Thursday, July 30, 2009
Catch up time...
LOTS of things have happened since my last blog entry. I'm going to try and cram it all into one so I can finally be caught up...updates in real time? Crazy! :)
Apartment Hunting was actually pretty fun and stress free. We saw 3 apartments before the one that I ended up choosing. The bathroom and kitchen in my one-bedroom apartment were newly refinished. Thank God, since the older apartments had gross green tile! My mom was a huge help during apartment hunting and was able to get me a really great deal. My move-in date is Aug. 10th!
Silver Beach is right up the street from my apartment. We took the kiddos for a trip to the beach since they were so good during the apartment search. They loved it! White sand beaches and Lake Michigan, what more could you want?
Board Meeting: The next trip out to Stevensville was to attend a board meeting. At the meeting, the superintendent suggests the new candidates for hire and the board votes to hire them. It was great to see such a positive school board. I was able to meet and chat with all of the school board members and school principals. This meeting made me even more excited to work at Lakeshore!
Zoophonics Training: Monday I drove to Kentwood, MI (near Grand Rapids) for a Zoophonics training. Zoophonics teaches children the sounds of alphabet letters by using animals, symbols, and movements. It was a really interesting training and I'm excited to try it out in the classroom! I was also able to meet Suzie, who will be the special ed and reading interventionist for K-3. It was a great trip!
Meeting & Classroom Setup: Yesterday (Wednesday), I woke up at 4am and was on the road by 5am. I had a meeting in Stevensville at 8am. I've decided that maybe I'm not a morning person after all...that was hard! At the meeting I was given tons of paperwork to fill out. I was explained my benefits package and given information on that also. After the meeting I went for fingerprinting and a physical. Waiting at the walk-in clinic for more than 2 hours wasn't the most fun I had all day, but it was one more thing to check off my "To Do" list. My last stop in Stevensville was to drop off some boxes to my classroom. Amy (the awesome teacher next door) met me there. It was great to talk with her about Kindergarten and things that I should expect. She was super helpful and I'm sure that my first year will be much easier with her next door! On the drive home I was able to catch-up with two of the coolest people I know (D & Amanda) which just topped off the awesome trip!
I'm stressing a bit about moving, packing, and teaching very soon...but I'm excited more than anything! Well, you're all caught-up now...more to come as it happens :)
<3
Apartment Hunting was actually pretty fun and stress free. We saw 3 apartments before the one that I ended up choosing. The bathroom and kitchen in my one-bedroom apartment were newly refinished. Thank God, since the older apartments had gross green tile! My mom was a huge help during apartment hunting and was able to get me a really great deal. My move-in date is Aug. 10th!
Silver Beach is right up the street from my apartment. We took the kiddos for a trip to the beach since they were so good during the apartment search. They loved it! White sand beaches and Lake Michigan, what more could you want?
Board Meeting: The next trip out to Stevensville was to attend a board meeting. At the meeting, the superintendent suggests the new candidates for hire and the board votes to hire them. It was great to see such a positive school board. I was able to meet and chat with all of the school board members and school principals. This meeting made me even more excited to work at Lakeshore!
Zoophonics Training: Monday I drove to Kentwood, MI (near Grand Rapids) for a Zoophonics training. Zoophonics teaches children the sounds of alphabet letters by using animals, symbols, and movements. It was a really interesting training and I'm excited to try it out in the classroom! I was also able to meet Suzie, who will be the special ed and reading interventionist for K-3. It was a great trip!
Meeting & Classroom Setup: Yesterday (Wednesday), I woke up at 4am and was on the road by 5am. I had a meeting in Stevensville at 8am. I've decided that maybe I'm not a morning person after all...that was hard! At the meeting I was given tons of paperwork to fill out. I was explained my benefits package and given information on that also. After the meeting I went for fingerprinting and a physical. Waiting at the walk-in clinic for more than 2 hours wasn't the most fun I had all day, but it was one more thing to check off my "To Do" list. My last stop in Stevensville was to drop off some boxes to my classroom. Amy (the awesome teacher next door) met me there. It was great to talk with her about Kindergarten and things that I should expect. She was super helpful and I'm sure that my first year will be much easier with her next door! On the drive home I was able to catch-up with two of the coolest people I know (D & Amanda) which just topped off the awesome trip!
I'm stressing a bit about moving, packing, and teaching very soon...but I'm excited more than anything! Well, you're all caught-up now...more to come as it happens :)
<3
Sunday, July 19, 2009
Classroom Visit
I recently had the chance to visit the school where I will be teaching. The principal of Roosevelt Elementary called me and asked if I'd like to come and see my classroom. I still love the sound of it...MY classroom! Anyways, we packed up the whole family (minus Dad, who was working) and headed to Stevensville.
Mrs. Bowman took us for a tour of the school and talked to me about some of the specials my students would participate in. Get this -- they have a weekly special where they meet with the guidance counselor and learn about making friends, being a good friend, and dealing with their feelings/emotions. How cool is that?! Other specials include: art, gym (they have a rock climbing wall!), music, and computers.
While we walked through the school we ran into one of the other Lakeshore teachers. I found out that Amy is the teacher who will be teaching Kindergarten right next door to me. She's young - going into her 4th teaching year - and was very welcoming. She even gave me her cell phone number and told me to call her with any questions or if I wanted a tour of the area.
Our next stop was my classroom. It is absolutely amazing! Mrs. Bowman kept apologizing for it being "the smallest" Kindergarten room. I couldn't help but laugh at this. Not only is the room huge, but it's mine so it's perfect to me! The room was pretty empty, but as she walked me back into the hallway she showed me what she called my "Christmas pile". The pile of boxes outside my classroom contain all new classroom furniture and toys that were ordered for me...chairs, tables, bookshelves, blocks, a sand and water table, etc. This is the first time the school will have 4 Kindergarten classrooms so everything is brand new!
After the tour, I met with Mrs. Bowman for a bit. She gave me a few books to read over the summer and a set of keys to the school! My classroom should be ready to be set-up by August 1st and I absolutely can't wait! She proceeded to give me her Stevensville area phone book and write out directions to some apartments and the BEACH! ...but that's another story.
<3
Mrs. Bowman took us for a tour of the school and talked to me about some of the specials my students would participate in. Get this -- they have a weekly special where they meet with the guidance counselor and learn about making friends, being a good friend, and dealing with their feelings/emotions. How cool is that?! Other specials include: art, gym (they have a rock climbing wall!), music, and computers.
While we walked through the school we ran into one of the other Lakeshore teachers. I found out that Amy is the teacher who will be teaching Kindergarten right next door to me. She's young - going into her 4th teaching year - and was very welcoming. She even gave me her cell phone number and told me to call her with any questions or if I wanted a tour of the area.
Our next stop was my classroom. It is absolutely amazing! Mrs. Bowman kept apologizing for it being "the smallest" Kindergarten room. I couldn't help but laugh at this. Not only is the room huge, but it's mine so it's perfect to me! The room was pretty empty, but as she walked me back into the hallway she showed me what she called my "Christmas pile". The pile of boxes outside my classroom contain all new classroom furniture and toys that were ordered for me...chairs, tables, bookshelves, blocks, a sand and water table, etc. This is the first time the school will have 4 Kindergarten classrooms so everything is brand new!
After the tour, I met with Mrs. Bowman for a bit. She gave me a few books to read over the summer and a set of keys to the school! My classroom should be ready to be set-up by August 1st and I absolutely can't wait! She proceeded to give me her Stevensville area phone book and write out directions to some apartments and the BEACH! ...but that's another story.
<3
Wednesday, July 15, 2009
Everything Happens for a Reason
Friends with amazing blogs (Derek, Moni, Beth, etc.) + a head full of non-stop thoughts about my upcoming first year of teaching = the creation of my own blog! More than anything this is a way for me to reflect on my first year but with the big move coming up, it's also a great way to keep you updated on whats going on in my life :) Okay, onto the real reason for this post...
Everything happens for a reason. I've said it to countless friends after breakups and thought it myself many times. Well on June 23rd I found out the real truth of that statement. I had spent the end of spring and beginning of summer applying any and everywhere for an elementary teaching position. Teacher buds know exactly what I say when I mean everywhere!
On the top of my list was Lake Shore Public Schools in St. Clair Shores, MI. My cousins have all gone through Lake Shore, so I knew it was a great district and was close to home. I went to their website and applied for their Kindergarten opening...or so I thought. June 23rd I got a call from "Lake Shore" asking me to come on the 25th for an interview. I was eccstatic; this was exactly what I was hoping for!! The secretary began giving me directions to the interview and I quickly realized my mistake. I had applied to Lakeshore Schools, not Lake Shore Schools. Apparently missing that tiny space made a big difference! I quickly found out that Lakeshore was in Stevensville, a good 2 hour and 45 minute drive from home. Oops! I talked it over with my parents and we all agreed it wouldn't hurt to go to the interview.
My first interview with Lakeshore made me feel that it was the perfect place for me. They care so deeply about their students and our values lined up amazingly. I called my mom on the drive home and told her I'd be pretty devistated if I wasn't called back for a second interview; I had fallen in love with the district! Before I was able to make it all the way home I was called and asked if I would be available the following week for a second interview. I was a finalist for the position!!
I was told over 300 aplicants applied for the position I was interviewing for...no pressure, right? Well, I did my homework on the Kindergarten curriculum and the district for my second interview. The more I learned, the more I realized that Lakeshore was where I wanted to be. The second interview was great. They did less of a formal interview and more of a conversation about my attitude, beliefs about young children, and educational background. Mrs. Bowman (the principal at Roosevelt Elementary) called me with the amazing news later that night...I got the job!!! I can't put into words the insane excitement I felt...I was finally a TEACHER!!
I can't help but feel blessed when I think about how this all stemmed from a typing blunder. Lakeshore was not at the top of my list of places to apply; it wasn't anywhere on the list. God works in amazing ways. I can now say I know for fact that everything (no matter how little or silly it may be) happens for a reason.
<3
Everything happens for a reason. I've said it to countless friends after breakups and thought it myself many times. Well on June 23rd I found out the real truth of that statement. I had spent the end of spring and beginning of summer applying any and everywhere for an elementary teaching position. Teacher buds know exactly what I say when I mean everywhere!
On the top of my list was Lake Shore Public Schools in St. Clair Shores, MI. My cousins have all gone through Lake Shore, so I knew it was a great district and was close to home. I went to their website and applied for their Kindergarten opening...or so I thought. June 23rd I got a call from "Lake Shore" asking me to come on the 25th for an interview. I was eccstatic; this was exactly what I was hoping for!! The secretary began giving me directions to the interview and I quickly realized my mistake. I had applied to Lakeshore Schools, not Lake Shore Schools. Apparently missing that tiny space made a big difference! I quickly found out that Lakeshore was in Stevensville, a good 2 hour and 45 minute drive from home. Oops! I talked it over with my parents and we all agreed it wouldn't hurt to go to the interview.
My first interview with Lakeshore made me feel that it was the perfect place for me. They care so deeply about their students and our values lined up amazingly. I called my mom on the drive home and told her I'd be pretty devistated if I wasn't called back for a second interview; I had fallen in love with the district! Before I was able to make it all the way home I was called and asked if I would be available the following week for a second interview. I was a finalist for the position!!
I was told over 300 aplicants applied for the position I was interviewing for...no pressure, right? Well, I did my homework on the Kindergarten curriculum and the district for my second interview. The more I learned, the more I realized that Lakeshore was where I wanted to be. The second interview was great. They did less of a formal interview and more of a conversation about my attitude, beliefs about young children, and educational background. Mrs. Bowman (the principal at Roosevelt Elementary) called me with the amazing news later that night...I got the job!!! I can't put into words the insane excitement I felt...I was finally a TEACHER!!
I can't help but feel blessed when I think about how this all stemmed from a typing blunder. Lakeshore was not at the top of my list of places to apply; it wasn't anywhere on the list. God works in amazing ways. I can now say I know for fact that everything (no matter how little or silly it may be) happens for a reason.
<3
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