Stuff

A lot has been on my mind lately. It's not necessarily deep or profound, but it's just a lot of stuff. Stuff that preoccupies my mind 24/7.

I just finished my first trimester of teaching but it just hit me today that I just finished my first trimester of teaching! I am a third of the way done and I'm not so sure I know what my kids have learned in 12 weeks of school. I'm feeling a little nervous that the end of the year is going to come around and my kids won't have improved. At my school, testing is weighed heavily. Not only do we take the CRT like the rest of the state, but we are also piloting a new test that the kids take every fall, winter and spring. I like this new test much better than the end of the year one because it actually measures progress so teachers can use the data to help their teaching. I know I shouldn't stress over tests because more often than not, they don't actually measure what a student knows, but it's hard being a first year teacher and having that kind of pressure. Anyway, I'm sure my students will improve some, but I just worry.

I am in dire need of this break coming up. I feel like it is a lot easier to get burned out now than it ever used to be. I teach three full weeks of school, and I feel like I'm done and in need of some rest. It's crazy how time-consuming one job can be. This Thanksgiving was supposed to be a "Farr" Thanksgiving because last year we had it with Derek's family, but a couple of weeks ago, my mom said that she and Matt were going to California to be with Matt's parents. We're still going to see Doug, Heather, Tyler, Chelsea and the kids, but it's kind of funny how we are trying to set it all up so we can all be on the same track, and then my mom of all people goes and switches everything. She's always sad when she can't be with us because we are celebrating a holiday with our in-laws, yet when we are planning to do it with her, she bails.

Tomorrow at school, we are having a Thanksgiving feast. I'm super excited about it. At first, I thought I was going to have to spend a lot of money out-of-pocket because I figured not very many parents could bring food, but I was pleasantly surprised. I'm pretty sure we are going to have about 5-6 pies, turkey, cheese, vegetables, rolls, apple juice, apples, muffins, and popcorn. All I have to bring is cool whip! I'm just excited because we are going to eat and tell one thing each of us is thankful for. It's really going to be a fun day.

I'm getting really excited for the Christmas holiday. I'm just ready to start doing all of the fun Christmasy things. I usually get annoyed at people who start getting ready for Christmas before Thanksgiving is over, but this year, I have been ready for Christmas since before Halloween. I don't know what it is, but I've wanted to pull out the Christmas music and start decorating. I've withheld my urges because I still think it's a tad too soon, but I must say I am more ready for Christmas this year than I have ever been.

I got suckered into singing in church on Sunday. Luckily it's a trio so I don't have to do a solo, but I'm still wondering why I said yes.

That's life for now.