My Classroom

After about thirty applications, I interviewed for a job in APS two days before the school year began.  The interview went well.  The principal submitted my name to HR, then found out the next morning that APS was on a hiring freeze.  She decided to put me in as a long-term substitute for the first four weeks of school in the class I had interviewed for.  It was such a blessing to be starting off the school year, with promising prospects for a full time job.  At the end of the first week, HR called, on a Saturday, to hire me. 

I am a happily hired 5th grade teacher at Governor Bent Elementary School. (My name is even on the website now. :)

What a ride the first two weeks of the semester brought.  Now we are in the middle of our sixth week of school.  I have 23 awesome students, who make me smile each day as we learn together.  I am getting better at keeping a routine, staying organized and being confident while teaching.  The learning process will never end and I LOVE this journey as it begins. 

Some pictures of my classroom for curious minds...

Classroom Culture Quilt - Students were asked to make a picture describing their culture and family.  Many students made flags of their heritage country. Below the quilt are some of our leveled book baskets and the shelves with our reading and math textbooks.

Classroom Word Wall.  Thanks Mom for helping get my headers together! Below the word wall are more leveled book baskets and my large blue book shelf with math manipulatives.

Behavior chart and CAFE reading board.  My beautiful red chair as well, thanks Mom and Dad!

The front of my room.  To the left of the picture is a sink, to the right, my desk and a window.

Door to the classroom, covered with Miss Gnerich's Super Star students.  To the right of the fire extinguisher is the Mail Box job chart, below are the individual book boxes for my students when they Read to Self and Read to Someone.

My desk...looking mostly organized. :)  Some days it looks much better but often it is quite messy...still a work in progress.

The adventure begins...I love it!

Graduate school is going well too.  I am taking one online class and spend a little time every couple of days doing my own homework.

I am also beading like a crazy person...soon to be knitting like a machine again too.  My new favorite piece...

God has blessed me.  I am so grateful for all of these new experiences.  May God bless you as fall comes again!
Love
Julie

Job Hunting

After applying for 24 different jobs, I am still praying for the correct teaching position.  I now have three friends who have been hired, all of whom have graduated from UNM within the last year and a half.  I am excited for them, but am still looking forward to interviewing and seeing what is in store for my own next step in the teaching world.  I am also rehired to substitute, which ensures me a job of some kind, but I am ready to start in my own classroom.  After volunteering in Mom's class for a few hours the past two weeks, I am thinking kindergarten would be fun for a year, if that means I get a job.  God knows what is best for me and will guide me to the correct position, but I am getting restless with the waiting game.  More as things develop...

I did however get two days of summer school subbing for next week.  I am excited for the work and will be interested to see how this school and their kindergarten classes work.

Meanwhile, to keep myself busy...
I have been making TONS of jewelry, reading and even knitting when it's not horribly hot.

This is one of my favorite sets.  Malachite with black glass beads.  Such fun!  Today I made four Angel Drop necklaces.  A different idea but they are easy and quick to make.

Summer is coming to an end.  My summer classes are over...except showing up to class on Monday and then I have three weeks off until Fall semester begins.  Before that...I hope to be either hired to teach my own class or at least have visited schools to let them know I am substituting again.

May your last few weeks of summer be filled with fun and celebration!

July has arrived!

The best part of the summer is when thunderstorms grace Albuquerque with their presence on a daily basis. Unfortunately...so far this July, little rain has come to the part of town that I happen to live in. June flew by, as was expected with many events planned, graduate school and other adventures. I am grateful for July, as I enjoy my monsoon season and it means we are closer to the start of another school year.

July brings...swimming, finishing summer school courses, hopefully rain, great sunsets and more time relaxing as I have time. Mom has started teaching her summer school class and I hope to start helping, just as something kid related and fun to do.

After weeks of very hot weather...today is a perfect temperature for sitting on the porch reading a book. I hope to maybe find it cool enough in the mornings to ride my bike, before the storms set in or the day becomes too hot. I miss riding and have no excuse not to get out and enjoy God's creation.

It never ceases to amaze me how quickly time flies by... One day, I am working on a music education degree, then it seems like less than a week later I am in elementary education and student teaching...now, I am about halfway done with my graduate degree. Where has the time gone? I look forward to the new adventures that will come in August. I hope to be teaching full-time, if God has a position for me, otherwise substituting for another year while finishing graduate school will be busy enough.

May God's plans be evident and clear in your lives, as we continue into another month and season of this year. Happy July!

June 1st

I cannot believe how quickly the year is going... It's June already! This last semester was full of new experiences...starting graduate school, taking a long-term substitute job, learning how to better manage my time and decrease stress...well that's a work in progress, and working through some health issues that are still unresolved. Between all of that I have been busy. Please pray that I continue to feel better and find ways to better manage my time and stress levels. Summer session at Wayland has begun, I have three classes; two online and one on Monday nights. So far it's not been too difficult, just trying to work ahead a bit so I can enjoy two short weekend trips later this month. In August, I will be done with 5 out of 12 graduate classes. It's amazing how quickly the time is going. In the fall, I hope to be teaching in APS, but if there are no positions, I will substitute another year, while working on my graduate classes. We shall see what the summer holds. I have applied for a few jobs so far and passed out resumes to a few principals...time will reveal the path God has for me. Today, Mom and Dad are on their way to Uganda. A mission trip together...so excited for them, although I wish I were with them. Maybe next year. :) Happy summer! Julie

First Semester Complete

As of yesterday, I completed my first semester of graduate school at Wayland Baptist University - Albuquerque. After eleven weeks, I can now say that graduate school has been a great adventure, thus far. My face to face class, met on Tuesday nights, had six students and was a great way to get started in a new educational setting. I made a few friends within the class and learned strategies for teaching students in the classroom. My project for this class was focused on the writing of F. Scott Fitzgerald, which sparked an interest in reading more about the Jazz Age. One never knows when there might be a chance to teach a unit that includes such a unique culture. My online class had twenty students, studying from all different WBU campuses, but mostly from the Texas area. It was interesting to compare the differences in educational requirements, settings and expectations between New Mexico and Texas, through online discussions. Both of my professors were very knowledgeable about the subjects being presented in the courses. I am very glad I chose to continue my education at Wayland. I love the smaller class sizes and community. For summer session, I will be taking two classes online and one face to face. I am excited to see what will be covered in these three classes. The new adventure has just begun, but I am well on my way to earning a Master's degree in Education Literacy. I am also in my fifth of seven weeks of a long-term substitute position. The third grade has some really fun moments and I am getting to know the students more each day. I have had so many wonderful learning opportunities while in this classroom and I am grateful for all of the things I have learned. It's hard to believe that summer is almost hear, but I look forward to swimming, bike riding, hiking and spending some free time away from teaching and doing homework...even in the midst of taking three classes. May God bless you as spring comes to an end and summer begins! Julie

Long-Term Sub Job Week 1

After one week in the same classroom, I must say...being in the same place everyday is such a blessing. I am working in a third grade classroom, my first long-term substitute job, with a bunch of fantastic kiddos. I knew I would enjoy knowing my schedule for the entire week, after many weeks of very unusual schedules and different days, but I didn't think the first week would go by so quickly and be so fun. The first few days were difficult, as the students were pushing limits and trying to see what they could get away with, but by Friday, we were doing great! You can tell they miss their teacher, but they are responding to my instruction and working together to be flexible. I am grateful to have a regular volunteer to help with grading, filing of papers and preparing folders for the students. This woman has volunteered for the teacher for seven years, she knows where things are and has been a tremendous help. The other two third grade teachers have also been fantastic. It's great to be a school where I know most of the staff and know I can ask for help or send kids to them to complete work. An experience that will hugely benefit my confidence and comfort levels for having my own classroom. This week will go by quickly, between substituting and doing my own school work.

Graduate school is going well. We only have three and a half more weeks of the semester. I will be done on May 9th, but I feel as though I just started yesterday. Eleven week semesters go by quickly. I will be taking two, maybe three classes for summer session, which starts the third week in May. One of my professors from this semester will be teaching a class on classroom management that I plan to take over the summer session. It will be fun to see her teach face to face after having a great online class experience with her as the professor. She is also my academic adviser, so it is nice to have a chance to get to know her more. I am amazed at how quickly time is flying by.

I have also been tutoring twice a week at Matheson Park, working with first, fourth and fifth grade students. These three activities have kept me rather busy. I am enjoying getting to apply my college education with students and starting to see how my education impacts my teaching.

The semester is flying by and I look forward to a change of pace in the summer. I am still not sure what the summer will bring, but I know I will be taking classes, enjoying some time by the pool, and working in some sort of odd summer job. I look forward to the possibility of having a teaching position in the fall...but time shall tell. I have talked with a few principals, but the must hire teachers must be placed in positions first. God has a plan and I am letting Him be in control of what happens next. I look forward to my own classroom, but know that substituting for another year may be helpful as well. We shall see where the road leads.

As always, I am thinking ahead, but trying to remember that relaxing and enjoying now is just as important. New adventures will always be around the corner. God will lead me to the perfect teaching position in His perfect timing.

May God bless you this week.
Julie

Time Just Flies

Once again, after saying...I should blog more...time has passed and I haven't blogged for a month. Has is just been a month? Feels like so much longer. I suppose I can say...school started and I have been substituting more. Both are true, but still, blogging doesn't take too much time.

Well today is Mom's birthday. So far she has spent the week celebrating with Grandma's coconut cream pie and spring break. Tonight I am making a new chicken and rice dish from my new cookbook. Then we head back to school and reality tomorrow. I am so grateful for all of the wonderful encouraging words Mom has shared with me during the past two weeks. She really is one of a kind and I love her dearly.

Graduate school is well on it's way. This week was spring break, after only three weeks of class, but in a semester with only eleven weeks it's still nice to get a week off. I tried to work ahead on some papers and keep back on track after being sick the week prior to spring break. Amazing how a little stomach flu can throw a wrench in the plans to be an overachiever. I have also been asked to take a long-term substitute position, at the school I did two semesters of my student teaching. It's for third graders, which is exciting because I think that may be the grade I would most like to teach. I will be in the same classroom for a minimum of four weeks, but could be there until the end of the school year(seven weeks). I am very excited about this learning opportunity and can't wait to see what it will be like and how much I will grow as a person and teacher during my time in the class.

The rest of life is pretty simple...nothing terribly exciting beyond graduate school and substitute teaching. I am grateful for routine and structure, making the days more eventful and motivating me to do my best in everything.

Sagebrush Community Church has been AWESOME lately. I have been going to the Highland and Eldorado campuses mostly, but enjoying Riverside once in a while as well. I love the worship and Todd is so great at teaching God's word in ways that I immediately apply to my life. We have been doing a series on the Lord's Prayer, going piece by piece. This week we finished the Lord's Prayer. Todd preached on "Yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever" from Matthew. Without God getting all the glory, we are just walking the earth just fill space, but when God's kingdom is the heart of our lives, great things can happen. In my weaknesses, He is my strength.

"The first will be last and the last will be first."
Matthew 19:30

But He said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness." Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so taht Christ's power may rest on me. That is why, for Christ's sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong.
2 Corinthians 12:9-10

May God bless you as winter ends and spring begins.

Graduate School Adventure Begins

After waiting til the end of January for UNM transcripts, I applied for Wayland Baptist Albuquerque and have registered for classes. I have not been officially accepted but they allow you to register while you wait so you can get into the classes you need. Class begins on February 21st so I have one more week before the fun begins. I cannot wait to see what Wayland will bring and look forward to having the routine of school for myself again.

Many people have asked me why I am going to graduate school...well the main reason is because I want to. Yes, it's more time and money spent on education, but in the long run it will be well worth it. I like school and enjoy learning new things. The extra experience and education will help me get a teaching job, and increase my abilities to teach my students in ways that will benefit their education and outlook on school. I am grateful to my family and friends for their support and encouragement in my education endeavors. Let the new education adventure begin!

Lately I have been thinking a lot about how Pop-Pop was always interested in what I was doing and my plans for my teaching career. I know he looks down and sees me working hard and continuing to pursue my dreams. Someday, maybe I will even be a college professor like he was. One never knows where the road will lead. My grandparents, parents and sister have played such a huge role in my education and the dreams that I have chosen to pursue...thank you.

God is good.

Adventures

In life we all learn how to grow and become more independent as we get older. It's amazing to see how many adventures life takes each one of God's children on. God has a specific plan for each of His children and He knows what is best for each of us. During times of stress, trials and the unknown, God will always provide if we let Him have control.

I am embarking on a new adventure. Well, to be honest, many adventures. This year has many new adventures ahead and I look forward to seeing what God has planned for me. I cannot wait to get started on the next chapter of life - Graduate School, then getting a full time teaching job. I hope to teach summer school and find a full time job for the fall, but God will reveal His plan in His timing. :)

May God bless you as He blesses me each and every day.

Love
Julie

Beginnings

Life is always interesting. You never know when change will come and possibly work out in ways you never imagined. It's always fun to see where God places people to work in our lives and be answers to prayer in perfect timing. Excitement comes with some change and sorrow with others, but I am excited about the way 2012 has begun. Many new things to come and many adventures awaiting.

Substituting began again on Wednesday. I ended up working all three of the first three days back to school. I was quite amazed but excited as well. I will be getting quite a few calls in the coming weeks from two different schools, allowing me to build my teacher friendship base and experience many classrooms of all grade levels. It's exciting to watch kids interact with substitutes and see how each teacher runs their classroom. I cannot wait to see where the semester will lead.

Happy January! Happy Birthday to New Mexico as well, as the state turned 100 years old on January 6th.