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
Thursday, October 20, 2011
Friday, September 30, 2011
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
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
Wednesday, September 7, 2011
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
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
Tuesday, August 23, 2011
A trip, a triathlon, and an engagement photo
Again I have managed to let a whole month go by without posting. But that's okay, school has started again and I am much more on top of my blogging during the year. I actually have a lot to post about this time though.
About a month ago I went on a trip with my family. We road tripped across to North Carolina. We camped and stayed in hotels all the way there, on the beach, and on the way back. We visited lots of places that I have been including the Great Smoky Mountains, 3 different lighthouses, and the Coyote Ugly Bar in Nashville.
About a month ago I went on a trip with my family. We road tripped across to North Carolina. We camped and stayed in hotels all the way there, on the beach, and on the way back. We visited lots of places that I have been including the Great Smoky Mountains, 3 different lighthouses, and the Coyote Ugly Bar in Nashville.
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| Tennessee/North Carolina state line inside the Great Smoky Mountains National Park |
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| Some Mountains |
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| Bodie Island Lighthouse |
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| Cape Hatteras Lighthouse |
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| Ocracoke Lighthouse |
The next thing that I have done this year is my second triathlon. I was so thrilled with it because I felt so unprepared but my time was in fact 11 minutes faster than the last one. It was a great feeling to have done better.
About a week ago, Lucas and I took engagement pictures. I absolutely love them and how they turned in. Everything seems to be coming together really well with out wedding plans and everything and I am so excited. It's less than 3 months away now which is wonderful. I can't wait! This is one of my favorites that I have gotten to see so far.
I have also started student teaching! I'm currently at the 7th grade center in Owasso teaching math with Mrs. Peterson. I'm already learning so much from this experience and I'm so glad that I get this opportunity. I will soon have a post dedicated mostly to my student teaching experience.
-Kristina
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| Waiting to swim |
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| Coming out of the water heading to my bike |
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| Going to the finish line, my sister Sierra ran the last 20 yards or so with me |
I have also started student teaching! I'm currently at the 7th grade center in Owasso teaching math with Mrs. Peterson. I'm already learning so much from this experience and I'm so glad that I get this opportunity. I will soon have a post dedicated mostly to my student teaching experience.
-Kristina
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