an overwhelming love for my students as I helped them through the studies towards the end of the day. It was an incredible thing! My worry was gone...and my focus was on showing them love.

My lesson plan went well. The timing was right on and the students were engaged...and my co-op had some good suggestions.

I am excited to teach!!!

Day #2 and exhausted!

Home from the second day. I can't believe that is right! I really feel like I have been doing this for many more days than only two.

Crazy how easy a college schedule seems compared to this. Class for what...maybe two or three hours TOTAL all day? Naps, lunches at home, time for you to decide what to do with. What a luxury!

I feel pretty exhausted and overwhelmed, honestly. Wondering if I can do this "teacher" thing. I simply don't know how I can have enough energy to be in school from 730-330 and THEN come home and have lesson plans to create and materials to get ready for my activities. There aren't enough hours in a day to be an effective teacher. Or if there are...I am using my time poorly.

I ask for your prayers for me to be encouraged and for me to know how to use my time to serve the students.

Day #1!

So I survived day #1! I am in a class with 22 3rd grade students. (11 boys!!) They are a WILD and crazy bunch...so much energy! There seems to be a lot of curiosity and interest. I need to find a way to direct that towards learning. I have a lot of ideas and it is simply a matter of trying things out and seeing how it goes. My co-operating teacher seems very willing to let me try things out and asks me for ideas, so that is encouraging.

Funny things...I was asked today, "Will you bake cookies for us?" For the life of me, I could not figure out where that question came from! I later remembered I had told my co-op some things about me and had mentioned I enjoyed baking. She passed that message along to the class, thus forming the idea in the students' minds that I would be baking food for the class. :) Another thing: I signed about 20 different slips of paper of students who wanted my "autograph." Gotta love these kids!

Thanks for your prayers! I begin my first teaching Thursday. I will do a science class on "Resources."

The calm before the storm...

Day #1 is tomorrow! I am excited to observe my teacher and begin to learn the students' names. I am anticipating this learning experience, hoping to challenge myself to become a good teacher. I will try to update this and let you know the things I'm learning and how I'm being challenged.

For now, please pray for me to be a servant. Also, pray for my time in the word, that it can be regular and transforming me.