yep. I said it.
Let me take you back a bit.
About two weeks ago, I wrote about how I would be a new 5th grade teacher and such. Well, last week (when I was a 4th grade teacher) my Grandmother passed away suddenly. I found out that she wasn't going to make it Wednesday afternoon and it was decided (by people wiser than me) that I would be leaving early on Thursday to go be with my family. Thursday was also the day everyone was telling their kids that they are moving. 5th grade teachers had to say goodbye to those who were coming into my class, Kat had to say goodbye to he entire 5th grade class, and my poor babies had to say goodbye to me and each other. I wasn't there when they heard the news... I didn't want to traumatize them with, what would have been, uncontrollable sobs. So when I left at 2, my principal broke the news to them.
How did they take it? Let's just say it was rough and everyone agreed that it was a good thing I was not there.
So, I would write about all the happenings around Grandmother's funeral... but I won't. I miss her terribly. It was good to see my family and some friends.
I was blessed to be allowed to have a workday on Tuesday... which was good because I walked into my room that morning and my air conditioner didn't work. Fabulous!
Wednesday was like an entire day of de ja vu. I kept feeling like I had gone back in time. I've already taught these kids... but now they are bigger and louder! It was strange.
Thursday was rough. I didn't cry, but I came close a few times.
Friday was much better. The kids were better behaved and I think it all has to do with starting my day off with a Pumpkin Spice Latte from Starbucks!! (It's the little things that make life exciting!!) I just have this scary feeling like it's my first year teaching all over again. I'm just treading water and not really swimming anywhere. That cannot happen this year!
Anyway.
I got an email this morning tellimg me that my cousin Rebecca has gone back into the hospital because her stent has dislodged. She is in pain... again.... and I've about had it. I know God is good and that His will is perfect. But seriously? Can they PLEASE have a BREAK!?! Let them have SOMETHING good happen!!!
Prayers.
-Sara
Saturday, September 11, 2010
Sunday, August 29, 2010
I just had the best first week of school I could ask for...
until Friday at 3:15 pm.
So let me just tell you about the positives of this week.
-My homeroom is amazingly sweet.
-I love my team partner, Nicole. (That's not new, but it is a positive.)
-Nicole and I work like clockwork in whatever we do.
-The 4th grade team worked amazingly well together!
-Did I mention my homeroom is amazing? Well they are.
It was just a great week!!
So... I've got a little story for ya. 3:15 on Friday, I am called into a 5th grade teacher's room. I walk in and see our principal, Adam Grinage, the entire 5th grade team, and Nicole. (Now, in my head... for some reason... I thought the entire 4th grade was in the room as well. This comes into play later.) So I go and sit by Nicole as Adam does some math on the white board up front. Since math isn't my strongest subject, and I have apparently walked in late, I do what comes naturally... I start to ask my neighbor what the heck is going on. Nicole says, "I'm not sure, something about student numbers... but you realize that we are the ONLY 4th grade teachers in the room?" I took a quick look around the room to verify this information then proceed to sit up straighter and catch on to what our principal was talking about.
Then he looks right at me and Nicole and says, "There are going to be some changes in 4th grade, and it's going to effect the two of you. And Sara, it's going to effect you the most." I reply, "I'm not going to have to teach math, am I?" "Oh no! Don't worry, I would never do that," he says. My principal is a smart man.
"Basically," he explained, "we are going to dissolve your homeroom, Sara, and put them in other 4th grade classes." Do you remember how I said my homeroom is amazing? Yeah, I burst into tears. I cried, again, at school, in front of people.... I don't enjoy it, but it seems to happen at least once a year. So Adam continues and essentially puts up two choices that would affect four of us in the room: Kat, Pilar, Nicole, and me. Kat and Pilar's team before all of this was what we called a "4th/5th split." Kat and Pilar both teach bilingual kids, but Pilar's homeroom is 5th grade and Kat's is 4th grade. So, the both teacher 5th and 4th curriculum. This also means they have double planning, double team meetings, double the stuff in their room, whacked out schedules... and so forth.
So the two choices were:
Option A-- Nicole and I still team together and we would do a 4th/5th split like Kat and Pilar. My homeroom would be 5th grade, her homeroom would stay 4th grade. Kat and Pilar would remain unchanged.
Option B-- I would team with Pilar, and we would be a new 5th grade only team. Kat would then team with Nicole and be a 4th grade only team. Both Nicole and I are certified ESL teachers, so the bilingual situation wouldn't really be a problem.
After the options were put on the board and explained... Kat, being the smart lady she is, kicked all others out of the room so the four of us could chat. Seeing as no matter what was chosen, I was going to be a 5th grade teacher, a few minutes were spent encouraging me. (I know I have said this before, but God has blessed me with the best people to work with... Praise Him!) Then we all chatted about it. The decision was left up to me (which I hated) and I talked it out with them. Option A would be rougher. Nicole and I would be in the same boat as Pilar and Kat... double everything plus a new curriculum to learn and teach on top of it. Option B would be different for all 4 of us because that would force all of us to change. Change partners, grade levels, and so forth. Basically, Pilar knows what she is doing in 4th and 5th grade for her subjects because she has done the 4th/ 5th split before. So she is comfortable in both areas. Whichever option I chose, I was taking someone down with me. Nicole would go down with me in Option A, or Kat would go down with me in Option B.
In my head, the logical choice was Option B. Why go through the hassle of doubling our workload when we can all stick to one grade level and not have a question of where to be, which meeting is most important, and the like? So... I made my decision. Option B. And I started crying again... because I wouldn't be teaming with Nicole anymore, I have to say goodbye to my homeroom next week, and because I made Kat cry. I felt (and still feel) really bad, but I really feel it is the best option for the teachers and the students.
Kat is a pro 5th grade teacher and I know what I'm doing in 4th grade, so we decided to plan together. All will be okay. I'm really going to miss my team, but it's not like I am leaving the school. I'm not even changing rooms. But it's still a huge change.
So this next week, I will have my homeroom for one more week... then they will be moved to another classroom. I think I will have to wait to tell them what is going on until Tuesday, then we can let them know. Letters have to be sent out, students need to meet their new teachers, I have to change a ton of stuff, schedules change, teammates change, and a lot of other stuff that I won't go into because I'm tearing up again.
I don't know how this year will go, but I do know that God is good. All the time. He will never leave me and He will see us through this year.
I have already seen his blessings through this. I am now on the same team as one of my best friends, Molly. We can eat lunch together... you know... when we aren't tutoring kids. That's going to be awesome!! Yesterday, I went to breakfast with my roommate, took a nap at home (I haven't slept well the past two nights), went to see Macy, and spent the rest of the day and evening on the lake with Molly, Zach, Jim, and Patricia. It was a great day. Today, my best friend Megan is coming in town and I am going to get to hang out with her and Molly!! I'm so excited! This will be my last weekend where I will not go up to school, I think. So I am cramming in some quality time with my friends!
The blessings of the people God has placed in my life is sometimes overwhelming. HOORAY!
All will be well.
So let me just tell you about the positives of this week.
-My homeroom is amazingly sweet.
-I love my team partner, Nicole. (That's not new, but it is a positive.)
-Nicole and I work like clockwork in whatever we do.
-The 4th grade team worked amazingly well together!
-Did I mention my homeroom is amazing? Well they are.
It was just a great week!!
So... I've got a little story for ya. 3:15 on Friday, I am called into a 5th grade teacher's room. I walk in and see our principal, Adam Grinage, the entire 5th grade team, and Nicole. (Now, in my head... for some reason... I thought the entire 4th grade was in the room as well. This comes into play later.) So I go and sit by Nicole as Adam does some math on the white board up front. Since math isn't my strongest subject, and I have apparently walked in late, I do what comes naturally... I start to ask my neighbor what the heck is going on. Nicole says, "I'm not sure, something about student numbers... but you realize that we are the ONLY 4th grade teachers in the room?" I took a quick look around the room to verify this information then proceed to sit up straighter and catch on to what our principal was talking about.
Then he looks right at me and Nicole and says, "There are going to be some changes in 4th grade, and it's going to effect the two of you. And Sara, it's going to effect you the most." I reply, "I'm not going to have to teach math, am I?" "Oh no! Don't worry, I would never do that," he says. My principal is a smart man.
"Basically," he explained, "we are going to dissolve your homeroom, Sara, and put them in other 4th grade classes." Do you remember how I said my homeroom is amazing? Yeah, I burst into tears. I cried, again, at school, in front of people.... I don't enjoy it, but it seems to happen at least once a year. So Adam continues and essentially puts up two choices that would affect four of us in the room: Kat, Pilar, Nicole, and me. Kat and Pilar's team before all of this was what we called a "4th/5th split." Kat and Pilar both teach bilingual kids, but Pilar's homeroom is 5th grade and Kat's is 4th grade. So, the both teacher 5th and 4th curriculum. This also means they have double planning, double team meetings, double the stuff in their room, whacked out schedules... and so forth.
So the two choices were:
Option A-- Nicole and I still team together and we would do a 4th/5th split like Kat and Pilar. My homeroom would be 5th grade, her homeroom would stay 4th grade. Kat and Pilar would remain unchanged.
Option B-- I would team with Pilar, and we would be a new 5th grade only team. Kat would then team with Nicole and be a 4th grade only team. Both Nicole and I are certified ESL teachers, so the bilingual situation wouldn't really be a problem.
After the options were put on the board and explained... Kat, being the smart lady she is, kicked all others out of the room so the four of us could chat. Seeing as no matter what was chosen, I was going to be a 5th grade teacher, a few minutes were spent encouraging me. (I know I have said this before, but God has blessed me with the best people to work with... Praise Him!) Then we all chatted about it. The decision was left up to me (which I hated) and I talked it out with them. Option A would be rougher. Nicole and I would be in the same boat as Pilar and Kat... double everything plus a new curriculum to learn and teach on top of it. Option B would be different for all 4 of us because that would force all of us to change. Change partners, grade levels, and so forth. Basically, Pilar knows what she is doing in 4th and 5th grade for her subjects because she has done the 4th/ 5th split before. So she is comfortable in both areas. Whichever option I chose, I was taking someone down with me. Nicole would go down with me in Option A, or Kat would go down with me in Option B.
In my head, the logical choice was Option B. Why go through the hassle of doubling our workload when we can all stick to one grade level and not have a question of where to be, which meeting is most important, and the like? So... I made my decision. Option B. And I started crying again... because I wouldn't be teaming with Nicole anymore, I have to say goodbye to my homeroom next week, and because I made Kat cry. I felt (and still feel) really bad, but I really feel it is the best option for the teachers and the students.
Kat is a pro 5th grade teacher and I know what I'm doing in 4th grade, so we decided to plan together. All will be okay. I'm really going to miss my team, but it's not like I am leaving the school. I'm not even changing rooms. But it's still a huge change.
So this next week, I will have my homeroom for one more week... then they will be moved to another classroom. I think I will have to wait to tell them what is going on until Tuesday, then we can let them know. Letters have to be sent out, students need to meet their new teachers, I have to change a ton of stuff, schedules change, teammates change, and a lot of other stuff that I won't go into because I'm tearing up again.
I don't know how this year will go, but I do know that God is good. All the time. He will never leave me and He will see us through this year.
I have already seen his blessings through this. I am now on the same team as one of my best friends, Molly. We can eat lunch together... you know... when we aren't tutoring kids. That's going to be awesome!! Yesterday, I went to breakfast with my roommate, took a nap at home (I haven't slept well the past two nights), went to see Macy, and spent the rest of the day and evening on the lake with Molly, Zach, Jim, and Patricia. It was a great day. Today, my best friend Megan is coming in town and I am going to get to hang out with her and Molly!! I'm so excited! This will be my last weekend where I will not go up to school, I think. So I am cramming in some quality time with my friends!
The blessings of the people God has placed in my life is sometimes overwhelming. HOORAY!
All will be well.
Sunday, August 22, 2010
MEH...
... stands for Macy Erin Hall who was born around 1:45pm and weighs 9lbs and 8 oz!!!
What a day! It happened so fast! I got to church this morning and my brother texted me that they thought Erin's water broke. (Which is funny because it was either that or... well...) Anyway, so I stayed through worship, but I just knew I was going to have to leave during the sermon... so I left before the sermon and went to Staples to get some things for my classroom. While there, Jared texted and said, "C-Section in 30 minutes."
I busted a move on over to the hospital and go there about 7 minutes before they gave Erin the epidural. It was so fun!! About an hour later, Macy was here!! She is adorable and HUGE! She's tall and has big feet and hands! WNBA, here we come! I just love her!
I am not even worried that I still have a few things to get done before the kids come tomorrow... today was so great!
What a way to end the summer!!!
So, I was thinking in church this morning... I am a hugger. I know this is random, but go with me on this.... I love to hug people. I think it shows my feelings more than a smile, facial expression, or words. I hug for all kinds of occasions: excitement, grief, pain, joy, embarrassment... and so forth.
I have this thing that whenever I am praying, I imagine that I am hugging Jesus. Sometimes I run to him in joy, sometimes I am on the ground in tears and he picks me up... whatever the case, I get the universe's greatest hug. Today was a skipping toward him hug of praise for my niece.... I just can't wait to get the real thing one day. I mean really, it's something I ache for!
Isn't God great!??!! I mean, wow!
Tomorrow, my little cousin Rebecca will be having surgery on her Pancreas. Jesus is down on his knees with me as I pray for her health, her doctors, and her family. She needs this surgery to go well. She needs to be a little 8 year old girl who can run, play, EAT FOOD, be PAIN FREE, and HEALTHY. I pray that God heals her and she can be that 8 year old little girl. Please pray that she gets better.
God is always good and His will is always perfect. I have peace in the fact that He never leaves us and will finally be back one day.
What a day! It happened so fast! I got to church this morning and my brother texted me that they thought Erin's water broke. (Which is funny because it was either that or... well...) Anyway, so I stayed through worship, but I just knew I was going to have to leave during the sermon... so I left before the sermon and went to Staples to get some things for my classroom. While there, Jared texted and said, "C-Section in 30 minutes."
I busted a move on over to the hospital and go there about 7 minutes before they gave Erin the epidural. It was so fun!! About an hour later, Macy was here!! She is adorable and HUGE! She's tall and has big feet and hands! WNBA, here we come! I just love her!
I am not even worried that I still have a few things to get done before the kids come tomorrow... today was so great!
What a way to end the summer!!!
So, I was thinking in church this morning... I am a hugger. I know this is random, but go with me on this.... I love to hug people. I think it shows my feelings more than a smile, facial expression, or words. I hug for all kinds of occasions: excitement, grief, pain, joy, embarrassment... and so forth.
I have this thing that whenever I am praying, I imagine that I am hugging Jesus. Sometimes I run to him in joy, sometimes I am on the ground in tears and he picks me up... whatever the case, I get the universe's greatest hug. Today was a skipping toward him hug of praise for my niece.... I just can't wait to get the real thing one day. I mean really, it's something I ache for!
Isn't God great!??!! I mean, wow!
Tomorrow, my little cousin Rebecca will be having surgery on her Pancreas. Jesus is down on his knees with me as I pray for her health, her doctors, and her family. She needs this surgery to go well. She needs to be a little 8 year old girl who can run, play, EAT FOOD, be PAIN FREE, and HEALTHY. I pray that God heals her and she can be that 8 year old little girl. Please pray that she gets better.
God is always good and His will is always perfect. I have peace in the fact that He never leaves us and will finally be back one day.
Today is a two cups of coffee kind of day...
which is fine with me!!
This past week was our week of inservice for school. It was a BEAST! We had meetings every morning, planning scattered throughout the week, schedules changing, student numbers fluxuating (PS- pray for 5th Grade... they are averaging about 30 kids per classroom...), and a lot of just plain working. It will pay off as the year goes on, though. We knocked a lot of stuff out this week, so we will have less meetings throughout the year. On top of that, I (who am known for going to bed at 9pm every night when school is in session) actually went out an hung out with people after work this week! Tuesday, I went to BJs with Amanda and Ashlee. Wednesday, I randomly decided to drive to my new apartment at 5:30 just to see how long it would take me to get home in peak traffic (20 minutes, thank you very much!) and ended up going to a movie with Jim and Patricia, Thursday was meet the teacher night... I actually went to bed at 8:30, and Friday I worked at school until 7pm, then went to dinner and hung out with Jen Cook and Co. until midnight. Keep in mind that my average bedtime (minus Thursday) was midnight to 1am... and I got up at 5:30-6am every morning. Yesterday, I had planned to grab some things for school and work up there for about 2 hours then go home and run some errands. My body said: NO! I got up at 9... read a book in bed for an hour, laid on the couch and watched a movie with Ash, ate lunch, took some advil for my headache, then took a 3 hour nap. I was USELESS. But that's okay... I had a fun week. Fun friends and fun work peeps! So this morning is a 2 cups of coffee kind of day. Because I have church, then all the errands from yesterday to run.
I have to say, I absolutely love the people I work with. No joke. They are amazing. There are a lot of changes this year, not all of them are my favorite, but God definately uses changes that aren't my favorite for things that are His.
One thing that is not so fun... my Yoda is gone. She probably hates that I call her that, but she is basically that. Jennifer Putman saved my life two years ago and I can't thank her enough for that. I can honestly say that in my first year of teaching, I don't remember anything before Thanksgiving break except three days: The first day of school, the day I cried uncontrollably in our grade level meeting, and the day Jennifer came into my room with her crate of stuff and plans to scrape me off the ground and turn me into a teacher. If she hadn't come to the rescue I would have probably quit or been fired. I learned quickly what exactly I needed to do and I talked to Jennifer daily with questions and updates on how my kids were doing. God really blessed me with her and I am so sad she is at another district this year. It's a great move for her, but I want to be selfish and keep her at Brown. She did say I could call her if I needed anything... and, well... I probably will. :)
I am excited about Lisa taking her place as our Instructional Specialist, though. Lisa is great! I didn't really know her well until last year and she is just a fabulous person and a great friend. She did a lot of great stuff with our 4th grade team and we are going to miss her this year. But she won't be far away!!
I am just, plain excited about the school year. I am still super nervous about the first day of school tomorrow, but that is normal. I have my first day dress all ready to go!!
I am also anxiously awaiting the arrival of my niece, Macy! I cannot wait until she gets here!!! She should be arriving Tuesday or Wednesday (of course, the first week of school) and I told Erin that she needs to wait until the afternoon so I can for sure be there! I have a feeling that Macy will have her own plans, though. My arms are just itching to hold her!!!
I just praise God for my life. It is far from perfect, but I can see the blessings he has graciously given me. I don't deserve any of it.
I have to say, I was in traffic on my way home Tuesday and I got to thinking about all the wonderful things God has done in my life and I had the urge to jump out of my car and dance right there on the shoulder of 183... I didn't do it... but it made me smile. I might have danced in my car, though.
"You thrill me, Lord, with all you have done for me! I sing for joy because of what you have done. O Lord, what great works you do!" Psalm 92:4-5
"Let all that I am praise the Lord; with my whole heart, I will praise his holy name. Let all that I am praise the Lord; may I never forget the good things he does for me. He forgives all my sins, and heals all my diseases. He redeems me from death and crowns me with love and tender mercies. He fills my life with good things." Psalm 103: 1-5
Friday, August 13, 2010
What do I do when I can't sleep?
Apparently I Blog....
So, I'm awake at 6am on a Friday not because I have to be or want to be, but because I'm strange. I have always had a slight fear (and by slight I mean it's a fear I forget about) of being strangled to death by my sheets. And no, I don't think they will come to life and strangle me... I just sometimes move around a lot in my sleep and my sheets can get undone and wrapped around me.
I am awake because I had a minor freak out about 30 minutes ago. Imagine waking up to find something wrapped around your legs, waist, chest and neck and when you move, one or more of the things wraps slightly tighter....... it's like a horror movie. I got the sheets off in a frenzy and then had the desire to punch them. Not logical, but hey, I had only been awake for 45 seconds by this time.
So now, here I am... in bed, with my laptop, laying ON TOP of my whole comforter, a quilt for my blanket, blogging. (I chose a quilt because, logically, it would be harder for a quilt to wrap around like that due to the heaviness of it's fabric... though if it did wrap around me like that, I would probably die..... hmmmm.) I would like to go back to sleep... we'll see if that happens after that last thought there.
I feel there should be a disclaimer on me for the lucky guy who is to be my husband: "Things of little importance may seem bigger and scarier to this person while in the half-asleep-mindset. Proceed with caution." :)
Oh well... I believe I will watch an episode of Chuck and try to fall back asleep.
Good night.... um... morning all!
-Sara
So, I'm awake at 6am on a Friday not because I have to be or want to be, but because I'm strange. I have always had a slight fear (and by slight I mean it's a fear I forget about) of being strangled to death by my sheets. And no, I don't think they will come to life and strangle me... I just sometimes move around a lot in my sleep and my sheets can get undone and wrapped around me.
I am awake because I had a minor freak out about 30 minutes ago. Imagine waking up to find something wrapped around your legs, waist, chest and neck and when you move, one or more of the things wraps slightly tighter....... it's like a horror movie. I got the sheets off in a frenzy and then had the desire to punch them. Not logical, but hey, I had only been awake for 45 seconds by this time.
So now, here I am... in bed, with my laptop, laying ON TOP of my whole comforter, a quilt for my blanket, blogging. (I chose a quilt because, logically, it would be harder for a quilt to wrap around like that due to the heaviness of it's fabric... though if it did wrap around me like that, I would probably die..... hmmmm.) I would like to go back to sleep... we'll see if that happens after that last thought there.
I feel there should be a disclaimer on me for the lucky guy who is to be my husband: "Things of little importance may seem bigger and scarier to this person while in the half-asleep-mindset. Proceed with caution." :)
Oh well... I believe I will watch an episode of Chuck and try to fall back asleep.
Good night.... um... morning all!
-Sara
Monday, August 9, 2010
So long sweet summer....
...I fell into you, now you're gracefully falling away.
So, obviously, I'm not so great at this whole "blogging" thing. I try.... kind of.
Anyway. Summer 2o1o is over tomorrow. Now don't get excited. The 105 degree heat is still here, but my vacation is over tomorrow at 8am. I have my first inservice for the district.
This summer has been different from my last ones. I stayed in Texas the whole summer (which is really rare) and I was with my family for most of it.
My family... we are experiencing some extreme highs and some extreme lows this summer. My little cousin, Rebecca, has been sick since Memorial weekend with Pancreatitis and since has had more things go wrong during her stay in the hospital. I went to Houston to be with her and Christyn while they were at Texas Children's Hospital. A few days after I left, Rebecca and Christyn were able to go home to their new house; however, Rebecca is still in pain and still has her NG tube for feedings. Along with Rebecca's illness, her family has experienced other heartache and is in need of many prayers for God's peace and understanding.
In the highs news, I will be an aunt again!! (I'm not sure why people say that when they are getting a new niece or nephew... because I never stopped being an aunt.... but whatever, you get it.) Erin and Jared are expecting Macy Erin Hall to arrive, well, any day!! She is technically due August 31st, but I expect her to come probably around the first week of school. We'll see!!
Melissa and Nathan are also expecting a little girl due in early December! I have no name to post of my niece, yet.
My nephew is still just as cute as ever! He is talking more, running, and just acting like the little boy he is! Here is a photo of us hanging out while they were moving into their new house.
He is just precious. I was blessed to be able to spend quality time with him this summer and I just adore him! I just wish he would SAY MY NAME!!!! We had a breakthrough yesterday, he said (we think) a jumbled version of "Uncle Jared," but we aren't entirely sure. And when I say we, I mean me. I though FOR SURE I would win that competition. Sara is soooo much easier to say that Jared!! COME ON, PIERSON! :)
Some other happenings of this summer are as follows:
-I was a "co-nurse" at COTH
-I learned to wakeboard
-I became the owner of a new sofa
-Found a new apartment to move into in September
-I became the owner of a new dining table
-I bought fun, new teacher clothes
-I started training for a half marathon
All in all it has been eventful-ish. All of the bullet points could be entries of their own, but I have decided to not write about them just yet.
So, tomorrow marks the beginning of my 3rd year of teachering. Yes, teachering. I'm excited this year! A lot has changed, but I know what's going on now! It's a really good feeling!
So, goodbye Summer of 2010. I am pretty sure Summer 2011 will kick your butt. :)
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