Fit Camp

Holy. Moly.

This week I started "Fit Camp". It is an 8 week, 2 times a week, workout 'camp' with a personal trainer and a group of about 10. Every Monday and Wednesday night we work out together with the trainer for an hour and then we have 'homework' every other day of the week. Along with the workouts she has given us different diets to go by.

This is probably going to be more difficult than any of the classes I am taking. We just started this week and I am finally feeling motivated and ready to go. This is exactly what I need and I am so ready to have someone kicking my ass into shape.

I am just hoping I can keep this motivation going through all 8 weeks and keep up with the homework/dieting along with my other crazy schedule.

So far, so good...I'll keep you updated. Today was camp day #2 and I can barely walk. YIKES!

"Every New Beginning Comes From Some Other Beginning's End"

I'd like to think of this as 'the beginning of the end'. Today was the first day of classes of my second semester senior year.
It's a crazy thought that this is it, these are the last classes i'll be taking in my undergrad experience. I haven't been able to wrap my mind around it since this year started.
I am now done with student teaching and back on campus.
I have very mixed feelings about everything in my life right now. Everything I feel contradicts eachother.
I am excited to be back on campus for my last semester and enjoy the actual 'college life' but I miss teaching and doing what I am passionate about. I am finding it hard to be interested in religion and music when all I want to do is be infront of the classroom. My classes aren't terrible though, today went well.
I am excited about the thought of graduation. I am excited about being a teacher and starting a new chapter in my life. I am excited to go back to living in Massachusetts. On the other hand, I am terrified of the unknown and the possibility of not finding a teaching job come September. I'm not sure that I am going to love living at home again and not in an apartment on my own. And I will miss the people at Salve.

I'm a planner and an organizer. I like to have thing in order and done ahead of time. I like to know where I am going and what I am going to be doing well in advance. I have never not known where I am going to be the following year. Right now I have no control over my life next September and that scares me. I'm just lucky I believe in 'everything happens for a reason'. I'm really hoping, however, that 'everything will happen exactly as I want it to'.

Only time will tell! For now I am going to make the most out of the next 4 months!

7 Semesters Down, 1 To Go

Fall semester is officially over and I'm now on break! I'm always a big fan of this nice long break from college but this year it was a little bittersweet.
It was hard leaving my little guys at my elementary school. I had such a great semester doing my Student Teaching, I couldn't have asked for a better experience! Now I just need to worry about finding an actual teaching job post-graduation!

My family's new Irish Pub is now open so i've basically spent all my time in there since I got home. I'm starting to learn the ropes and actually be helpful while i'm there instead of just being in the way. It's still very new/strange/weird to me that we own this restaurant and these real people come in to eat and drink there. And I have the ability to just go into the kitchen or behind the bar and that it's just fine. I'm proud of my family for creating something so successful.

With all this pub-business I am finding it difficult this year to find the Christmas spirit and it's making me a little sad! Usually I come home to a beautifully decorated house that is bursting with Christmas spirit...and this year no one was even planning on buying a tree! My family has been very busy and I get that...so I took it upon myself to buy a tree. But I guess for my last time coming home from college for Christmas I was dissapointed in the lack of enthusiasm for the holidays. Oh well.

Anyways, I am looking forward to seeing all my friends that I don't get to see enough, grades being posted, our staff Christmas party, Secret Santa swap, making money, and numerous lunch dates! This will be a wonderful last winter break, I am sure of it!

Crunch Time!

We're in the home stretch of first semester!
Last observed lesson tomorrow...phew! I'll be glad that I surived all of those.
Licensure Defense Presentation a week from Friday...not sure that I'm actually going to survive that!
2 weeks and 2 days until Student Teaching is done. YIKESEROONI!
Who knew I wouldn't even have enough time to update this blog on all my amazing expereinces?! Wasn't that my original point of starting this?? Bummer!

Well...this decade is just about over. My new life motto...TIME FLIES. that's all. I guess I can't make it slow down, so I'm just going to try to enjoy this crazy ride!

On stress overload...back to work!

Giving Thanks.

I was in a first grade classroom the other day while the students we're making paper turkeys and on each feather they had to write one thing they were thankful for. I was so impressed and amazed with some of the things they came up with. It made me stop and think that I'm not sure that I've ever really thought about and created a list of things I am thankful for when it was actually Thanksgiving. Usually, at this time in the semester I am caught up saying things like "Thank God we have Thanksgiving break" or "Thankfully this semester is almost over". It tends to be a pretty stressful time in college life. However, I feel that I am in a very different place this year and feeling much more thankful for everyone.
If a first grader can reflect and actually list the things they are truly thankful for, than so can I.

Here goes:

I am SO thankful for my student teaching experience and the happiness it has brought me. There hasn't been one day that I haven't wanted to wake up super early and spend my day with those kids. It is just such an amazing feeling to know that my career is going to make me so happy. I'm also thankful for the all the people involved in my student teaching that are willing to teach me and help me become a better teacher.

I am super thankful for my family for supporting me and to have put me through four years of a not so cheap college so that I could literally follow my dreams. There probably is no way I could ever pay them back, but I hope I can at least make them proud!

And I am so thankful for all my friends. Especially my friends that have never left my side no matter how far apart we may actually be living from each other. It's so nice to know that I have so many people that I can turn to that I know will always be there.

As I was in the copy room of my elementary school waiting for my copies to be finished, I found this poem that a teacher had left behind. I immediately fell in love and took it with me. It's perfect for this post:

Thanks to You
Every night as you climb into bed

Let these thoughts swim through your head

Did you make someone smile today?

Did you drive someone's blues away?

And if you did

Remember this

Every bit of good that you do

Makes this world a better place...

THANKS TO YOU!

Just a thought...

Something I've been thinking about lately...


There are so many people living in this world just going about their days simultaneously and there are so many people you see everyday or pass by once that you probably have so much in common with. There's so much we don't know about so many people, even those that we are close to and yet you could have very similar lives. It just boggles my mind.


I also love the saying about smiling at people when you pass them because you don't know what they're goig through and you just might brighten day. I consciously try to think about this everyday.

I'll Never Be Good at Good-Byes

It is now the half way point of first semester which means as a 'split-placement' student teacher, my General Ed experience is over and Monday I will begin my Special Ed placement.

This past week (the last week in my second grade class) I took over full time and taught all day for the whole week. It was one of the most challenging yet rewarding things i've done. If you asked me 8 weeks ago if I thought i'd be ready and able to teach an entire day, my answer definitely would've been no. However, I was ready and it was amazing.
It has always been my dream to be a second grade classroom teacher, so this little taste of what it would be like was a dream come true. I have been so happy and enjoying every single day of the semester. I became very attached to all of my students and had the best relationship with my cooperating teacher.

Leaving on Friday was very very difficult and sad for me. It was almost comparable to "Week 6, Day 6" in the summer. Although I will be right next door for the next 8 weeks, I won't be spending all day everyday with my 21 second graders that have a stolen my heart.
Here's little glipse at how special these children are...they had indoor recess on Friday so during their recess they all sat at their desks while my cooperating teacher and I exchanged gifts. I had each student write her a letter and i made a whole scrapbook for her so the kids have been anticipating her recieving it for weeks. As we took up their entire recess reading cards, gushing over our gifts, and crying...one of the students raised their hands and said "This has been the best recess ever!" and then every student enthusiastically agreed. That is why leaving them is so difficult.

Anyways, I am keeping an open mind for my Special Ed placement because I know I will learn a lot and most likely become attached to all new children that I will eventually have to say good-bye to.