The first week of teaching!

Well, I think I just barely survived the first week of student teaching! The teacher that I am working with at the christian school has an unbelievable amount of classes to teach...she not only teaches the middle school and high school, but last year, she was told that due to budget cuts, she would also be teaching all the elementary classes as well, for the same salary! It has certainly made me think hard about wanting to teach in a christian school.

The first few days of student teaching were strictly observation. I got to see my cooperating teacher teach all her lessons (this includes...middle school handbells, highschool handbells, middle school choir and high school choir, 1st, 3rd, 5th and 8th grade general music classes, a fine arts class, music theory class, a voice lesson, and a select ensemble) and at the end of every day, I was exhausted. I really don't know how she does it. She told me her first year of teaching she didn't sleep very much and used to take all her work home with her until her Dad told her she needed to find another alternative (she still lives at home as she is not married) So this week, I got to run the rehearsal for the middle school choir which was fun. The kids were, for the most part, kind and respectful to me while I was teaching but of course there are always a few that try to test you. I am thankful to have this experience however, because I feel as though my knowledge and preparation of my subject is where it should be but I certainly have room to grow when it comes to learning how to respond appropriately when there are discipline issues or in simple classroom management techniques.

This morning, I got a call at 5:45AM from my cooperating teacher telling me that there would be no school today due to the snow/ice. Yes! I went back to bed and slept until 9:30AM! I think I really needed that. Next week, I will be teaching the middle school choir, music theory and middle school handbells so I have a lot of lesson plans to write and this will give me some time with which to do it.


The middle school choir is the first time I have dealt with young boys and their changing voices, so I found this cartoon very fitting. The rehearsal I led was interesting because about a third of the boys were singing somewhere in the vicinity of the right notes and the rest of them were all over the place. I thought maybe they were tone deaf but when I asked my cooperating teacher what the deal was she told me that many of their voices are changing.

The Beginning of the End?

Well, the long weeks of Christmas break and waiting seem to be finally over and tomorrow I will begin my first day of student teaching! This first placement I will be in a Christian School teaching from middle school to High School and it runs from Jan. 21 to March 4. After that, I will switch to teaching music at the elementary school level but in a public school.

I am excited and nervous at the same time. Starting tomorrow, I will basically be "shadowing" my cooperating teacher at the Christian school. So theoretically, from tomorrow until next Wednesday, I will simply be observing her teach classes, writing reflections and getting to know the kids and the general atmosphere of the school/classroom. After the first week is over, I will gradually begin taking over the teaching of her classes which are basically all musical ensembles (she has a few select choir ensembles, select handbell ensembles and a couple of other choirs). I am excited about the choirs because this is what I do now at my church and I really love it. The only variable is that in talking to the teacher, I found out that hardly any of the students in the choirs can read music (not many people can read music anymore) so my approach to the rehearsal will have to be different from the one I take when I conduct the adult choir at the church.

On a different note, I came home from church on Sunday afternoon and was surprised to hear Tom say "let's organize our room for the baby." Wow. I thought I was going to be the one to get the ball rolling on that matter so he jumped the gun on me there. But I should know by now that even though one of my strengths is organization, Tom is 10x as organized as I am and is very good at it. So Sunday night we spent a couple of hours working on moving things around in the bedroom to make more space. I am about 3 1/2 months pregnant now and still able to fit into my pants. People at church tell me they don't see the belly but I can tell. I guess I have at least another month until I start "looking" pregnant. 

I finally finished the book "Angela's Ashes" and was pleasantly surprised.  If anyone is interested in reading a true story about a young boy growing up with his family in poverty in Ireland during WWII I would highly recommend it.  This book was so fascinating and it was just amazing what people in those days lived through.   

Books! Books! Books!

Anyone who grew up with me knows how much I love reading and I have lately just been getting that hobby back in full swing since I have no responsibilities until student teaching begins. I just finished reading "The Great Gatsby" a few minutes ago and it was quite depressing. It is funny that it is considered a classic because the ending was not the type of ending that you close the book and feel satisfied.

In between breaks from reading the great gatsby today, I read the "5 factor fitness" recommended by Christy. I also got a chance to try one of the workouts in the book and I quite enjoyed it. So far I have been enjoying the beginning of the second trimester because I have been feeling so much better and now feel able to exercise again. Yay!

I am going to try to read one more book before student teaching begins..."Angela's Ashes" by Frank McCourt and a winner of the Pulitzer Prize. Unfortunately, this seems like it will also be a sad book but it is also a true story so we will see. Tonight I am "going out with the girls" for dinner and a movie and it should be fun!

Christmas Presents!

About a month ago, I fried our microwave when I decided to clean it without knowing what I was doing. Arghh!

Thankfully, Mom knew this and helped contribute to a new microwave as a Christmas present...thanks mom and dad!

After feeling pretty badly again last week, I gave in to the nausea and just laid around on the couch and in bed.  I read a couple interesting books, including "Dear John" (by Nicolas Sparks) and "The Deep Hearts Core" (I can't remember the author) which is a true story about a teacher who goes into the Mississippi Delta to teach in one of the poorest and most crime ridden schools in the area.  The stories in the book are crazy but it is encouraging to see how a teacher can have a good influence on their students if they choose to be a role model.  

After I finished reading those two books, I decided to start a "classic" so now I am reading through "The Great Gatsby." I always enjoyed reading but had difficulty finding time with all the classes I was taking.  Now I have some spare time until I start up student teaching next Wednesday so I am planning on finishing this book before then!

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

Well, it's been a busy past week, He and She went to visit 5 families in four days!  It was tiring but wonderful to see family again. 

So, I thought this whole morning sickness thing was going away, Saturday was a pretty good day for me as well as Sunday during the day...I didn't feel bad at all.  "Maybe this is over?" I thought.  But I was wrong.  After leading a service for the seniors in our church in our 2 times a year hymn sing, I began to feel the tell-tale signs of that sick-to-your-stomach feeling.   Maybe, I was just run down from all the partying, and I would have slept in on Monday but unfortunately, we had to wake up at 7AM to drive 3 hours down the turnpike to a wedding.  I had a headache all day and when we got home, I collapsed in bed. Yesterday was no better.  Ick. Hopefully, if I am like the rest of the women in my family, this should be over soon. 

And now, one more party to go to, a New Year's Eve party tonight with an 80's theme.  We go to this party every year and it is always so much fun.  It is still very quiet here with no students. Today, I made myself some of the "pregnancy tea" which seems to help my stomach and He and I worked out together and did his surfing workout.  Happy New Year to all!

Gingerbread house!

Just to warn you, there is a picture of my belly below so if you don't want to see it, don't scroll down. 

I had friends over today and they kindly came and made me lunch (a spinach salad with chicken) and made gingerbread houses together that they had gotten from AC Moore for $6 a piece.  I don't consider myself a very creative person but I was very proud of my creation that I made.  I thought it looked cute.  So now we have a christmas tree and gingerbread house in here and it really feels like Christmas now!

Cute right? It took a couple of hours but with friends and hot apple cider, it was quite fun!  

He has been commenting that I am starting to expand in the belly region and I have been denying but I think this picture shows that I am growing a little bit.  I am almost 10 weeks along now...

It is still pretty small and you can't tell but there is definitely a little bump there. 

Friday, He and I went to the first ultrasound and got to see the little peanut.  Amazing!  I teared up when I saw the little heart beating.   It is very sad to think that someone would want to abort something so precious.   We don't know the sex of the baby yet and won't find out for another month probably but found out that I am farther along than initial predictions and my new due date is July 22nd.  It was kind of funny because He and I went together and they tell you that you should drink 32 oz. of water an hour before coming in for the ultrasound so they can see the baby better.  And of course, you can't go to the bathroom until after the ultrasound! Well, I knew I was gonna have a problem when I got out of the car.  I felt sick from drinking all that water and tried walking very slowly up to the office door but to no avail...I threw up all over the sidewalk!  Thankfully, even though I threw up some of the water I drank, I still had enough in me for them to see the baby so it all turned out okay.  Hopefully, this morning sickness thing won't last for too much longer.  It hasn't been too bad, just feeling tired and queesy for most of the day but at least I am not throwing up all the time.

Where have we been???!!!

Recently, I have been receiving a little friendly nudging on posting on the blog since it's been a while.  Since all the students are moving out today and I have just been putzing around the house doing laundry and cleaning, this is my perfect opportunity to tell you what's been going on lately. 

First, the musical.  We had over 1200 people come through and see it (including my sisters and their husbands and kids) and it went so well and I was so proud of the kids and what they accomplished.  I think it was a great experience for them and the response to it was overwhelmingly positive so it was a great blessing and I am thankful for the opportunity. 

Second, Thanksgiving.  It was, as always, an interesting time of seeing family again...in all, we went to 4 parties that weekend and were a little tired of eating turkey I think but of course a good time was had by all. 

Third, finals!  This week, I had finals and it was a wonderful consolation knowing that it was the last time (I think...unless I decide to do another degree :) ) I will be taking exams or finishing up projects so now I can breathe a sigh of relief because it is all over.  Now, all I have to do is sit back and wait until Jan. 21 when my student teaching begins. 

Finally, last but not least, He and I found out this month that we will be parents next summer!  We are both very excited and are looking to welcome our little bundle of Joy in the end of July.  

Below is a picture of our Christmas Tree we got this year.  We call it the "fat boy" because it is only 5 feet tall and a little squat but it was fun to get a tree this year since we haven't for a couple of years now and decorate it together.  See you all at Christmastime!