Friday, September 2, 2011

In-N-Out Adventure

In-N-Out has now been in Texas for several months, and while this is not my first visit, I feel the need to express the adventure in this outing.

For one, In-N-Out burger is ALWAYS busy. I have never gone straight to the counter without having to wait, and the same goes for finding a table after placing my order. Fortunately, it is worth the wait for several reason.

1. The staff is beyond amazing. They all use their manners, pick up trash and clean your table the second you sit down, and make sure they understand your order before placing it.

2. The food is pretty good.

3. The special sauce.

4. The price! Tonight we ate for just over $11 for two people! Two cheeseburgers, two fries, one drink, one shake... can't beat it!

So the real adventure may have been my first visit, but I enjoyed this second time around just as much.

Tuesday, August 23, 2011

First Day of School

Yesterday was my 4th "first day of school" as a teacher! I cannot believe time has flown. I can hardly remember what grade my students are in from my first year. The good news is that my nervous percentage has drastically decreased. I believe I saw at year one around 100%. Year two was at a new school so it was still pretty high, hovering around 90%, but it was much easier than my first. Year three dropped to around 60-70%, and this year was down to about 10%! I had no nightmares, slept through most of the night, and was actually awake and alert 10 minutes before my alarm was to go off.

So let me get into the real adventure part of this. My feelings have changed. My first year, I was so nervous! I had nightmares about future students, my classroom would get moved, and I would show up and no one would now why I was there or who I was! I was constantly checking the time and my schedule. I worried about down time and where to put my students. I read Harry Wong about 5 times. Each year, I would be nervous, and yet the first day I would realize the kids were more nervous than me and I relaxed a little.

This year, I was not nervous. I did not even bring home lesson plans to review over the weekend. I felt more confident, and I was ready for the new year. This allowed me to look at things through a different perspective- an experienced perspective.

When I walked through the doors, I saw many children with their parents and I smiled to reassure them everything would be okay. I checked out the gym and cafeteria, made sure I finally got my copies ready, and opened my classroom doors. When the kids came in, I not only saw them as my future students, but as someone's child. These kids come to me from families who care about them, and it is my job not only to teach them, but to love them. I notice quirks about different students, and realize this may be what their parents love about them. Or maybe one student has a unique interest and I remember how much my parents allowed me to follow my dreams and pursue my interests, so I gawk in amazement of their knowledge of WOW or Angry Birds even if I have no idea what they are talking about.

When these kids leave me, I want them to leave knowing that their 6th grade math teacher loved them and cared about them. I want them to come to a classroom where they feel safe and they are not afraid to be themselves. I want them to know that I accept them for who they are, even if others do not value their traits yet. I want them to know that I believed in them and did everything I could to build their confidence. I want to know that when they look back, they can smile at the memory of 6th grade math with Ms. S.

The first day of school is now different for me. It is no longer about me, it is about my students.

Friday, August 12, 2011

Hibachi House

My fiance and I went to Hibachi House to eat tonight and I really enjoyed it.

Normally, hibachi places make me uncomfortable. I do not like sitting next to strangers. Sometimes they try to create small talk and I just smile and nod. Others completely ignore you even though they may be closer to you than your date! Also, it is hard not to overhear the other conversations and I do not like knowing that they can hear mine. The simple solution is to just eat in the dining section, but I put up with my insecurities because I love the food and I enjoy the show.

Tonight was different. We were sitting across from another couple who were of the "ignore the strangers" type and right next to a mother and her 12 year old boy. They made small talk which would normally bother me, but they seemed to be nice enough and my fiance helped me out. It turns out we had a lot in common. The 12 year old boy was a food lover and apparently he was not of the hot dog and hamburger type. His mother admits that he loves to try new and exotic food and had quite expensive tastes.

The young man sad, "When you are eating caviar you may be sad before, and you may even be sad after, but you can never be sad while you are eating caviar." priceless.

Not only was the company good, the service was great and the chef was hilarious. He kept singing songs and saying "rock n roll." He caught all of the eggs, created a perfect volcano, and a cute heart with the fried rice that he made "beat." To top it off, the food was delicious! I wish I could eat it all, but I swear I would burst.

This adventure consisted of trying a new restaurant and I would consider it a success. If you get the chance, try it out! (& check for coupons! They always have one in print!)

Saturday, July 30, 2011

Lake Adventure from 7.29

Going to the lake is one of my all time favorite things. I wish I could own a boat, but the cost and care needed is too much for me. Fortunately, I have some great friends who invited me out this week! I grabbed 4 of my girl friends and we headed to the lake.

We went on the boat, swam a little, and hung out together. I went tubing but passed on wake boarding this time. Now, I am not exactly an expert wake boarding... or even a beginner for that matter. I have tried around 30 times to get up on the board but it never happens :(. However, I refuse to fail and continue to try at almost every opportunity I get. My body was just not feeling it that day. Besides, I was there to socialize with my friends, not spend an hour on the water by myself trying to get up on the board.

Lesson learned: Last week when we went out I got super dehydrated and spent the entire next day throwing up and feeling like crap. This time, I drank 2 bottles of water beforehand and brought 2 with me. Keeping hydrated is key when being out on the lake. I woke up this morning feeling just fine.

Except for the sun burn that crept up on me even after I used sunscreen! Crossing my fingers it doesn't peel.

Thursday, July 28, 2011

Kagan Adventure

My Kagan journey began in the fall of 2009 when I began working at my current school. Our entire staff was trained in Kagan's cooperative learning and throughout the past 3 years we have completed Days 1, 2, and 3. Today we were trained on Day 4. I love having the days so spread out because it gives us time to implement new structures and ideas one semester at a time. I feel like Kagan has made my teaching so much better and I am very thankful for the opportunity my district has given me. Today, during Day 4 training, I learned even more.

Have you ever played 2 truths and a lie? It is a common game played when getting to know people at church camp, holiday parties, etc. Loads of fun! Well, today I learned how to apply it in my classroom. For example, you can have 3 math problems solved, and the students decide which two are correct and which one is incorrect. Genius. I am super excited to use this structure in my classroom this fall.

We also learned about Match Mine, talking chips, and numbered heads together. I think talking chips will work great when we begin to work on our group projects. Basically everyone gets two chips and you put your chip in the middle when you want to talk. This gives everyone an equal opportunity to talk, and limits the conversation to the important stuff. Some ideas I thought of were coming up with a team name, deciding on the theme of your project, or deciding the best presentation method. Talking chips is similar to Spend a Buck, so I will need to look back in my notes to see which one fits best in each situation.

Time flew by today, and I had a lot of fun. Days like today make me excited about teaching :)

Wednesday, July 27, 2011

First Entry- PBL Adventure

This is my very first entry as a blogger! Wahoo! Right now I am on a lunch break but can't seem to stop working. Facilitators from the Buck Institute of Education have been working with us (Wylie educators) for 3 days now to develop a project for our students. Working with other 6th grade math teachers in the district has been a lot of fun. We have come up with some really great ideas, and it is nice to have some people to talk to who will be doing the same thing in their classrooms this fall. After completing our Let's Party project, I will post more details!