WOWWWW!!

Wow!  Where has the time gone??  Life is so funny sometimes, and I'm sure that God must laugh at us.  I meant to keep the blog updated, but I didn't realize it had already been so long since I had made a post.  School has been pretty good.  Slightly stressful and crazy busy, but good.  My exit portfolio is coming along, and it is getting CLOSE to being done, and that makes me so happy :D. I have the rest of this week, next week (which is actually Thanksgiving break :D) then another full week, and then 2 or 3 more days, and I will be finished.  I'm not sure yet if I'll cry lol, but I wouldn't doubt it.  I really love my kids, but at the same time, I will be so happy to have finished.  I feel like God has carried me through this year, and I wouldn't have ever been able to make it through without Him.  This has, by far, been the hardest year of my life, but I also feel like I have grown the most, and I have found Him more wonderful and faithful than ever before.  For that, I wouldn't trade anything. 

In the mean time, I have found some awesome teacher websites, some of which I have uploaded to Pinterest and another music group that I really like (the Bowling Family).  I have also been playing the piano more (:  which I thoroughly enjoy.  I haven't played much at all with school because I was so busy, but I have started sitting down and playing here lately, and it helps me so much...ahhh I love music lol (: 

Freedom Week

This week at school is Freedom Week.  Friday we are having an assembly, and every grade is supposed to be doing something special to learn and represent freedom week.  My unit is on Arkansas History and so I had found this idea, which I shared in an earlier post, that I was planning on doing on a smaller scale for my kids, and another class I teach Social Studies too.  But since the Interns had to head up Freedom Week, we decided to do this for all of 1st grade.  So we had 111 kids I think in all.  Well...today, we finished it!!  The kids were SOOOO proud of it, and they absolutely loved helping us make it.  I must say though, that I am glad to be finished.  Staying on the concrete floor on your knees for hours at a time got rough after a while...but it was well worth it.  We will have this hung for the assembly on Friday and 1st grade will present it to one of the people in the community.  I am so very proud of my boys and girls.  What a team...

The Finished Product!!

Still working on it (:

Just Starting Out!

Bulletin Board

Hello my peoples,
  I had talked about the bulletin board I did for the classroom, and I finally have a picture of it!  Here is what it looks like...

My Story

I was trying to help Brandi with her homework the other night, and she had to write a persuasive essay where she was supposed to write about something that was dear to her, but write it in such a way as to make anyone reading the story to not want it.  I wrote a sample for this story, which I was proud of :D  I thought it was really good.  It wasn't used, however, lol because it was too much of a "fairy tale" like story.  Brandi said when she closed her eyes and listened to me read it, that it was like a children's book.  She also asked me when I was going to write a book.  I have no idea if this is in my future, but I think it would be an exciting thing to undertake.  Anyway, I wanted to post the story on here and share it with you.  I hope you enjoy it!

My Favorite Purse

There is a certain purse in my possession that is my absolute favorite.  It is sleek black with plenty of room to fit everything I could possibly need, inside, including Petey, my pet cockroach.  He makes his abode in the left corner of my purse where I always make sure to leave enough room for him.  He is pretty good most of the time, but loves to nibble on fingertips.  When he gets bored, he goes to the right side of my purse where he can play with old, used pieces of gum, that I tend to forget to throw away.  The second thing I love about my purse is the long, silver straps.  They gleam and glitter in the mid-day sunshine.  Every afternoon I gently brush the silver straps of my purse.  The straps are a beautiful shade of silver because it is the hair that come from my deceased godmother.  This purse is precious to me, but I suppose that if someone was in serious need of a new purse, then I could consider handing it over, as long as they would be willing to take good care of Petey and would promise to brush my godmother’s hair. 

I thought it was interesting anyway :D  Looking forward to a wonderful weekend, and an exciting week of school coming up!

a New day

This week of Internship was good!  I am repeatedly amazed at how good God is.  I am so thankful that we can trust Him, and that He is faithful. 

I finished a bulletin board this week at school.  I was going to take a picture of it but my camera was dead, so I will add one later.  It turned out pretty good! 

Yesterday I was at school all day then I also had to work at my job last night.  Needless to say, I slept in :D  And it was so nice!!

After sleep and playing around, I finally started on homework!  Writing Taskstream lesson plans...definitely NOT my most favorite thing to do...but something that has to be done...and I am that much closer to finishing my Exit Portfolio :D. 

I have gotten almost 3 lesson plans done today, which doesn't sound like much, but when they're made in Taskstream, it's a lot!  So that's a good accomplishment I think. 

My unit that I am doing for my Exit Portfolio is going to be over AR History, so this is what I have been planning in my lessons.  I have planned a lesson about symbols.  We are going to talk about the American flag and ways to be respectful to the flag.  We are also going to talk about the meanings of the stars and stripes on the flag.  We have also (in previous lessons) talked about jobs and leaders, rules and laws.  So we are going to make a thank-you book for the leaders of our school, and draw a picture of the flag!  THEN...I really, REALLY want to have the kids do this AWESOME project.  It is an American Flag made out of handprints  I think the children would love it, and I do too :D.  I think being an Art Teacher would be fun also lol.  Anyway, here is a picture of a flag done with handprints. 

Isn't it cool?!?!

There is also another craft with they use one handprint to create a personalized American flag that they put on a posicle stick.  It's pretty neat too!  Anyway, after this lesson, I plan to go on to American symbols.  We will also talk about symbols in AR. 

I'm also supposed to teach them about voting :D.  How are you supposed to teach 1st graders about voting?  I'm not exactly sure yet, but I think it's going to be fun!! :D

My mentor teacher I have is awesome this semester.  I love her so much!!  She is very positive and she has helped me so much.  I can't believe I only have 12 weeks and two days left!!  I believe it's going to fly by.

The kids in my class are hysterical, and they crack me up all the time.  They are so sweet, and a couple of them are a little sneaky, but they bring a lot of laughter and joy to me.  One student was trying to figure out my first name on my name tag the other day and said it was Jefferson :D 

I feel like I still have a ways to go to becoming a great teacher, but I feel like I will learn it here. 

Ecclesiastes 3:1   To every thing there is a season, and  a time to every purpose under the heaven:

This is the verse the Lord gave me a while back, and it has applied so well.  Things we go through will not last forever, and there are reasons and seasons for the trials that we must face.  But there are also reasons and seasons for the good times we experience.  How we react to both hard and easy times, makes us who we are.  God knows what will make us, and what will break us. 

So this present time:  this time that I was so apprehensive, scared and full of dread about...has turned out to be a blessing that I cannot explain or describe.  I have learned even more that when God says something - He means it.  And He means it to the fullest.  It is worth everything, when we devote our lives to Him.

There is a song by Mark Bishop that I really like...the chorus goes like this:  It all works out, it's all OK, it turns around before the last page.  It seems unfair, it seems unkind, but by the end it turns out fine, it all works out.

I have begun to get back my love of teaching.  And I love it :D  There is a time of pain...and a time of healing. 

Good nite (;

Ralph Waldo Emerson

I was trying to figure out a "name" for my blog :)  And in the process, I found these quotes by Ralph Waldo Emerson.  I really liked both of them.  And they seem to fit my life this year ;)  So I thought I'd share them with you.

Do not go where the path may lead, go instead where there is no path and leave a trail.
Ralph Waldo Emerson

Whatever you do, you need courage. Whatever course you decide upon, there is always someone to tell you that you are wrong. There are always difficulties arising that tempt you to believe your critics are right. To map out a course of action and follow it to an end requires some of the same courage that a soldier needs. Peace has its victories, but it takes brave men and women to win them.
Ralph Waldo Emerson

Where Do I Begin?

I've been meaning to start a journal, but it never seems to work.  So now I'm going to try a blog :D  It is labor day weekend, and I am without a voice.  I started Internship for the second time last Wednesday, on the 24th.  Thursday one of the students sneezed on me...over the weekend, I got sick, and by the end of the week, my voice is pretty much shot.  But it's ok :D  Friday afternoon I had to teach, and my voice gave out and I started laughing at myself.  I sound pretty hilarious. 

  I have made it through a week and a half of Internship, and I must say, that I love it.  It is totally different from my other experience, and for that I am thankful.  I'm in first grade, and it is wonderful!  I also have a wonderful teacher, who is very positive and down to earth.  Monday is labor day, so I plan to spend this weekend working on lesson plans and my unit.  My unit will be over Arkansas History, and I think that will be a fun topic :D.