The last three months

Once again, I have waited entirely too long to blog. I think this is probably because over the past two and a half months, I have been incredibly busy getting things checked off my bucket list. For example, I finished student teaching, I got married, I graduated, and I went on a cruise. How's that for a thesis sentence? Now it's obvious exactly what I'm about to talk about. =)

First off, I did the second half of my student teaching. I want to start out by saying that the second half started off horribly. This is not an exaggeration. I came home for the first week and I was just so anxious for it to be over. I was uncomfortable around the teachers, I didn't like the school, I didn't like the principal, and the students were quick to tell me about all the other student teachers they had had and how awesome they had been. After the first couple of weeks things started to settle down quite a bit. I started enjoying it quite a bit more. It never could live up to the first half of my student teaching, but everything turned out okay.

Right in the middle of my student teaching I got to marry my bestest friend. I can honestly say that up until now, that was the best day of my life. I don't think that anything could have been more perfect. Everything that I had worked so hard on and stressed about for the past 9 months just fell into place. It was wonderful. I feel like this day deserves a whole blog of it's own so sometime in the next week, that will happen. For sure. With all kinds of pictures.

Three weeks after my wedding I got to walk down another aisle of sorts as I graduated. While the four and a half years seemed to take forever, as I walked across the stage I realized how short it had been. My high school graduation took place in the same building that my college graduation did. It literally felt like I had just walked across that stage to receive my high school diploma. It's so crazy how time flies. I'm so glad that I now have my college degree and can work towards starting my career. When I look around at how much debt other people have gathered through student loans I feel incredibly blessed that I was able to do it almost completely debt free. I'm confident now that I made the right decision going to TU instead of OSU. God definitely knew what he was doing pushing me there.

Immediately after graduation (literally), I left with my new in-laws for a cruise. I was apprehensive about going right up to the minute I stepped on the ship. After the business of the last semester, I really just wanted to go home and be with my husband. However, I had an amazing time on the cruise. It was very relaxing and fun. I'm already looking forward to the next cruise that Lucas and I can go on. I think it might be my vacation  of choice now. =)

Here's an updated bucket list:

1. Run a 5k    10/16/2010

2. Learn to play guitar

3. Become a certified elementary teacher

4. Attend a major sporting event, i.e. NFL game, Olympic event

5. Swim with a dolphin

6. Spend time traveling Europe

7. Run a 10k

8. Take a cake decorating class

9. Be an audience member at a TV show filming

10. Visit Hawaii

11. Take a dance class

12. Ride in a helicopter

13. Run a marathon

14. Do some sort of –athalon: bi- or tri-       4/17/2011

15. Go scuba diving

16. Walk through a tree in the Redwood Forest

17. See an eclipse      12/21/2010

18. See a meteor shower

19. Sleep under the stars

20. Learn how to juggle

21. Pay off a car all by myself     3/26/2010

22. Pay off a house

23. Go do a concert, a big one

24. Get married       11/20/2011

25. Raise children

26. Earn a college degree     12/17/2011

27. Watch the ball drop in Time Square

28. Shoot a bow and arrow    6/6/2010

29. Shoot a gun at a shooting range

30. Visit Sydney, Australia

31. Go skiing

32. Go up in a hot air balloon

33. Earn a black belt in taekwondo, or other martial art

34. Read the entire Harry Potter series in a week

35. Crochet an entire blanket      12/28/2010

36. Try vegetarianism for a month…or week

37. Start a collection, and own 50 of that object

38. Fly first class

39. Go on a cruise         12/18/2011

40. Go snow-shoeing

41. Stay in a yurt

42. Survive my first year of teaching

43. Earn a minor in French   5/6/2010

44. Dance in the rain    5/27/2010

45. Watch all six Star Wars movies in a week

46. Fake a sick day to stay home with my husband

47. Name a daughter Hannah

48. Be in two places at once   7/6/2010

49. Have 3 tattoos

50. Stand at the 4 corners

51. Have at least one friend that I know I can count on

52. Adopt an animal from a shelter

Well on my way to completion someday.

-Kristina

20 days later

Apparently I only post when I'm at Lucas's apartment waiting for him to get out of class. But that's okay.

I successfully completed the first round of my student teaching. With flying colors might I add. I was told by several teachers and even the vice principal how happy they were to have me there. I really enjoyed my time there and I really really really hope that someday I am able to go back and work with those people for real. So, with that being said, one of those teachers that I loved working with so much needs to quit so I can replace them. =) Okay, I'm just kidding...but really. I miss those seventh graders so much. The fifth graders that I am with now are a huge change. And I don't deal with change very well.

The first day at my new school I left in tears. I didn't think that I was ever going to be able to survive 7 weeks there. I spent way to much time comparing it to how awesome Owasso was which made me incredibly unhappy with how it was. But, after only three days there, my attitude about it is so much better. I actually enjoyed my second and third day and have already started getting to know my kids so much. I know that at the end of this seven weeks I will be missing them just as much as I miss my seventh graders now.

On another note, I'm getting married in one month from today! One month! That's just 31 days! I'm so incredibly excited. People keep asking me if I'm nervous and I'm really not. Am I supposed to be? haha. I'm just really ready for all the planning to come together and have a wonderful wedding with all my friends and family and then be able to call Lucas my husband! Soooo much excitement haha.

Currently I'm in the process of writing my senior paper. Less than 2 months to graduation and I am 5/7 of the way done. I have been moving through it so quickly and it's a really good feeling every time I get another section complete. I'd like to have it all done before my wedding so I can not be stressed about it right before or after. I'm well on my way to meeting that goal.

One more thing: I passed my teachers tests! That means that I am not required to take any more tests to become a teacher. Woohoo! Okay, that is all.

-Kristina

September, What a Great Month!

Today is the last day of September. That means I only have two weeks left at the Seventh Grade Center before moving on to fifth grade math and science at Lanier Elementary in Tulsa. I can't even believe it. I have seriously enjoyed every second that I have spent with my classes. The students are absolutely wonderful and they make me laugh or teach me something new on a daily basis. Normally what they are teaching me has to do with technology. I can't believe how good these twelve and thirteen year old children are with SMART Boards!

Tomorrow is October 1st, this means that tomorrow I will officially be able to say "I get married next month!" That is more exciting to me than I know how to explain. I can't wait to be with the love of my life on a daily basis instead of just on the weekends. It's killing me that we can't already do that. But that's okay. 51 Days!!!

I got my graduation information in the mail on Wednesday. That's pretty crazy. I never thought that I would make it to my college graduation and now I'm almost there. Only 2.5 months! There are so many crazy things that will happen over the next 3 months and I can't wait for them to start happening.

I don't really have a lot to talk about and I'm supposed to be writing my Teacher Work Sample. So I'm gonna get back to that now.

-Kristina

Student Teaching!

Oh my! I have already been student teaching for about 3 weeks now. I can't believe how fast it is going! I only have about 6 more weeks left at this placement before I move on to the next one so I need to get blogging.

I'm currently placed at the 7th grade center in Owasso teaching on level math. This means we have no honors classes. Let me just say right of the bat that this is a weird thing for me. Throughout all of my secondary schooling I was in all honors classes. It's just a completely different group of people. I don't know how else to put it. They are just different. And perfect. I love my students so much.

Out of the six classes that I teach, two of them are inclusion classes. That means that in one of them, a large chunk of the students are learning disabled, and in another one of them, a large chunk of the students are English Language Learners. It has been such a blessing I think for me to see how classes like that work. More and more these days classes are becoming inclusion classes and up until now I have had no experience with it. I really am enjoying seeing the differences between those two classes and the other classes.

It's amazing to me how many of these students have already impacted me and my life. There is one young girl whose mom passes away within the past year. When I found this out I was blown away. She is one of the happiest, cheeriest seventh graders I know. Their resiliency is incredible. I also have so many students who are living with grandparents or other family members besides their parents. It makes me so sad to see this. Children need their parents. Especially in junior high when they think that they don't. One of the saddest stories that I have come across so far is a little girl who has been removed from her home by dhs. She came from an abusive household and she has scars all of her face, arms, and legs. It breaks my heart that someone could do that to their own kids.

There are also happy stories. There are so many students who just love school. They have a passion for learning already and they are willing and ready to do whatever task you put before them. There are students who are running for student council after failing for the past two years because they have such determination. There are students who I see walking up to kids sitting by themselves and they talk to them. It's just a really nice thing to see.

While I know you aren't supposed to have favorites, I do. There is one kid in probably ever hour that I am drawn to. First hour it's Abby. Granted, her dad is my boss at Cracker Barrel so I already have a slight connection with her, but I mostly like that she is so quiet but the second you ask her a question she shoots right up to the board to do the answer. Second hour her name is Bailee. She sits right by my desk and is just such a sweet student. I have never seen her be anything but nice to anyone, and that's a hard thing for seventh graders to do. Fourth hour is Wyatt. I have no reason other than his middle name is Wildcat. Yes, that's what his parents call him. Fifth hour is hard. I think every student in that hour is my favorite. I can probably narrow it down to Marco. He just says the funniest things. I asked him to come up to the board to do a problem and he did the problem but he got it wrong. I asked someone else to come up and help him to get it right. Marco immediately said, "I just wanted someone else to get a chance to come up here." And that is a pretty regular phrase from him. He also solved 6 cubed in about ten seconds. Sixth hour would definitely go to Thatcher. Very preppy but extremely well mannered and smart. And finally seventh  hour. Delsy. She reminds me so much of a tv character on one of the shows I watch, but I am praying that she won't take that same path haha. She is never afraid to ask questions, which is perfect for my hesitant teaching. It really helps me to know where the rest of the class is.

I have spoken way too much about so many things that no one who reads this will care about. But I really am enjoying this time with these students so I don't want to forget any of it. =)

On a different note. 74 days till my wedding!!

-Kristina