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