Friday, June 11, 2010

It all goes so fast...

This week I've been reminded about how fast life goes (and how busy it can get!). I'm always amazed with where I am as an individual and how I got to this point in life. How did I get from being a kindergartner to a 23 year old licensed teacher? Lots of growing experiences have happened in between, to say the least. ;-)

Through all of the ups and downs, I am so thankful that I followed my dream of becoming a teacher. At the age of 5, I knew that was my goal in life and it has guided me every step of the way. Substituting and volunteering in these past few months has really been an encouragement to me. I absolutely love teaching and being around children. Yes, it is challenging and difficult some days but it is truly my calling. I am so thankful God has placed that "teaching joy" in my heart.

On Wednesday, Thursday and Friday (today), I spent all day at North Plains Elementary School or "home" as I like to call it. On Wednesday I substituted for the first grade teacher and had a pretty good day with the kids. This was my third time subbing for that teacher so I knew the kids and what to expect in terms of lesson plans. It's kind of neat that I got to sub for that teacher again because it bookends my subbing experience for the year (she was the first teacher I subbed for). In April, I saw a huge difference in subbing in there versus in early March. On Wednesday, I saw an even better improvement in my teaching skills compared to April. I'm very encouraged to know that I am getting better with every subbing experience. :)

Thursday was Field Day, which was very fun. Unfortunately, the weather was not really conducive to outdoor activity but the kids enjoyed themselves regardless. I have to applaud the P.E. teacher for attempting Field Day-- she did most of the preparation herself. That's a lot of work for one person! Janelle and I tried to help her when we could. Mostly, we just walked around and watched the kids play. In the afternoon round we spent most of the time under a tree.

Friday, today, was Zoo-Day with the morning kindergarten class. I had heard that the previous day was miserable due to the rain and TONS of people... so I was a little apprehensive about today. Luckily, there was no rain and there weren't huge crowds. Yes, it was busy but not too bad. I enjoyed seeing the little girl, that I was responsible for, having a good time. She laughed and smiled a lot, which was so sweet to see. It's not too often that she is genuinely happy (lots of issues at home).

Overall, the time at the zoo was great. All of the kids seemed to have a positive experience. I loved talking with them about their favorite animals. So cute!

Ahhh.... been a busy week... and it's not over yet! Tonight is my sister's graduation ceremony from high school. I can't believe that she's 18 and done with her public school education. This past year has been quite the struggle with her so I'm very pleased that she's made it through school. I hope that in this next phase of her life she will learn to make better choices. That might be hoping for a lot but she has improved... I can only hope for even better days ahead.


~ I'll end with a quote from one of the kinders today, "Having you here with Mrs. Allen makes it feel like the old days." Precious.

1 comment:

Janelle said...

Field Day was pretty fun, even if the weather was nasty. I'm glad to hear that you had a good time at the zoo!