2011 Classroom Tour!

I have always been interested in classroom decor. Even when I was a student in the classroom, I felt like I could know the teacher based on how he/she decorated his/her room. Needless to say, the past four years I have spent dreaming about what it would be like to have my own classroom! I knew that a classroom library and reading center would be a crucial component in my plan. I have always loved to read, and I feel like it opens up so many doors to people. I also knew that I would want my classroom to be organized and non-cluttery. Well as a teacher, it is very hard to be non-cluttery because teachers have so many materials. As a first year teacher, I am sadly lacking in math manipulative and teaching materials, but I hope to add to my small collection very quickly. Hope you enjoy the tour and get a small glimpse of life in my classroom! :)



^ The classroom library and reading center is what you see when you walk straight in the door! There can be no more than two students in the reading center at one time, unless they are browsing.



^ This is to the left of the library/reading center. Thanks Amy for helping me make the valence and all of my pillows! The project turned out great. :) I have 3 student computers, and I am very thankful for those! The boxes on the table are going to be where the students put handouts, worksheets, white boards, etc. That table will also be where they turn in homework, quizzes, tests, etc.



^ This is the view from my desk, which is in the back left hand corner. The board in this picture will be my main teaching board. I don't have a Smart Board, but I have a overhead and computer projector! The books under the board will be distributed to students on the first day, I just didn't have anywhere else to put them! I will hang up the "classroom rules" sign above the board in the middle of the other two signs up there. The rules need to be front and center. Ha!



^This is the view when you walk in to the left. I have the class calendar, rules, procedures, etc on the blue part. I will write homework and morning work on the white board. The school is implementing a "traffic light" behavior system and the students names are magnetic, so it had to be on one of my white boards. I have the cupcake that my mom painted, and I have each month printed out on fun colored paper. I will write the birthdays for that month and then stick it on the cupcake canvas! I thought it was a fun idea that is a little different than other classrooms.



^This is my desk! I positioned my desk at a place where I would be able to see who is entering and exiting my room, and so that I can see all stations around the room.



^This huge piece of furniture was left by the previous teacher, and I am so thankful for it! It is positioned to the right of my desk area. All of the white baskets are the students "cubbies". Each basket has a number that correlates with a student. Their books will be kept at their desks, but I need a place where they can put their "overflow" materials.

I hope you have enjoyed the tour around my classroom. I have had so much fun setting it up, and I can't believe that we have open house on Tuesday and then school starts Wednesday. Time is flying!

Just Keep Swimming

Remember Dori on Finding Nemo and the song she used to sing? "Just keep swimming, just keep swimming, just keep swimming." Well that is how I feel right now. I am trying to swim, but I am stuck in the deepest part of the ocean and I can't see the light just yet! I know that this year of teaching is going to be incredibly rough, but I also am still young (and inexperienced) enough to think that I can change the world. Well maybe I know that I can't change the world, but I can certainly change the minds of my 4th graders. I have dreams for my classroom. I hope that it can be a fun place where my kids can be themselves, but I also want them to learn. I want them to be focused, and I want them to get what I try to teach them. I want it to be an atmosphere that is encouraging and not controlling. Again, I know that that this is an extremely idealistic point of view. I am enough of a realist to know that my dreams will most likely be crushed, and that this will be the hardest year of my life. I want this blog to be a place where I can write my feelings out. I want to remember my highs and lows of this year.

Today was the first day that I was able to go to my classroom!! It was exciting, yet discouraging. Exciting because I now have my very own classroom. I have been working towards this day the past 22 years of my life. From the time I was young, all I wanted to do was be a mommy and a teacher. I know without a shadow of a doubt that the Lord has called me to this profession. With His will and guidance, I know that I can be a great teacher. However, as a first year teacher I am obviously completely unprepared for this year. Those of you who know me, know that I am a planner to the extreme. I am a big picture thinker, and I love to think ahead. But I literally cannot see the big picture. I have so many questions that cant be answered by another teacher, they are answers that I have to learn for myself by going through the motions.

I came home today and sat in my moms bed and cried for the 1st time. (I'm not really sure that it bodes will for me to have already cried before I even begin my job!) I cried because I am extremely overwhelmed. I know that I don't have enough instruction materials, I have no idea of how to even begin that first week of class. Do 4th graders know their multiplication facts? If not, how do I even begin to teach that?! What is a word that is too hard for them to spell? Is Charlottes Web ok to begin reading with them the 1st week of class, or do they need to work up to that book? Where do I want them to put their supplies? Do I want to have my makeup folder by the door or by my desk? What do I put in the supply cabinet? Do I put all of the students supplies or my supplies? Where do I put the reading center? What math manipulatives do I need to buy? How do I go about buying them? As you can see, I have many questions. On top of these questions are about 1000 more (just ask my poor mother, she sat and listened to all of them).

I know that this year is going to be an incredible year in so many ways. It will be incredibly difficult. It will be incredibly exciting. It will be a year of incredible growth as a teacher and in my walk with the Lord. I know that Jesus will continue to sanctify me throughout this process. I am so incredibly excited, but also incredibly terrified!

These next few weeks I will continue to swim through the deep water and be gasping for breath. But I do know that the light will come soon, and all I have to do is just keep swimming!

"For you, O God, tested us; you refined us like silver." Psalm 66:10

Family Vacation!

Our 2nd annual family reunion is coming up in just a few short days. All of my moms' side of the family are heading to Galveston, TX for a week of fun in the sun! Last year we went on a 7 day cruise to Cozumel, the Grand Cayman Islands, and Jamaica! Here are a few pictures from last year.












This year we will be staying in Galveston and hanging out at the bay house. Since we can't all sleep at the bay house, we are staying at the Diamond Beach Resort! It is absolutely beautiful. It has three pools and a lazy river that I am sure to enjoy. Since Pops lives on the bay, we will be able to see all the 4th of July fireworks that go off in Gavleston, Kema, and Houston! It will be a great show. We are planning a girls shopping day in Houston and a family trip to Schlitterbahn, which is an awesome water park in town.

All of the cousins are so excited, and we are so thankful for our time together. The Lord has blessed us with a close-knit family, and they are priceless. I know that it will be a week filled with laughter, fun times, and many memories! My moms sister, Bonnie, lives in Oregon so we don't get to see their family as often as we would like. Marie also moved out to California, so we don't get to see her often anymore either. Even though it's only once a year, we cherish our time together. I am so happy to know that I not only call my cousins my family, but my friends as well. There is nothing that we would not do for each other, and for that I am certainly blessed!

I am flying out tomorrow and will arrive a few days before the rest of the crew gets to the island. I am going to help Nana and Pops get ready for 26 people to bombard their house! We have lots of errands to run and grocery/Sam's Club shopping to do. I am looking forward to my last week of vacation because when I get back its time to get a head start on the school year!!!

Praise the Lord!

As I put on Facebook earlier, I am now an employee of the Yazoo County School District. I am beyond thrilled! The school that I am working at was my top choice of schools, and I am so thankful to be working there. I found out while I was in Switzerland (how cool is that?) that they wanted to offer me a 4th grade position. It was the only place where we had Internet 24/7, so I was able to communicate with the principal very quickly.
Once I got home, I called the school to make sure they had emailed the right person! HA. It was just so hard to wrap my head around it while on the trip. I talked with the principal and she encouraged me and said that she was excited to have me. This past week I was able to see my classroom and meet two of the teachers who I will be working with. There are four 4th grade teachers, so thankfully I will have 3 other teachers as my support system!
I am slightly (ok maybe extremely) overwhelmed! I am not sure what I need to do for preparation, and it is not something that the other teachers can just tell me to do. They were able to answer my questions, but it seemed with every answer I had more questions! I didn't want to be annoying so I tried to keep my questions down to a minimum. If you know me, then you know this was not easy! I am a planner, and a "big picture" girl. Right now, I am not sure what to be planning for and I have no idea of any type of "picture" of how the school year will go.
I am very excited to start looking at the curriculum and frameworks. I also can't wait to decorate my classroom! My mom has given me some great canvas paintings over the last few months, and I can't wait to put those on my walls to spruce up the place a bit.
I am over the moon about teaching, but I am also terrified! I know that I will mess up, but I will put my heart and soul into teaching those precious children. God has given me a gift of loving children, and I want to do all that I can for them. I am praying for my students right now. I know that they will be in my classroom for a reason, and I hope that I can show the love of Jesus to those kiddos. I know this year will be rough (for many, many reasons), but I am confident that I can do the job. I loved student teaching, and I am excited about having my own classroom.

Thank you Jesus for my job!!!!!

Rome

Rome was really great. Out of all of the Italian cities that we went to, it was the most "city" like. It was very Americanized and was extremely touristy. We arrived in Rome around 4pm. We had to wait on the street for about 45 minutes for someone to come let us in our apartment. The area that we stayed in was not unsafe, but we felt like it was because we were targets with all of our stuff sitting on the street. It was like we were yelling "3 girls are staying ALONE in an apartment with all of their stuff!" Not good. Anyways, someone finally came and she spoke no English. We got on an elevator that was probably installed the year that elevators came out and rode to the 5th floor. (Note-we used the stairs the rest of the trip.) The lady showed us to our apartment which was not great but not terrible. We decided that we needed some food and we needed to go explore Rome a little bit! I suggested that we try our key to make sure that it worked and we knew how to use it before everyone went out of the apartment. Thankfully we did that because we literally could not get our key to open the door. All 3 of us tried to open it for like 45 minutes. We then spent another 45 minutes trying to communicate with a company who only has Italian speaking employees. We finally got in touch with someone and they said that a man would come by around 8pm to let us in our apartment. We were exhausted, frustrated, and starving. We decided to leave and go get dinner from a nearby place and then go back to the apartment at 8. Well the only place around there was a a place that is not even a restaurant. Imagine an American gas station but without having gas. That is where we ate. It was disgusting. We were all pretty discouraged and very unhappy. BUT we sat there for a few moments and then we all decided to change our attitudes! WE WERE IN ROME!!! So we laughed (sorta) and reminded ourselves that we would one day laugh about that night. We split a pizza and decided to really go eat after we figured out how to get in our apartment. Long story short (kinda) the man let us in, and off we went to explore! We found a nice restaurant a couple of blocks away and had dinner. We walked back at like 10pm, and we didn't quite feel very comfortable. We basically ran back to our apartment, ran up the stairs, and locked the door! We got ready for bed, promised to readjust our attitudes (again) for the next few days and hit the hay.

The next morning we stopped by a coffee/pastry shop and then headed to the Colosseum! It was an incredible experience. Aside from communion in Westminster Abbey, this was my favorite touristy thing that we did the whole trip. Knowing the history that had happened in the colosseum, especially what happened to christians in there made the whole experience very real. I have read A Voice in the Wind by Francine Rivers a million times, and the way that she brings the colosseum to life is vivid. When I walked into the colosseum I pictured what she had written about and I was in awe. I almost felt bad to take a picture and smile inside of there because so much evil had gone on in the arena. I was moved to tears at one point just because of the emotions that were running through me. We then headed to the Roman Forum and Capital Hill. We stopped by Mamertine Prison which is where Peter and Paul were held in jail.

We saw the Pantheon and we loved that area of town. If you are heading to Rome, then stay in that area! It had lots of quaint restaurants and a fun atmosphere. We got gelato from Giolitti's which is Rome's most famous and oldest gelato place! It was AMAZING. I got a pistachio and chocolate cone the first time and then a chocolate and cinnamon cone the next time. They also put a dollop of fresh whip cream right on the cone. Delicous! My mouth is watering just thinking about it. We walked by the Spanish Steps and there were tons of people sitting on them. They were also a lot smaller than what I was envisioning.

Rome was a great city, but I would not necessarily want to go back. There are other parts of Italy that I would want to go back to and lots of new places that I want to go to. I am so thankful for the opportunity to go, and I will always remember my time in Rome!

Italy!

I wrote this post on my phone, so I am sure that there are lots of errors! It's
not very detailed either.
 
Italy has been amazing! We have eaten the best food, met the best people, and it's cheap. My kind of place! We started out in Monterossa, which is part of the Cinque Terre. The Cinque Terre js a 7-mile part of the Italian west coast, and is made up of 5 very small towns. We stayed in the one most North. We arrived in Monterossa around 4, and we were greeted with a beautiful view of the mediterranean sea in front of us, and mountains behind us. It was the perfect vacation spot. There were lots of Americans and visitors, but it felt authentically Italian. We walked around the town, and then went to dinner. I ordered a caprese salad and pesto pasta. Amazing! The tomatos in the salad were the best I have ever had. They were fresh and a vibrant red. The mozzerella was tender, salty, and yummy. The pasta was not overpowering with basal in the pesto, but just the right amount. We then headed out for some gelato!
 
The following day we hiked through the 5 towns, starting in Monterossa. The first two hikes were hard, but oh so worth it! We walked through small Italian farms on the sides of the mountains, and we had the view of the ocean the whole time. After our hike, we headed back to Monterossa. We pretty much bought out the town! Ha. I bought some wine from that region, evoo, pesto, and the cutest coffee cups! We decided to go get some wine. In Italy when you order wine, they bring you olives, potato chips, and peanuts. All very random, but delicous. We stayed and ate dinner there. We then headed back to pack up! 

We arrived in Florence the next day, and checked into our convent! Ha. We stayed in the convent, and it was so cute. The nuns were so sweet. We have enjoyed Florence! We have all bought lots of leather items, including a great purse that I am so excited about. Yesterday we went to the Academia to see Michealangelo's David. It was impressive, and he was a lot bigger than I thought he would be. We then went to the Uffuzi Gallery. We were told that it takes 2 hours to go through. It took us 20 minutes! 

We are headed to Rome later today, and we are excited. I think that the buildings we see there will mean the most to us because we can relate to the history a lot more. 

The Climb

Today was our last day in Switzerland so we decided that we wanted to go See a few of the mountain towns that Rick recommends. Our plan was to take the train to Lauterbrunnen, hike to Murren and walk around, take a cable car to Gimmelwald and walk around, then take a cable car to Schlithorn train station, walk back to Lauterbrunnen, and then take the train back to Interlaken. In my mind, I'm thinking that it's a lot of walking. I was reassured by our hotel people who said that the hikes were not bad. I also refused to think about it because then I wouldn't do it. If you know me at all, then you know that I am a non-hiking, non-outdoorsy, and non-strenuous activity type of person. 
We arrive in Lauterbrunnen and purchase our lunch. We follow the signs to Murren. The signs point us straight up a mountain, excuse me, an Alp. I thought to myself that maybe this was just the first little bit, it soon became obvious that my wish was not so. The entire hike was uphill. I really wish that someone could have heard the thoughts going on in my head today. It went a little something like this- "I am going to kill Rebekah and Martha for making me do this. I do NOT want to hike up an Alp. I cant do it, I think I might die. Oh crap. I'm having a panic attack, I can't breathe, Lord please help me. Kristin do not say anything out loud or you will regret it. Ok I have 2 ways to do this. The hard way, which is what I have been doing, or I can rely on the strength of my Savior. Ok Jesus, I need help. I can't do this alone, I think I might pass out. Jesus, this mountain is like my everyday life. I have to conquer my sin everday, but I can only do it through you. Please help me to be positive. I'm thankful for these girls that I am with. They don't make me feel bad for slowing them down. They are encouraging and sweet, even though they made me do this. I'm about to pass out, I can't do another step. Kristin, do not get discouraged and do not listen to Satan. Focus on Jesus. Take it one step a time." That is the whole cycle of thoughts that kept going through my head the whole time we were hiking.  Just trying to keep it real! :) Thankfully I was able to give my struggle to Jesus, and he enabled me to conquer that mountain! Towards the end, I was no longer discouraged or defeated. But I still knew that there was no way that I could do anything else today. Thankfully by this point, we were all laughing at ourselves and the never ending mountian. They were ahead of me and I yelled out, "There is no way that y'all are making me walk anymore today! As soon as we get to Murren, I  am getting on a train, cable car, or freaking milk truck and getting back to Interlaken!" They of course bust out laughing. We took our last steep hike, and thankfully hit level ground. Then it started raining. We walked quickly upwards town, and found a lovely little hotel restaurant where we ordered tea, coffee, and lots of water! We got our energy back up, and we walked around town where we were greeted with the most beautiful view of the mountains. We had reached the end-point, and every aching muscle was worth it. We were able to appreciate Gods creation in a deeper way because we had climbed the mountain. 

What we did today is so significant and I can relate it back to my life so well. Life is about climbing a mountain, but the only way to get to the top is through Jesus. What a cool thing to be able to experience in Switzerland. I can't look to the future and get discouraged. When I looked up the path and saw that there was no end in sight, I would start to panic. We can't look ahead and make decisions based on what we see or don't see. Jesus knows what is ahead, and He is the only one who can guide you.

We are so thankful for our time in Switzerland. Being here has given us time to process our stops in the busy cities of London and Paris! It has been peaceful and very relaxing. Tomorrow morning we head to the Cinque Terre in Italy. We are staying there 2 nights, then 2 nights in Florence, and 4 nights in Rome.