"I know that your love is the same because the sun came up today..."

"Just as if we deserve it

Just as if any one of us fools is worth it

Truth is, that we'll never be perfect

But you love us just the same..

Isn't it love, isn't love, isn't it love."

Today I received a gift from God... it is a gift educators like to call a SNOW DAY!

It's been many moons since I've written and I figured what a perfect day to write an update.

Teaching..

This picture was taken on my very first day as a real teacher at JCS, September 1, 2009. I was really nervous but since then I think things are working out ok. Until now, it's been a routine of getting up at 5:30am and facing a day full of 6th graders with endless questions and stories of times past.. whether their accounts are true or not.. only the Lord knows. However, the smile and nod have become a staple of my everyday living (Shhh. That's a secret). They're a handful but I love them. My days of middle school mentality are briefly interrupted with my 9th grade English class. I love my 9th graders in a whole different way. I appreciate how they are more controlled and a little less inquisitive. Teaching them is challenging. We spend the majority of our time working on grammar and diagramming sentences. For someone who has never had this before in life (a.k.a. me) it can be a little stressful. I always hate it when I cannot answer my student's questions. I feel inadequate. I've gotten a pretty good handle on what I'm teaching but the confidence isn't there yet. So, when I'm feeling the confidence blues I just have to remember that I've been learning this from scratch. Plus, I'm finding out that teaching is more and more like an acting career anyway. Sometimes I even like to picture myself on a movie set starring in my own life. It takes a little of the pressure off and provides some much needed comic relief.

Not all of the teaching has been stressful. I had a blast teaching Romeo & Juliet. I had my class act it out in front of everyone and we even used EXPO dry erase markers as swords! I think the students enjoyed it... they wouldn't be caught admitting it though. I also get to teach writing and Great Expectations. I'll be looking forward to thinking up some creative ways to get the "I'm too cool for school'ers" interested.