It's been a LONG time!

For those that actually read my blog, it has been a long time since I last posted.

So I thought the best thing to do would be to give an update on my life!

I graduated, I got my degree, and I GOT A JOB!

I am a big girl now!  I have a big girl job!

 Before graduation, I was going crazy trying to find a job in NC.  Budget cuts were happening everywhere in education, and I knew it would be very difficult to find someone to hire a brand-new teacher like myself.  I applied to every county in the state, and waited not so patiently to hear from someone.  Well when graduation rolled along, I was starting to get really nervous. 

Then, in JULY, I received a phone call.

I was so happy, I didn't hear the name of the school or where it was, so when they asked me if I wanted the address, I quickly snapped back to and wrote it down.  One Google map search later, and I found out the school was only 40 minutes from my house.

Then the reality hit me...it was a middle school.
I had zero experience with middle school.  I observed a couple of my good friend Jenna's class when she was student teaching, but that was it.  Students going through puberty scared me.

But I put my big girl panties on, and I decided I would give it a try.  At the interview, I fell in love with the school (it's only 5 years old), and the administration staff. Added perk...I got an office!

I waited, interviewed at two other middle schools, and waited some more.  My top pick was SanLee, and I really wanted to hear from them.  So I finally called and asked if they had filled the position.  The principal informed me that they wanted to put me in the position, but were waiting on a couple of my references.  So I made a quick phone call, and 30 minutes later I was offered the job!  I couldn't contain my excitement, and I knew I would be happy at this school! 

My new gym!

Now fast forward all the boring stuff....(teacher trainings, moving in...blah blah).

I have been teaching for a week now, and I can honestly say middle school is pretty awesome.  I work with only girls, and I work with over 200 of them.  They are hilarious and make me smile every day. I have only been teaching health, but we move into the gym(finally!) next week!

My health classroom!

I am even coaching volleyball!  There isn't a cross country team there, but maybe after this year I can get a team started up!

It's been a while.

Halfway there.
I have been teaching for the past two weeks, and it is exhausting, but I absolutely love it.  Everyday is a learning opportunity for myself.  I deal with so many students in a week, it is hard to get to know each one of them personally and what they like to do in PE. 

Since last week, I have started my "full-time" teaching.  I decided to do my unit on jump roping.  As a kid, in elementary school, I remember the annual jump rope competition.  We would compete as individuals to see who could jump the most consecutively.  I have always been competitive, and I wanted to win.  I jumped over 5,000 times and received my own poster in the gym.  It was the best feeling in the world to know that my peers saw that poster and knew I was a great jumper.

I wanted to give the same opportunity to my students.  They are not only competing individually, but they are also competing as a class against their peers.  Each grade level is working on getting the "golden jump rope".  They are allowed to jump during school hours and give me the numbers at the end of the day.  I have a bar graph posted outside the gym that keeps track of how many jumps each class does.

yes, I know the posters are cut unevenly.  give me a break!

Today when I left school, I couldn't wipe the smile off my face.  At one of my schools, the entire school has jumped over 100,000 times.  It is unbelievable!  The kids are loving the competition, and have no idea how great of a workout they are getting!  (Jump roping is considered one of the easiest and best types of cardiovascular fitness exercises).

Tomorrow I visit my second elementary, and I will tally up how many jumps they have done.  I am so proud of my students!

On a side note, I think it is time for me to invest in a new car.  The equipment is not fitting in the bug!

Classrooms scare me.

Yesterday I had quite the adventure at my school.  Since I am the only student teacher that is substitute certified, I was moved into a classroom for the last two hours of the day.  Details don't matter, but I was taken away from my safe haven where kids can run wild and have a blast.

Two hours was all it took for me to come crawling back to the beautiful open space that I call my gym.  I honestly have a lot respect for classroom teachers.  I do not see how they keep the students engaged for six hours a day, and come back wanting more!  I now am thankful for every teacher I had in elementary school that put up with me. My constant energy was probably a constant headache for them.

After my two hours in the classroom, I now know that my calling is in Physical Education, where I can run free and put my energy to good use!

My first blog!

Honestly, I have no idea how I am going to keep this up, but I thought I would give it a shot considering I already keep a journal everyday. 

Since freshman year of high school, I have always lived by a quote that my English teacher told me.  "Do one thing everyday that scares you."  Eleanor Roosevelt was a quirky lady, so I took her advice and started living my life that way. 

Eight years later, I am still living by that quote.  I might not do something scary (like jump out of a plane) each day, but just getting through the day is scary enough.  I started student teaching on January 14th, and it has been quite the roller coaster ride.  Don't get me wrong, I absolutely love teaching, but there are some days where I ask myself, "Why am I doing this?!" 

Sometimes I try to escape...

...but in the end, being a teacher is one of the most rewarding jobs I have ever had.

So this is my blog, about my oh-so scary life that I am living.