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 :)