Sorry to anyone who really reads this. But life has been a little more than crazy lately, not bad crazy…just crazy. The school year is in full swing, and I am really finding it hard to believe that we are in week 7 already!!! Nuts.

I love my job, and I love my students, and I even like them on most days:) We’ve had some rough patches the last couple of weeks with the noise level in class getting way out of control, but we had a little “chat” today and they are working on it!

I feel like I am busy, busy, busy. Running from school to church to Sylvan to everywhere…and trying to fit in some “me-time” in there as well. That has been the hardest part.

I’m working on trying not to take their behavior or their poor performance personally. But it is really hard not to blame their failure on my teaching abilities (and apparently the state doesn’t think we are too far off from this…but I don’t have time to get into my feelings about good ole’ superintendent of education Tony Bennett…) I just care so much about them and I really want them to succeed! I pray for them all the time, and I know that alot of them are going through some tough stuff right now…so school is (and probably should be) their last priority.

I’m getting into my own groove though, and can honestly say that I can’t see myself doing anything else right now.

I am only teaching Algebra right now, so I am looking into “revisiting” some of my college texts to challenge my mind a little right now. I just get so bored with the material I am teaching, especially since I teach the same thing 3 times in a row. I could do it in my sleep. So if any “math nerds” (and I say that lovingly) have some ideas of some good mind-enriching reads…let me know! I just started Calculus Made Easy by hmm..I forget who wrote it. It is pretty interesting and even a little humorous.

Speaking of being bored, that’s probably how you feel right now:) So I’ll stop…and hopefully I’ll update sooner than 2 months from now!

1. I have been working like mad at lesson planning for the upcoming school year. It is going well so far. I am WAY too much of a perfectionist though. Things that should take just a couple minutes take me FOREVER because I want to make everything fancy and perfect. Oy.

2. Have you heard about Purdue starting to fine jaywalkers? Apparently they are putting in more designated crossing walks for pedestrians. THIS WILL NOT WORK! Should Purdue be smarter than this? It is making me doubt my education…

3. I just got a phone call from a principal that I don’t know somewhere in Indiana that basically offered me a job over the phone. Weird. I didn’t apply there and I didn’t accept (because I already have a job). He sounded upset with me and hung up very abruptly. Ha. That’s what happens when you wait until the last minute to find teachers!

4. I am at work basically all alone today. It is too quiet and the only other person here annoys me to no end. 5 o’clock can’t come soon enough.

5. I saw Brigadoon last night at our local theatre. It was amazing. They do such a good job…next show is A Chorus Line.

6. I have been feeling pretty crafty lately. I painted two canvases to hang in the room the other day. I painted a teapot for my mom’s birthday at a paint your own pottery place. And I’m feeling like trying to make one of these.

7. And lastly, two things to think about:

Trust God from the bottom of your heart; don’t try to figure out everything on your own. Listen for God’s voice in everything you do, everywhere you go; he’s the one who will keep you on track.
Proverbs 3:5-6 (The Message)

“In daily life, the concepts of Mr. Right and Ms. Right are idealizations, just like the concept of a reversible (perfect) process. People who insist on finding Mr. or Ms. Right to settle down are bound to remain Mr. or Ms. Single for the rest of their lives. The possibility of finding the perfect prospective mate is no higher than the possibility of finding a perfect (reversible) process. Likewise, a person who insists on perfection in friends is bound to have no friends.” [my emphasis added]

-Thermodynamics: An Engineering Approach

Well, after 5 interviews I finally found the perfect fit I interviewed and was hired last week to be a teacher at Wawasee High School! Just 15 minutes from my house! I am super excited and have a few meetings this week with the superintendent and the math department heads. Everyone there has been so friendly, and I appreciated their quick response (I was offered the position the day after I interviewed!)

It really is amazing to see God’s hand in all of this. From each interview I left feeling as though it went well, and just waiting to hear something…ANYTHING…back from the schools. I will admit that at times the process was discouraging and tiring, but I knew God had an amazing plan and place for me.

So, more about the position. Right now, it is a part time position (75% time) and I’ll have three classes to teach and one prep period. I am unsure as to how long the position will last (1-2 years they think), or how long it might be part-time. They seem hopeful and pretty positive about it turning into full-time within the next year or two. They even asked if I would be interested in teaching AP Calculus down the road…YES, OF COURSE I WOULD! Regardless, it gets my name into a corporation and my foot in the door. I’m trusting God has all the details figured out and He knows EXACTLY where I will go from here.

As for this school year, looks like 1st and 2nd trimester I’ll have three Algebra 1 classes, and then 3rd trimester I’ll have some mix of Algebra 1 and Honors Algebra 2 (and it looks like I could be doing some remedial classes at some point). I am overjoyed, elated, nervous, and ready to start planning! At this point I am still planning on working at Sylvan Learning Center a few evenings during the week…but we’ll see how overwhelmed I feel once the school year starts!

I’m already getting first day jitters…but am ready for the joys of back-to-school shopping as a teacher!

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!

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!!

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:)

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!

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]

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!

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 )