Currently reading: Seeds of Hope, looking for a copy of some of the books my kids are reading these days
It was bound to happen. One can only live in the middle of nowhere for so long before things are bound to get messy. It's just that I thought I was immune...I had held off for so long, carefully avoided the danger...
I actually enjoy listening to certain Country Music songs.
It's appalling, I know. I understand if you are reading this and have to stop in disgust, carefully shut your web browser and never read this blog again.
Maybe I'm being melodramatic, but it's been a rough week and I've been missing home a lot. Each time I set down another root in Yakima, another thing that ties me to this place and these people, it gets a little harder for me to imagine what this experience is going to do to the rest of my life. My students and their families are already asking me to stay for a third year, even though I'm only committed to two. I'm finding a parish, looking for a spiritual director, going on a retreat in the diocese. I go to small town football games and know half the people there. Kids smile and wave when they see me in the store. And now I listen to some of the same music too. Pretty soon I'll start saying pop and tennis shoes.
I had to video myself teaching this week, and it was an interesting thing. I'm only a third of the way through the video and already my voice is driving me crazy. I'm also realizing that my class is not nearly as disciplined as I thought it was. Ack. Maybe my supervisor was right and I'm really a bad classroom manager.
On a more cheerful note, my roommates and I went out to trivia night at one of the bars in town and we totally won! It came down to a tie-breaker question and we won first place! My dad and Kristin would have been so proud of me. I almost single handedly matched 15 presidents to the terms they served, and some of them were really random: Pierce and Tyler and Harrison. And one of my roommates teaches history and he didn't know them all. I was ridiculously pleased with myself. And now we have a 35$ gift certificate to said pub. We're planning to go back every week now.
I am buried under work to do right now, but I'll try to update again soon.
~Emily
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5 comments:
ok, the country music thing is pretty bad...
but I'm sure we'll all forgive you for it 8 )
If nothing else, this is at least giving you experience in teaching in different environments for a year or 2. And this is something that I'm sort of having to come to terms with in my own life, but you are still young enough that you can pick up and go somewhere else later if you have to. And in the same way you left your marks here in New Jersey, you have left some effect on the people there and that won't go away just because you're not around (especially since we've got the internet that you can still keep in touch with people if you decide to go somewhere else). You've got the choice to stay or leave when the time comes, and you won't be letting anybody down no matter what you choose.
And as far as keeping your class under control is concerned; I highly doubt that you'll EVER have a class fully under control for an entire day. Only because I know from experience that there are kids that thrive on driving their teachers crazy (I was one of them throughout all of my grade - highschool career). So try not to be too hard on yourself, and as long as you're getting across what needs to get across you'll be doing them good, and some days will be better than others I'm sure 8 )
and way to rock out a presidential trivia!!
I cannot believe you are listening to country music!!! ack!!!
If you start saying pop i may have to ridicule you for the rest of your life. :)
jk. I wouldn't make fun of you for the rest of your life.
just some of it :)
living in a small town sounds like fun. don't get to attached though, I miss you.
I guess I'll just have to come visit :)
ttys!
OH MY GOSH COUNTRY MUSIC???!!!!
hehehehehe. I had to give you a hard tim ecause you made such a big deal about it.
and i agree with anne, if you start saying pop, i will always tease you. :)
I can't wait for christmas. i miss you at rutgers. sometimes it was annoying being "emily's little sister" but now i miss being "emily's little sister" i wish you could visit sometime soon.
anyway that was random. :) hope you are having tons of fun!
Breathe Deep...
it's ok.
As long as you don't get a denim jacket with rhinestones, we will not mock you! : )
Actually, I don't mind all country music, Dave was into it when we were dating (not so much now)...much of it makes me laugh, and I always appreciate that. There's that song about the guy who let a different girl drive his truck so the former girlfriend was mad...excellent stuff.
Pop is unforgivable, though, so be strong! SODA soda soda soda...
Classroom management isn't one size fits all. Are the kids learning? Is the classroom a positive & safe place for them to learn? Job done.
You are awesome, don't forget it.
And kudos on the trivia...was that the Alfred question? I hope the pub has good fries, that would merit weekly victory! : ) Woohoo!
Rosie was cheering last night because I said you were coming home for Christmas...
peace,
k
i felt the same way about country music back when i first moved to bridgewater (and back then, bridgewater was "the middle of nowhere" to me). ;-P
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