End of 2011, Beginning of 2012

Another year has come and gone...
Let's recap...

The year began with an adventure, student teaching in first grade and general music at Arroyo Del Oso. I learned a lot that semester between my two master teachers and still talk with them about teaching methods and things that are happening in life. Good teacher friendships were created, that I hope will last for many years to come.

The UNM spring semester brought the excitement of following my friend, Sabrina's walk through a twin pregnancy, the adventure of finishing the semester with hospital runs and the support of my great school group friends. During the spring, Mike and I also had some difficult times, with the loss of his father in March. We stuck together and learned to comfort each other in a new way during this hardship. We also got the chance to meet some close friends of Mike's dad and I got to meet more of the family.

The summer meant 13 credits of course work. It sounded like a great idea to make my getting a teaching job easier, but the summer proved to be quite difficult in all areas of life. I took Spanish 2 at CNM and worked on Teaching English as a Second Language courses through the UNM Summer Institute. In the middle of all of this classwork, I was diagnosed with a cavernoma on Father's day weekend. This meant no driving for six months and taking medication for seizures, which was not fun at all. With the not being able to drive, came new difficulties...How would I get to my new student teaching assignment? How would I work at my school job for Keller Hall? How would I get to other activities? Well luckily I have great family and friends. They helped with driving for the rest of the summer and we worked out a plan for the fall semester. Between grandparents, my parents, and close family friends, I was able to student teach, spend time with friends and still make a little money, although it wasn't from working at Keller.

Fall semester came quickly. I student taught five days a week at Matheson Park Elementary school, where I quickly became a part of the staff family and was excited to learned each day. My master teacher became not only a great friend but was a huge impact on my desire to work with upper elementary school children and learn more about working with students who are learning English as a second language or have other learning disabilities. I got the opportunity to solo teach on astronomy, which was a blast. It was so much fun to see the students get interested in a topic I love and want to study more, even after three weeks of focusing on astronomy.

At the conclusion of student teaching, I finished my online course to complete my degree in Elementary Education at UNM. I graduated on December 17th, with a GPA of 3.77, giving me honors for the College of Education. Graduation itself was just another step to the finish line, but all of my hard work paid off.

Christmas was filled with family and friends, lots of activities and way too much food. The usual fun that comes with celebrating the birth of Jesus. This last week of 2011, I am grateful for the experiences of the year, but look forward to the coming year with great excitement.

In 2012, I will begin graduate school at Wayland Baptist University in Albuquerque (Feb.), hopefully get a full time teaching position, learn to love myself in order to better love others, serve God in new ways at Sagebrush and rekindle some friendships, making stronger connections with the people I love.

What will you do?
May God bless you in 2012!
Julie

End of Semester...Graduation to come!

Well since September many events have occurred. I am amazed by how quickly the past semester has gone by. I have two weeks left of not driving, I am done student teaching, I am done with my UNM undergraduate course work...I am just waiting for grades and graduation to come. This semester was a great learning experience and I look forward to using what I have learned as a teacher, hopefully come fall.

Student teaching was a blast. I absolutely love the staff and students at Matheson Park Elementary School. It was so nice to feel welcomed into their school and environment. I was so glad to be a part of their semester. The students were great and I look forward to seeing them continue to grow as a substitute at the school in the spring. My desire to teach has just been reinforced by the experiences of the semester. I have had good and bad days but that is just a part of life.

I can officially say I am done at UNM. My last adventure with UNM will be graduation on December 17th and then I will await for official transcripts, applying for graduate school at Wayland Baptist Albuquerque and for my teaching license, once everything gets taken care of from the UNM side. I look forward to the new adventures that will come after a short break between finishing at UNM and starting at Wayland.

With a break from school comes time to read, knit, be crafty and do some much needed cleaning of my closet and getting rid of things I no longer need. I look forward to spending time with family during graduation and the Christmas holiday season. Praying that the holiday season brings joy and happiness to those I love.

God bless your Christmas, time with family and friends and the joys of the season, as we celebrate the birth of Jesus!

Julie