Roomie Reunion

Chad knew that I was stressed in the middle of student teaching and so while on Christmas break he recommended  me taking a much needed break.  So, we had a roommate reunion! These three girls will always be like sisters to me! We rented a suite at the Hilton downtown and had a blast.  We went out to eat, did facials and had craft time and mostly just laughed a lot!  I think we all decided we needed that break!

 Megan, Collette, Tammy and Becca

 Don't ask...

Finally!

The day I had been working toward for years and I mean YEARS finally arrived.  I don't have many  pictures, I know more pictures were taken but I haven't seen them yet.  It was an incredible day.  The ceremony was great and we had a graduation party at my parents' house afterwards.  My Grandpa E drove up from Ogden to be there.  My Grandma Sparks was able to come as well. It was a great day with lots of family, friends and an immense feeling of accomplishment! 

My brother and I (look at Madison, what a cutie!)

My beautiful family and I.  This was one of the happiest days of my life!

May 14, 2011

Goodbye Mrs. Fish

May 13th was an emotional day for me!  I knew something was up because I kept getting kicked out of the classroom.  And first graders giggle when something is up! My fourth graders and first graders were reading buddies throughout the year so on my last day during reading buddies they threw me a graduation party! I was so grateful to be able to see my fourth graders on my last day at school.  I was proud, I only teared up but I didn't cry.  When everyone was in the classroom Kathy asked if we were really all here just for regular reading buddies and just like the obedient children they are they kept the secret going and said yes! Kathy then asked them again and they all said "Ohhh, NO!".  Then they proceeded to give me gifts.  The fourth graders wrote letters and drew pictures about the things they learned while I taught and Kellie bound them into a book.  The first graders made me the cutest cards.  Then Kellie presented me with the Dr. Suess book Oh the Places You'll Go and all my students had written their names inside the paths on the cover because they have all been part of the pathway I took to get to graduation (that's the point where I started to tear up a bit) and Kathy presented me with a gift card to a local teacher supply store (each student donated a dollar towards it)  Then we busted out the cookies and icecream and headed outside to visit and play!  

 This is where I "lived" for half the year, the other half I was in fourth grade and essentially it looked the same. Although this is the cleaned up version...usually my desk was covered with papers!

 Man I love these girls!

 My two trouble makers! The one on the left is a first grader and on the right is a fourth grader.  

 Two of my awesome fourth grade guys!

 One is a fourth grader and one is a first grader, bet you can't tell which is which!

 It was so warm everyone was trying to find a bit of shade to sit in!

 Seriously, any little bit of shade!

 Some of my sweet girls! There is a set of twins in this picture...you can guess but you won't get it right...

 Too cool for school fourth grade boys!

 Yeah these two were trouble!  But also very sweet and super smart! 

 Attempting to get a pic with all 48 students that I taught this year was quite a feat.  Notice the head gear I am wearing...thanks to my fourth graders!

Little E wouldn't get in the group picture but this one she wanted to be in, she was even saying "Cheeeeeese". Kellie is on the left and Kathy is on my right.  Seriously the best mentors I could have ever asked for! They gave me guidance but also let me try new things and struggle through harder moments because that's where the most meaningful learning takes place!   It was SO hard to leave school that day.  

Easter and Master Ben!

We spent Easter weekend down with Ben and Megan.  Ben became a Master that weekend! We really enjoyed the ceremony and sharing that special moment with Ben, unfortunately I fall into the "bad" sister category because I do not have any pictures of the ceremony or Ben and Megan for that matter!  Regardless we are so proud of Ben! Easter morning was a fun one with lots of family around!

 That Easter Bunny sure is generous! The girls loved the baskets!

 Chocolate covered marshmallow PEEP for breakfast?  I think YES!

 The girls had a great time finding eggs around Ben and Megan's apartment!

 Madison cracked us up, her eggs had to be lined up in a row!

Kaylynn was not as organized as Madison but had the same end results so it was all good!

This is where I have been...

Student teaching has been quite an adventure! I have had the highest of highs and some of the lowest of lows this year.  I decided for my own sake that I wanted to record some experiences and lessons learned so that I won't forget.  So here goes:

What I have learned and what I hope to never forget!

• The first day of school is just as nerve racking for the teachers and staff as it is for the students!
• 4th grade boys are not too big to cry. (and NO I was not the reason for the crying!)
• I don't remember 4th grade math being that difficult.  I totally had to reteach myself probability and statistics!
• While on that note the first two subject I took over in fourth grade were Math and Science.  The topics: Probability and Statistics, Electricity and Magnetism.  Ironically enough the first subject I took over in First grade was also math, the topic?  Probability and Statistics! Although the same topic was taught there was a big difference in the content! I didn't have to reteach myself anything for the first grade version!
• Flexibility is so incredibly important.  Some things take longer for the students to understand and some things don't take nearly as long for the students to complete as you thought it would.
• There is an undeniable joy when you witness a light bulb go off in a student's head because the concept has finally clicked!
• Some plans are really great in your mind and translate really well into a lesson plan and then you go to teach it and you are totally in over your head!  In first grade I planned an activity where we observed soil samples the students brought in from their Spring Break adventures.  Getting everyone's soil sample out and explaining the process took all the time allotted for that activity and I looked over at my mentor, Kathy, and she was giggling at me because she knew exactly what was going on in my head!
• You can be firm without being mean.  You can have high expectations and as long as you are clear with the students of those expectations, the students will rise to meet them.
• 4th grade is much quieter than 1st!  I think 1st graders even breathe louder!
• There IS such a thing as productive noise and organized chaos! 
• I learned SO much from the students I taught who had special needs.  Some of my most rewarding moments were with those students! In 1st grade there was a little girl who has Cerebral Palsy who came up to me and scaled me like a monkey to get into my arms when I visited after I had graduated and just looked at me saying over and ovr, "Mrs. Fish! You're here!"  She couldn't believe I was back for the day!   Also another boy with some academic delays learned how to spell the word "on" (at least I am pretty sure that was the word) and he wrote it on every paper he could find!
• The "mom" look and the "teacher" look are surprisingly similar and yield the same results!
• The cutest kids were usually the biggest stinkers!
• I love the mischievous ones because without them you won't have half of the funniest stories to tell!
• Odd quirks are a part of children's personalities.  As a teacher you should accept that and love them for it.  I learned an amazing lesson one day when I watched Kathy respond to one of those quirks.  One student had quite the imagination and was a vampire who only sucked the color red for awhile.  Well one day he came in and announced that he was now a werewolf and proceeded to howl.  Kathy told him that werewolves were like dogs and her dog liked to be scratched behind the ears and when you do that the dog's leg would shake.  Kathy scratched him behind the ear and he shook his leg.  It was a priceless moment that would have been missed if Kathy hadn't cared enough about him to accept his quirks.  In first grade there was also  a little girl who I think could have run that classroom! She took charge and the surprising thing is that the other students listened to her! She never tried to be bossy she is just a very organized and responsible 6 year old!
• When creating a worksheet for students always include a line for their name... You think I would have learned the first time but I was a repeat offender of this rule!  Fourth graders handle this much better than first graders!
• It's really fun to hear "Mrs.Fish!!!" from across a store.  It's like they are amazed that you live outside the classroom!

• Field trips are a ton of fun and super exhausting! The first graders were able to go to the MK Nature Center.  Kathy is on the right and Rachel is right below me.  I also learned that teachers have to be really good at applying for grants! Field trips were cancelled this year so Kathy wrote to Target and the first graders received a grant to cover the expenses of this field trip!

• Students will give you the most unique things! In fourth grade a got a lot of cards, oragami and drawings.  In first grade I got a lot of dead leaves and dandelions.  My duty was first recess on the kindergarten playground, one day a couple of girls made me a heart out of snowballs because I told them they could make snowballs as long as they didn't throw them!

• Teachers really do spend their personal money on school supplies and activities for their students!  This is the gift the first graders made for their parents.  In fourth grade Kellie paid for any students who didn't have the money to have Chinese food ordered in for lunch while reading The Cricket in Times Square!

• Rearranging and organizing a large classroom library is a huge task! But it is a lot more fun when you talk the special education aid to help you!  Rachel is seriously one of my favorite people!  This is Kathy's new library! Isn't it pretty!  Each book has a colored sticker with a number on it and coordinated with the bin with the same sticker and number.  This is how I will organize my classroom library someday!

• Kindergartners are fairly entertaining most of the time.  I was lucky enough to witness a concert.  These two little girls came up to me and asked if they could sing to me.  I am not sure what I was expecting to hear, maybe the itsy bitsy spider or something.  No, I got to hear the cutest version of Firework by Katy Perry.  They were so stinkin cute!

One of the lowest of lows I went through was that for a 5 week period, 3 week period, and 2 week period of my student teaching Chad was out of town for training for his job.  We found out before the semester began and I almost dropped out of school because of it! I was SO nervous about student teaching and really didn't want to do it while being a single mom! I finally got my big girl panties on (those are my mother's words, hehe) and just did it.  The five weeks were incredibly difficult, but the three week one was worse because it fell during 2 of the weeks I was teaching fourth grade full time.  Poor Kellie witnessed my meltdowns and let me know that I was not failing at being a mom or at teaching.  I learned SO much from those times when Chad was out of town.  I learned that I could live without him but I hope I never have too.  I am far stronger than I ever thought I was!

Student teaching is exhausting and so very time consuming.  There were some days when I would get to LHE at 8 am and leave between 6 and 7pm.  And then when I got home I would put the girls to sleep and grade and plan until midnight.  But even though it was difficult, I loved it! I cried when I had to leave! Then I kept coming back to visit and cried on the last day of school because I could no longer visit!I was truly blessed to have the most amazing mentors! I couldn't have asked for two better examples of how to teach with passion!  Inviting a student teacher is like having someone move into your home long term without knowing how it will go.  I am grateful Kellie and Kathy opened their classrooms and students to me.  I also had an amazing BSU supervisor who would come in and observe me, it was always so nerve racking to be observed! She told me at the end of the year that when I chose to teach I would have a very strong file from BSU and that I was one of the great ones.  I do not say that to boast but because I learned that if you step out of your comfort zone you can not only achieve a goal, but absolutely succeed at it as well! I have always wanted to be a teacher and it is gratifying to know that I am good at it!

And if you made it all the way to the end of this post you deserve a prize! I promise the next posts will have way more pictures and much less words!  

I see the light!

Today we drove home from Provo, Utah.  We were there for my brother's graduation.  He received his Masters degree.  On the way home we drove by Hill Air Force Base and off of the highway you can see Hill Air Force Base Elementary.  As we drove by a thought came to me.  It was at that school 11 years ago that I decided I wanted to become an educator. In 9th grade we had a job shadow day where we could spend one school day shadowing someone with a career we were interested in.  I asked one of the teachers of a child I babysat if I could shadow her for the day. Her name was Ms. Call.  I loved it! I even journaled about the entire day that night.  The last lines were: "I (heart)ed getting to know the adorable kids. That would be a fun job!" As we were driving by the school, I had a moment where I thought.  Wow, in three weeks I will be a teacher!  Look at what I am accomplishing!

So if you have been wondering if I have fallen of the edge of the earth, well I kind of have.  I have been completely and absolutely in the teaching zone.  I think of my students all the time, trying to figure out how to help them learn to their fullest.  I have loved every moment (even the ones where I thought I was completely failing or about to scream) of my student teaching and am sad to see it come to a close but also feeling incredibly blessed to have these experiences.

I promise I will start blogging regularly soon (in about three weeks) and when I do I will catch up on the last several months of our lives!  The girls are incredible and have been up to a lot of fun things that I can't wait to tell you about.  But right now I am so busy I can't see straight.  And feeling so blessed to be this busy because it means I am conquering something that at times I thought I would never be able to.  See you in a few weeks!
P.S. Even though I haven't been blogging I have still been looking at yours!

The Story of a Man and his Grill.

On September 25, 2010 my wonderful husband turned 28!  My parents and I went in on one together and were able to get a really nice one for him!

You probably can't tell, but he's thrilled!

The next day he fired it up and we all had a very tatsty dinner that night!

For his birthday we went to Tucano's, a restaurant that specializes in meat and customer weight gain.  Chad's brother in law Jeff was in town for the weekend so he joined in all the festivities! I feel so incredibly blessed to be married to such an honest, loyal and loving person.  He's my best friend!