I’ve Shot to Stardom!

My Father went and put my blog address in our yearly family newsletter, so it appears I now have a much wider audience. Welcome!

That also means I should update, for which I apologize in advance….it will be lengthy.

First things first. I HAVE COMPLETED MY FIRST SEMESTER AS A MIDDLE SCHOOL TEACHER!! There have been many ups and downs, but it has really been an amazing experience. I now have 1.5 weeks off of school to spend with my family and friends, but also preparing for the upcoming semester. I promised my students that we would be fighting the Battle of the Alamo when we came back from break. That means I need to figure out how to get 5 classes of 22, 13 year olds to fight a battle and retrieve historical information from it. Woah.

I did receive my first teacher Christmas gifts. Surprisingly, no tacky pins or statues shaped like an apple. I was given numerous coffee mugs, including one with a mini teddy bear inside and another that plays Christmas carols every time you pick up the mug. I also received a jewelry set from one student and a card from another that thanked me for being the “best teacher ever” this year. I think the most important gift I could receive was most of my students receiving B’s this term, and achieving their goal of raising their class averages to over 70%. I really feel as though I’m getting the feel for my students now. One student even came into my classroom specifically on his off period to introduce himself to my boyfriend, who was visiting my class. He shook my boyfriend’s hand and introduced himself. It was great to see my student acting mature and taking an interest in my life. Relationships work both ways after all.

I still feel as though I could be doing more. The feelings of inadequacy occur less and less, but I still become discouraged at my lack of Spanish speaking skills. I understand more of conversations after being down here for 6 months, but cannot vocalize. I hope that my immersion class this summer will cure me of that, finally.

My students performed “Road to the Revolution” skits on the last day of classes. These are skits about events that led to the Texas Revolution against Mexico. As soon as I can figure it out, I’ll put the video of their performances online so that you all can see what my student’s have been up to for the better part of last week. I’ll also try to post my girl’s Drill Team performances.

For now, Happy Christmas and be thankful for all the people that have supported you throughout your life. I could not be doing what I do without all the support I receive from family and friends. Thank You!