Student Teaching.

Finally, after weeks of snow, and being at home with the kids for five + weeks, we are back to school today.

Today, I also start student teaching. I am super excited because I am in the same county as my children. We also are an hour late today. And there is supposed to be more snow on Thursday.

While I am glad that I am finally at the end, I am glad to countdown to graduation. Fourteen weeks left.

I may find a time clock clicker thingie and put it on here.

Woot!

Woot! Woot!

I found out yesterday that I passed my RAC. What is the RAC, you say? Dave asked the same thing. RAC stands for Reading Accross the Curriculum. It is one part of a four part test called Praxis II that I have to take to get my teaching license.

When I went and took my RAC, I also took another part called CIA. While I would like this CIA to be as interesting as the real CIA, it is not. It stands for Curriculum, Instruction and Assessment. It is really just a Hodge-podge of useless information. I felt good about this test, but I will not know the results until September 24.

Starting next Monday, I will enter in the final stage of my undergraduate degree. How relieved is everyone is cyberland? Thrilled, more than me, I am sure. I am sick of talking school. So, I am really excited to start my final section of classes. All that is left is Student Teaching.

Soon, changes will be coming -
I will get to -

1. Teach a class and not sit in a class.
2. Retire from my yucky job.
3. Use my brain to create fun things for kids.
4. Look forward to summers off.
5. Look forward to a paycheck that is much more than what I make now.
6. Look forward to my children getting 25% off of their tuition in college.
7. Be around my children more.
8. Get my act together. :)

So, now, I prepare for more classes. I have ordered my books. I am waiting for them to be delivered. I am ready for what ever else lies ahead. I am getting ready to graduate! Woot!

B.

Cost for 17 hours of summer classes: $4000
Pain of going to Three- Ten Hour Saturday School Sessions: Huge
Tears when you see that you get your first and only "B" for those 17 hours - Lots and Lots.

I accidentally found my grades for the May Intersession.

I got all A's with a sneaky little "B" in the middle.

What is so disappointing is that the "B" class was the hardest class - but the class I tried the hardest in. The teacher demanded much work, a huge midterm and a final. At the end, a huge 22 page Unit Plan was turned in. I was proud of it - there were many in the class that had papers passed down from previous students. This work was my own. I could not find a paper - believe me, at that point, I woulda used it. I was (and am) tired. I work full time, have five children, a house. I have groceries to buy, dinner to feed. Baths to give.

Dude gave me a "B." I did not deserve a B. I deserved an "A."

I am not the average 21 year old Senior in college. I have a thirty minute commute - I don't live on campus. When I made it to student teaching BY 7:30 every morning, I had already got the kids up and got them ready for school. I did not have the luxury of laying around until 6:30. My day started much earlier than this. When I left that practicum, I went straight to class. And I studied. Then, I drove straight to ball games, tried to feed the kids, bath times, collapsed in bed if I made it to bed. And it started all over. For three weeks straight. After just finishing the normal Spring semester.

Anyways, I always take something with me from these mini - lessons. I know that because of this, I will look closer at each child and their abilities. I will look at the big picture when assigning some stupid grade. Grades are harmful to those who struggle. Again, the power to "make or break." That is what power teachers have.

M.I.A.

Sorry I am missing in action. Good Gravy, this is hard.
I am sorry I complained about all other semesters.
I am sorry I am complaining now.
I just signed my life away for the summer.

I have, quite possibly, had two of the most heart wrenching weeks of my life - reasons I cannot disclose here, but for those who know me IRL, well you know.

I found out last night that I was old. A girl in class told me of her desire to marry her boyfriend. And she is excited to see where her life is taking her. Then she ended with.... "but, I don't want to get old. And, I don't want to have kids. Once you have kids, it is over."

Um, chick, it is just the beginning.
I wanted to tell her what a blessing and a privilege it is to reproduce with someone you love so, so much. That the greatest gift that God gives us it the ability to be a mother. That while fat, stretch marks, crows feet, mouth wrinkles, tiredness, worry and stress are all worth those sweet smiles, the "I lub you, mommy" comments, the kisses.....

She will figure it out, one day, all on her own.

Then, I quoted one of my most favorite people and told her about "seasons." There are seasons in our lives that replace seasons. While some are not as enjoyable, they are necessary to move to the next level. When you are in a season that is not really agreeable to you, suck it up, make the best of it, and go on. It doesn't last forever.

Holy gravy, I just talked myself out of a pitty party.
Thanks, me.

Back in the saddle again ...

Nothing new to report here -

• Still van shopping...
• Still going to school...
• Still doing laundry...

School has hit me full force. There was no honeymoon period this semester - you know, where you kinda break into a routine a couple of weeks after school starts.

I will report back tomorrow when my last school project is complete.

Busy. So Busy.

Last night, I looked across the couch at my husband. While I was studying the big bang theory, and how rocks either flake apart or fracture, he was reading a book on how to speak in public.

There is lots o' schoolwork going on in this house.

I am a little overwhelmed, as usual. Nah, I don't say as usual because for some reason, I am feeling pretty good so far. Maybe it is large amounts of time I spend studying. I have all day during the day. I will say that when I went back to college over TWO years ago, I had a very very very hard time getting my work done. My baby wasn't even two yet. Emma was three. I also had Mallie during the days. And I watched Ethan (who was six months old) one day a week that summer. How I did that, well, I have no clue.

I guess I have no problem with it really, cause stay at home moms don't do anything anyways.... that is my soapbox. I will get on that another day.

Anyways, things are looking good. I try to tell Dave that it will go by so fast. If I play my cards right, I should graduate NEXT December. That is pretty good, considering a couple of semesters, I only took seven and nine hours.

My other thought is how college only really teaches endurance. Take poor Dave, for example. He is in a COM 100 class. Speech, right? Well, at any given time, I can turn on the local TV station and see him talking in a meeting. He does announcements at church at least two Sunday's a month. But still, here he is, trudging along. Getting it done. I am so proud.

One of my classes is Child Development from birth to age five. I live this course every day. I could probably tell some stories that would make the book. I spend time defining placenta previa. Been there. How about a definition for torticollis? Been there, too. Separation anxiety? Still living it.

It is all about endurance. And $3250 a semester.

Long Week.

It has been a long and tiring week. I am so ready to be done.

This semester (as I have complained/questioned in the past) I have taken 16 hours.

And I moved to the BIG SCHOOL.

Ah, the big school... what a story. I was/am still so scared. When I go to class, my heart pounds. I sit in the corner so I can see who comes in. I can assess their age, when they will graduate, if they are goof offs, what kind of teacher they will be. I look at them as competition.

Ninety nine percent are 20 year olds, living in apartments, having a good time. The majority of them know nothing about life. They are still stupid in a way.

Take yesterday, for example. I had 28 people in my class. Two guys. One guy that was older than me. One woman with two kids. She was really wrinkled, but she was a smoker. That is why. She may be younger than me. I tried to talk to her, she was immature. So I didn't.

We had to do a get to know you exercise where you had to choose what type of teacher you are. There was a list of qualities. I fell in the "mommy that bandages knees" group. No guys in my group. It seemed to be the largest. Mostly made up of girls who want to teach pre-k, kindergarten and 1st grade. I believe it was called the sympathetic group, or something like that. Anyways, I would say there was about 12 people in my group. We had to pick out pro's and con's of our teaching philosophy. No one but me and one other girl talked. The rest of them looked around like they were embarrassed. And they had no clue what a philosophy was.

Regardless, I love my class. I LOVE all my classes this semester, except for Geology. The rest are teaching classes.

I got to stand up and say my name, I am a JUNIOR, and I wanna teach Kindergarten.

It was cool.