Holiday Blessings

The holidays are always a great time of year! This is even more true when you spend the majority of your days with 7 and 8 year old's. Their joy and excitement for this time of year is contagious! It has helped kept me going even through the busyness and crazy time of this year, and has also kept me reminded of what this time is truly about. While discussing our memory verse of the past few weeks, (included at the end of my post) I asked my students what this verse meant. Their answers included "Knowing that Jesus is going to be the real king, forever and ever" and "Jesus has all the power and we should praise Him". I couldn't have answered better myself.

My students bless me in so many ways, whether is through a discussion on what faith in Christ means and how a person goes to heaven, or all of us laughing at a funny moment in class. One particularly funny moment happened in class just a few days ago. As it is becoming colder out, static electricity becomes a factor, and with this random shocks can occur when touching metal objects. Well, I was grabbing for a piece of chalk and as I did, the metal tray gave me a shock. I yelped out in a bit of pain, and my students quickly became concerned over what happened. I told them I had gotten shocked. Well apparently in my Wisconsin accent it sounded like "shacked". They all looked so confused, so I repeated my self and told them I had gotten shocked. One student started laughing and said "Oh Miss Ongna, you mean shocked? We couldn't hear it through your accent!"

As you see, the funny moments never cease! School has really just been getting more enjoyable as I have become so comfortable in my role as teacher and much more confident in my decisions, lessons, and talking with parents and teachers. It has been a joy to learn as much as I have, and to be surrounded with people who have been incredibly patient with me as I do so. I have learned SO much in the past 4 months. Julia and I just talked the other week about how strange it is to look back at the beginning days of school and how much we didn't know and how much we have improved since then! Not that we were that terrible, but there was definitely room for improvement!

Life outside of school has been grand as well! Two of my dearest friends got engaged to each other over Thanksgiving break, which I could not be more excited for! I am also looking forward to heading home for Christmas, which will be a welcome break! It will also be wonderful to get to spend a bit more time with people, since Thanksgiving was such a quick break. I cannot wait!

I also hope and pray that God blesses you with a great Christmas holiday and wonderful times with friends and family! We have so much to be thankful for, most of all, the wonderful gift of God's son, Jesus Christ, being sent into this world to die for our sins. What a most wonderful gift!

"For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. Of the greatness of his government and peace there will be no end. He will reign on David’s throne and over his kingdom, establishing and upholding it with justice and righteousness from that time on and forever. The zeal of the Lord Almighty will accomplish this." Isaiah 9:6-7

Playing some phonegram twister! They ask to do this one often!

Learning about soil and dirt in science class, even creating our own! Messy = fun!

Christian Education

I have been blessed in my life to be able to receive a Christian education my whole life, starting in kindergarten all the way through college. I don't like to have the arguments with people about Christian school versus public school education, but I believe whole heartedly in Christian education. I am also teaching at a Christian school, and today I had another moment of strong reaffirmation of why I love teaching at a Christian school and why I believe in Christian education.

This morning we started our day with devotions, as we always do. The devotion was about asking God for forgiveness. I read the devotions and talked about some ideas and thoughts I had. Usually I ask a few questions or we discuss for a bit, then move on to prayer requests. One of my students had their hands up, so I called on her. She then asked me this question, "How does God decide who doesn't go to heaven?" I was slightly taken aback. It was a great question, but being a teacher or anyone in a position where you are asked a question such as this, you realize how careful you need to be with your answer.

I explained that God chooses the people He loves and loves him back, who accept Jesus as their Savior and who confess that they are sinners and do wrong. Once I answered, a couple more hands went up. We ended up having a 15 minute conversation about how a person goes to heaven, who God saves, and how we can be sure we are saved. I also feel as though I may not be adequate in answering their quesitons, but I sent up a quick prayer to be able to answer to the best of my abilties!

This is one of the many reasons why I love teaching at a Christian school. It was amazing to see these young kids faith just shining, and their genuine and deep questions about God and Christianity. I am so appreciative that I can take the time to discuss these things with my students, and thankful that God has blessed these students with the ability to think about these things and express them to me. God is in every aspect of life, and to be able to emulate my Christian faith in every aspect of my teaching is a huge blessing, and is why I absolutely, positively love this job. 

"I am the good shepherd; I know my sheep and my sheep know me— just as the Father knows me and I know the Father—and I lay down my life for the sheep." John 10:14-15

That good old feeling

You know that feeling you get when you are recovering from laughing super hard? That totally satisfying feeling of complete happiness and contentment? I love that feeling. And that is exactly how I would describe my Thanksgiving weekend.

Now I know Thanksgiving was already a week ago, but I was crazy busy/recovering from the crazy weekend, traveling back, and jumping back into teaching. So just pretend this post was written and posted right after Thanksgiving.

Going back to Wisconsin always gets me feeling warm and fuzzy, because it will always be home for me. Not to mention, I finally get to eat some good quality cheese! Yum. Most of my family and extended family live there, so I got to soak up some great quality time with them. What I especially love and enjoy is craft time on Thanksgiving with the Ongna's. Every year, my incredibly creative aunts come up with a craft to make for the holidays. I try to soak up as much of their creative juices and expertise as I can, and try to make mine turn out. Either way, it is a blast.

I also got to spend some time with my Jensema fam-jam, at a baby shower for my cousin Kelley and dinner on Sunday. My Jensema family is very...loud. We all end up yelling over each other, poking fun, and laughing till we cry. I think we tend to scare off people who visit. My dad especially has a voice that tends to carry. Sure glad I didn't inherit that ;) Meh, its just who we are, and I wouldn't change it ever.

Friends took up the other parts of the weekend, including shopping and a day with one of my dear friends, Kim Ingelse, bunco with the Gesch family, and meeting up with lots of other friends as well. Overall, it was a phenomenal weekend, full of quality time with people I love. It was also a great time to relax and reflect on my time here in Pittsburgh and to revamp for school. Going to my home church was also a great boost as well, to know people have been praying and supporting from afar. I have so very much to be thankful for.

Some of my awesome Jensema cousins: Zach, Jeremy, and Eric, plus girlfriends Sarah and Amy.

What I'm Thankful For

Thanksgiving is just around the corner. Like, seriously, it is so close I can almost taste my mom's amazing cooking! It has been a crazy and busy 3 1/2 months, and I am unbelievably excited to go home. Just ask my students. Every time we talk about how close Thanksgiving, I mention that am excited to go to Wisconsin. They always say "We know Miss Ongna! We know you are excited!" They love me, they really do.

School has been crazy lately, with report cards going out 2 weeks ago and parent teacher conferences this past week. Both went very well, which is a huge blessing. I was quite nervous about the whole process, but it ended up being pretty painless! I have also been blessed with having students with wonderful parents. One of the things I was most nervous about starting off school was having parents that were unsure or worried about their child having a first year teacher. I didn't want to disappoint anyone or feel as though their student was missing out on something. After meeting with the parents, I feel so encouraged and revitalized. They have all been so incredibly supportive and encouraging. I know that God placed me in this school for a reason, and after the conferences, I could see one of the many reasons why He did.

We have also been doing some really exciting things in class! I feel as though every day I become more and more comfortable in my teacher role and I continue to grow in my teaching as well. We have spent time in our reading textbooks that have a compilation of lots of stories all separated into different topics. We have recently started a new topic--kindness. We read the first story together, then I had the whole class discuss 4 different aspects of the story: characters, setting, vocabulary, and plot. After discussing the meaning of these words, we went to work figuring out answers for each aspect. We wrote the answers to each on post-it notes.

My kids blew me away! They enjoyed it so much and worked really hard at figuring out appropriate answers for each part. When I asked about when this story may have taken place, by looking at the pictures and the story itself, one student said, "It seems like it would have been the early 1900's, because of the style of clothing and buildings." I think I literally jumped up and down. It was an awesome teaching moment!

As you can see, life is good and I continue to have so so much to be thankful for. An awesome job, wonderful friends and family, a God who loves me, and so much more. I feel as though my cup is just overflowing. It will be wonderful to have a break though, and I am thankful especially for that! Prayers for safe travels for Julia, Ryan, and myself are appreciated. Prayers for my students are also appreciated as they travel as well, and as we continue school after Thanksgiving.

Here's to bracing for 3 days of school then traveling home. Ready or not Wisconsin, here I come!

Life is Like a Box of Chocolates...

You never know what you're gonna get! Yes, a great Forest Gump reference. It holds very true though. This past weekend my dear friend Tricia Brouwer came to visit Julia and I! It was a bit of a surprise and a wonderful one at that! She drove here by herself to hang out with us Thursday-Sunday.

While Tricia was here, we showed her around the city, lazed around, and she also got to meet some of our friends out here as well. It was wonderful to spend time with her again since we have all been all over the place for the past few months and really the past few years! However, we will also see her during Thanksgiving which is soon, so we are all excited for another reunion! 

One of my favorite parts of the weekend was Tricia visiting my classroom Friday afternoon during our "fuzzy party". This is a part of my classroom management system. I'll try to explain it to you in the sort version. On the blackboard, there is a small box in the bottom corner with "Miss Ongna" on one side and "Class" on the other. Everytime a student talks out of turn or without raising their hand, I get a point. Anytime the class answers questions by raising their hand or works very well, I give them a point. At the end of the day, if the class has more points, they earn a fuzzy (a pom pom). If I win, then I take a fuzzy out of the jar.

So, my students filled up their jar and we watched some Magic School bus and had a little snack. Tricia stopped by to see my school and visit with my students. This past Friday also happened to be "Book Character Dress Up" day. All in all it was a fun day and my students had fun with all the activities and loved meeting Tricia. Their first reactions? "You are really tall and blonde! Like Miss Ongna!"

As I mentioned, Friday was book character day, so all of the elementary students dressed up. It was so fun to see everyone in costume! I dressed up with the first grade teacher, and we were Thing 1 and Thing 2 from "The Cat in the Hat". I had a blast! I even tried doing my entire spelling test with my students in rhymes. I was somewhat successful, with help from my students! It was a great ending to a crazy week.

Finally, Thanksgiving is only a week and a half away and I could not be MORE excited! I love life here, I really do. But I do miss home and lots of people at home. It is going to be wonderful to head home and see family and friends! I am already packing lots of events into the days I am home. Julia and I both have a TON to do before we go home though, so we are trying to focus. Prayers are appreciated! Can't wait to see all you Wisconsin folk!

My class dressed up! We have Ron Weasly, Nancy Drew, Pinkalicious, 2 Tara the Tuesday Fairies, and 3 Fancy Nancies.

My costume, Thing 2

Tricia, Julia, and I enjoying a gorgeous day in Pittsburgh

You Know You're a Teacher When...

You buy 10 books at a half priced book store in one afternoon.

Oops.

In my defense, I got 4 Harry Potter books for $16. That is a steal! They were just begging me to buy them. I am a nerd and I am quite ok with it.

I also bought some Ramona books...and Anne of Green Gables...among other things. I feel as though I have to explain that I am a teacher every time I purchase children-esque stuff. It doesn't matter that these books are completely for my enjoyment. I am still a teacher ya know...that reasoning totally works.

Time Flies

The beginning of November means that I have been here in Pittsburgh for 3 months. 3 months! I can barely believe it, and time just keeps flying by. In that time I've settled down into a house, started my teaching career, and done lots of other grown up stuff that includes the words insurance, credit, and pension. Fun stuff.

Some signs of settling in? It has become infinitely easier to find things around here. I can actually get around without my gps! Huge feat. Except if I am going somewhere totally new, then I haul the trusty guy out. But I can recognize roads and such now which is a big deal, especially in these crazy hills. It is also delightful for people to talk about towns and roads and be able to actually nod in agreement, not just to look polite but because I actually know where they are talking about. "That Giant Eagle down Rodi Road?" Yep. Totally know where that is. (Thats Rodi with a long i. I botched that one up bad and got quite a few laughs.)

During this time of crazy changes, there have been lots of people who have made it so much easier. Perhaps none more than 2 people in particular--Julia and Ryan. As the story goes, Ryan and Julia accepted jobs here in early May at the same school. I was struggling to find a position and received news of the job I have now from some family friends. (Thanks Tammy!!) I applied and got this job in the beginning of July and moved out here with Ryan and Julia.

I have known Ryan my whole life, seeing as we are cousins, and I have known Julia since 2nd grade when she moved to WI and came to Ryan and I's class. We have been each other's support systems and social lives while figuring out life here in PA. It has been so much easier adjusting when you have people there to explore with you and to have little pieces of home. I love these 2 a whole lot and we have had a great time so far. I am so so thankful that God placed us all out here together. I can't even imagine what doing this alone would be like.

Perhaps the funniest part of the 3 of us coming out here together is people's faces when we explain our story. They are totally flabbergasted to find out that the 3 of us went to school together since 2nd grade, except when Julia went to Trinity. But Ryan and Nicole went to the same college. And Nicole and Ryan are cousins. And we are all from the same tiny town in Wisconsin. And all got jobs in Pittsburgh. Yep, small world :)

Teaching the Teacher

I figure its about time I dedicate a post to just teaching. I feel as though as much as I have taught my students, I have been taught just as much, if not more in the past few months! So, for all you teacher types out there, here is a list assessing my progress so far. Assessment--its a beautiful thing!

I like to title this list: The new and exciting things I have learned being a first year teacher. Creative, I know.

1. You can plan, plan, and plan. Then you can plan some more and then when you're done with that, you can plan a little more. In any spare time? Work on some planning. Every once and a while throw in some grading. Julia and I have also managed to squeeze in some time for shopping. Teacher clothes, of course! It's a necessity. But seriously, planning never stops.
2. Ironically enough, as much as you plan, you can never really be completely prepared. It is almost guaranteed that every week you will have a wrench or a massive tree trunk thrown into your plans. Last week? No P.E. or art teacher. It really makes you think on your feet and keeps the day exciting. It is also a smidge stressful, but I try to stay positive :) 
3. Kids are hilarious. And wonderful. And so full of love. I knew this coming into teaching, but it is so different when you are THE teacher. I have gotten to know my kids so well, and it is amazing to know them so well and to have them know me well too. Hearing my kiddos say they love me will never get old.
4. The support of other teachers is a necessity! I don't know what I would do without the other teachers around me. Every Wednesday, we have prayer time with the elementary teachers. It is an amazing time to lift up our concerns in prayer and to support each other. 

I have been plugging away on lots of lessons, including a pretty rigorous phonics program. This means my mornings are filled to the brim with spelling, phonics, grammar, and math. The afternoons are a bit more loose and relaxed, with reading, Bible, and science. Science has been a personal favorite of mine to teach. I LOVE hands on activities and lots of visuals. You can tell when you walk into my classroom. Not too long ago we finished up a unit on a study of animals. It was such a fun unit to teach!

 

 

Each cupboard door is a different animal. 

 

We studied 6 different groups of animals: mammals, birds, fish, amphibians, reptiles, and insects. I have some awesome cupboard space in my room, so I try to utilize every inch I have. I put up the group name, then when we studied that particular group, I made labels shaped like an animal in that group. The students then labeled it with the characteristics. They loved it! They more or less couldn't wait to see what animal I created next. My students know my artistic ability is pretty much non-existent.We also did some fun activities with each animal group, including the tinfoil animals I talked about earlier.

I also had another first today. I pulled out a student's tooth. The surprises and unexpected keep coming! We also had a school wide talent show, which was awesome! It is an awesome thing to watch these kids perform and show off their various talents. I had 3 students perform from my class. I was so proud of them! I may have teared up. Shocking, I know. I can't help it. I am such a sap.

Life is crazy busy for now, with lots of exciting things happening before Thanksgiving. Report cards and conferences are also before then, so there is much to do before a break. The great thing is, once that is all finished, Julia and I are flying home for Thanksgiving! Family, friends, turkey, Wisconsin, and everything else wonderful, warm, and fuzzy. I can't wait! Until then, life keeps chugging on, including school. And I couldn't be more thankful for all the amazing things in my life. So very thankful! :)

Sleepy head

I heard a quote recently that said, "you know you're an adult when you can't remember the last time you weren't tired." This is unbelievably true. I feel as though I am never going to catch up. Teaching has been enjoyable, but it is a crazy amount of work. Unlike a lot of other jobs, teaching isn't just a 9-5 job. All day is spent teaching, then at nights you have to grade and plan for the next day. Don't get me wrong, I love this job! But it is definitely challenging in ways that I was not expecting. I keep reminding myself that God will never give me more than I can handle and I know this is true.

In the midst of all the busyness of school, Julia and I had a great break over the weekend with some wonderful visitors! Julia's parents, sister and brother-in-law, and boyfriend visited. We had a blast! It was awesome to have lots of people in our house, not to mention having food magically appearing in our fridge! Mainly pumpkin bars. If you know Mrs. Bolkema, have her make you some. They are so so good! Anyways, we went downtown, including going to the strip district, which is a bunch of shops downtown selling a whole variety of stuff.

It was an awesome weekend and has made me anxious to go home for Thanksgiving to see my family and friends! This time is coming soon and it is scary! There is a lot to do at school before then including Grandparents day, report cards, parent teacher conferences, and book character day. I'm tired just thinking about it! But school has been flying on by, and everyday I become more and more familiar with my "new" home and I can feel myself becoming a better teacher, hopefully!

God is good, all the time. I have learned so much in these past 2 1/2 months, and that is the biggest lesson I have learned. This was quite the reflective post, but its where my head is at. Hope you could bear with me! Also, funny tidbit--I got called dad the other day by a student. Yep. I have no idea how it happened, but all I could do was laugh! I also forgot to talk about our field trip to the zoo! So. Fun. Going to a zoo with a bunch of first and second graders is the best, because 1. they get excited about everything! 2. they drag you around shouting "Miss Ongna, Miss Ongna, look at THIS!" It is impossible not to have fun.

The zoo has been one of the highlights of a great year so far! This post contains a whole lot of stuff. So much going on recently! I'll leave you with a bunch of pictures of the zoo and our weekend with visitors. If you're still reading this, you are a good friend! Hope you are enjoying the beautiful fall and the glorious creation God has given us! God is good, all the time!

We got to pet sting rays! Too cool. I was way excited!

An interactive exhibit where the kids could "crawl" with the prarie dogs. Clearly they loved it!

Sea Otters. So cute!

Downtown Pittsburgh at night

The whole group of us! From left to right its Craig, Elise, Julia, Peter, Mrs and Mr. Bolkema.

One of the many shops on the strip district.

Julia, Peter, and I hanging out down in Southside.

Feels Like Home to Me

I don't know how many of you knew my grandma, Sarah Ongna, but she was an amazing woman. I spent almost everyday of my childhood with her. She was a gifted housewife and could make the most amazing homemade raisin buns you have ever tasted in your life! I was blessed to be able to learn how to sew and bake from her. She was on my mind quite a bit this weekend, as I got to catch up on my baking and even get in some sewing for a project I'm working on. It was wonderful! Therapeutic even. Here's a picture of one of my creations of the weekend--homemade applesauce. Yum!

Having Monday off has made me crave a longer break. Julia and I are starting to feel a bit stretched and burnt out. Plus there is just something about home. I am quite close with my family, including my extended family, and I can't wait to see them. Although this weekend Julia's family is coming to visit and I am pumped! I love the Bolkema family, and they have become like an adopted family through the years. So excited! Plus, our house will be full of people, which we love!

This past weekend, Julia, Ryan, and I went to some friends' house for supper and hanging out. We had a blast, laughing and discussing differences between PA and WI. Last time we hung out, Ryan fried out for us, and we taught them how to make an "Oostburger". For those of you who don't know, an Oostburger is a brat and a hamburger on the same bun. They loved it. It was awesome to bring a bit of home here to PA :)

Well got a little sentimental there. I blame it on the fact that I was in Michael's (yes, the craft store) the other day and I hung around the Christmas decorations a little too long. Got me all mushy inside. Anyways, school. School is good! We did some fun activities today including making fossils from plaster of paris. Very messy, very fun, and very worth it. I love hands on projects. Definitely my favorite!

I have to end with telling you about how BEAUTIFUL Pennsylvania is in fall. PA is full of trees and forests and the colors are in prime changing mode right now. I tell my kids every morning to look out the window and just admire the beauty of God's creation! So here are some pictures for you to enjoy a little PA beauty for youself :)

The playground area of my school. So beautiful!

Out and about for a drive. Please take notice of a.) the beautiful trees   b.) the crazy windy roads.

Cold Winds and Warm Fuzzies

Cold, wet, and rainy. That was my week. Adjusting to the constant expectation of rain in this city has been not so fun. Seriously, it rains here almost every day. But the days when the sun shines are even more wonderful because of it! Plus, the leaves are changing, so it is absolutely beautiful in western PA these days.

I love this especially because fall is my favorite season. I love it. Hot apple cider, colorful leaves, crisp apples, cool air, and football. I just love it! Although we did have to turn our heat on in our house. We are frugal and didn't want to do it, but it was 56 degrees in our house. 56! Flipping freezing. So we bit the bullet and turned it on. Happiness and warm fuzzies! That's what I'm feeling now, literally!  :)

School this week was very hectic and unexpected. I had 2 students gone all week, one on vacation and the other out because of illness. Plus, other events/issues arose at school, adding to the craziness that ensued. I have learned a lot, over this past week, and over the past 2 months. I have learned about relationships, family, community, my students, education, and life in general. It is so crazy to look back at the beginning of school and see how much I didn't know or what I thought school was going to be like. Now I am a full blown teacher, with a bit more knowledge than I used to have. I guess that's called growth huh? Well, I have grown.

My students continue to surprise, challenge, teach, and amuse me. It is awesome to get to look at the world through an 8 year old's eye. One of my favorite moments of the week happened on Friday during math class. I had planned math centers as something fun to do to review a few of the concepts we have been going over the last few weeks. I was nervous, however, because this requires my students to be pretty focused and self managing, which doesn't always work out so well. Turns out my students LOVED it! They worked so hard at every station and even begged me to let them do everything longer. Success! I love it when a lesson goes so so well. Fellow teachers, you can identify with that feeling.

Below are some pictures of my students and their aluminum foil reptiles they created for a lesson in science. We have been studying animals, and specifically on this day, reptiles. I had them each create 1-2 reptiles out of foil, then dip them in hot and cold waters, and feel the differences in their creatures temperatures. We then related this to reptiles being cold-blooded, and going to warm or cold areas to change their body temperature. I had to take pictures because their creations were awesome! Some of them gave me a "reptile face" in the picture. Girls after my own heart :)

"Those who know your name trust in you, for you, Lord, have never forsaken those who seek you."                      Psalm 9:10

The Unexpected

I was always told during my education classes to be prepared for anything, that the unexpected will happen. Well, that was pretty much the story of last week!

It started with a student rushing out of the room because she had to throw up. I left to check on her, leaving my students to their reading. Then a bit later, another girl asks to go to the bathroom and comes back squealing/screaming. She informs me there is a giant spider in the bathroom. I then proceeded to get my students working on something else while I then went to the bathroom to kill said spider. I return to gather up the sick student's work and talk to a parent and send her off. When I finally get back to my class, I look at the clock to see it is lunch time. Not the most productive of mornings, however, my students were extremely well behaved considering the circumstances, and for that I was thankful.

This week also provided some more funny moments. These moments seem to always come just when I'm feeling overwhelmed or stressed about something! God's wonderful comedic timing.

• One of the girls told me she had a secret question she had to ask me. She whispers in my ear, "What do you do when you have a crush on a boy?" Not expecting that. I told her we would discuss it later when we had more time to talk. Fortunately, she forgot about it! 
• My lone boy walked up to my desk during silent reading time. He leans on my desks and says, "Have you ever had wine Miss Ongna?" I had no clue where this came from. I said "Well, yes I have. Why?" He thinks for a moment and says, "I just wasn't sure you were old enough." He then walks away. 
• A student hands me a note with my name written in a heart, spelled "Miss Onghgoh". It was precious. A lesson in writing dutch last names is coming soon! 

School has been chaotic, crazy, and wonderful. I love my job. Have I said that before? I may sound like a broken record, but I can't imagine doing anything else. Though it is sometimes hard to be away from home, especially when missing out on things, I know I am where I am suppose to be. It is so reassuring to know that and to feel God's love and presence around me, especially when I'm feeling down.

If you could also pray for my class, we are having some rather strange/potentially serious health issues come up. I can't be anymore specific, but please pray that my students stay as healthy as they can and that I know how to handle it all. It is nerve racking when issues like this come up. All I can do is pray for the strength and knowledge to deal with it all. All in God's plan!

Psalm 56:12-13 "God, I must keep my promises to you. I will give you my offerings to thank you, because you have saved me from death. You have kept me from being defeated. So I will walk with God in light among the living."

Wouldn't It Be Nice

Yes, I used a Beach Boy's song lyric as my title. I love them. I'm alright with admitting that. Plus, I kept thinking to myself "Wouldn't it be nice if time on the weekends went slow?" Thus my title choice.

This past weekend I got a great visit from the parentals. It was awesome to have them around and to show them around town. Now that we've lived here for almost 2 months (crazy!) we actually know where some good spots to see, eat, and visit are at! We are pretty good hosts, I must say. If you visit, you get a whole basement for your leisure, including an air mattress. Plus, we will most likely feed you. You have better chances if you bring food and/or gifts. We aren't greedy, just poor!

School has been great! I feel very used to the schedule and the students have gotten very comfortable with me as they have gotten to know me. The downside is now that they feel more comfortable, they try to get away with more. Today was a battle from the get go, and it ended up being a rough day. However, these days happen more often, and I have to learn to deal with them. Overall though, its been a great few weeks and I am excited for the rest of the year!

Here are some funny 2nd grade tidbits from the week:

• Today during our grammar lesson, students had to come up with sentences and here was a particular one that I enjoyed! "Miss Ongna and I went to Wisconsin and got 10 monkeys." Rather clever, although monkeys aren't exactly native to Wisconsin...I informed them of this. 
• No 2nd grader can say the word "indivisible". This makes listening to the Pledge of Allegiance rather amusing! :) 
• I was called the best teacher ever. Given this isn't true, but its still a self-esteem booster! This could have been a result of my math lesson in which they used M & M's to count...nothing like chocolate to get you the best teacher ever vote!

 All in all, its been a great month and a half in Pittsburgh. God is good, school is crazy, and life is wonderful. Now its off to more planning. It never ends...

My parents and I on Mount Washington. My dad isn't a picture guy :)

Ryan enjoying the view of the city.

Reflection

This past weekend, I've spent a lot of time reflecting. Not only on my past 2 weeks of teaching, but on the past years of my life, especially seeing as today is September 11. It is crazy to look back those 10 years and see where I was then compared to now. Back then I was an awkward 7th grader at Oostburg Christian school, trying to fit in and figuring out my place in life, when this tragedy hit our nation. Now I am a 2nd grade teacher living in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, watching videos and news reports on what has happened in those 10 years. It is amazing to see how God works throughout good and hard times to have His will and good accomplished. We can forever trust in Him and know He has a plan for our lives. How amazing is that?

Speaking of my childhood, I am super excited for next weekend because my parents are coming to visit! I am especially excited because my dad hasn't been out here yet. When we moved out here, he was busy on the fields, so he was unable to come. Julia, Ryan, and I have been planning out some things to do while they are out here. We are excited for some familiar faces and for awesome care packages from home, including some great Wisconsin cheese! (finally! cheese here cannot compare.)

I am looking forward to this first full week of school too. It really cements in the routine and it has become more fun to teach as I've gotten to know each student. Here are some highlights of the past school week:

• Hugs from my students. Best thing ever! It is wonderful to know you have established that relationship and your students like you as well.
• My one boy in my class always comes up to me in the morning before school and we have a 5-10 minute chat. I enjoy it so much because often the girls tend to overwhelm him, so he is more hesitant often times. He is unbelievably precious and I so enjoy that time. 
• The other morning, one of the girls came to school with her backpack soaked from her lunch having leaked. As soon as she discovered this, she grabbed her lunch box, thrust it in the air and exclaimed, "Curse you ramen broth!" I laughed a little on the inside, then quickly took care of the leaky situation. No worries! 
• I asked my students the other day what they're favorite part of 2nd grade was, and they were all shouting out different subjects. I told them that my favorite part was them! One girl then said to me, "I would have said you Miss Ongna, but that would be cheating!" :)

As you can see from reading, I have been so blessed with a wonderful class. They teach me new things everyday and I love this job. Yes, some days are more challenging than others, but I wouldn't want to switch jobs for anything in the world. God has led me to this place, this time, this job, and I am grateful and comforted by that. I thank God for each of you who continue to pray for me, Julia, and Ryan, and I pray for you also.

"Surely your goodness and love will follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the LORD forever" Psalm 23:6

My class! This describes their personalities so well! Also, it was mis-match day, thus the crazy outfits. :)

Busy Bees

My first week of teaching...done! Given it was a 3 day week, but still. It was a crazy first 3 days, full of procedures, classroom management, and getting a routine in line. I also had to adjust to getting up super early and being on my feet and talking all day. All in all though, it was a pretty great 3 days! However, I am very thankful to have Labor Day off. VERY thankful! 2nd graders can really wear you out...I am excited to get back in shcool though and get onto the really fun parts of school and further into the content! I love it, I really really do :)

Since starting school, I have gotten much more busy, as has Julia. There was a day last week where we actually didn't see each other. We have also been getting to know our local walmart really well! We have made random runs to get various teaching supplies as we think of them. My personal favorite time was when we went before school one morning, at 5:45 am. Yep. We got cornstarch and celery. Dedication, that's what I say!

We also got to have some great down time this weekend since we got an extra day off! While we spent a good bit of it catching up on sleep and working on cleaning our house, (see picture below) we also hung out with Ryan and his cousin's who visited a bit. We headed to Shadyside, a part of the city of Pittsburgh, where we went to this awesome ice cream place called "Oh Yeah". There you could get a scoop of ice cream and mix in different things, much like coldstone. However, their menu contained a much more diverse list of mix ins. This list included bacon, seaweed, rose water, lemon peel, and goat cheese. I veered away from this strange list and got cookie dough ice cream with honey nut cheerios mixed in. SO good! If you ever visit, remind us to take you there :)

All in all, its been a great week! We have found a church that we really love with people that we know, we are settling well into our schools, and we are enjoying exploring this cool city. I cannot say it enough, we are SO blessed! Now onto a bit of relaxing and a whole lot of lesson planning! Happy September all!

Our dining room turned work area!

The 3 of us enjoying a night out in Pittsburgh!

The real deal.

Today was my very first day of school. As the teacher, that is. Much, much different when you are the teacher compared to the student, just in case you were wondering! I have never talked so much in my life, which may seem crazy for me, but I think its true! Either way, its was a great day. I should start from my first meeting of my students though...

I got to meet my students and some of the parents at the open house our school had this past Monday night. It was awesome to see the kids so excited and to meet their families. The parents were SO gracious and wonderful, giving me lots of support and being sure to offer me lots of prayers and thoughts as I headed into my first week. To me, this means so much, and I was beyond grateful!

So, as we move into today, let me just reiterate that I have 7 girls. 1 boy. That boy is so, so brave. These are some of the girliest girls I have ever encountered. They are so sweet and full of energy, but oh so girly. The great thing is, they are all relatively excited for school and that makes me excited to teach them! Today my plan was to have a ton of activities planned and just plug them in as I go. It worked! I made it through the day, and my students even learned some things! I know, crazy, my students learning something at school!

The highlight of my day though was definitely our Bible lesson for the day.

The Bible curriculum starts at the beginning of the Bible, going over the creation story, along with Adam and Eve sinning. Today we watched a video of the story, then I brought out an empty shoe box, and told them they need to make something out of what was in the box. They couldn't make anything, which I then compared to God making our whole world out of nothing. Well, out of these activities sprouted questions like "Did God have parents? Who made him? What existed before God? Will we all be old or young in heaven?" I was beyond excited! They were all discussing and asking these fantastic questions, and I was trying to answer in the best way I knew how. It was amazing to discuss these topics with 2nd graders! So awesome and powerful to see God working in these young children. Just as I was getting really into it, a precious girl raises her hand and says in the most serious of voices, "Miss Ongna, will there be nail polish in heaven?" I couldn't help but smile.

All in all, it was a crazy day with lots of learning taking place for both the students and myself, however, I loved it and God has definitely led me to the right profession. I have been praying for the past weeks that I would be able to do this job and I have definitely felt your prayers as well. Now its time to go plan for day 2! I feel as though I may never get ahead!

Also, to all my former teachers...thank you for doing what you do/did! I realize now how much time and energy goes into each day. A special thanks to my own 2nd grade teacher, who put up with quite a bit from me in particular. Mrs. Hendrikse, I'll eat an entire cheese sandwhich this weekend just for you! :)

A picture of downtown Pittsburgh, and also a chunk of the part I drive everyday. I drive on the yellow bridge, called the Fort Pitt Bridge. It lead right into the Fort Pitt Tunnel. I also drive through the Squirrel Hill Tunnel.While the drive is long, it is absolutely beautiful to drive around downtown, especially for a girl from the country!

A picture in the tunnels. Not sure which one it is, but it was from the Bolkema's and I's trip to PA in July. Yes, that is Mom and Dad B in the picture!  People drive through the tunnels and freak out, so there is always traffic right before the tunnels. Not fun, but oh well!

My Very Own Classroom!

With school just around the corner, 6 days away to be exact, I have gone into full fledged panic/excitement mode. Julia and Ryan have already started school, which gave me the push to work hard with the free time I have! It has also been very nice living with another teacher, to bounce ideas off of each other, proofread worksheets, and use each others craft supplies. It is a blessing to live with her, to have someone to come home to and veg and talk about the day, and have someone who really understands what goes on. It is also wonderful to be able to talk about home and our family and friends, and how we both miss good Wisconsin cheese! I love her dearly, and am so glad God blessed us with teaching jobs near enough to live together.

So, here are the logistics of my teaching gig. I have been spending the past 2 weeks at my school, decorating my classroom and learning the new curriculum, and I am feeling pretty ready to go! The phonics is still intimidating me, but I'm hoping that once I teach it, it will come easier. Otherwise the rest of the subjects are very comfortable for me!

I have 8 students in my class, 7 girls and 1 boy! A small class, yes, but I am so excited for a small class, especially for my first year! And I have so many activities in mind that I can do with this size. I have already met a few of my students, and have heard from other teachers about how excited my students are to have a new teacher. One of them asked the kindergarten teacher if I had blonde hair and blue eyes. She told her I did, and the girl replied with, "Oohhh! She is just like I pictured her!" They are all so excited to have a blonde haired, blue eyed teacher. Apparently this isn't a big Dutch area...

Below I have put up some pictures of my classroom. It is not completely finished yet, but I wanted you all to see it! Some blank bulletin boards and other areas are being saved for student work. I am also still toying with some ideas that I have floating around in my head. We'll see what I can accomplish in 6 days! I've gone with a slight jungle theme, which evolved into a lot of monkeys. It has been so so fun to decorate my own classroom, to set things up the way I want, and to think about real students using this room and the things I have set up. I love teaching so much and I am beyond excited for my students to fill this room and to have it bustling with activity!

Thanks again for all the prayers. I feel as though I can never say it enough! Keep Julia and Ryan in your prayers as they have already started school, and I will be starting on Wednesday. Can't wait!!

My classroom! With the little desks...so cute!

Calendar and weather bulletin board.

My personal favorite spot in the room, the class library and theme bulletin board.

My student's hooks, cubbies, and mailboxes area.

My desk and work area. The green and yellow bulletin board is for their weekly jobs.  It is also my subtle hint of packer-ness in my room to ward off all the steeler-ness around me! :)

Back table for group work, and cupboards and counter, which will work as centers of sorts. Still working on the details :)

Putting on my Big Girl Pants!

During college, I lived on my own, er away from my parents, technically. But college is a cushy way to ease you into the real world. You don't have to worry about gas, electric, internet, etc. You pay your school one big check and they take care of it. Or at least, that's how it worked at Dordt.

Now, I've moved out on my own into a house and BAM! I am hit with bills, starting up a bank account, having meetings with insurance agents, and figuring out other problems on my own. Ok, I have a roommate, but Julia is doing it for the first time too. We have both had our shares of frustrations and worries. Plus we are both trying to plan our classrooms and school years as well. The stress level at our house has been high lately. Our families are probably grateful we moved away!

Even through all this stress, God's faithfulness had been evident. He has provided us with a wonderful place to live, renting from a fantastic family that has been most gracious with the money situation. We have great neighbors, including a sweet older lady who checks in on us and have been given food and invited over for dinner by many people. Not to mention our school communities have warmly welcomed us. Plus, my cousin Ryan lives 15-20 minutes away! What more could we ask for? God is so good! I remind myself of all these facts when I have those freak out, worrisome moments. I am still learning a lot about trust and patience. Who couldn't use more of that huh? ;) 

And below are some pictures of moving and our house! Enjoy!

Moving partially across country requires a sweet moving truck!

Our house! With cute blue shutters.

My bookshelf full of pictures and little reminders of wonderful friends and family.

It Starts with Goodbye

I'm here! Warn all of Pittsburgh, a small population of Oostburg has moved to the big city. That being myself, my roomie Julia, and my cousin Ryan. We have been blessed to be able to move into houses and get somewhat settled, with the help of our lovely families!

The downside of moving away was saying many goodbyes to family and friends. While sad, we know that it is just for a little while, and the excitement of what is to come is overcoming that all! We just said our goodbyes to the 'rents after a great week together, getting to know the area and getting our stuff into place. This included many adventures navigating the streets of Pittsburgh. For those of you who have never been out to this area, let me try to explain it to you...

There is aboslutely no flat land in the area. None. Zlich. Zero. Everything is literally on a hill. And when you ask for directions around here? "Oh its just down the hill" or "Just go up the hill and its right there!" It's been a learning experience, to say the least. And my car, Franklin, is having a rough go about it. But we will all adjust. Let's just say our gps has been a huge help! 

We really have been blessed, living in a beautiful area and in a great house! Thanks for all the prayers for safe travels and adjustments. I'll be working on getting some pictures up of our house as soon as it is not a disaster. It's not super pretty at the moment. We'll get there, I promise. Although pictures won't do it justice. You should just come see the house (and us) for youself! We have spare rooms! Just watch out for those hills :)

Worry Wart

For those of you who know me, especially for those you know me well, you know that I tend to worry quite a bit. About everything and anything. As I approach moving day, which is 5 days away, I am very excited to be doing something different and to move somewhere new. However, the worry is starting to set in too!

I am beyond excited to be a teacher, but there is a lot to do to get a classroom and curriculum set up before a school year begins! And as a first year teacher, not having experience doing this, it is an even more daunting task. I have become a slight hoarder of all things school related. My room is sprinkled with various bulletin board borders, apple cut outs, children's books, and organizational material. Now to move it all to Pittsburgh, woohoo! I feel as though I am the little engine that could, constantly telling myself "I know I can, I know I can"!

The great part is that I know God is there every step of the way. He is leading me on this fantastic journey! Another plus? I am living with another first year teacher and dear friend, Julia Bolkema. I have known her since 2nd grade and I am so excited to be roommates AND each other support systems in teaching. Maybe you should all say extra prayers for her as she adjusts to living with me too!

Wednesday we will move into our apartment, then I will work on getting some house pictures up for you all. Thanks for all the prayers and support!

A Brand New Start

Yes, I have started a blog. As if I don't communicate enough verbally, I am now taking over your computer. No worries! I promise I won't get carried away.

The purpose of this blog-experiment of mine is to catalog my journey as a college grad starting out on my own, working my very first real deal, adult job. This job just so happens to be teaching! 2nd grade to be exact. As I've been told by dozens and dozens of teachers, professors, and others, the first year of teaching is challenging, to say the least. So, it should be interesting as I navigate my way through this first year.

The logistics: I move in 2 weeks to Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. I visited there once, a few weeks ago, and that's about it! I know that God has lead me here for a reason, and He has done some amazing things already with other opportunities that have surfaced along with this job. I can't wait to see what else God has in store for me. I've strapped myself in for an awesome ride!

Well, here's to one exciting year!