Big, Bigger, and Biggest!

It is FRIDAY!

A lot of exciting things have happened this week. Some sad, and a lot of HAPPY! I want to start with the bad news first.

Bad news is my sweet dog Taffy - who found us when I was in Fourth grade is making her exit. It is stressful, sad, and painful. There is not much to do, only thing we can do is encourage her to drink some sugar water and keep her as comfortable as possible. It is hard. The hardest part is having to keep a smile on my face knowing that I am losing a best friend.

Sad news is over. Happy news. There is a lot to be happy about. First week of Montessori is over and I have had so much fun! The kids truly enjoy learning in this environment. Some are still adjusting to being responsible for their own learning - but are catching on quick! The rest just excel at their learning activities. What has made me the happiest about working at Garden Oaks is that the small people really have connected with me, they can tell me when they are having problems, or what has made them happy, what they are looking forward too, and some of them have even said some very nice things to me.

One thing that has made me laugh is one of my first graders told me that she "could not read fancy and she needed some help translating." and one thing that made me smile big was a second grader brought me a feather and said "you are the best teacher assistant in the whole world and I'm happy that you are apart of our class." For those who are in education some times it can take a while for students to open up to the assistants or interns because they aren't sure what to do about them. But wow! I am truly amazed how welcomed they have made me feel.

More things to smile about! I am getting a new car! Hopefully! I have been driving around a pig. A 1984 Mercedes - it is big and slow and the A/C hardly works, and in Houston heat that is no bueno...  I have to get approved for a loan first and go through that process, but I will be getting a 2012 Ford Focus - it is white and a hatchback, so my dogs will have plenty of room (finally).

And what I consider to be the biggest news of them all, Tyler is finally getting a bike! That means my whole family will be bike fanatics. We can go on bike rides together and he wont feel so left out while we are gone for hours at a time enjoying the outdoors. I am so thrilled that he gets to join in these adventures (and so is my dad)

This week has been filled with ups and downs. We finally finished our first art project at Heritage Oaks. It took a little while, but I like to call my kids thinkers - they aren't slow they are just methodical in their work, also very self critical. I enjoy working with my two students. Our next projects will be for the garden, since that is the schools major project we need to contribute something to leave our mark on it.

I am enjoying my teaching jobs, they have shown me that kids aren't always evil and they can even be sweet and thoughtful (which helps, because after teaching in Commerce ISD I was ready to call it quits). Tyler is also having a blast at his new job. A lot of his job requires for him to be out and around Houston - I do not envy him, but also part of his job is connecting with co-workers so he always comes home in a good mood. My hope is that he does very well in his sales position and can move through the company quickly so he doesn't have to be running around Houston streets for very long.

Also it is a three day weekend! Yay! I have also reached my goal of losing 10 lbs! That makes me extremely  comfortable.

Keep checking back for more. I will try to post photos of things. I just need to remember to carry my phone.

I Feel Like A Newborn

So, I am just awful about keeping up with more than five things. I truly feel bad that I have let my communications with the outside world fall apart. For those who I haven't talked to in what feels like forever, a lot has changed. I am officially starting my big kid life. I am a teacher - that means I qualify for all those awesome teacher discounts!

So I will be periodically updating my blog now to show you all the neat things that I am doing so everyone can be in my loop. I will try to be better about texting, emailing, snail mailing and calling but for a while this will probably be the best way to see what in the world I am up too.

I am teaching at two schools in the Houston area. One is an Environmental Science Magnet Elementary School - Garden Oaks Elementary, where I am a teacher's assistant in a Montessori class (a very important role) and the other is a brand spanking new private school - Heritage Oaks School, where I am the art teacher.

I am so excited to be apart of both of these schools, it really is an amazing opportunity for me.

Garden Oaks Elementary is a Montessori School. Now what is that you are wondering. The Webster definition of Montessori is:

A system of education for young children that seeks to develop natural interests and activities rather than use formal teaching methods.

Essentially we teach to the whole child, and each child receives an individualized education where those who are fast pace learners can excel and those who take their time don't feel the pressure to always play catch up. We also teach leadership,and peaceful problem solving skills. Which is so important to shape the future community. In the classroom there are 1st through 3rd graders. You are probably wondering how does that work? Well each student has their own work plan and works individually but as a group all at the same time. It really is just amazing what these kids can accomplish if you just let them explore and in a facilitated environment.

At Heritage Oaks School it is a project- based learning school. We adhere to the National Core Standards, all of our learning is done through collaboration and projects - sounds like an art teachers dream school. In my art class I only have two fifth graders so far! They are very talented and driven students. I can not wait to start posting their work so everyone can see their progress. Since it is a brand new private school there are only five total students! It is so wonderful to be able to give them the attention they need at the beginning of the year. At the school we are teaching them leadership, problem-solving, and how to take care of the environment. A lot of the work is student research driven but teacher facilitated, a lot of the learning is placed upon the student and they are encouraged to compile research and then apply it to real world problems - like growing a vegetable garden.

I am so excited to be a part of both these schools. But that is not the only thing that I have been doing. You are probably wondering where is she living?!?! Well currently at my parents house, which is so chaotic if I might add. There are five people (Tyler is here with me), four dogs, my two house horses, and my parents house ponies, and two cats. Luckily my parents have a very nicely sized house and we can all have our own space. Hopefully by mid- September, I will be living in the tiny three room apartment above my parents shop. They are so graciously remodeling it so it can be livable. When I moved here we to literally pull plaster off the walls down to the studs, replace all the studs, doors, some window frames, ceiling joists, floors and all the electrical and plumbing. It is a big project but we are getting closer and closer to the finish line!

So keep checking back, because this will become my space to tell the world about all the wonderful happenings. Also I will try to post fun things around Houston - since I am very well connected now.