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!