I cleaned my house for 7 hours yesterday! That's a long time - but it was way worth it. My mom was working hard trying to get the yard into shape - so I worked on the inside all day. Don't you think it is the best feeling in the world to just dig in and get something really clean? It was a very satisfying day.
And that was probably my last time having a cleaning spree at my home home for a while. I've been living in AF with the family for far too long now. I love them to death - and for real it's awesome not to pay for rent or food and to have family around .... all the time .... but it's time to go now. I'm still not sure where I'm moving to, but I've heard a lot of good things about a place called Millrace Condos in Provo. My school next year is borderline Provo/Orem so this is a good place as it is located in North Provo. I have yet to go check out the place with my own eyes, but I'm thinking it will be the winner for now.
Tuesday, May 26, 2009
Friday, May 22, 2009
The Little Stinker
Babies are gross. Don't get me wrong, I LOVE babies and little kids, but sometimes baby stuff is still kind of "throw-up-in-my-mouth" disgusting. Here is a little story to show you what I mean.
I got to sit with my nephew the other day at Em and Mike's place. He woke up from his nap shortly after I got there and as I picked him up and took him to the living room I noticed he was a little soggy-bottomed. No big deal - I never mind changing diapers. I plopped him down on the floor thinking it was just a really wet one. WRONG. He had a complete blowout!! I only had wipes and a new diaper there with me in the living room so to prevent it from leaking all over the carpet, I hurriedly stripped the babe and wrapped the nastiness in the new diaper. Andrew was just enjoying the whole show! He was being squirmy and gabby but as soon as the clothes came off he went nuts! I attempted to grab him up (meanwhile getting baby poo all over my arm) and raced him to the bathroom sink. *Whew* Fortunately I found a towel quickly, got the sink turned on, and began wiping the excess from off his back etc. Now, Em's sink splashes pretty fiercely, so when I noticed the water on the floor I didn't think much of it .....until I began to feel wet warmth starting from the front of my shirt down to the knee of my pants. Turns out while I was worried about getting him cleaned off, he decided he wasn't done! Pee all over me. I looked at that little face and he let out a loud giggle! I let him finish his business (all over me), wrapped him in a towel, and got him diapered and dressed. Oh my grossness! But all too funny to care.
I got to sit with my nephew the other day at Em and Mike's place. He woke up from his nap shortly after I got there and as I picked him up and took him to the living room I noticed he was a little soggy-bottomed. No big deal - I never mind changing diapers. I plopped him down on the floor thinking it was just a really wet one. WRONG. He had a complete blowout!! I only had wipes and a new diaper there with me in the living room so to prevent it from leaking all over the carpet, I hurriedly stripped the babe and wrapped the nastiness in the new diaper. Andrew was just enjoying the whole show! He was being squirmy and gabby but as soon as the clothes came off he went nuts! I attempted to grab him up (meanwhile getting baby poo all over my arm) and raced him to the bathroom sink. *Whew* Fortunately I found a towel quickly, got the sink turned on, and began wiping the excess from off his back etc. Now, Em's sink splashes pretty fiercely, so when I noticed the water on the floor I didn't think much of it .....until I began to feel wet warmth starting from the front of my shirt down to the knee of my pants. Turns out while I was worried about getting him cleaned off, he decided he wasn't done! Pee all over me. I looked at that little face and he let out a loud giggle! I let him finish his business (all over me), wrapped him in a towel, and got him diapered and dressed. Oh my grossness! But all too funny to care.
The culprit.
Thursday, May 21, 2009
Teacher Thoughts
The end of the school year is finally here! These past few weeks have seriously been the longest weeks of my life - waiting for a break. My student teaching and this past semester as a "real teacher" have been quite a challenge for me. I've learned that teaching is nothing like what they told me it would be at BYU.
Classroom management is key to having a successful teaching experience and I have definitely not mastered this concept yet! For the past year my lack of management success has stressed me out big time. I have been unable to really enjoy the students and the teaching like I thought would. (I figured this would come naturally... not true...for me at least :) ) At times, I have been terrified to come to class worrying that I will lose control of the students, end up yelling at them, and then crying my eyes out as soon as they leave.
Now that the end is here, I have been able to finally relax. My students come sparatically, they are happy to almost be done, and class time is very low key as far as actual instruction goes. We mostly play 'educational' games. (I guess this is the nature of resource with end of the year activities, dance festival, assemblies, and field trips). I've had a chance to reflect on some of the good times and the moments that have made this struggle seem worth it. I mean, part of me thinks it is insanity that I have accepted a job this coming Fall despite my struggle to make it through this year! But somewhere deep in there I know that it is moments like these that make it all worth it:
Funny moments:
- "I scream like a girl. But that's only for emergencies." said by a third grade boy
- "Miss Moody! I have 34 scratches!" (said proudly) "But you have more than me!" "I do?" "Yep, on your face!" (referring to my acne!! hahah)
- "Miss Moody, are you still in high school?" I don't think I will ever look old enough to be teaching...
- "How old are you, Miss Moody?" "How old do you think I am?" Answers ranged from 17 to 40... oh man. I guess I look old enough to some students.
- "Why did you put your hair like that? You should wear it down."
- "I like it better when your hair is in your face." (meaning my bangs shouldn't be pinned up)
- "You are my most beautiful teacher!"
- "I like your class a lot Miss Moody!" "Oh, thank you!" "Ya, you give out lots of candy." (during my bribing phase. Not really proud of the reason why they liked me..haha)
- Written in a note: "Thanks for all you do. You teached us a lot!"
But really it's for these reasons:
- Seeing a student finally understand a concept
- When all students pay attention and answer questions at the same time! (Even if it only lasts for 2 minutes)
- Talking to a student about his behavior and seeing him make the effort to actually change!
- Laughing and joking
- When a lesson goes exactly the way I planned it to! (few and far between, but at least I know it can happen)
- Seeing one student help teach another a concept he just learned himself
- Being able to help my students see happiness in life when many of them struggle with so much outside of school
I don't know how much difference I have made this year, but I am grateful for the experiences I've had. Oh boy it's been hard! And I am glad to have a summer in between, but I really am excited to start fresh again at a new school, at the start of a school year, with all of this knowledge and new ideas of how to change for the better.
Classroom management is key to having a successful teaching experience and I have definitely not mastered this concept yet! For the past year my lack of management success has stressed me out big time. I have been unable to really enjoy the students and the teaching like I thought would. (I figured this would come naturally... not true...for me at least :) ) At times, I have been terrified to come to class worrying that I will lose control of the students, end up yelling at them, and then crying my eyes out as soon as they leave.
Now that the end is here, I have been able to finally relax. My students come sparatically, they are happy to almost be done, and class time is very low key as far as actual instruction goes. We mostly play 'educational' games. (I guess this is the nature of resource with end of the year activities, dance festival, assemblies, and field trips). I've had a chance to reflect on some of the good times and the moments that have made this struggle seem worth it. I mean, part of me thinks it is insanity that I have accepted a job this coming Fall despite my struggle to make it through this year! But somewhere deep in there I know that it is moments like these that make it all worth it:
Funny moments:
- "I scream like a girl. But that's only for emergencies." said by a third grade boy
- "Miss Moody! I have 34 scratches!" (said proudly) "But you have more than me!" "I do?" "Yep, on your face!" (referring to my acne!! hahah)
- "Miss Moody, are you still in high school?" I don't think I will ever look old enough to be teaching...
- "How old are you, Miss Moody?" "How old do you think I am?" Answers ranged from 17 to 40... oh man. I guess I look old enough to some students.
- "Why did you put your hair like that? You should wear it down."
- "I like it better when your hair is in your face." (meaning my bangs shouldn't be pinned up)
- "You are my most beautiful teacher!"
- "I like your class a lot Miss Moody!" "Oh, thank you!" "Ya, you give out lots of candy." (during my bribing phase. Not really proud of the reason why they liked me..haha)
- Written in a note: "Thanks for all you do. You teached us a lot!"
But really it's for these reasons:
- Seeing a student finally understand a concept
- When all students pay attention and answer questions at the same time! (Even if it only lasts for 2 minutes)
- Talking to a student about his behavior and seeing him make the effort to actually change!
- Laughing and joking
- When a lesson goes exactly the way I planned it to! (few and far between, but at least I know it can happen)
- Seeing one student help teach another a concept he just learned himself
- Being able to help my students see happiness in life when many of them struggle with so much outside of school
I don't know how much difference I have made this year, but I am grateful for the experiences I've had. Oh boy it's been hard! And I am glad to have a summer in between, but I really am excited to start fresh again at a new school, at the start of a school year, with all of this knowledge and new ideas of how to change for the better.
Tuesday, May 19, 2009
Fancy Blogs
I'm having a grand ole time searching through free backgrounds and finding out how to customize my blog. If anyone has any tips for me, I'm all ears for advice!
Monday, May 18, 2009
I've Succumbed
Well hello Blog World! I've decided to join the craze and begin blogging. I love blog stalking everyone else, so I figured it was about time I created one myself. I have always felt like "blogs" are for young married couples and thus counted myself out - but it seems to be a fantastic way to keep up on my friends lives who live near and far and whom I don't hear from otherwise. So, here I sit! I hope I can find enough interesting things about my life to entertain those who might read this - otherwise ya'll are just going to get a whole lot of rambling. I don't even know how well I will keep it up, but we'll see...
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)