I hate inside recess days more than just about anything. In fact, I dare you to come up with something that I hate more than inside recess days. They are terrible! Not only do I not get the time away from the kids which is really needed, but I don't get time for lunch. Also, the kids get way too crazy and cooped up and it is literally impossible to teach anything. The kids can't stay focused on anything and it just makes for a really long day.
We had 3 inside recess days this week, and I can't say enough how glad I am it's Friday! This week was way too long and I'm sure the weekend won't be long enough.
We Are Fami-Lee
Friday, December 11, 2009
Friday, December 4, 2009
Prayers
I have this friend named Megan who is about ten years older than me. I met her when I was in Young Women and she was my only "young and cool" leader. After I turned 18, I was asked to go to Girls' Camp as a leader and that's where I really got to know Megan and consider her a friend. She is one of the most spiritually in-tune people I have ever met but not in an annoying way if you know what I mean. She isn't condescending but genuine and sincere.
She has been trying to start a family with her husband for some time now. They have been married, I want to say close to 8 years and for the past 6 or so they have been trying to conceive. Megan had several miscarriages but last year, in 2008, she got some really great news. She was chosen by a mother to adopt a baby boy! Everyone was so excited for her. The news got even better when a couple of weeks later she found out she was pregnant...with twins! She decided that three babies at around the same age would be difficult, so she informed the mother that she would not be adopting her child.
Megan's pregnancy was considered high-risk, not only because she had had so many miscarriages but also because she was having a multiple birth. After several weeks of an emotional roller coaster, the worst thing happened. She gave birth to her twins when they were only 20 weeks along. One was a still-birth and the other, she was able to hold for an hour before she died.
My heart grieved for my friend. If anyone should ever be a mother, it was her. She was such an example to me and even though I knew she was engulfed in sorrow, she was still able to see some good. Yes, at times, she may have just said those things without believing them, but even to pretend to see the good when you are experiencing so much pain is commendable. I kept in touch with her and often prayed for her and her husband in their trying time.
A couple of days ago, she posted on her blog some very exciting news. She again was chosen to adopt a baby boy. She has known since August, but didn't want to share with the world until she felt it was right. The baby is due in 5 weeks and we couldn't be happier for her. Finally, she is going to be the mother that she has always wanted to be. But that's not all. As it sometimes goes with fate, she found out only ten days after receiving the news that she would adopt that she was again pregnant. Again, she didn't tell anyone for fear of the worst. She is definitely going to still adopt this baby boy in January, for which I am incredibly glad.
It still makes me nervous, however. This experience is almost identical to the situation she found herself in last summer. I want to shout for joy for her, but I am hesitant to do so for fear that she would lose one or both of them again. Her situation is the only one where I feel less than optimistic. I don't know why. It's not even my life, but I am just so scared for her. I want this to be the end of sadness for her. It kills me every time I think about all that she has experienced and I just want it to be over for her.
So, even though you may not know her, keep her in your prayers. She's very deserving of them.
Thursday, November 26, 2009
Happy Thanksgiving!
Just wanted to wish everyone a very happy Thanksgiving. I am in Utah and will be celebrating Thanksgiving with my grandparents and my siblings. I am thankful for family and I am especially thankful for how close we all live so we can spend time with each other often!
Monday, November 23, 2009
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.
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.
Friday, November 13, 2009
Read-a-thon
Today is the last day of the first trimester. That means that I have been a teacher for 1/3 of an entire school year. I can't even believe it. It has flown by, and I know it will just go quicker because the holidays are coming up and once we get back from Christmas break, there will only be one month left until the 2nd trimester is over!
I wanted to celebrate with my kids today because since it's the last day of the trimester, it also means it is the last day for my kids to turn in their assignments. None of my students failed any of the classes (it is actually kind of surprising, because the district requires us to give 4th graders hard-core grades...it's kind of ridiculous), so I decided to do a read-a-thon. When the idea was first given to me, I thought it wouldn't really be a celebration because they'd be reading, but the kids loved it. I let them bring pillows, blankets, and food, and we just read the entire day! It was so much fun. I had the kids write down how many pages they read and I am going to be giving some prizes for most pages read. I think the best part about it was that I got to sit and read the whole day too! Super fun!
I wanted to celebrate with my kids today because since it's the last day of the trimester, it also means it is the last day for my kids to turn in their assignments. None of my students failed any of the classes (it is actually kind of surprising, because the district requires us to give 4th graders hard-core grades...it's kind of ridiculous), so I decided to do a read-a-thon. When the idea was first given to me, I thought it wouldn't really be a celebration because they'd be reading, but the kids loved it. I let them bring pillows, blankets, and food, and we just read the entire day! It was so much fun. I had the kids write down how many pages they read and I am going to be giving some prizes for most pages read. I think the best part about it was that I got to sit and read the whole day too! Super fun!
Saturday, October 24, 2009
Baby Brady?
On Thursday, October 22nd at 12:12 p.m. my family was introduced to quite a surprise! We were expecting my sister-in-law, Heather, to have birth to a baby girl, but instead, we got a boy! She spent her entire pregnancy thinking it was a girl (the doctor said she was 100% positive it was a girl) and so she had EVERYTHING pink! And, Heather is not the type to put her newborn kids in anything that hasn't been washed, so she took all the tags off the clothes and washed them all! Pretty sweet!
It was definitely a surprise but we are extremely excited to have a new nephew. It took Doug and Heather the entire pregnancy to come up with a name for a girl (she was going to be named Lily) so they have had quite a difficult time coming up with a name for a boy. At first, it was going to be Ryan. Then, I suggested McKay (I just went through all the names of boys in my class and put them out there) and that was going to be the name for awhile. Now, it's Brady. But who knows? The kid is two days old, there's a lot of time to change it! :)
My niece, Emily and nephew, Colby (the siblings) have been really funny about the whole situation. At first, Emily was really mad. She locked herself in her room (she's 4) and wouldn't talk to anyone. She thought that mom and dad had tricked her by telling her it was a boy instead of a girl. She was really upset, especially because she had already divided up all of her bows and dresses to share with the baby! Colby, on the other hand, was pretty happy about having another boy around. After Emily had had a couple of hours to digest the information, she was still upset. She didn't like any of the names that Doug and Heather suggested but she just wanted another Colby. When told that they already had a Colby, she said that she wanted two Colby's. Colby then piped up and said, "Yeah, two Colby's!" Then, Emily got to the point where she said she would love the baby, but she wouldn't talk to him when he got older! After Doug and Heather and the baby came home, everything changed, though. Emily adores the baby and can't get enough of him. She wants to hold him all the time, help change his diaper, etc. It is really quite cute how she has reacted to the whole thing.
Well, hopefully some pictures to come! We are so happy to have a new baby nephew!
It was definitely a surprise but we are extremely excited to have a new nephew. It took Doug and Heather the entire pregnancy to come up with a name for a girl (she was going to be named Lily) so they have had quite a difficult time coming up with a name for a boy. At first, it was going to be Ryan. Then, I suggested McKay (I just went through all the names of boys in my class and put them out there) and that was going to be the name for awhile. Now, it's Brady. But who knows? The kid is two days old, there's a lot of time to change it! :)
My niece, Emily and nephew, Colby (the siblings) have been really funny about the whole situation. At first, Emily was really mad. She locked herself in her room (she's 4) and wouldn't talk to anyone. She thought that mom and dad had tricked her by telling her it was a boy instead of a girl. She was really upset, especially because she had already divided up all of her bows and dresses to share with the baby! Colby, on the other hand, was pretty happy about having another boy around. After Emily had had a couple of hours to digest the information, she was still upset. She didn't like any of the names that Doug and Heather suggested but she just wanted another Colby. When told that they already had a Colby, she said that she wanted two Colby's. Colby then piped up and said, "Yeah, two Colby's!" Then, Emily got to the point where she said she would love the baby, but she wouldn't talk to him when he got older! After Doug and Heather and the baby came home, everything changed, though. Emily adores the baby and can't get enough of him. She wants to hold him all the time, help change his diaper, etc. It is really quite cute how she has reacted to the whole thing.
Well, hopefully some pictures to come! We are so happy to have a new baby nephew!
Saturday, September 19, 2009
It Feels Good!
I guess it's about time that I update this thing seeing how it's been a couple of weeks. Here are a couple of highlights from school since then:
1. My students are starting to see that I mean business so I can start to relax a bit more and I don't have to feel so mean. They know when they need to be working and what I expect of them, so I have more time to have a good time with them during those times when they don't need to be working too hard.
2. I was officially observed on my birthday and even though I never got my official scores, she had a lot of nice things to say to me! She even came in unofficially yesterday while my kids were taking a test and said that she had never seen a class so quiet before. They were taking a test and I told them if they talked, they would have to come in at recess and take it with me then, but still, it was a very nice compliment.
3. Derek got to come and meet my kids on his day off last week. They asked him a lot of funny questions, some of them a little embarrassing for me (What do you like most about Mrs. Lee? Why do these kids want to know that...) but it was fun for Derek to get to meet them. Then, we all went outside and spent about thirty minutes playing capture the flag. Boys against girls. The boys won the first two rounds and then when Derek got recruited to the girls' team and I went to the boys' team, Derek got a victory for the girls! It was really fun and I like that the kids have met him. It makes it a little more fun. And, now, when I talk about some of them, he actually knows who I'm talking about. Well, for the most part.
4. I completely lost control of my class for about fifteen minutes at the end of the day one day this week because a girl did something so sick and funny that I couldn't stop laughing. All the fourth graders at out school sell gummy worms to try and earn more money to go on field trips. (Sidenote: my kids have only been selling for about 2 weeks now, and we have already made $115.00 dollars. That's crazy, and that's just my class!) Some of my girls have thought it would be really good to put some of the sour gummy worms into their water bottles to make it sugar water. I have told them that it is really nasty so if they do that, they can't let me see it (the gummy worms get enlarged and it is just gross!). At the end of the day, this girl was swirling her water in her water bottle and I didn't notice it until it was too late. The gummy worms she had put in there had completely disinigrated and it looked like purple-brown throw-up. I had to completely stop my lesson mid-sentence because it was so gross. I turned and gagged and the kids were like, "what's going on? What is it?" and they were trying to see what had made me stop and turn around like that. I finally turned around and told the girl with a huge smile on my face that she had to put that away right now! It was sick! Everyone knew what I was talking about and I don't know who started it but all of a sudden, all my kids were chanting, "Drink it, drink it, drink it!" I couldn't help but laugh hysterically. I don't know why it was so funny, but I just couldn't help it. The other intern that shares the portable with me opened the door between our rooms and was like, "What's going on?" I couldn't even stop laughing to tell her. I finally got my kids under control again but it was time to go. It might not be that funny to anyone that reads it, but I swear, I was crying I was laughing so hard!
5. I said it briefly before, but I taught on my birthday. It was really fun because I brought cupcakes for my kids and I wouldn't let them forget that it was my birthday because I wrote "HAPPY BIRTHDAY MRS. LEE!" on the board and everytime we had to do anything, I said,
"It would be a really good birthday present if you would..." The kids got a kick out of it because they knew that I was just having a good time with them so it was really fun.
Well, it's probably a good thing that I haven't updated this thing until now because I don't know if I could have come up with as many good things had I not waited. There have been a lot of times these first couple of weeks that I wondered if I chose the right profession. But, I'm learning that when people say "The first month is the hardest," they are absolutely right. I didn't even understand how hard it really was going to be, but I'm starting to get a hang of the routine and figure out what it is I'm supposed to be teaching, and really what I'm supposed to do. One thing that I think will be really hard this whole year is trying not to feel like I'm a bad teacher, because since my kids are so low, it's hard not to blame myself when they completely fail their tests. But, regardless of how they are doing now, I know that they will improve at least somewhat during this year and I just have to give it time. I also know that I chose the perfect profession for myself. I love being a teacher. It is what I was meant to do and I love going to school and seeing those kids everyday. It feels good being a teacher!
1. My students are starting to see that I mean business so I can start to relax a bit more and I don't have to feel so mean. They know when they need to be working and what I expect of them, so I have more time to have a good time with them during those times when they don't need to be working too hard.
2. I was officially observed on my birthday and even though I never got my official scores, she had a lot of nice things to say to me! She even came in unofficially yesterday while my kids were taking a test and said that she had never seen a class so quiet before. They were taking a test and I told them if they talked, they would have to come in at recess and take it with me then, but still, it was a very nice compliment.
3. Derek got to come and meet my kids on his day off last week. They asked him a lot of funny questions, some of them a little embarrassing for me (What do you like most about Mrs. Lee? Why do these kids want to know that...) but it was fun for Derek to get to meet them. Then, we all went outside and spent about thirty minutes playing capture the flag. Boys against girls. The boys won the first two rounds and then when Derek got recruited to the girls' team and I went to the boys' team, Derek got a victory for the girls! It was really fun and I like that the kids have met him. It makes it a little more fun. And, now, when I talk about some of them, he actually knows who I'm talking about. Well, for the most part.
4. I completely lost control of my class for about fifteen minutes at the end of the day one day this week because a girl did something so sick and funny that I couldn't stop laughing. All the fourth graders at out school sell gummy worms to try and earn more money to go on field trips. (Sidenote: my kids have only been selling for about 2 weeks now, and we have already made $115.00 dollars. That's crazy, and that's just my class!) Some of my girls have thought it would be really good to put some of the sour gummy worms into their water bottles to make it sugar water. I have told them that it is really nasty so if they do that, they can't let me see it (the gummy worms get enlarged and it is just gross!). At the end of the day, this girl was swirling her water in her water bottle and I didn't notice it until it was too late. The gummy worms she had put in there had completely disinigrated and it looked like purple-brown throw-up. I had to completely stop my lesson mid-sentence because it was so gross. I turned and gagged and the kids were like, "what's going on? What is it?" and they were trying to see what had made me stop and turn around like that. I finally turned around and told the girl with a huge smile on my face that she had to put that away right now! It was sick! Everyone knew what I was talking about and I don't know who started it but all of a sudden, all my kids were chanting, "Drink it, drink it, drink it!" I couldn't help but laugh hysterically. I don't know why it was so funny, but I just couldn't help it. The other intern that shares the portable with me opened the door between our rooms and was like, "What's going on?" I couldn't even stop laughing to tell her. I finally got my kids under control again but it was time to go. It might not be that funny to anyone that reads it, but I swear, I was crying I was laughing so hard!
5. I said it briefly before, but I taught on my birthday. It was really fun because I brought cupcakes for my kids and I wouldn't let them forget that it was my birthday because I wrote "HAPPY BIRTHDAY MRS. LEE!" on the board and everytime we had to do anything, I said,
"It would be a really good birthday present if you would..." The kids got a kick out of it because they knew that I was just having a good time with them so it was really fun.
Well, it's probably a good thing that I haven't updated this thing until now because I don't know if I could have come up with as many good things had I not waited. There have been a lot of times these first couple of weeks that I wondered if I chose the right profession. But, I'm learning that when people say "The first month is the hardest," they are absolutely right. I didn't even understand how hard it really was going to be, but I'm starting to get a hang of the routine and figure out what it is I'm supposed to be teaching, and really what I'm supposed to do. One thing that I think will be really hard this whole year is trying not to feel like I'm a bad teacher, because since my kids are so low, it's hard not to blame myself when they completely fail their tests. But, regardless of how they are doing now, I know that they will improve at least somewhat during this year and I just have to give it time. I also know that I chose the perfect profession for myself. I love being a teacher. It is what I was meant to do and I love going to school and seeing those kids everyday. It feels good being a teacher!
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