Random pics from my phone

Old Town Alexandria. His name is Jamey and he is playing the glasses! AMAZING!

Nationals vs Dodgers!

Amazing view from Alexandria on my bike ride!

Random things that have happened within the week...

- a fight broke out when I was the only teacher on the field...and what did I do...I RAN! lol I ran for help! No way I am going to break that up!

- went to teh National Book Festival at the National Mall

- went to Eastern Market, a farmers market adn got free fruit! mmmm

- went to the Natural History Museum

-went to the temple

- went to the Portrait Gallery

- hitchhiked from the temple after missing our bus...:)

- taught a health class when I was told I was teaching it about a half hour before

- kicked some kid out of class

-taught golf

- worked, worked, and worked

-biked to school - took 45 min, it is so humid here I was DRENCHED by the time I got there and had to change clothes - and then biked home. Oh and, I didn't know how to get there, didn't look up the directions, just went!!!! I found my way just fine, there and back!

- had some of the "trouble" kids yell at me to get my attention and watch them to see how well they were doing. THey were fighting for my attention!

-had a kid from Colombia change everything about his countenance when he realized I spoke Spanish and understand him and his culture!

-the Dept Chair at the school in PE wants to get me hired on. She wants me to apply for a coaching position, be a permanent sub, adn later work for the school. She wants me to be the NEXT Wanda Oates! (that is her) to teach me everythign she knows! hahaha

-went to a Nationals game, they played the Dodgers

So much happens in one day, in one week...my time is flyingggggggggggggggg by here!! Those are a few things that sum up my exciting week!!

My week...

Ok...so here goes my week!

Well, there is always so much to tell. So, Nicole's job is safe. They are not touching the PE department thankfully. What a relief to say the least. However, nothing is changing with the other teachers. We were going to offer three sports, one teacher teaching each, and letting the kids choose which one they wanted to do. it didn't work out at all. So instead we are doing three two week units of each sport. So, we are doing golf now, as you know. We were a little unsure of these kids with clubs. We knew and know we had to be on top of them. Day 1s are really frustrating and exhausting days. Nicole got observed in the Health class the other day by the person from DCPS. I think it went pretty well. I have stayed after school every day for an hour or two to plan and get stuff done with Nicole. We work on grades and organizing the classes. We plan and talk about how we can improve or how do we want to approach things. Neither one of us want to give up on the kids but they are taking so much energy and time away from other kids. We have two or three students in the health class that are totally disrespectful. One only makes it about 15 minutes into class before he either leaves or gets kicked out. It is amazing how one or two kids can set the tone of the entire class. I got to school this morning and Nicole wanted me to teach the main lesson for health. I have been coming up with the warm-ups for the health class. So, we had an incident in health, I kicked a kid out of class and then a camera was stolen. So, I was left alone in the class for some time. This was technically my first real experience in a classroom teaching. I actually really liked it. I did not cut the kids any slack. I moved two kids away from their friends because I had to ask them to be quiet too much. I got the kids to be quiet and listen. They all participated quiet a bit, even kids I woudl have never expected would volunteer to read. We had some discussions that the kids had some really good insights. Yet again, lots coming from kids that I wouldn't have anticipated participating. It was great. Nicole was in and out of the room the entire time but she was surprised and pleased with what she saw. She really liked how they were participating, engaged and well behaved. The lesson didn't last long enough, more should have been planned. I tried to drag it out and assign them to do a few more things but you can only do so much. I feel confidant infront of the classroom. It didn't bother me, intimidate me, or make me nervous at all. I have had enough teachign experiences through church that I am totally secure in front of a group of people. I am also not afraid of silence or disciplining. I know there are things as far as classroom management goes that I need to learn and improve but I am actually just glad to be having this experience. It is so different in the classroom.

As far as PE goes. We are taking a little different approach. We have a couple classes that are uncontrollable we feel. So, we are dividing the class up into two. Nicole is taking half and I am taking the other half. That way we can separate the trouble makers from their friends and be tamer. IT worked for the most part. Using golf clubs is very nerve wracking. It went fairly smoothly. Kids are starting to see me as a teacher adn that I mean business. I don't think they anticipated that from me. Sometimes it is frustrating feeling like you have nothing to hang over the kid's head. They don' tcare about anything so there is no consequence or punishment that bothers them. I am calling every kid out every time they swear and it is decreasing the amount of times that I hear swear words. Nicole and I work as a good team. We are getting to know each other and how the other one works and functions. I feel like we are building a good team. We are finally catching up and starting to be on top of things after all of the changes that have been made on us daily.

Ms. Oates wants me to talk to the AD to get hired on as the track adn softball coach. She wants to talk to the administration about possibly hiring me on come December as a permanent sub, aid, or eventually as a full time staff. She thinks the coaching positions would help me get the job in the long run.

So yeah, to sum up the week...fight, being cussed at, students using their physical bodies to intimidate me, being disrespected, not listened to, etc. , teachign golf, teaching health, Nicole being sick, me getting sick, being evaluated, staying late after school to work...who knows what else.

Kayaking the Potomac

Georgetown in the background

Leigh and Chanel

Jessica, me, Naomi, Mindy, and Katie

Roomies!!!Leigh, Chanel, Jessica, and me

We got stuck in the mud...good thing I had my Chacos on...I had to push Leigh and Chanel out too...and they make fun of me for being granola and look who came through for them, none other than GRANOLA!

Random Pics from the last three weeks...I can't believe it has only been 3 weeks!

We are proud Virginian residents!

This was our ride to church one day. Our chapel is a half hour from where we live and we can't ride the metro, we have to find a ride to church every week. To our surprise this is what came to pick us up one day, a kid in a jeep! Good times! It was a beautiful day!

Week 3

We are not totally planned or have things figured out. She is still working through the health class to schedule thigns out and see how and what she wants to do. We are trying to get guest speakers to come in and present things to the students.I am supposed to be working on that to find someone to come in within the next couple of weeks. I went in yesterday from 9 to 2 to work on her grading while she was in meetings. I got all of her things graded and her grades entered. We have been doing the Presidential Fitness Testing this week so we have been testing their sit-ups, push-ups, sit adn reach, and mile run. She has been letting me help with that and so I am slowly learning their names. In teh Health Class whiel they were doing hteir work I was able to go around and talk to the students and help them with their work. I had a neat chat with a Colombian kid. We spoke in Spanish and his face lit up when he realized I spoke Spanish as well. Nicole and I are going to need pointers in the classroom with classroom management. I know some techniques and feel confidant doing it but little hints or tricks are always helpful to know.

Nicole is also very interested in doing her Family History. I am going to find a place close to her and take her to the Family History Library by where she lives to get her going on that.

Nicole's job is also in jeopardy with the budget cuts. She is very nervous about that since she is so new and doesn't not have her credentials. By Monday she will know for sure if she has her job or not.

The new addition to my family...

	My roommate has named her Dreamsicle!

Found it...

The Lord loves me greatly. I found my phone and met the nicest lady who picked it up and contacted me to be able to return it to me. There are SOOO many great people in this world! I love life!

TYPICAL!

I LOST MY CELL PHONE TODAY. I DON'T ANTICIPATING GETTING IT BACK. PLEASE EMAIL ME YOUR PHONE NUMBER IF YOU WANT ME TO HAVE IT! DON'T ASSUME I HAVE IT MEMORIZED BECAUSE I DON'T!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

The week in review...

Carols (our friend in the army), Me, Melanie, Naomi, and Jessica

World War II Memorial, at the National Mall

Lincoln Memorial

The view of the Washington Monument from the World War II Memorial.

Iwo Jim with my roomies! Notice that I am taller than they are in this picture! What what!

The symphony on the Capital lawn

From left to right: Scott, Jessica, Chanel, Leigh, Matt, and ME!
Yes it was raining and we were soakeddddddddddd!

There were tons of people there! The picture doesn't do it justice.

Yes, we were sitting on the grass and it WAS wet! No, we weren't prepared!

More pics...

What? Federal offense? Who knew?

Can you tell which one my boyfriend is...he is the one to the back of me...I saw that old man and thought, "I have to meet you and stand next to you in the picture!" What a catch!

Imagine...this is how we have been getting around...using these cards and trying to put them together!

I LOVE THE EAST COAST!

So, the more and more I see of Virginia and the surrounding areas the more I love it. The bad thing...everyone is going around on their bikes and I don't have one. I think everyone is sick of me talking about bikes...ahaha...I am sick of it...I just want to ride!!!!!! :)

Here are some pictures of the last few days...

Thomas Jefferson Memorial.

Amazing, there will be more pictures for this as well...great times...we went to Costco...we don't have a car...so, we took the grocery cart home with us...did we take it back? no...we left it outside the door of the other apartment of girls that are here with us as a prank. In return , they smother us with their kindness! Boo.
This would be ranked as one of my favorite monuments of all time. It is the Pentagon Memorial for September 11th. Each one of those lights is a bench and under neath them is running water. Each bench represents a person that died and on it has the person's name. The benches facing the left represent the people that died who were on the plane and the benches facing the right are those who were in the Pentagon. If you see a name in the water it is showing that someone else they were related to died in the tragedy. Each row of benches represents the year that the person was born in. Fascinating! We only went at night, we need to go back in the day too!

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This is in Western Virginia. We were in Virginia, DC, Maryland, West Virginia, and Pennsylvania today! WOW! Below are pictures of Harper's Ferry. Cool place!
This is the Shahnama River...
This is an old church at Harper's Ferry.

I LOVEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE NATURE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Gettysburg...there will be more pictures to follow. My camera died so I relied the rest of the day on others!



This is my room roomie, Chanel. She thinks she is funny...she calls me Polly Pocket...go figure! I know...I don't know where the nick name came from either!