Same old news.

So, I’ve decided that I am pretty much horrible at keeping this bloggity blog updated. But I guess I feel like I don’t have much to report. No news on the job front, I’m keeping my eyes peeled for some postings that interest me and waiting for my phone to ring for some interviews. In the meantime I am working (as always) and picking up a couple tutoring gigs to help as I start to pay back student loans…bummer.

It finally feels like summer outside, and I couldn’t be happier (well, aside from all the cottonwood flying around and wreaking havoc on my sinuses). My Florida tan has officially disappeared and I am in desperate need of  some Indiana color! My trusty Trek has been serviced and I am ready for evening bike rides as I take advantage of the season.

I couldn’t be more excited about the Taste of Tippecanoe next weekend and some good time with friends that I haven’t seen in what seems like forever. I’m sure we’ll hit up the glorious Lafayette water park (courtesy of one of their employees ) and spend time laughing at ourselves as we play the Wii! I’m looking forward to more of these get togethers this summer since my schedule has now changed so that I will have three day weekends every weekend! Wonderful!

I have been making lists of things I don’t want to forget when the time comes for me to prepare my own classroom; lots of little organizational things, discipline ideas, and fun lesson ideas that will help me be a better teacher and keep my sanity!

The search continues…

Well folks, no luck on the job search yet, and might I say that it is getting pretty discouraging. I JUST WANT A JOB for next school year! Please someone hire me…I’m a darn good teacher, I promise!

There is some hopeful news though, my interview at Lafayette Jeff went very well and the principal said they really liked me and that there is a possibility of another job opening up at their school. If that happens he said he would be calling me for it! I’ve emailed him today to see if he can give some sort of a timeline so that I am not sitting and waiting forever.

I trust that whatever happens is in God’s hands and I’m just trying to keep my eyes and ears open to where He might be leading me.

Other than that, there is not too much to report. I just got back from Florida and am missing the gorgeous weather and am eagerly waiting for it to warm up here in Indiana so that I can be outside and ride my bike (as much as my allergies will allow).

Work is work. It keeps me busy and I truly enjoy it…but am so ready to start preparing for my own classroom!!

Goodbye March…Hello April (and snow?!)

So, in the time since my last post life has continued as usual and nothing all too exciting has happened. I still haven’t heard from North Montgomery about my interview (which I am now getting a little anxious about). I just want to hear something…anything at this point! I need to know whether the door has been closed or if I need to find an apartment down south.

I am keeping my eyes peeled for job postings and am getting a little upset that more schools haven’t posted them yet!!!!! You would think they want to find teachers as soon as they can, but apparently that is not the case.

This ridiculous weather is making me want to go on vacation SO BADLY! I am headed to Washington, DC in just about 2 weeks for the annual NCTM (National Council of Teachers of Mathematics) conference. It will be great to spend time with friends, get some great ideas/resources for my future classroom, and of course sight-see.

I have already starting tanning in preparation for my Florida vacation in the beginning of May, I am rather itchy but do have a slight bronze glow…which is a welcome change from my former pasty white state! HA!

Current Listening to: Tenth Avenue North (Over and Underneath), Starfield (I Will Go), Francesca Battistelli (My Paper Heart), and The Fray’s latest

Currently Reading: The Invisible Wall by Harry Bernstein, and Worship Matters by Bob Kauflin

If anyone out there has some good music/book suggestions…I would welcome them:)

March Madness…& Mattresses?!

I know, I am horrible at updating this thing! I have been super busy since graduation and it is hard to find the time. So here I sit, updating this at work…yikes.

So, like I said, I’ve graduated. Yeah for me. And you know what, the adjustment has been kind of strange. I feel like my last semester at Purdue I wasn’t really a student at all because I was student teaching, getting up early EVERY morning, and basically in charge of my own classroom. So you would think the trasistion to the ‘real world’ would be easier…it’s not. I’ve gone from living in WesLaffy with some of my closest friends to living in Warsaw where friends are far away…that is by far the hardest part. Here is a pic of my math ed friends and I to prove WE DID IT!

But I’ve been keeping busy, very busy. I’m still working with CB Richard Ellis 3 days a weeks and working at Sylvan Learning Center in the evenings. It makes for some long days, but I love it! It has been great to teach kids ages preschool through high school and to really see them grasp material and shine! This next week I will be teaching a seminar called “forgotten math” at a local library for parents so that they can help their students at home. I’m also tutoring an algebra student a couple times a week.

I’m on the search for  full-time teaching job…checking job postings daily and sending out applications/resumes. I had an interview in Crawfordsville, IN with North Montgomery School Corporation. I haven’t heard back from them yet, but I am hopeful that it went well. It is hard because I’m not exactly sure where God is leading me right now, I want to go wherever he wants me to be…so I am praying for guidance that I can find that place and follow his direction.

So yes, March has clearly been “mad” so far! And now on to the mattresses…

Last Saturday I was on my way home from working at Sylvan and just as I was nearing my house I passed a pickup on the road with, you guessed it, mattresses in the cab. Mattresses that were NOT tied down. Now, it has been windy and just as I neared the truck a queen size mattress and box springs fly out of the truck toward my car. I quickly glance in the rear-view mirror and when I don’t see anyone behind me I SLAM on my breaks to avoid hitting it. Well, they were unavoidable so crash goes the mattress into my car. My new car. My new car that I am still making payments on. Sad.

But there is a happy ending, there was no severe damage to my vehicle, we (and by ‘we’ I mean my mechanic)  just needed to pop in the front quarter panel. It could have been a LOT worse than it was, if I wouldn’t have been able to stop the matress would have hit my windshield and who knows what may have happened.

In other news…I am beyond ready for warm weather and a vacation. In April I am headed to Washington, DC for the annual National Council for Teachers of Mathematics conference. I’m pumped to learn some great ideas for my future classroom (wherever it may be) and to take in the sights! I’ll be home for a week and then I’m heading to Boca Rotan, FL to soak in the sun and relax…it is much needed!

Bittersweet…

Well, tomorrow begins my last week in West Lafayette and here at Purdue. I must admit that it comes with some rather mixed emotions.

I am going to miss being a student as a I adjust to a permanent role in being a teacher. I am going to miss living with good friends and goofing around and laughing so hard we can’t control ourselves! I am going to miss Kossuth and the wonderful ministry it has been in my life the past 4 1/2 years. Knowing that each and every time I walk through those doors I am going to learn something new about God and my relationship with Him. I have never once left unchallenged.

While I am thrilled to be finished with my undergraduate degree and to start my career. It is sad and a little scary to start anew with so many things! And sometimes it feels like everything is coming at me all at once. So much change in such a short period of time. I’ll be going “home” to a place that doesn’t really feel like home anymore.

It’s strange to feel so scared and excited at the same time. I can’t wait to see what God has in store for me. I know it is something amazing.

So here I go, flying into the unknown, knowing God will be holding me up all the way. I can only pray that I will land in Lafayette once again.

But I trust in your unfailing love; my heart rejoices in your salvation. I will sing to the LORD,for he has been good to me. [Psalm 13:5-6]

12 days and counting…

I think I did my math right on that…only 12 more days of student teaching! I couldn’t be happier. Don’t get me wrong, I have started to enjoy my students, but I am tired. Tired of working so hard as a full-time teacher without pay (while paying Purdue to do it), tired of writing pointless journals for Purdue, tired of being a student (for now), and just plain tired!

I can say, without a doubt, that this has been a great experience. I have learned countless things about how students learn, what motivates them to learn, and how I can be a better teacher. I have seen my strengths and weaknesses in practice, and I have had many opportunities to critically critique myself (my students are pretty good at doing that, too!)

I have learned to appreciate my own nerdiness and can say wholeheartedly that I genuinely care about each and every one of my students. They have such special things to offer this world, and my hope is that in my weeks of teaching them that gift sparked inside them…in some small way. I hope that they have gained a confidence in themselves and their ability to learn; whether it be math related or not.

It is so nice to hear that my students are disappointed that I will not be returning next semester and that I will be missed. I’ll miss their amazement at the PowerPoint presentations I make for each day, and hearing them say “Woah, did you just see that…she just clicked it and boom it appeared, Ms. Justice you are so cool! Isn’t that cool?” in response to the fact that I embedded a hyperlink in my lesson so that we could play a game online! Ha. Small things can make all the difference. I’ll be sure to never forget that!

Life

So, yet again I have come to realize that I am not all that great at keeping up with this blog. I have a good excuse this time, two words, student teaching. It is so ultimately time consuming…but I should have already known that.

My days are spent getting up early, going to school, teaching, quieting kids down, giving homework, grading homework, not going to the bathroom all day long (without even realizing it), taking homework to the ISS room for kids who have gotten in fights, trying to keep up with student absences and make up tests, driving home, making lesson plans, answering emails, writing journals, eating dinner, working, finishing lesson plans, and sleeping. And that, my friends, is about it.

Don’t get me wrong, I am enjoying it. After all, this will soon become the rest of my life. But then, I’ll be getting paid for doing all this work!

I love seeing the look on a student’s face when they have finally “got it” after countless explanations. I love grading papers and realizing that what I taught actually sunk in. I love talking to my students about their lives, their concerns, thier goals, the fun things that they are doing. I love when a student actually goes out of their way to say hi to me in the hallway. Most of all, in some small way I feel like I am making a difference in these students’ lives.

Basically I couldn’t see myself doing anything else right now, so I’m trying to keep my head up and get through these next 23 days of school (not like I’m keeping track or anything )

Ok, ok…an update

Well I realize that I have a hard time keeping this thing updated. So there has been a lot of things happening lately. Life seems crazy at the moment and all too busy to be honest. Lately I’ve felt like I’m running around like a crazy person trying to get so many things done at one time! It’s nuts!

We’ll start with work. For now, I’m still working at CBRE Monday – Wednesday. It is always great to be here, and of course it doesn’t hurt that I am making a little extra money right now. Once I get in the full swing of student teaching I plan to work 10 hours a week from school. We’ll see how that goes. I am going to have to be a MUCH better steward of my time. I have a feeling I’ll need to literally plan out every second of my day in order to pack in all the things I need to do. It’s possible, but it will take a lot of self control and work.

Now school. I’m so close to the finish line that I almost feel like I’ve already crossed it. Right now I am finishing up my methods course for teaching math in middle schools, there is only three weeks left of this…during which I have about 10 projects/papers to complete. Gross. It basically involves jumping through hoops so that Purdue will give me my degree. I’ll do whatever it takes! Just the other day I received an email from my academic advisor saying that my name is listed for a December graduate, and to clarify that I’ll be getting a degree in math education and a minor in psychology…to which I of course replied…”YES, that is correct…can’t wait to be done!”

I’ve also been visiting my classroom quite a bit in the last few weeks. I am so excited! I have a great cooperating teacher, a great university supervisor, and a super group of kids! Tecumseh seems like a super school and I’m thrilled to be able to “work” there. I am ready. I am also very pleased that I have a SMARTboard in my classroom!!! Yeah for integrating technology effortlessly:) I need to come up with a plan to learn all of my students’ names…all 130 of them. That will be quite a task.

God has been blessing me like crazy! I can feel His hand directing my path and I prepare for a future that isn’t so clear to see at this point. My current employer has informed me that they would love to keep my “on board” as long as possible…and definitely through next summer. Amazing. I also found out that Tecumseh will have two math positions opening for the 2009 school year…so that is really good news. I’m trying to explore options right now. I have a lot of contacts within several school systems in Indiana, so things are looking good right now. I don’t know where I want to move when I graduate…but WesLaffy is looking pretty good. I love Kossuth, and would be blessed at the opportunity to stay here and grow more! I’m also looking the possibility of private tutoring for Sylvan Learning Center when I graduate. I’m thinking this would be a great option from January-May of next year or until I can land a full time teaching position.

And some random thoughts to close my post:

1. I shared an amazing math joke with my co-workers, and they simply stared at me like I was crazy. Sad.

2. My “Math Teacher’s book of lists” should be coming in the mail today. I’m pretty excited!!!

3. Don’t ever, under any circumstance, spill milk in your vehicle. It is NASTY MCNASTY…and a pain to clean up. Not to mention it smells worse than anything you could imagine. The advice of my colleagues was to either burn my car, or sell it. Ha. How sad…I’ve only had it for two months But the smell is improving…little by little.

So many things to think about…but NOTHING to worry about!!! Praise God for His peace, guidance, and grace in my life! He’s got it ALL under control.

Today we had a debate in the office on the difference between “effect” and “affect”.

It is times like these that make me glad I am a math major.

Stupid english!

So…

Shall we start by stating the obvious…I haven’t updated in a looong time. Sorry to anyone who actually reads this and is concerned! Ha. But much to your surprise (and mine as well) there are actually things to update on. So let’s begin with where I left off after my last post.

Oh, but first…some have questioned where my blog title has come from…answer: it’s a couple lines of a poem I wrote last summer. So there you go!

Apparently I updated the day before my birthday this year, so happy birthday was said to me and I turned 22 on Valentine’s Day…how exciting. As I recall we had a dinner for HOOT where the boys cooked for the gals and it was rather tasty, and they also sang to me. Good birthday! And then I think I had a test the next day.

The rest of February came and went and then on to March!

March was an exciting month:) GERMANY! This was my first overseas trip and hopefully not the last. The flight over was a little rough for me (no air vents on the plane…it was toasty) and the motion sickness didn’t help. I felt bad, but never actually got sick. Needless to say I was glad to get back on the ground! The week spent in Berlin was absolutely amazing! What a wonderful time of fellowship with Team Berlin. Such a great group of people, their love for the Lord was so evident! We went to encourage them, but I found myself being much more encouraged by them. I didn’t feel like we did enough. I was able to lead a couple songs during their Sunday service and then again during AWANA’s that night, and this was the first time I played my guitar in front on a lot of people! It went well despite my lack of adequate preparation. We spent the rest of the week sight-seeing and ministering…did I mention how great is was? Really, I want to go back!! We even landed a free stay in Brussels, Belgium after our flight got delayed in Berlin causing us to miss our connecting flight to Chicago. It all ended up working out great and I for one am glad that we were able to take in the sights in Belgium as well! Plus the beds were much comfier than those in our hostel:)

Then of course I came back to a few days of jet-lag and sickness, school, and work. It was hard to get back in the routine of things, but I managed and am still plugging along as you read this.

Only one week of classes, and a week of finals and then I’m finished with finals FOREVER! (unless I go to grad school at some point…) I officially move from taking tests and completing countless assignments to giving them and grading them.

Once finals are over this semester I’ll head home and start working full-time again for CB Richard Ellis|Bradley. I’m thrilled to see my co-workers again and to get paid for working hard Unfortunately I can’t really start looking for a permanent teaching job until I graduate this December.

Which brings me to my latest bit of news, I finally found out where I’ll be student teaching next semester: Tecumseh Junior High. I’ll be in an 8th grade classroom and I am very excited; partly because I’m almost finished with school, and partly because I am thrilled to finally be teaching!

After that I am hoping to find a job in the Lafayette area…we’ll see how things work out. If I’ve learned anything during my time here at Purdue (or shall I say during my time as a disciple of Christ), is that making plans on my own is never a wise decision. I’m best to follow God’s leading and rejoice in whatever circumstance He puts me in! Then I’m reminded of a favorite verse of mine: “many are the plans in a man’s heart, but it is the Lord’s purpose that prevails” (Proverbs 19:21) Ah, makes me smile just thinking about that verse and that no matter how uncertain I feel the future is, that I have an amazing peace through God’s promises! I can’t wait to see how his plan unfolds in my life