Long Time, No Blog

I always tell myself I'll get better at updating my blog because I really do enjoy writing, but I just can't seem to do it.

First of all, I have a new job. I started my second year of teaching kindergarten back in September. This year's a little different because I'm a "long-term sub". I'm working for someone who is on maternity leave. I started the year with the kids and I'll be there until May. I'm pretty much there the whole year. So far, this year's been great. Things go a lot more smooth the second time around. Another thing that's changed is that I'm teaching AM kindergarten this year. I LOVE IT! I just feel like I have so much more time to prep. The kids are also so much more well behaved earlier in the morning. I have a great group of kids and I feel really lucky to have a job. I doubt there are many second year teachers in our district who have jobs. I'm really lucky and I appreciate the opportunity.

Also this month, my brother, Marco got his much needed lung transplant. His surgery was Monday, October 5th at UCSF and he's already out of the hospital! He did great. He's now able to breathe on his own. He always had oxygen before and found it difficult to near impossible to do the things people take for granted. Part of the recovery process involves living in San Francisco for the next 6-8 weeks and that's where he is now. My mom and sister-in-law have been staying with him in a hotel. We're lucky his surgery went so well and we VERY much appreciate all the positive thoughts and prayers.

Marco's daughter, Alex is now 8 months old and she's beautiful! She keeps us laughing and everyone says they have the perfect baby. This video below is of her watching her Tia Nia play Wii.

So now, I'm just really looking forward to November because that'll be when my brother comes home, my 26th birthday and Thanksgiving. Can't wait!

It's Over!

I finished my first year of teaching! I made it through the year and believe me, it wasn't easy! I've learned a lot this year. Actually, the Little Darlings and I have both taught each other so much. There is so much I'm going to take with me when I get my next classroom. There are little things and big things that will be different. And though it was hard at times and I cried, there was so much growth by the end of the year that made it all worth it. I know it sounds cliche, but it's really true. I had some kids reading and writing sentences at the end of the year. Most of them couldn't even write their name at the beginning of the year. It's embarrassing to say this, but there was one time I almost cried in class because a little girl read a sentence to me. I was so proud. Proud of them and also proud of myself.

We had a fun week the last week of school. Monday, June 8th, we went to Capitol Aquarium and McKinley Park for a field trip. I had 4 parents volunteer. We had a great time. I saw the cutest thing...They have a quarter machine at the aquarium that lets you get giant pellets to feed the giant goldfish (at least, I think that's what they are) and one of my student's Mom gave him a bunch of quarters. All his friends were jealous and wanted to feed the fish. He put another quarter in and then starting handing each of his classmates a little pellet. It was the cutest thing to me. So sweet and generous. So here are some pictures of us on our field trip.

That Wednesday, we had our pizza party and Thursday was kindergarten promotion and the last day of school. It was bittersweet. The kindergarten promotion ceremony was bigger than I'd expected. The cafeteria was full of parents! We called every child's name from each of the classes and gave them their certificate. After, I had my class come back to my room for refreshments. It was like a big goodbye party. An uncle of one my students does balloon animals and made one for each child. It was so cute! I got a lot of nice gifts from my students' parents, including two scrapbooks they made for me.

As for my job next year, I don't have one yet. I'm still pinked. I was also supposed to teach summer school, but they cut that too. I'm on the sub list for next year, so we'll see what happens. Some people get hired even after the school year starts. Also, there are always other opportunities. Someone may go on maternity leave or get sick. I could be a long-term sub. I'm just staying positive right now. I'm sure something will turn up. I'll just have to wait and see.

Home Visits

I recently just started doing home visits to my students' houses. I've only done two so far, but I can't wait to do more. The first one lasted an hour and the one I did today was for an hour and a half. Home visits are not supposed to be academic at all. They're just supposed to build a connection between the school and home. The teacher visits and sees what the child's home life is like. We're also supposed to ask about hopes and dreams the parent has for their child. It's so fun seeing what the child does at home and seeing what their room is like. It's also fun seeing their relationships with their parents and siblings. We're only supposed to stay for about half an hour, but I've enjoyed them so much that I've been staying longer. The parents, child and even the child's siblings and I just end up talking a lot. It's fun! It makes me feel good about my job. Home visits seem "old school" to me...But they're becoming more and more prevalent. It's so late in the year now, I wish I would've started earlier...Then I might've been able to get two done in the year for each child. I can't wait to schedule more!

More of Alexandra Sofia

P.S.

I just realized I haven't blogged since my niece, Alexandra Sofia was born. She was born on January 30th. Here she is...

(I bought her these Vans for Christmas!)

Good News

So I heard some really good news today! I'm going to try to explain what it means, but to those of you who aren't teachers, it might not make much sense. Anyway, when I applied for my kinder position last year, my principal and other teachers at my school all thought that my position would be temporary. That means I'd sign a one-year contract, teach the full year and then have to re-apply for my job come next September. Well, it turns out everyone was mistaken and I don't have a temporary position. I still got a pink slip and have an unlikely chance of getting my job back next year because of other teachers who have seniority over me. But, if the district somehow overestimated the budget cuts and teachers start getting their jobs back, I'd have some rights...I wouldn't have to re-apply. It probably doesn't sound that great, but it is. Anyway, it made my day, so I thought I'd write a blog about it.

As far as the Little Darlings go, they're doing really well. Some of them are starting to read and spell short words and sentences. They used to be a pretty chatty group, but that's getting better too as they get older and become more used to school. They still say funny things and make me laugh everyday. Oh yeah, I'm also going to start doing some home visits to find out what the kids' lives are like at home. I have my first one this Thursday! I can't wait! On another note, one of my favorite things in my class is our Friday art project...Here are some sample projects...

Anyway, I'm happy with the way things are going. I just hope I get my job back next year. I'm hoping I'll get to teach summer school so that should help me out, financially. Wish me luck!

Catching Up

So I wanna get back into blogging, but it's hard. It takes time and dedication...Plus, I don't really have a camera right now, so I haven't been taking as many pictures as usual. I've been bad at sharing what's been going on the past few months so the purpose of this blog is to catch you up. Here goes...

One of the biggest things that happened in my family this past fall was my brother and sister-in-law's wedding. It was September 27th in Rancho Murieta. It was beautiful. The DJ announced the entire wedding party and I got to come out to Celine Dion's, "Power of Love". It's one of my favorite songs. :) I did the robot to it in front of everyone. True story.



















Then, on October 24th, my best friend, Annah had her wedding. They'd been married a year already, but their family and friends weren't at their first wedding...So it was a kind of like a renewal of vows. Here are some pictures from their wedding.











So, next came Halloween. Here are pictures of our pumpkins (Scott's and mine).





Here are pictures of my kindergarteners at the pumpkin patch and their costumes at our Halloween party. One of my students and her little brother were IKEA workers. :)









Then, in November, I celebrated my quarter century birthday by having friends over to my new apartment. I don't really have any pictures for some reason. We hung out at my apartment and then went out to R15 and Vito's Pizza. It was lots of fun!

Next, in my classroom in December, we were very lucky because Mrs. Claus came to visit us! She brought LOTS of gifts. Each student got a teddy bear, a wrapped gift, a stocking and a fleece blanket. She also took the time to have each of them sit on her lap. It was so cute.





Also in December, I went to a gingerbread house decorating party. Here's my house, complete with Santa's sleigh.





Here's a picture of one of my favorite Christmas presents. It's a ring from Scott. I asked for a heart ring with diamonds. He did so well. :)



Also in December, my step-sisters were visiting for Christmas, so we all went out to dinner at Spaghetti Factory. We took a big family picture. My step-sister's husband, Brendan is missing though. :(



Like I said in a previous blog, my brother and sister-in-law are expecting a baby. She was actually due 2 days ago, but isn't here yet. Her name is Alexandra Sofia. Here's a picture of us at Shelly's baby shower on January 10th.



Well, I think you're now officially up-to-date with what's been going in my life these past few months. Right now, I'm just looking forward to my niece coming! I can't wait to see you Pepsi Lexi! :)