It's Wednesday Love

Show what you're loving today! Heading on over to Jamie's blog for WILW! :)

#1 - I'm loving that in three weeks I will be in Georgia visiting my best friend, Steph. I've mentioned her several times. But seriously, I haven't seen her in two years so it makes me SOOO excited to see her. And when I say I need a vacation, I can't wait. Three more weeks!

#2 - I'm loving my new student teaching placement. I am still in a middle school environment, just in a different district. I'm actually in the district where my brother teaches, so I have a lot of his old students or athletes (he does girls tennis and baseball and at one point basketball). Plus, one of his friends is my cooperating teacher and another friend teaches in the building. Hopefully these connections will help me when I apply for a job!

#3- I'm loving that my friends and I are visiting New Paltz this weekend! I believe we are only staying for one night to go out and play in town on Saturday, but seriously, I'm excited. If it wasn't for my feeling that I had when I walked on that campus, envisioning myself there for 4 years (well 3.5 since part of a year was spent in Spain), I would not have met these AMAZING people.

#4- Her new album! I am a big Britney fan and saw her in concert at MSG in NYC two years ago. Seriously, it's on my ipod. Thankfully, I rarely have anyone in my car with me going from student teaching, to work, to school, home, etc...so I'm gonna BLAST this for the next few days. Also, she is playing at Nassau Coliseum this summer and even though its $115 with taxes for the CHEAP seats EACH, my friend and I are going!

#5 -
Jodi Picoult's new book! I'm reading it when I have free time [like when I eat lunch during my lunch period at school although I feel guilty]. I seriously only discovered her when I was in the Madrid airport, trying to spend the last of my euros and bought her book "Nineteen Minutes." Finished it in two days! She is a fantastic writer and I really like this one.

Now, tonight is my only night to go relax really so off to go shower and go read more of "Sing me Home" before I go to bed!! Happy Wednesday all! :) Almost done with this week!

Sunday Funday!

It is Sunday Funday! Or rather not since I will be working a double again today after working a double yesterday. And, I work tomorrow night but thankfully Monday's are slow! After that, I don't have work again til Monday 4/4 because I asked for next weekend off. Yay!

I feel like I have been so busy lately that I really did not do any "blog-worthy" posts. The fact that I am student teaching, working 4 nights a week and tutoring two nights a week in addition to going to class one night a week makes me to be one INSANE person! I think as soon as I graduate, my body is going to shut down and sleep for 3463846 years to regain all the sleep I haven't got. I went to bed at 1:30am on Friday after staying up to finish things. What time did I have to get up to get ready for school? 5:45am. THAT was brutal. I still to this day, two years after I graduated college, cannot fathom how I functioned in classes on four or five hours of sleep. My friends and I talk about this all the time and we can't puzzle it together.

Friday was my last day in my first student teaching placement. I was mixed emotions about it. I was sad to go because a lot of the kids were like "Don't leave! We don't want him [my cooperating teacher] back teaching us!" "Why do you have to leave?" "You're the best teacher ever!" I also loved seeing one of my friends, Ashley, who is in my program with me at grad school, every day. We were lucky to be placed in the same school. She is there for the rest of the semester while I move on to my new placement. I am sad to not see her every day and talk about the insanity that happens with our students. I am also sad because I was growing "attached" to the kids. However, I am ready for a fresh start....one at a school where hopefully the kids will not BITE people (yes, one of my students did that to another teacher). I am also ready for a new start because the first week of student teaching put a bad taste in my mouth. Also, I am ready to find ways to DAZZLE my supervisor when he comes to observe me April 8th. He said my lesson was "boring" the last time (March 2)...I'm sorry, but teaching grammar/how to conjugate verbs can't be as super thrilling as he wants it to be. Whatever, hopefully my new cooperating teacher will have some ideas to help me out. He is the friend of my brother Mark (who is a 5th grade teacher) so I am excited to go there tomorrow! :) School starts and ends around the same time my last placement did and it's about equal distance/time (roughly 21 mins with no traffic). Here's to leaving my house at 7:10 tomorrow to find it...Oy vey. :)

I am really excited to go away next weekend. Even though we are only going away for one night to visit New Paltz and coming back late Saturday, I feel like it is definitely WELL deserved. I can't remember the last night I did not have to do something school or work related. Sunday my mom and I plan on going out to the outlets which is something we don't get to do too often. It'll be fun. Maybe I should make it my goal to start shopping for shorts because all my pants keep falling off...even WITH a belt! I know that is something positive but it is also annoying because even after I wash them and dry them in hopes of shrinking, they just wanna fall off. And trust me, I do not want to be lookin like a fool with my pants on the ground. :)

I'm even further excited I get to go to Atlanta to see my best friend Stephanie. Our friendship is special. We met on Facebook back when we were freshmen in college. There used to be this "app" where you could post your class schedule and when you clicked on the section, you could see who else was in your class [only if they had posted it]. We had Intermediate French II together. We messaged back and forth, because I could not believe someone from Georgia was coming to a state school in New York (NJ, PA or CT I might understand...but GEORGIA?!). We sat near each other in French and began to talk on AIM when we had no idea what the homework was asking us to do.Then we started hanging out [it also helped my other friends lived in the same dorm as her] and then as they say, the rest is history. We ended up living together sophomore year and were going to junior year for the one semester I'd be there before I went abroad. However, someone [who neither of us are friends with now] kind of ruined that for us and our friendship almost dissolved. By NOT living together a second time, it made us stronger friends. When I came back from studying abroad to school in Fall 2008, we were almost inseparable. She graduated at the end of that semester early and then I had gone to visit her over Christmas break. Then she came up to visit everyone in May 2009. That was the LAST time I saw her. We keep in contact via texts, Facebook, and cards we send to each other in the mail. But there's nothing like seeing your best friend. I am SOOOO excited to see her I don't care at this point that the airfare was $400. I am most excited about making a scene in the airport when we see each other. :-D

I spent last night after work (which was crazy because I said to the other host Anj when we saw a coach bus "Imagine if they came in here" and we both laughed....they did.....it was the Boston University Softball team and they dispersed throughout the restaurant making it insanely busy!) googling the hotel we are staying in when we (my brother Mark, SIL Laurie, nieces & nephew Sara, Steven and Emma, my mom and I) go to Disney in August! I'll be there for the third time in 14 months which is exciting. :) We're staying at Coronado Springs and HOLY CRAP is it beautiful! There is even a salon and a place where you can get massages. I am TOTALLY getting one! I mean, just take a look at how beautiful this place is!



I can't WAIT to go!

WILW :)

I missed it last week! :( Boo. But as I sit there, possibly staying up LATER than necesssary, I wanna link up for WILW with Jamie! :)


#1. SPRING IS HERE. Or was rather (because it kinda snowed today and is suppose to). Friday it was so warm out, I drove home from school with the windows down, blasting my stereo. It put me in SUCH a good mood! I cannot wait to go to the beach and basically be in summer clothes soon! Hurry up!

#2 - Graduation Countdown - 59 days...well almost 58! I am SOOOOO freaked out yet thrilled at the same time. And I think I'm going back for another degree. Hehe.

#3- I got AWESOME deals today when I went to the New York & Co outlet at the Tanger Outlets near me. I got 5 shirts and a belt for like $100! NOT BAD AT ALL! Hello student teaching clothes!

#4 - My brother booked the hotel we'll be staying in at Disney. We're going large and staying in Coronado Springs. It is in the Animal Kingdom area according to Disney's website. The website portrays it to be GORGEOUS and I am SOOOOOOO looking forward to it. I'll post pictures of it hopefully tomorrow?

#5 - I get an easy week (kinda) next week with student teaching. Observing for a few days....then taking on teaching. My third observation (first in my new placement that i start MONDAY) is on April 8th.

#6 - Trip to New Paltz next weekend! Yay for having a brain break from school!

#7 - Four weeks from today I'll be in GEORGIA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Visiting my best friend Stephanie! I am so excited.

This isn't as fun of a post as I hoped it would be. Oh well. I'm getting boring in my old age of 24. I need to go finish my lessons and my stupid evaluation. Pass-Port (the website my school makes us use to do it) is the stupidest invention in my book. Pointless. WASTE OF TIME. Oh, and I'm glad we're charged $17 to use it! /end rant.

Happy trails!

The ABC's of me

I saw this on another blog and liked it! :)

A-Age: 24.....darn, I am no where near where I wanted to be in life at this age! Haha.

B-Bed size: Twin right now. :) soon enough I'll get a bigger one

C-Chore you hate: Raking leaves...that is a man's job!

D-Dogs: Shadow! She's a black cocker spaniel that was originally named Honey (seriously?) but we changed it to Shadow because she was behind me all the time when we first got her,

E-Essential start to your day: Coffee...preferably with french vanilla creamer

F-Favorite Color: Pink and lime green =)

G-Gold or Silver: Gold

H-Height: 5'7" but i always assumed it was 5'8"!

I-Instruments you play:None now. I used to play the flute and the violin.

J-Job title: Hostess at CPK, eventually a Spanish teacher

K-Kids: None yet...just the ones I teach!

L-Live: New York

M-My mom's name: Mary Jane

N-Nickname: K-Jacks, LJ, Apples

O-Overnight hospital stay: None

P-Pet Peeve: Slow drivers

Q-Quote from a movie: "Life is like a box of chocolates - you never know what you're gonna get"-Forest Gump

R-Right/Lefty: Right handed

S-Sibling: Brother, Scott (39), brother, Mark (37), brother Eric (29) and Brian (26)

T-Time you wake up: For student teaching between 5:30-6. On the weekends, at least 10

U-Underwear: Always! Victoria's Secret! :)

V-Veggies you dislike: Pretty much everything...I only eat corn, carrots and green beans

W-What makes you run late: Oversleeping despite having three alarms

X-Xrays you've had: Lungs, Chest, Foot, Teeth

Y-Yummy food you make: Chicken recipes

Z-Zoo animal: Monkey!

One of these days...

One of these days I will go to bed early. One. I swear. But with the insanity that I possess, clearly I am smart is staying up late to do homework (aka lesson plans). Maybe it has something to do with the fact that I got a large cup of coffee from 7-11 on my way home from work because I knew I had to finish my lesson plans, despite how tired I was. Haha. Well, the sacrifices we have to make.

I have two weeks left in this student teaching placement. Holy COW. I am happy and yet sad at the same time. Happy because I am ready for a change. Happy because I'm excited to work in the classroom with my brother's friend! Sad because I've grown attached to these kids. One of them blatantly blurted out Thursday or Friday that she wasn't happy I was leaving because her regular teacher was "boring." And of course the entire class laughs at that. I had to chuckle but at the same time told her that it wasn't nice to say that. These kids have shown me the effort and creativity you need to teach in a middle school. You also need to be able to relate to them on their own level and be personable and not so stiff. I have been told that through observations and tried to make myself more "showy" because in reality, teaching is putting on a show! 5 periods of kids to entertain for 40 minutes with boring content (sometimes) to make sure you teach to standards/the test.

Tomorrow's lessons are going to be somewhat boring. Oh well. I think if I continue on with the content anymore I'll have pencils thrown at my head soon, haha! I'm starting to notice how BORED some of the kids look. I always disliked when teachers gave a quiz or test on a Monday. Who really wants to do homework on the weekend? So their "paso 3" quizzes will be on Tuesday (mini review on Monday) and then the tests on Thursday. That'll make for a lot of grading this week. Es la vida!

My best friend April is home for her spring break and I hope to see her!

This past weekend was just ful-filled with work. I am working the next two weekends and then the weekend of April 1st, my friends and I are going to visit our alma matter (god I feel old saying that!), New Paltz! So excited!! I'm in a desperate need of a break.

Further excitement is that my plane ticket to Georgia has officially been booked! It was way more than I wish I had to pay. Basically, because of the price of gas/fuel/oil, I think thats why I had to pay so much. Whatever. By the time I go, it'll be paid off. At least I don't have to stay in a hotel and pay for that too, haha!

I also need to schedule myself a hair cut. Even though it does not look it, it feels super long! I am also looking forward to getting myself a copy of Jodi Picoult's new book! I am a HUGE fan of her's! I discovered her books when I had a layover in Madrid coming home from studying abroad and needed to spend my extra euros. I bought "Nineteen Minutes" and read a good chunk on the plane because it was that good. Last year when her book "House Rules" came out, I finished it in three or four days....couldn't put it down! However, I think it is ridiculous to charge $28 for a hardcover book! Here's to hoping Costco has it cheaper when I go there this week with Mom. :)

Okay, now that I took a break from my lessons, time to finish the 8th grade's! I even had to write out a writing composition task for the 7th grade benchmark exam that they get soon. The department chairperson gave it as the responsibility to the 7th grade student teachers. My friend and I divided it up on Friday so hopefully the other girl will do her portion (there's three of us total.).

WILW :)

Apparently Wednesday's are my favorite day of the week because I never forget to blog on this day!

Link up with Jamie for What I Love Wednesday! :)


#1 - I'm loving that I found out I got inducted into the Education Honor Society for grad school. I get inducted on April 15th. :) Yay, nerdy me.

#2 - As much work as it can be, tiring/exhausting, frustrating, and challenging, I'm loving the experience of student teaching. My teacher basically lets me do whatever I want for their lessons (I teach one 7th grade Spanish class and two 8th grade classes) and will give his suggestions/advice when he feels necessary. I'm cool with that. It's hard because you think they'll only take 3 days to learn something and instead it takes WEEKS. I really want to move on with this UNIT and start the next one. After all, my last day is March 25th with them before I move on to my next placement. The 7th graders had a project and I'm loving how creative they were!! :) It was on the verb SER and adjectives so they had to describe people. They did an awesome job.

#3 - I'm loving that there are no issues with my breathing after visiting the lung doctor today. Based on the chest x-ray he saw from pre-surgical testing, he wasn't thrilled with their interpretation, so he had me do another one (holy COW are they expensive!!) and gave me an inhaler to help with my lungs/cough. Let's see if that works! :)

#4 - I'm loving that I get to see Shannon & Olivia this week. It's been too long. :) I need me a night out.

#5 - Six weeks from today I will be in GEORGIA!!! Yay for spring break in Georgia. Bigger yay for Disney in July with my brother, sister-in-law, nieces, nephew and mom. :)

#6 - I'm loving the friendships/relationships/collaborations I have built while student teaching. It's nice to make connections.

#7 - I'm loving that I am about to go finish my lessons so I can go to bed EARLY tonight. And by EARLY, I mean before midnight! :)

Not many exciting things for today/this week but I'm kinda wiped. :) Have a wonderful rest of the week!!

It's the Circle of Life!

I am currently writing up my lesson plans to turn into the department chair tomorrow and to motivate me to work, I have my itunes playing in the background. "The Circle of Life" from the Lion King came on and I just love that song. We watched that movie the night before we went to Disney almost two months ago (man, it feels like FOREVER!)

Ever have one of those days where it seems like it is not going to be a good day when you get up until you go to bed? Yeah, had one of those days. After a not very good night of sleep, I had a long day of teaching. My 7th graders are usually well behaved. I have no idea what was into them today but they would not STOP talking. I dont think as a teacher you should really yell (or ever have to) at them but I was starting to get aggravated asking every 5 seconds for people to be quiet. Enough was enough. I think it aggravated my cooperating teacher too because he gave them a discipline homework assignment of copying all their vocab words 5x and if they don't, they get a lunch detention. Let's see how many of them did it.

The 8th graders on the other hand were actually more pleasant to teach. They weren't happy with their quiz grades but clearly, they did not study nor pay attention to the review I did right before the quiz which was the SAME FORMAT as their quiz. We went over all the concepts, then gave them their quizzes back and then they did a classwork ditto. Now, I want to teach all the 8th grade classes in my next placement.

Work was not super busy. The only Monday night it was actually busy was Valentine's Day. We have a revolving door as the main door in our restaurant (we do have another that only opens from the inside for strollers/wheelchairs/other instances) and little kids love to play in that door. It makes me sick watching them spin and spin and spin. And believe me, those doors are not the best...I have seen kids smack their hands on it, their heads, etc. I told this one little girl to not play in the door because she could get her because her fingers were really near the edge. Apparently this did not please the mother I was just looking out for her safety because she was such a snot saying something along the lines of "Well she was holding herself up in it so she wouldn't get squished." Umm....WHAT?! Lady, you're crazy. Okay, so next time your kid gets hurt, blame it on yourself, not us. Sorry. I don't mean to rant but you meet the CRAZIEST people working in a restaurant (like the ones who seat themselves because you're seating someone else).

I found out today I was accepted into the National Education Honor Society at my grad school. As a grad student, you have to have a GPA of 3.5 or better (combining your undergrad GPA and your grad GPA), and two full-time faculty recommendations. Yay, I'm excited!! I was inducted into the National Spanish Honor Society and National French Honor Society as an undergrad. Just another awesome thing to have on my resume. :)

I've got so many things to look forward to in the next few weeks/Months:
~new student teaching placement on March 28th...wow! I'll be sort of sad to leave this one.
~trip to New Paltz with the friends!!
~induction into Education Honor Society
~visit to my BEST FRIEND STEPH IN APRIL!!!!!!!!
~My mom's birthday :)
~My niece Emma's birthday
~graduating GRAD school!! (May 21st!)


Okay, for now, for real, going to finish my plans.

sleepless

Why is it, that when I have to get up early, I can't fall asleep? I'm like WIDE AWAKE and I have to get up in 5 hrs for school. UGH. And, when I can sleep a little late (like Sunday morning), I get up every hour?! My body needs to learn to deal with when I wanna sleep. :)

3 more weeks left in this placement of student teaching. And it's sort of a shame because I was just getting used to the school/kids. Now if ONLY my brother's friend would answer my email back. I'll have to ask my brother what is another way I can get in contact with him.

Speaking of student teaching, I sent my middle school Spanish teacher an email last week and was wondering if she'd ever respond. Friday at school during 9th period, I logged into my email to print something off for this week and she replied! I was soooo happy to hear from her as she was from me. Mrs. Reith was my Spanish teacher all three years of middle school (what a lucky duck I was!) and is the reason I want to be a Spanish teacher. In fact, I wrote my college admissions essay about her inspiring me to go into this profession and when I brought it back to her, it made her cry! I had hoped I would be able to do my student teaching with her and I wasn't able to...and in her email, I found out why. She told the chairperson (my other favorite teacher) that she would gladly take me on as a student teacher...but the chairperson couldn't find a high school teacher who would. I think the chairperson misinterpreted the memo because for my school, we don't have to do two placements (one middle school, one high school). We can if we want to, but for our certification, it isn't required. So I was kind of crushed when I read that. But, we're going to hopefully meet up this Friday at the Panera near the middle school/my house for coffee. :) It'll be SO nice to see her!

And in other news, my right thumb is still kinda swollen-looking. I worked again this weekend (gee, what else is new?!) and one of the servers (who I'm not fond of but whatever) turned around from one of his tables and ran SMACK into me with the stack of menus....and more like smack RIGHT into my right hand....bending my thumb. I thought I was going to cry it hurt but I kept shaking my hand and just holding it. I took some medicine (ibuprofen) and iced it when I came home and went to bed. It still hurt today and kinda hurts when I bend it. At least know I can use it to change gears in my car (I couldn't last night). I hope it's not broken or anything!

Now that my August trip to Disney with my brother's family is booked, we need to figure out a hotel. Anyone have suggestions for one that is not extravagant? It's the kids first visit and they are 6, 4, and 2 at the time of the visit.

Well, not an exciting entry but I promise to have one soon! I better get off to bed!

Wednesday Love

It's time for the Wednesday lovin' post! I'm linking up with Jamie for WILW! :)

#1. I'm loving I will be getting to see my best friend Stephanie in 1 month and 18 days! Literally, we are both counting down. There's nothing like your best friend and it will be an AWESOME reunion that has been two years in the making.

#2. I'm loving my brother booked his family's flight to Disney so that's it...my mom and I are going too! We have been talking about it and now its actually going to happen. I am so beyond thrilled I get to be there to experience my nieces (Sara & Emma) and nephew (Steven)'s first trip to Disney!

#3. The little things people do when you have a bad day. I student teach in the same school as a friend I met last semester and it's nice to have a familiar face. We both have the same field supervisor and we got observed again today. I felt so brutalized and letdown, emo, unhappy and all sorts of negative things after he told me his criticisms and highlights of my lesson. Nothing hurts more than being told "you're boring." I felt like I was finding out this wasn't meant to be my "calling in life." Ashley, my friend, bought me a card and wrote the sweetest message. She didn't have to do it. But I'm loving the thoughtfulness behind it! It brought a smile to my face.

#4. I am loving that I will be going to bed when I come home from work Friday. I don't care if its 9:30. I am so tired and overworked. I'm glad my friends & I are taking a D&B week break to do hw/work on a midterm/work.

#5. This munchkin. My goddaughter is seriously one of my favorite people ever. I saw her and her mom in Stop & Shop tonight and her toothless smile (she lost her first baby tooth!) brightened my day. What's not to love?
Me with the munchkin Christmas 2009

Short but sweet this week. I really wanted to go to bed early. But with my bad day today, I wanted an hour to just VEG and not do school work. So I watched America's Next Top Model (why do I feel like the earlier seasons were so much better!). Now it's off to bed so I can go to school and finalize the lessons for tomorrow during my first period prep.