Human Garbage Disposals

Happy Thursday everyone! This week has been a long one. Y'all agree?!? At any rate, tomorrow is Friday, and I will be traveling to South Carolina for a girlfriend's wedding! The best part? I will be sharing the trip with my best friend, Katherine! The bride, Ashley, lived with us throughout college. It should be a BLAST!!!

The 721 Gang :-)

I'm all packed and ready for the weekend. I just have to teach in the morning and then head off to the airport soon after lunch tomorrow. HURRY UP TOMORROW!!! (Extreme)

I don't really have a good transition into my original topic, so here goes! Today I was walking down the hall only to find a few girls chowing down on a bag of popcorn. Not only do I find this a bit unnecessary, but they were so sloppy about it! I mean, there were kernels all over the place. Then I noticed a few kids drinking cappuccino (no idea where that came from) and others passing Goldfish around. Didn't they just eat lunch? I've never had a student turn down food. They love having birthday treats, random rewards, and when is the last time they passed up a meal? That's right... never. I just want everyone to know that I am surrounded by human garbage disposals. Help me, please.

Happy loooong weekend, my friends ;-)

I'll Never Understand

Last Saturday, I leisurely made my way to the gym. I wasn't looking for an intense workout, just a little sweat session. I am a lady of routine, and I head to the gym each morning before school. I have always found morning workouts to be a great way to start my day. I don't dare tell people the hour I wake up in order to fit it all in because they think I'm bonkers. My fellow morning workout buddies understand ;-)

For many, the time of day in which they workout tends to stay the same. It may fit in after work or even late at night; however, I am going to go out on a limb and say that usually it's routine. Rarely do I go for a run after school or decide to jump off the couch to pump some iron after 9 p.m. My routine has stayed pretty consistent for nearly ten years now.

The reason I bring this up is that on weekend I see a whole new "breed" of fellow gym members. They are not the regulars that come in each morning before the sun comes up. This is neither good nor bad, but it's almost always interesting. Occasionally, I may spot a pretty looking guy, but rarely am I that lucky. Mostly, I just see weirdos. That may sound rude, but y'all know what I'm talking about.

Last Saturday, I hopped off the treadmill to see a guy doing martial arts. I'm all about mixing up your fitness routine; however, this was just plain strange. He's jumping around without shoes on, making strange noise, and turning heads left and right. My suggestion would be to just find a new place for that. I don't know.... Like, maybe his basement? back yard? anywhere but the gym?

Am I the only one that thinks this is weird? I guess I'll just never understand.

Guilty as charged. 

It Ain't Easy

I found myself getting frustrated periodically throughout my Tuesday. I suppose I could place the blame on "being tired" like so many tend to do, but after a good night's sleep, I knew that wasn't it. I realized that I was disappointed with the overall attitude from my students. I wasn't taking it personally, because I know that it has been a trend throughout the classrooms; however, I still was left feeling a little down.

I really hate when people talk down about teenagers, calling them lazy and "driven by technology." I like to place them higher than that. I believe they have a right to voice their opinions and make their own decisions. After some of the actions I was seeing today, I'm began to wonder if I needed to change some of my ideas.

It was as if they were surprised that they were going to have to engage and learn something. Crazy that we would ask this of them at school, huh? I'm really not trying to complain, because I believe whole-heartedly in my students. Maybe that's why I was so bothered by their actions - or lack of actions today.

I got to thinking, am I making the lives of my students too easy? Am I pushing them to exceed beyond their own, and everyone else's, expectations? I am giving out material that I believe is at their level, but maybe I should setting the bar even higher. As students get older, their desire to learn becomes more of their responsibility. I am not able to force a student to sit down and write for me. Teachers, parents, administrators cannot hold their hand - or pencil - throughout their entire lives. I can expect that they will come to class prepared, but I cannot do the work for them. It truly is in their own hands. They have to take the initiative to get better. The hard part is motivating students, especially those that do not plan on receiving a higher education. Many of them simply don't care. While this is hard for me (and many others) to believe, it is a fact.

I am happy to say that life, well, "it ain't easy." There are going to be tasks we don't want to do, even students we don't want to teach; however, it is our privilege as teachers to continue trying to find a way to encourage and motivate, allowing each student to receive the education he or she deserves.

Keeping my fingers crossed for some energetic learners tomorrow... wishful thinking?

I really love technology. Have you ever wondered what we did before Google? If we don't know something, we Google it without even thinking. Somewhere along the way, it became second nature. "Technology haters" (this is not a technical term) say that people used to have actually read to get answers. If you haven't noticed, we are still reading online. Yes, it might be faster, but what is wrong with instant results? I actually think the convenience of technology has given us more knowledge in some ways. With easy access to the information, we are much more likely to take the time to figure it out. If something is "too much work," many times we forget about it and move on.

My sister is now settling in to her college routine. She has given me instructions to join all of these social networking sites and apps so that we can stay even more connected. Now, along with Facebook, Twitter, Foursquare, and Instagram, I am on Skype and Voxer. Skype is a video chat room, and Voxer is a walkie-talkie for your phone. Crazy, right?!

This evening, Sarah and I sat down for a Skype date. Being able to see her while we talked was pretty cool, but the best part was seeing her dorm room. She moved her computer around so that I was able to get a clearer picture of where she will be living. All I could think of was how awesome it was to be able to be so connected.

I'm the little guy in the right hand corner ;-)

I'm wishing her the best of luck as she begins her first day of college tomorrow. I'm sure she will text, call, Tweet, or write on my Facebook wall at some point throughout the day ;-)

Fearless

Life is a series of unknowns. There is no way of telling what’s to come, who we will meet, how we will react to a certain situation. While it is scary, we are reminded over and over to not be afraid. To be fearless.

This is just one more thing to add to the list of: “easier said than done.” After a restless night of sleep Thursday, I realized I must be fearless. Let go and let God. Stop over-thinking and allow Him to do His job. 

My sister headed off to college this week. It has been a transition for everyone in our family, but of course, Sarah is at the beginning stages of one of the biggest changes of her life. My brother and I talked yesterday about the freshness, newness of that first year of college. You act like you are ready to conquer the world, but deep down, fear sets in. The football games, parties, classes, campus events are all memories waiting to be created; however, sometimes it’s hard not to feel alone in a roomful of people.

Sarah and I have always loved the expression, “be fearless.” There is a sense of empowerment behind it, as if we can do anything. Sarah has been on my mind and heart more than usual these last few days. I can just picture her on campus - the little Bulldog on a big campus full of Mavericks. I know she is going to be amazing. She will be fearless when making friends, applying herself to school, and growing as a person. I have all the faith in the world in her, and I am very proud, and, because I love her, I pray for her to be fearless.

English Teacher Heaven

Despite the fact that I'm pretty sure I'm getting acne from hanging around teenagers all day, I am loving my job. Honestly, it doesn't even feel like a job. I am faced with challenges, but I don't feel overwhelmed or stressed. I am not nervous in front of the kids, and I don't seem to fumble my words as I felt I did during student teaching. I'm sure much of this has to do with the fact that it is my very own classroom, with my very own material, that's being taught to my very own students. It's so awesome.

The end of my Thursday left me smiling. Not only did I feel productive, but I had a couple of really great class discussions. I am teaching a Short Stories course that consists of juniors and seniors. Each of the sections are rather small, which aids to rich discussions. The students read Flannery O'Conner's "Whatever Rises Must Converge" for class today. They were asked to identify vocabulary words and search for "power sentences." I was impressed by their ideas and inferences. So much of literature is interpretation. Finding personal connections allows students to comprehend and remember a story. I received excellent responses from my students. I am already very proud of their work.

After my first Short Stories class of the day, a student said, "If we do this (discussions) all the time, I'm really going to like this class." I told him that if they continue to come to class prepared to discuss and share, then we are going to have a great year. I encourage class participation as I can in my classes. It's very important to me that each student has a voice. It's my job to get to know them and listen to their words.

As my second Short Stories class was coming to a close, a student chimed in, "May I add an idea for the class to debate?" I was sort of taken aback, but I was quick to say, "Yes, please!" He went on to bring an entire new dimension to the discussion. That's right, my student directed our discussion. I was in English Teacher heaven. Needless to say, I'm going to be sleep soundly tonight, knowing that today was free of discussion dilemmas.

Naked Walls

Well, my apartment walls are still naked. To be honest, I don't even have a hammer and nails. Yes, I've lived here for two weeks. When I first moved I really thought I could just live with the bare necessities. You know, toothpaste & a few bananas. However, I soon realized that it would be important to make my apartment my home. With the help of my family, I have been able to do just that. While I am more than grateful for their assistance, I have now realized that I can't handle the undecorated walls much longer. I mean, my walls are NAKED. Pinterest to the rescue.

The other night, I spent way too much time (I won't tell you how much because you'll vomit) Googling, pinning, searching for decorating ideas. My walls are not only bare, they are large and white. It's starting to feel like prison. What have I come up with? Well, I don't want to spend a lot of money, so I'm hoping to use some of the things I already own. I have never had to furnish and entire apartment, only one room; therefore, my utensils are limited.

Here are a few ideas that I have come up with:

Grouping for my living room wall. I have a few different sizes of frames & mirrors that would work. Now I just want to find some printables, which are cheap if not free!

I just really like this. Not sure where or if I will try it out. I thought I could put pictures on interesting clipboards? That way I could change them out easily. 

I like the diagonals on this cork board. I could put this above my desk in my living room. 

I want to keep my bedroom simple, so adding a shelf with some basic frames/pictures on it will ensure a clean look. 

Now, let's see when I have time to put this all into action!