Missed Monday

Once again, a busy weekend has left me scrambling to catch up a blog update!

Salsa
On Friday, we made homemade salsa with our class!  The school garden had a TON of tomatillos (essentially they are the only thing we can harvest).  With the addition of some tomatoes and jalapenos grown in my CT's home garden, we had all the supplies we needed.  The kids had an awesome time and so did their teachers!  Every child had a chance to cut up veggies and taste the salsa.  We had a nice discussion about homemade versus store-bought food and the kids made a lot of interesting connections that I hope we can explore another time.

Respond to Reading
Something we have really been working on late last week and early this week is how we respond to reading.  Essentially, we are trying to get the kids to understand that they have thoughts (or at least, if they are reading the right book) about what they are reading.  They make connections, predictions, evaluations, etc.  We have given them 10-15 minutes to respond to reading at the end of our reading block.  While we give them the power to choose what they write about, we do offer some sentence starters that have seemed to work well.  Some of them include:

• I think... 
• I felt ______ when _______ . 
• I saw...
• I noticed... 
• I wonder... 
• I hope... 
• It was (funny/sad/exciting) when...

For the reluctant writers, this time has been a struggle.  We do allow them to draw small sketches instead of writing if they wish, but none of them have elected to solely draw pictures.  I look forward to seeing how as their writing grows, so will their reading responses.

Partnerships... To Level or Not to Level
Because it is the beginning of the school year and we've had limited time to assess students (and because it's how our team rolls), most of our groups have been random.  We have a "pick stick" jar that nicely randomizes our students for any sort of grouping.  We learned a new math game on Monday, called "Magic Mystery Ten."  Essentially, you use the A-9 cards, layed out in ten groups face down, with the top card face up.  You also set aside two cards without looking at them, the "mystery cards."  Partners take turns matching sets of ten.  At the end, your mystery cards should either add up to ten themselves or make pairs with your two remaining cards to make ten.  Sounds easy, right?

Well, as a 2/3 mixed age group, there can be a wide range in ability from some of our 7's to some of our 9's.  As it happened, one of our experienced 3rd graders ended up with The Wanderer.  I was sitting at the same table as these two started playing the game.  The 3rd grader, E, was upset because TW wasn't adding up the cards correctly, saying that A + 5 made ten.  E calmly counted up from 5 to get 6.  TW was adding the icons on the cards, including the smaller symbols on the corners (so an A was worth 3).  After a short while, I stepped in and had TW count the symbols for me, explaining that only the symbols in the middle were counted.  He still wasn't convinced.  I let them keep playing because E is a good mentor and I figured that after he saw me scaffold, he might try it as well.  Womp womp.  Not so much.  E's frustration was rising and TW was as obstinate as ever.  It was then that I remembered that we had a list of 10's pairs on the board.  So, when TW chose one card, I had him find the other on the board.  Instead of counting the symbols, he was looking at the numbers.  Whew, crisis averted!

This calls to mind an important part of teaching, though, when to put students with learning peers and when to mix it up and have them work with other kids.  So far, we've had little time with learning peers and lots of times with other kids.  It's been working well- this is the first incident I remember where there was substantial conflict.  I do wonder though, does it work all the time?

We went to the School Forest today- I shall post about that tomorrow.

Much love,
BJT

On Recess & Shame

Recess.  One of the fundamental aspects of being a kid and getting an education.  Right? 

Today, the topic of recess (and lack thereof) came up several times throughout the school day.  First, the boy I mentioned yesterday, C, was wandering around the classroom during reading.  He has books in his book box that are just right for him (cue: previous blog post) but no desire to sit.  He paces around the room for much of the school day, including times that are low-key, like listening to a read aloud or directions.  My CT was trying to talk to him for the third or fourth time in the last ten or so minutes to remind him again what his job was.  After he walked away from her, she said, "You can do it now or you can do it at recess."  Gasp!  For this teaching team, this is a last straw.  We understand the value of recess and that it's an opportunity for kids who aren't great at sitting and listening all day to stretch their legs and get some oxygen. 

The second time it came up is when I was walking my students back from PE.  We passed another 2/3 class in the hallway, and I overheard the teacher say, "Now Miles, why would you do something like that?"  Miles (presumably) said, "I was bored and didn't know what else to do."  The teacher then asserted, "Well, just so you know, you'll be missing all of recess because of it."  Now, it's hard to take a short snippet of a hallway conversation to make conclusions about a student or a teacher's practice.  However, based on what I've heard about this teacher, this type of "punishment" or "consequence" is right on par with her teaching style.  If the kid says that he was bored, offer him some solutions.  He could do math facts in his head.  He could plan out a story he'll write the next day.  He can plan his dream lunch.  He can think about his favorite person.  Anything!  Nothing busts boredom better than recess or free time with friends, so why keep him from that?

The third and final time recess was discussed today was the one that fired me up the most.  I overheard that one of the 4/5 teachers held her entire class in for a 15 minute recess with their heads down on the table because 5/18 kids weren't following directions.  Once again, it's hard to judge a situation based on hearsay, but this seems unreasonable to me.  Preventing most of your students from the few times a day when they aren't regulated by teachers will only lead to more issues for the rest of the day.  The only reason why this is effective is because you're making the kids feel shame. Now, I understand that there are times and places where shame could or should be applied.  You talk back to an elderly woman in church?  You should feel a ashamed.  You intentionally break your little sister's favorite doll right in front of her unprovoked?  Maybe shameful.  You don't follow directions imposed by a teacher who appears to be only somewhat in touch with her students needs?  Hardly.  If I were teaching that class, I would reflect on my own teaching and figure out why five kids were having a hard time.  Were the directions unclear?  Was it too hard?  Did they have all the information they needed?  Was the activity engaging? 

This is a huge topic that I plan on revisiting in the future.  Ever since my mom told me that my home school was very close to cutting recess altogether to increase instructional time, this topic has been a big one for me.  Give the kids time and space to RUN and PLAY and do all the things that we normally tell them not to do.

Peace & love,
Ms. T

"I don't want to go to art!"

Funny kid quote:

Adorable child with impeccable style: "You know what they call me?"
Me: "What do they call you?"
Adorable child with impeccable style: "They call me P-Gittles 'cause I'm legit."  Haha!

So, my Tuesday was full of adventures.  Most notably, while I was walking my class to art, one of my students was lagging behind.  I said, "C!  Hurry up and join the line!  You don't want to miss art!"  Wrong choice of words.  "I do want to miss art.  I'm not going there."  After leading the rest of the class, I went back to find him in the hallway.  He told me he needed to "use it" so I let him go.  Wrong decision again.  Once he came out of the bathroom, he started walking down the hallway away from the art room.  He darted into the gym and out again.  I kept trying to ask him questions about how he was feeling and why he didn't want to go to art, but he just kept repeating that he didn't want to go.  I wasn't too surprised because many of our students have shared that same sentiment with me.  Regardless, he needed to be in art class and I needed to get back and meet with my team.  C decided to get a drink of water, and soon after another one of the "wanderers" from within our house came out.  They were chatting it up, both talking about how they hated the specials they were in right now and that they weren't going to go.  At this point, I had no idea how to coerce them into their specials without physically bringing them, which was not an option.

I went back to my classroom and told my CT what was up.  She started to walk out the door to take care of it and I stopped her.  I was worried that if she went to take care of it, that C wouldn't see me as an equal teacher.  He would see me as subordinate and not take me as seriously as he needs to for us to have a good relationship this year.  She agreed with me and said, "You're going to go to him, take his hand, and walk him to art.  You'll sit with him for three minutes and then say, "You're doing a great job.  I'll see you when art is done."  I went to him and did exactly that, and it worked out.  I spoke to him after art and he didn't seem excited about what they had done, but the fact that he stayed in the room was a success.  It makes me wonder, though, what do you do with kids who obstinately refuse to do things?  I know you can give them choices, but sometimes there aren't many choices to be had.  Deep down, it may seem like the real issue is that he doesn't enjoy art class.  In reality, this behavior happens a lot.  He'll walk out of the room at will, or wander/pace the classroom while we're in morning meeting.  He is the kid that you think about hours and hours after the school day ends.  I hope we can get through to him soon- I'm just not sure how.

Later that day, we went to Owen Woods, a nature preserve within walking distance of our school.  How awesome is that?!  We had a great two hours walking, observing, and documenting the things that we saw and heard.  I can't wait to do more nature-related science things!  So much better than a Foss kit.

Today, Wednesday, is kind of crazy because I'm only with the kids for 3.75 hours before I leave for seminar on campus.  It feels weird every time.  I feel like I miss so much in the half day that I'm gone!  Seminar does have a purpose, I understand that, but this early into the semester it just seems like the same old rhetoric we've been hearing since the start of the program.  Hopefully I can find a silver lining and a positive attitude about the whole thing!

I have to finish up reading the training manual for my job at KinderCare.  I think I'll be starting tomorrow.  Exciting!

-Ms. Brittany :)

Uff da!

It is so hard to remember to update this blog!  One of my big goals this semester is to actually "dig in" to the crazy stuff that is floating in my brain about kids, and to do that I need to write in this blog more than twice a week.  I have been taking notes throughout the school day of things I want to remember to write about and reflect upon.  Once again, I'll segment by topic to organize my thoughts.  Bear with me, I promise I'll post more often!

"Just Right Books" 
On Wednesday and Thursday, we had a conversation with the kids about "just right books."  For the first week plus, we let them pick books that they wanted to read.  For most of them, they picked chapter books that they knew they liked, like Ivy and Bean,  Diary of a Wimpy Kid, and BabyMouse.  However, for a few of our students, they chose books that their peers were reading easily while they were only looking at the pictures.  We talked about the "five finger test" where students should read a story, and when they come to a word they don't know, they put up a finger.  If they get to five, the book isn't a good fit for them.  They should choose something else.  My CT took a few of those students on individual trips to the book room (one of the perks of having two adults in your classroom at all times).  When she came back to the room with them, they were like changed children.  They wanted to read because they had success.  It makes me wonder why we don't always set our students up for success.  Why test them at a level that's above their level first?  Let them gain some confidence in themselves before you push them to the level of "performance standards."  They're kids!  They deserve to feel great about themselves. 

One such student, who had been reading chapter books beyond his "just right" level, came up to me and said, "Miss Torud, some of these words are too hard for me.  Actually, a lot too hard."  Melted my heart!!  This is one of those kids who likes to be in everyone's business and had previously spent most of our quiet reading time trying to talk to the kids around him or asking if he could go to the bathroom every five minutes.  No wonder!  After his trip to the book room, he had no problem sitting and reading on his own.  Good, readable books are like magic.

Lunch Count Madness
I have spent much of my teacher education program planning lessons and deciding what I would do with a group of kids for "math time" or "literacy time."  Something I've discovered in my three weeks of student teaching so far is that you can plan activities all day long, but nothing beats teaching on the fly.  Last Friday, the choices for lunch were Cheese Pizza or Tuna Noodle Casserole.  For real?  Tuna casserole versus cheese pizza?  Who plans these things?  For the first time in the history of Room 29, no kids opted for lunch choice B.  Instead of moving ahead with our morning, we decided to collect some real data.  We had our kids make predictions about how many kids chose pizza and how many chose tuna casserole.  After we recorded those, we called Miss Sherri, our food service representative ("lunch lady" just seems too casual), to get the facts.  It turns out, 211 kids ordered pizza and 21 ordered tuna casserole.  Today, on Monday, the choices were Cheese Pizza or Mini Corn Dogs.  We repeated the process and as the students predicted, they were much more even than the numbers on Friday.  In dream world, I would launch this curiosity into a full-scale study on school lunches.  There are so many ways you could tie in the social justice piece (higher income = cold lunch, lower income = free and reduced hot lunch), the sustainability piece (we have a school garden, why don't we eat from it?), and even the supply chain piece (where does it come from?  who cooks it? who brings it to us?).  Alas, this would take a lot of time out of our school day.   Maybe someday.

Lost at School 
John Muir School is doing an all-staff reading of "Lost at School" by Dr. Ross W. Greene.  I only read the first chapter today, but essentially the book aims at helping educators and schools to better understand students with behavioral challenges.  Planning and implementing lessons is a piece of cake compared to convincing a student that he should stay in the classroom when all he wants to do is wander the hallways.  So many times we blame parents, or other school staff members, or society itself for the kids that just don't follow the same rhythm as other kids.  I am looking forward to reading further because maybe, just maybe, if we work harder to help these kids we can start to disperse the negative cloud that has formed over our public schools. 

Peace & Love,
Ms. T

A Tale of Two Writing Times

We had an incredible morning with the kids!!

I forgot to mention yesterday that the biggest stress of the day was our writing period.  The kids have been working on "Hopes and Dreams" for the school year since the second day.  They've been brainstorming, writing, revising, and detailing.  They have worked hard so far but many of our students need affirmation that they're doing the right thing or that their work is correct.  To me, this is a result of former teachers who instill a sort of "fear" in them that if they don't do it just like the teacher tells them to that their work is no good.  As I've mentioned before, the philosophy of this teaching team is very much to give kids the power.  While there is often form and structure to the things that we do, the teacher is not an all-knowing goddess (or god) of the classroom.  We, as a community, work things out so that everyone feels good.  I don't mean to say that the students aren't challenged, but it's much more challenge by choice than in other classrooms I've been in.

That said, yesterday I had my first "holy buckets, kids, I need my space!!" moment.  I was helping a few kids at a kidney table when a student had a question that brought me to her seat.  As I moved to that space, I had three little ducklings following behind me.  When I sat down to work with the fourth student, the first three were literally within 8 inches of my face.  I stopped and said, "Whoa.  How do you think I'm feeling right now?"  Their responses were right on and indicated to me that they are much better at reading people than they lead on.  "You're stressed!"  "We are in your space!"  "You can't talk to all of us at once!"  So smart.  The writing period was over and I felt like I had only scratched the surface of their needs. Frustrating!

I was really apprehensive coming into writing time today.  I sat at the same kidney table with the a few of the same kids as yesterday.  Most of them needed help taking their "want" statements and "how they will do it" statements and forming them into an "I will" statement.  For example, they might say, "I want to be a better reader" and then we would ask how they would do that.  They might say, "read every day" or "read the right books for me."  Then, they would make a strong sentence that sounds like this, "I will read every day and read the right books for me to be a better reader."  I had three of my students write their strong sentences on whiteboards and then transfer those sentences to their paper.  What a difference it made!  Something about getting to use different materials propelled them to be serious writers!  They didn't quite catch up to their peers, but they will get there.  There's always tomorrow :) 

-Ms. T

"You're cute."

I'll start with the adorable conversation of the day...

Girl student: "Are you married?" 
Me: "No, not now.  I hope I get married someday though!"
Girl student: "Oh, you'll get married.  You're cute."   I love this job! 

I have also decided that the format of my last post really helped to organize my thoughts better than my previous posts. Starting yesterday, I wrote down highlights or things that I wanted to talk about or remember.  I think I'll try posting them in a list format rather than running through the day chronologically so that I get to the "good stuff" rather than having to sift through fluff.

Walk & Talk
Last week we did a very simple yet very effective exercise during the last ten minutes before our afternoon recess.  We gathered all of the kids outside and gave them the question, "What was a highlight of your summer vacation?"  My CT and I then modeled what this activity should look like.  We stood shoulder to shoulder and took turns sharing a highlight of our summer.  When one person was sharing, the other was using their eyes, body language, and quiet mouths to show that they were listening.  We then paired kids up with other kids and let them go.  I was pleasantly surprised that even though we paired kids with kids who were not their BFFs, they were able to talk and share.  Sometimes I think we as teachers forget how little people converse these days without social media or other influences.  The kids responded that it felt really good to be listened to, even if it was just for a few minutes.

Flow 
As my CT asked me to reflect on the first week, the first thing I said was how relieved I was that things just seemed to "flow"together.  Perhaps it is the understanding, child-centered approach used by my teaching team, but neither the teachers or the students were stressed during that first week.  Though assessment deadlines were looming, these teachers made it their priority to establish a community of learners, rather than a group of guinea pigs.  I have the biggest anxiety about teaching when it comes to time management and fitting everything in.  What I discovered this week though, is that there are always little chunks of time in between scheduled activities were you can discuss behaviors or upcoming events.  If the kids aren't getting something done in the time you allotted, you shift things around in the afternoon.  Everything will get done.  There is no need to create stress and tension for you and the students just because you're worried Johnny won't finish his sentences as quickly as the rest of the students.  It will always get done.

Self-Labeling 
Another strong indication of the commitment these teachers have to our students is that the kids label everything.  As an inexperienced or type-A teacher, one might want to have everything labeled prior to the kids arriving on the first day of school.  In some schools of thought, kids should arrive with their own labeled school supplies, have a locker to go to, a book box to call their own, and anything else that is to be customized, customized.  In this house, however, not a single thing was labeled ahead of time.  On the first day, students made their own locker tags, pick sticks, and name tents.  Each day since, they have made something else their own.  We've labeled notebooks and folders as well as students' book boxes.  While I would probably be one to label all of this ahead of time, seeing how excited the kids are to create and draw and represent themselves has really changed my mind.  We expect kids to maintain and take ownership of their school supplies, yet we put their names on it?  We choose the font, the color, the format?  The only rules we've had in terms of labeling is that the student's name is readable.  So far, things have turned out really well.  Besides, kid artwork is always cuter than anything made on the computer. :)

I have my first day of seminar tomorrow afternoon.  It's going to be weird to miss three hours of time with my kids every week, but I am really excited to see my cohort again!  I can't wait to hear all of the crazy stories everyone has.

Later gators!
Ms. T

Catch up!

Uff da.  I can't believe my last post was four days ago!  So much has happened during that time.

Thursday
Good day with the kids!  I was alone with them for about 30 minutes while my CT was at a meeting.  I talked with them about what literacy time looks like (particularly the reading portion).  I was a little apprehensive because we have some "wanderers" this year who like to roam instead of staying with the group.  Luckily, by making our biggest wanderer the student who modeled how to put books back in the correct boxes, I was able to keep the group focused and learning!  It was definitely a feel good moment :)

Friday
Honestly, Friday is kind of a blur!  We have both of our recess duties on Friday and I enjoyed playing jump rope with girls from other classes.  They have some skills!  We are hoping to get another rope so they can double-dutch before the weather gets too cold.  During the second recess, a student told me "You smell like a daycare.  You know, not the poopy diaper smell, but the good smell?  You smell like that."  Umm, thank you?

After school I started the drive back to Eau Claire.  When I got there, I met my parents, my boyfriend, my sister, brother-in-law, and niece at my parent's house.  There were two relatives from Norway visiting so I enjoyed chatting with them about differences in Norwegian and American culture in terms of public school and special education.  I was certainly on my soap box!

Saturday 
We were lucky to join in the wedding celebration of my best friend's older brother Adam and his new wife Kellyn.  I have known this family since I was born because they live right up the street from my parents house.  It was wonderful to catch up with them and other people from my hometown!!  My parents brought my niece Gracelyn with them and she had a blast dancing and playing with all of the kids! This is my mom, my niece, and I at the end of the night. :)

Sunday
My boyfriend, Todd, is a firefighter and had to work on Sunday.  I went to church with my parents, my sister, my brother-and-law and Gracelyn Kate.  Spending time with these five is certainly a highlight of every time I am at home!  I watched the Packer game with them (boooo for the loss!) and then brought Todd a sub at the station.  He showed me around and I got to meet some of his coworkers!  They do some pretty amazing work.  :)  After we said a sad goodbye, I headed back to Madison to get ready for school on this fabulous Monday. 

I will update more about the beginning of this week tomorrow night when I have more time! 

Love,
Ms. T :)

The Second Day

Today was sort of an unremarkable day- it was as if we had already settled into our routine, the kids knew each other, and the rules and expectations were old hand.  There are still kids who are "too cool" and feel the need to disregard what is going on in the classroom and do their own thing, but for the most part we had a good day.

We started out with our morning meeting.  The kids had their first chance to greet one another by name and with eye contact and they ROCKED it!  Of our 17 kids, only one of them had to ask what someone's name was, and it was my name they had forgotten.  I was so proud of their ability to remember one another after just a half day of being a class.  After our MM, we went out on the playground to talk about some playground rules.  We let the kids play for a while afterwards because, frankly, it'd be pretty mean not to.

The class went to PE and music, and then we did an activity called "Hopes and Dreams".  I was a little worried coming into this activity because sometime activities like this result in ideas like "I want a DSi."  or "I want to be the best video gamer ever."  After some concrete modeling, we let the kids work.  I was impressed by some of their responses.  We made the parameter that they had to choose two school-related ideas and one non-school related idea.  Most of the students got down at least three ideas.  Tomorrow we will revisit this idea and refine our ideas.

After that, the kids went to lunch and recess.  When they got back, we had about 20 minutes for quiet time.  Each child has an "Anything" folder and an "Anything" notebook that they can use for absolutely anything.  They can draw, write, or do math.  Some worksheets and activities are provided, but for the most part, the kids use this as their time to do what they like best.  Many students drew pictures today, but two boys asked for math problems.  Both of them are incoming 2nd graders that sheepishly asked my CT and I to write out math problems for them.  One boy, K, absolutely relished in the math problems I gave him.  Even when I tried to be tricky and give him a story problem, he got it done in about 30 seconds.  He didn't show any work, though, so I talked with him about how it's important to show what his brain is thinking in case he didn't get to the right answer.

At the end of the day, we did our second house activity.  Yesterday, we did the "friend bingo" scavenger hunt, and today we (attempted to) play a game called Crows & Cranes.  It is similar to sharks and minnows, where the students are split into two groups and take turns chasing after one another.  The kids were crazy and not listening during directions, so we had to call them back in to review them one more time.  Needless to say, the day was done and we only half played the game.  Maybe day two was a little too early for this one.

Tomorrow is our first full day of school!  The weather is supposed to be less hot (thank goodness) so hopefully we aren't all melted by the end of the day.  It will be interesting to get a whole picture of what the day is like and how energized the teachers and the kids stay.  I made a Target run and purchased coffee and filters... my first iced coffee will be happening tomorrow morning!  I have also been hunting for a job to have for 10-15 hours a week while I'm student teaching.  I had an interview with a local KinderCare center that went really well last week.  I hadn't heard from them, so I called today to follow up.  They are in the process of calling my references and submitting my information to corporate- so hopefully as of next week I'll be employed.

I'm off to get a lift in before the night is over.  Also- I get to go home and see my honey in TWO DAYS!  Let's hope the next 48 hours fly by. 

Brittany :)

Day One

The first day with kids is in the books!  I cannot believe how quickly the day went.  One of the reasons why I work with kids is because time with them is easily spent and I feel like I never have enough of it.  First off, let me just say that my students are adorable.  I mean that in the most superficial way, of course, because you can't possibly get to know the personalities of your students in your first five hours with them.  I have always, always loved the first day of school.  Many of them came in with new school clothes, new kids, and new backpacks.  While they were excited about all of these things, many of them gravitated towards old friends.

I think our biggest struggle this year is going to be dealing with friendships.  We've already had parents and past teachers telling us stories of pairs of BFFs that love each other one minute and hate each other the next.  I'm curious to find out what strategies will work in terms of pairing kids into learning groups instead of purely friendship groups.

My CT has the students use sign language to ask to use the restroom or get a drink of water.  They sign for one or the other, and an adult either nods that "yes" it is okay, or "no" it is not a good time. This has worked pretty well so far and cuts down on kids raising their hands to ask for this.  One more strategy that I like is playing three-note chimes to get kids' attention.  Any teacher that has spent any time in a classroom has likely been frustrated by yelling over students to get their attention.  While call and response strategies work at times, the chimes are a nice way of calling attention without using a tired teacher voice!

I got a migraine at the end of the afternoon today... no fun! So when I came back to my apartment I took some ibuprofen and spend some quality time laying on my bed.  I ended up sleeping about two hours- way more than I had intended.  Hopefully I'll have more energy and no headache to get some cleaning and organizing done around my little place.  To wrap up my night I did a quick treadmill workout and got in a good phone call with my parents.  My mom is a 2nd grade teacher in my hometown, so she is a wonderful resource to me!!  I love sharing ideas and stories with her.  Off to bed to prepare for another exciting day tomorrow :)

Love,
BJT

Blogging & Birthdays

I've spent the last couple of hours looking through other teacher blogs.  They are so incredible!  Blogs are not only a great way to journal about what you are doing in your classroom for self-reflection, but also a great way to connect with other educators.   Awesome!

I also decided to share with you a little something that I made for our classroom this week- a new birthday chart!  The old one hadn't been updated for quite some time, so my CT asked me to create something new for that space.  With some modifications to a pinterest inspiration, here it is.  We love it!

The Beginning

I have been thinking about writing a blog for the last couple of years but I haven't felt that I had the time or energy to make it as meaningful as I want it to be.  It is the eve of my first real day of student teaching, however, and I don't want to forget anything about the journey I am about to begin. 

I cannot believe that this is my fifth and final fall in Madison.  The last four years on campus at UW-Madison have been incredible.  I have made more friends and more memories than I had ever expected and I know that I'll spend the rest of my life wishing I could go back to this time.  But after spending this past Saturday on campus cheering on my beloved Badgers at Camp Randall Stadium, I realized that something was different.  Many of my peers have graduated and are working "big boy/big girl" jobs or moving on to medical or graduate school.  This game day didn't feel like the others.  I spend the entire week before preparing my classroom with my cooperating teacher at an elementary school on the far west side of Madison.  Instead of wandering campus with my friends, laying in the sun, or picking up my books at the University Bookstore, I was in a professional setting attending meetings and writing lesson plans.

I should also include in this first post my current romantic/family/relationship situation.  Not only am I entering a semester where most of my time is spent off-campus working with a team of teachers and students, I'm also living in a studio apartment!  It is a beautiful place with all the amenities a girl could want- except my loved ones.  My boyfriend of a year, my parents, and my sister (and her husband and 3-year-old daughter) all live in my hometown, which is about 3 hours from where I live right now.  I was blessed to spend the summer with them whilst teaching preschool at a local daycare center.  It is SO HARD to go from seeing them every day to seeing them every couple of weeks!  Sometimes I struggle to take a step back and realize that they love me a lot and that three hours is nothing compared to those who live thousands and thousands of miles from their loved ones.

Regardless of feeling a little lonely sometimes, I am so excited to be teaching 35+ hours every week.  I think that I am my best person when I am hanging out with kids and helping them discover what an awesome world we live in.  I can't wait to meet my 7-9 year olds tomorrow!

Love,
Ms. T :)