Student Teaching: Getting Acclimated

(Disclaimer: The majority of my posts over the next 16 weeks will be about student teaching, so if you are not interested stop reading now.)

Last week consisted of three full days of training, preparation, motivational speakers, and COFFEE. 

We listened to past and present educators tell us all about their trials and triumphs of teaching, while we patiently awaited Thursday morning to start experiencing our trials and triumphs of our own.

Thursday morning came and as I drove to Lavalette Elementary I turned on some good ole K-Love to get in the right mind set for student teaching. I started praying for a good experience and for God to watch over me and my friends throughout this exciting new chapter in our lives and started to cry (of course). It was just so overwhelming to think about how I really do believe this is God's will for me and I think it was just a way of Him showing me that it was, indeed. 

Anywayyyyyyy

I got to meet my kiddos and check out my classroom for the next 8 weeks and couldn't be more pleased! 

I've got 19 eager students, who are extremely well behaved (or at least they were on their best behavior for me!) and welcomed me with opened arms. 

We started a little late Thursday and Friday was an ISE day, so tomorrow will be my first full day on the job and I'm super excited! 

I have been brain storming all weekend about my unit I'll be teaching in a few weeks and I am PUMPED to share my ideas with all of you! 

That's all I've got for now, but I'm sure I'll be updating sometime this week.

If any of you know any good 5th grade blogs to follow feel free to let me know!  

Student Teaching... FINALLY!

I am SO excited to, finally, share that I will be doing my student teaching on my old stomping ground! 

It's been 11 years since I sat in a classroom at Lavalette Elementary and this week I will begin TEACHING there.

Blessed is the only word I could think of to accurately describe my feelings when I received the news that I would be doing my student teaching at Lavalette for many reasons. 

1. It is where I went to elementary school, as I've already said.

2. It's approximately 4 miles from my house, which is a blessing from God as far as gas money goes. (Being a poor college student is no fun.)

3. I will get to see my babies from my daycare again! 

Leaving the daycare was one of the hardest things I've ever had to do, but God always has a plan, doesn't He? 

4. Last, but not least, I am at the same school as my BEST FRIEND! 

All through our classes Morgan and I have said it was our dream to one day be able to teach down the hall from one another!  HOLY DREAM COME TRUE! 

I truly cannot wait to lesson plan and teach with my best friend to lean on every day. 

I've always thought it was God's will for me to be a teacher, but the way He's blessed me already with my student teaching has reassured it that much more. 

Good luck to all my fellow student teachers! Here's to one last semester!



p.s. I'll be in a 5th and 2nd grade classroom, so feel free to throw ideas and lesson plans my way! 

New Year's 2013!

Happy New Year, everyone! 

I hope everyone had a fabulous New Year's Eve! I spent mine lounging around with my boyfriend watching movies! 

Of course with the new year comes new resolutions, typically. So, I've put together mine and ways I'm going to work to achieve those! 

I couldn't think of anything out of the ordinary this year other than what you always seem to hear. 

1. Continue to grow in Christ.

2. Be a healthier ME.

3. Strengthen all my relationships -- family, friends, and boyfriend. 

Here's some ways I plan to accomplish these... hopefully they help! 

1. Continue to grow in Christ...

Thankfully, I've grown up in a Christian household, so I've always been in church and always had a Christian environment surrounding me. I was baptised when I was 8 years old and it is still the best day of my life. I still struggle everyday with the Devil and my relationship with Christ and as a Christian, so this year I hope to grow even closer to Christ, making sure I go to Him with my praises and not just with my problems. I've already been given one tool that I think will encourage me to accomplish this daily! 

My friend's mom, Sid, gave me a planner for Christmas made by Guidepost. Anyone who knows me knows that I live and die by my planner. I always have it with me and always write my schedule in it. This planner not only has your usual planner stuff in it, but it also has a testimony, a spot for prayer requests, answered prayers, and God's Touch moments for each week, and a bible verse for every day. I'm switching from my old planner to this one because I think it works perfectly with my 1st new years resolution! 

2. Be a healthier ME.

This was my resolution last year and I knocked it out of the park! With the help of my best friend, we teamed up and got in shape, ran our first 5ks, and lost quite a bit of weight! 

The Holidays and a crazy school schedule got the best of me, so I'm ready to get back at it! 

Last year it took a combination of MyFitnessPal, clean eating, and fun workout plans to help me! 

Here's what I found today that may help some of you! This Youtube channel has a HUGE list of zumba workout compiled in to over 2 hours! It was so fun! My mom and I did them this morning!!

ZUMBAAAA

3. Strengthen my Relationships.

I'm not exactly sure how I'm going to do this, but I'm going to start with at least sending a text to all my friends and family members at least once a week to ask how their week has been. If you have any fun ideas... let me hear them! 

What are your New Year's Resolutions?!