Randomness About Teaching

Today, I am just going to write.  I don't know what.  But, I am determined that before I go to bed tonight I will have a post up.

I have been lacking lately.  I am pretty sure I understand the problem.  I feel as if my ideas, thoughts, and writing is lacking in some way.  Whether that is true or not, I don't know.  I don't think I should be the one to decide.  But, as it stands if I don't post anything I am the one who is deciding.  I've gone to write so many times in the last year but I keep giving up halfway through the posts because I don't think I am funny enough, or intellectual enough, or my writing style isn't interesting.  I'll be honest.  I miss blogging.  Since I have been home, from my mission, I have struggled to find my blogging voice.  I don't know what I want this to be.  I have mentioned it before.  Now that I am teaching full time it should start to be what it was meant to be.  A place fore me to talk about my adventures in teaching.  Which there are many right now.  So where do I begin. . . . .

I GOT A FULL TIME JOB!!!!!!!   I am teaching in a small town about 1 hour outside of Salt Lake City.  I have a split 5/6th class of 24 students.  And I love it.  Maybe not every minute.  And days like today make me question my choice of career.  But it is a good place for me to be.  It has been a long road to get to this point and I am so grateful for the journey.  I know this is where I am supposed to be.  I know I have made the right choice, even though I sometimes have questioned my sanity.

What I love about my class.  Diversity.  I have kids from all different types of background.  Typically in Utah you get a lot of White Mormon Kids. . . I don't have anything against them seeing as I am one.  But, my class is full of kids from many different backgrounds.  It is amazing the different stories each student has.  I remember when I was in Syracuse, NY and the love for the diversity there, I knew then that I would be okay with the diversity when I went back to teach.  I am so grateful I am at a school with so much diversity,

Next what else I love, just being in the classroom again.  My own space, not shared by anyone else.  I love just being there and watching the kids grow.  I love teaching them new things and seeing them change, everyday.  I love the dumb things they say and smart things too.  I also love my little class of Smart Alecs.   Everyday is an adventure.

What I don't love, losing my voice, having "talks", and watching students struggle to the point they don't care anymore.

I am happy I have chosen teaching as my career.  I love it, and I am good at it.  I am also happy I chose this little corner of Utah to do what I love.

to finish off here are some recent Overheard in Miss Duncan's Room;

5th grade boy:  Miss D, you have new hair today.
Me: Ummm, no.  It is the same hair I have everyday, just curly.

6th grade boy:  Miss D, can I work in the computer lab Monday morning?
Me:  Sure.
6GB:  Great!  I wanted to work in there today, but I forgot to notice you.

One Year

The past week or two it has been hard for me not to think about what I was doing a year ago.  I was leaving my comfortable life for the scary real life that stretched before me.  It is amazing how much my life hasn't turned out the way I wanted it to, but how much it has turned into what I needed.
 As I have been applying for teaching jobs for next year I realized that I needed a year of experience outside of what I had before.  A lot of the districts are looking for recent letters of recommendation.  My letters were 2 years old when I returned home, and they are now 3 years old.  It has been nice to have people write me new letters and know that they are up to date and what I need to get a job.
 I am starting to see the blessings I have received because I am focused on the Lord's plan.  I haven't been completely happy about it but I know it is what He wants me to do and I am willing to do whatever it takes to get me where I would like to be and where I know the Lord wants me.  I will admit there are days when I just want to lay down and throw the biggest temper tantrum about not getting my way.  But, I know everything happens for a reason.  I just need to stay focused on that and on what I need to do and where I need to go.  I need to prepare myself for what is going to come, whatever it may be.
I have been thinking about this quote, "Patience is not simply enduring, it is enduring well."  I think the point is that when we are patient we are doing.  Whatever that doing is.  For me, as I look for a job, the doing is: applying, interviewing, temple attendance, networking, reading scriptures, attending church, and doing the best I can at the jobs I have been given.  If I just sat around, curled up in a ball, threw that temper tantrum, and waited for the job to come my way, I would be in BIG trouble.  Nothing would happen.  I would be enduring, but is it enduring well?  I don't think so.
The Lord does want to answer our prayers, but he will do it as we are actively working towards whatever the goal is.  And sometimes he turns us around in another direction.  That is what I feel happened when I decided to go on a mission.  I was moving forward, "enduring well," struggling but trying to do my best.  Then the Lord stopped that path and sent me on an 18 month detour.  That has made my path look just a little different.  But, it is my perfect path.
I am grateful that He has given it to me and has trusted me with it.  I am happy I had the opportunities I had in Upstate/Central New York.  The people I met, the places I saw, and the change I experienced.  I know now I can be better and I am better than I think I am.  "Oh, it is Wonderful!"

Photograph #14

I found this website today as I was thinking about activities for my older grades.  I thought this idea was fun.  So I did it.  I thought I would share. 

A Picture is worth more than a blank page.  Take out those dusty photo albums.  Pick out photograph #14.  Count however way you want but make sure you stop at photograph #14.  Look at the photograph for 2-3 minutes.  Then for 10 minutes write all the feelings that photograph makes you feel.  Don’t censor yourself. Just write.

First I did this a little different from the suggestion.  I let my screen saver come up and I picked the #14 photograph from those in my screen saver. 

I love this picture.  It is the second in a series of pictures taken by a couple of elders at my last district meeting while I was serving in Syracuse.  The first picture got deleted, if I remember right, but I was telling Elder Tanner not to take the picture yet, and I was in the middle of saying it when he snapped the picture.  The other elder got this one as all 3 of us are laughing about what just happened. 

As I was looking at the picture I was thinking about what was going on around this time.  This companionship was a trio.  We got a long fairly well, we had some ups and downs but overall I think we did well together.   We knew something/someone was going to change.  This was one of our last opportunities for pictures.  I think, as much as I didn’t want to admit it, I knew I was going to change.  I didn’t want to.  I wanted to be in Syracuse forever.  But, change did happen.  Sister Belnap, the one in the middle, stayed behind while Sister Cox and I moved on to Endicott together.  This picture is full of joy, and laughter.  But as I sit and think about it more and more I see sadness, and uncertainty.  Only because I know what happened next.  Within a week we would be separated and working through challenges we never saw coming.    

 I am so grateful for the time I was able to work with these two amazing sisters.  They both taught me wonderful things about myself and about the gospel.

Would it be possible to move to Australia tomorrow?

That sounds so perfect right now, run away to Australia.  It has been an "Alexander" kind of day.  If you understand that reference, you are a wiz at children's lit.

It didn't start out so Blah, it was the middle and leading right into the end.  I don't know the moment when everything changed, I think it is the whole looking for a job and how overwhelming it is getting, again. 
When I got home from school this afternoon I called the district I am currently working for to ask some questions and I got no answers. . . At least none to satisfy my needs or wants in the whole matter.  Then I emailed a principal about an opening in her school. 

By this time I am frustrated and upset and I know I need to think.  I do my best thinking in my car and on the road.  So, I decided to take a drive and get away for an hour or two.  On my way to my usual drive, up Ogden Canyon, to Trappers Loop, Through Mountain Green, down Weber Canyon and back home, I decided I wanted to go up Weber Canyon all the way to Park City and home.  It was a great idea at the time. 

I was relaxing, thinking, and getting my mind clear when I passed Coalville and I was where small the mountains are surrounding me on I-80 heading south towards Park City and my bumper started to come off, again.  I don't think I mentioned I bumped my bumper into a co-workers car a couple of months ago I broke some of the clips on my bumper and it has started to fall off. The car is getting fixed tomorrow.  Anyway, I pulled over got out, put the bumper back into place and continued my drive.  I had to do this a few more times.  I got past Park City and Jeremy Ranch to about Lamb's Canyon when it happened again.  To the point I couldn't ignore it.  I pulled off at Lamb's Canyon put the bumper back in place and decided to go East instead of West, because the high winds and high speeds was causing the problem. 

As I headed back the way I came I remembered there are some stores in Park City close to the Freeway that would have duct tape.  Then I remembered Jeremy Ranch, which was closer, also has a grocery store.  So that is where I aimed myself to go, thinking if the bumper didn't have any problems between where I was and the exit I would continue traveling east after I got the duct tape and maybe not put the duct tape on until I had problems.  Yeah, it was a great thought but that is all it turned out to be.  I bought the duct tape and a bag of Cadbury Mini Eggs, put the duct tape on my car and headed out from Jeremy Ranch, towards Salt Lake City and head home. 

Apparently, while I was on this adventure the principal emailed me back, remember how I said I was frustrated and upset.  Yeah, it effected my email to her.  I forgot to change it from the last principal I emailed, and the school and the position was wrong.  I will admit I cried a little at that moment.  I emailed the principal back apologized for my lack of editing. 

And now here I am.  Trying to move to Australia.  Do you think they are hiring teachers?

Moving Forward

I haven't written much. I've decided one of the reasons, I don't have much to write about. A lot of what I have to say are the things I have been saying since I came home. The Lord has a plan for me, everything is going to work out, and I still don't have a full time position.

I need a reason to blog. I've realized the people who do the best with their blogging are those who have a reason, family update, publication process, therapy, etc. My theme of my blog has always been my adventures in teaching. And right now, teaching isn't so adventurous. So, while I am waiting for those adventures to come, I don't know what to do with my blog. I'm thinking. I know I want to keep writing. I want to keep this little corner of the web for my thoughts on education, teaching, and all the joys, pain, sorrows, peace, and happiness that comes with it. I want it to be a place for other teachers to come to and know they aren't the only ones who have experienced all of these things. Right now my experiences are VERY unique, and I know this. I think that is why I am having a hard time writing about them. Because they are so personal and growth related when it comes to me.

So here is the update, I am moving forward. I am growing. I am learning. I am hopeful. I am having a great experience, even if it isn't exactly what I think I want. I have seen the ways that I have changed as an educator. I have seen my patience level rise (I hope that is still the case when I have my own class of 30 kids that I see everyday.) I am more positive.

I know the possibility of me getting a full time position in the next 4 months, is pretty slim. But, I am looking forward to next year. Things are definitely moving in a way that I didn't know they could. I am just going to do what I can to keep up with it all.

Oh! I almost forgot! HAPPY BIRTHDAY to Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice! It was published 200 years ago on January 28, 1813.