I'm thankful

... for a place I can call my own with a roof over my head, heat, hot water and cozy sheets.
... for videos of my family that I will cherish the rest of my life
... for my beautiful piano from my mom that I can play whenever I want to just let go
... that I have the opportunity to be in an amazing master's program, and pursuing my dream job
... for the wonderful people God has specifically placed in my life for different reasons
... for cozy pajamas and new slippers, hot tea and a new book
... for my best friends and my soul sisters
... for my family coming together this Thanksgiving for the first time since my mom & Chase died
... for strength and health
... for loving the simple things
... for unending memories
... for hope
... for grace
... for peace
... for hot coffee with steamed nonfat on my early, rainy mornings :)
... for the fact that I am SO richly blessed in my life and it's all because of His faithfulness

hard seasons...

they're inevitable. This is mine. I definitely welcome it though, because I know that no matter what, the Lord is shaping my life, guiding my steps, and leading me to the paths that he has created for me. I just have to trust that no matter what is occurring in my life, it is for his greater plan and purpose if I follow his direction. And that's where I am. :) And I think it's a good thing.

I just had the opportunity to speak to a group of potential MAT program candidates about what life in the program is like, and what they should expect. I was heartfelt and honest with them about the life commitment it requires for a year, and how essentially everything that is important to you is on pause for 11 months. It's during this time that we're refined, that we determine what really is important to us, what we're passionate about, what we're willing to sacrifice, and where we want to be when this is all over. We can either give it our best, our adequate effort, or our least amount of effort, but our success will be dependent on what we we've put into it.

Despite the challenges this week has brought,, what I'm doing and sacrificing for teaching was brought into perspective when I came to my 5th grade class, stood outside the door and had a student who saw me in the hall run up to me and throw her arms around me, telling me how happy she was that I was there that day. I was greeted with their smiling faces and hugs in the morning, and it was just a simple reminder that for those reasons and so many more is why I am putting in long days, late nights, early mornings, living with limited resources and letting other things other than my faith and trust in God take a back seat until this is all over.

I have SO much to be thankful for. In everything, and every season, give thanks.

Things are [slowly] starting to turn around!

Finally I feel like I can start to take a breath. :) I'm nearing page 100 on my work sample, but as of this weekend I finished writing all of my lesson plans and was able to choose my action research topic to begin working on until I graduate. I'll be researching how and if the use of goal-setting conferences and weekly teacher/student accountability can improve the intrinsic motivation of middle school students.

With my science lesson topic chosen, my social studies lesson topic chosen, my work sample nearly finished and my action research topic chosen, I'm feeling pretty good about the work load I have left. It's still a lot, but with a lot more focus and resources to help me get where I need to be.

Oh, and I'm officially studying abroad in Vienna in May!!! :D That was by far the best news of today! I will be teaching at an International school, and leading my students on a service learning project in the city of Vienna during my time there. We'll also get to visit Prague and Salzburg while we're on the trip. :) I can't wait!! We leave the day after graduation. Talk about a busy season.

language arts bio poem

A fun type of poetry called a "I am from..." (0r a bio poem) is a great way to connect students thinking about poetry and how it can connect with their lives. Bio poems can go any direction the students want-- from talking about their interests and hobbies, to thinking about memories or people in their lives. I wrote this one in language arts class today as I thought about my own "I am from" poem...

I am from the homeschooling years.
From sheltered stability,
mornings with my mom and sister,
and afternoons in the backyard fort.

I am from the worry-free cul de sac,
with big wheel races, skits and plays
and weekend sleepovers.

I am from a changing family.
"You'll adjust," "Meet your new siblings,"
and every-other-week suitcases.
New school, new friends,
and new first impressions.

Still from the same mom,
with the same sheltered stability.

I am from crisp fall nights,
filled with warm soups
and spiced candles.

I am from douglas firs,
Christmas on the piano,
pumpkin pies,
Nat King Cole and Frank Sinatra.

I am from raising ducklings in the rainy spring,
to motorhome trips in the warm, dry summers

I am from kissing posters of JTT,
playing N'Sync on repeat,
and making videos with Tiffany
of our amazing dance moves.

I am from tradition and love,
defined non-traditionally.
I am still from,
"you'll adjust," "keep your head up,"
and "start your own path."

From these things is where I'll go.
Still missing mom's sheltered stability,
and our cozy fall evenings.

thankfulness

This has been a really difficult week in a lot of ways, but I am refusing to give into the temptation to complain. :) I tried fighting off the sickness going around but it finally got me on Monday... and it hasn't been welcome. I don't remember being this sick for this long in a long time... but I think it's just a combination of stress, lack of sleep, competing priorities and the fact that I'm trying to be conservative with my heat bill in this cold weather... ;)

I finally gave in to sleeping and resting instead of feeling like I needed to do work all weekend, so I think that's helped me finally get some energy back. But it is definitely preparing me for reality-- when you have to keep working even when you're sick (ha). Most of my kids were sick last week and I really thought with all my vitamin C and water I was drinking that I could hold off.... but no such luck.

So instead of complaining, I want to be thankful. Thankful that even though my students probably passed their germs on when we were having meetings or shaking hands at the end of the day, I have a school to work in and get great experience in. Or even though I'm totally overwhelmed by multiple assignments due this weekend, at least I'm fortunate enough to be in a graduate school program and getting a degree I'm passionate about. And even though I'm feeling sick, at least I have a warm house, some soup, some tea and a nice couch to rest on in the process. Yes, I feel thankful. :)

this season

I am so excited to be able to look back-- a year, two years from now-- on this exact moment in my life and be able to see that I made it somehow. Right now, I'm looking at the upcoming months with anticipation and uncertainty, planning to just go day by day and hopefully come out okay on the end. :)

3 H's

Let me just say that I am so so happy with where I'm at right now. I'm overwhelmed and have all of these thoughts going on and things I'm trying to prepare for and a balancing a million other little responsibilities at the same time, but I'm happy. I feel like my life is going one day at a time, which is good, because it's forcing me to slow down and take things step by step. Kind of like instead of doing a bunch of things all at once, I'm learning to start one thing, finish it, and then move onto the next. It's nice.

The one thing that's keeping me balanced though is the students I'm working with. Getting up at 5:30 in the morning is a lot easier when I know I have the day with them to look forward to. It's so fun seeing them line up at the door in the morning and give us one of the three H's-- a high five, a hug or a handshake. :) Being in this class and community completely affirms that this is what I want to do for the rest of my life. And as one of my friends reminded me, not only am I not being paid to do this right now, but I'm actually *paying* to teach. ;)

The students in our class are really insightful, and so funny! They make me laugh every day. I love seeing growth in their learning, the way they interact with and help eachother, and their openness with us and the class. We're a team, which we always remind them, and you can see that attitude providing a sense of belonging for them. We have such a variety of kids, but each one is unique and provides something special to the class. We have challenges each day and different circumstances we have to navigate around, but I'm so happy with where I'm at. It makes all of this busy-ness completely worthwhile.

[almost] first day of school

ahhh... the week is pretty much over. It was seriously such a great week, and totally not what I expected it to be. At the end of last week, I still didn't have a fall placement and wasn't sure where I was going and what would end up happening. Thankfully, I was able to join my cooperating teacher for winter term at Conestoga Middle School during their in-service and staff development week. I showed up Monday morning and was welcomed by the staff and faculty so genuinely. It made me realize how blessed I was to have this school as my winter placement, because it's such a great environment! My cooperating teacher and I set up her classroom and prepped for next week, and also got to attend meetings and just sync about how she runs her classroom, who we are as teachers, what my goals are, etc. I feel so fortunate to be in such a supportive environment. 

Then, I finnnnnallllyy got my fall placement on Tuesday afternoon, and am officially student teaching 5th grade at Hopkins Elementary in Sherwood. I spend Wednesday and Thursday with my cooperating teacher and 5th grade team at meetings, and got to connect with so many different staff members of that elementary school. I feel equally fortunate that I was placed in Sherwood, because A) it's so close to my house and B) it's such an academically strong school district in this area. Last night we got to meet all of our students during supply night, and they were awesome! I'm so excited to start the school year next week and see how things come together. I know each student was placed in our classroom for a reason, and we definitely have so much to look forward to!

Today I went back to Conestoga for their 6th grade preview day, and had another great day meeting all of the [nervous!] students as they got their own special day to explore the school, get comfortable with their schedules, make new friends, and be prepared for their first day of school. It was so fun, and I'm really looking forward to spending the winter and spring with everyone! I have a lot on my mind in thinking about next week and preparing to get through this ridiculously busy semester. Oh, and not to mention my 6 George Fox classes this term, writing 2-week work samples for this term and starting to think about my action research project. Crazy. So excited to graduate. All this prep time makes me wish I were setting up my own class... :)

New beginnings

Well over a month has gone by since my last post... yikes. I keep having the best intentions for writing, but of course life gets in the way. 

A lot has happened in the past month... and not a lot has happened either. Short version: Alysun and I had an amazing 2nd week of Summerfest with some of the best 2nd graders we could have asked for, I had to give Cooper away to a new family (apartment life wasn't for him...), I nannied to earn some extra money and be productive with my time, and then I did a whole lot of nothing. Which was one of the hardest things ever! 

Our experience with the Newberg migrant summer school program during our summerfest camp was amazing. I was so humble and we were so blessed to have such a great group of students. We learned a lot from them, and they (hopefully) learned from us at the same time. We made dozens of murals, connected over movies, stories, crafts and got to know each one of them on a unique level as they were very open about their lives with us. Needless to say it was a great learning opportunity as we navigated through many challenges with both classroom management, cultural dynamics and language barriers that were very enriching to our experience. 

The last couple of weeks have been tough as I'm someone who likes to be productive and be working towards *something* in my life. I'm so ready to graduate and get on with my license and wherever I'll be going as a teacher! It was also difficult because of the financial aspect, as I was pretty limited to anything that a) didn't cost money and b) was relatively close to my house. So... I spent my free time doing a lot of cleaning, running, bike riding, reading and trying to get prepared for this next term. I was SO ready to be back. :) 

Then at the same time, I have been (and am still!) eagerly awaiting my fall teaching placement which is technically supposed to begin on Monday. The districts I originally requested aren't accepting teachers anymore, so now things are sort of in limbo as to where I'll be at in the fall. Everything is going to work out eventually, but I'm really excited because I'll be spending in-service week next week at Conestoga, which is where I'll be doing my full-time student teaching in the winter. So it's going to be great to see how it operates during in-service week, and to get the experience setting up a middle school classroom and what's all involved with that. So things are working out for the best. 

Anyway, I'm on the edge of this next big chapter of my life with actual teaching experiences and then preparing my action research project in the midst of everything else. I'm excited, nervous, stressed, confident, and a wide range of other emotions as I look forward to what this future is holding for me. Oh graduation day, I'm already ready... :) 

students [and puppies]

So I had my first experience teaching this week! It definitely taught me so much about myself, about flexibility, the individuality of each student, and the fact that if I was tired after 7... think about a class of 30. :) But the most important fact is that it confirmed my passion for what I'm going to spend the rest of my life doing.

Each day required us to make slight modifications to our lesson plans, but most importantly to be very prepared for the unexpected. We learned a lot about time management (yes, we did have to stop even when we were having fun!), about classroom management (certain things work for certain kids and definitely not others...) and about the teacher/student connection. At the end of the camp I was really sad about the kids I probably won't see again!!

Starting Monday the dynamic of our class is going to shift tremendously. We'll have 11 2nd graders, most of which are ELL (English Language Learners) from the Yamhill migrant community. It's definitely going to require a lot of patience and teaching modifications to get through the limited language barrier, but it will be awesome preparation for wherever I'm placed in the fall. I'm nervous because of my lack of experience, but excited for what I'll learn at the end of next week.

And on a lighter note, I adopted a puppy on Thursday. :) His name is Cooper, and he is the best puppy I could ever ask for! I've wanted a dog for a long time, but was just never when that would be. Now that I've lived alone for these past few months and my life is a lot more predictable than it was, I knew the timing was right. I feel like a new mom with him :) I get up in the night with him, train him, and it's SO amazing all of the people I've met so far just by going on walks, going to the pet store and other errands where people either have their dogs or love dogs. The doggy community is so big here! So that's been really awesome. People have shared their puppy stories, introduced their dogs to him, and given me tons of great tips. He is my little partner :) Things haven't been easy these past few days for sure to raise a puppy, but he's very loved!

busy busy busy

It's been a few weeks since I've written. Oops. I keep having the best intentions to get on and write because I know when I look back I would have wanted myself to. anyway...

the recap:

I'm just about to finish my 5th MAT class for the summer tomorrow.... then... summer break! [kind of].

So far I'm surprisingly doing well in the program... yeah for that. :) My classes so far have been: Learning Theory, The Professional Educator, Action Research 1, Language & Literacy, Structures for Teaching and Learning, a Multiple Intelligences Workshop, and two days of ESOL workshops. Then, next Monday I start a two-week student teaching practicum at Edwards Elementary for the Newberg Summerfest program. Summerfest is a day-camp for students in grades 1 - 5 to spend a week learning about a different theme for three hours-- mine is called, "Look at this World" -- we'll be exploring the various wildlife and species of rainforests, deserts, tundra and savanna's all across the world on a traveling adventure of planet Earth. :) We're making passports, playing games, doing skits and other activities including watching these really awesome National Geographic for Kids videos, and each day we'll be visiting a different continent. At the end of the week, students will have a traveling journal full of stories from their travels. We'll see how it goes... :)

The week of July 27th is solely going to be migrant students from the Newberg community, who are already part of a migrant-english immersion program that is federally funded. The students will also speak little to no English. That is definitely going to be the most challenging part, so the ESOL workshops we took this week will come in handy. Today Alysun and I spent the afternoon setting up our classroom, getting our supplies, and continuing to prepare. Tomorrow will be more set-up (making the journals, nametags, signs, etc.) before camp starts on Monday. I'm sure I'm going to have a lot to talk about during the middle of next week, depending on how things go...

After Summerfest is over, I have the entire month of August off. I have nooooooo idea what I'm going to do with my time-- I really want to be making money! :( We also don't have our student teaching placements for the fall yet, so I'm definitely anxious about that.

So far though, I've been really happy with the program. It's been humbling to be poor and not have a job, but I'm adapting. I'm more concerned with the state of teaching jobs next year, and what budgets are going to look like then. All we keep hearing is that Colorado is majorly hiring teachers! So we'll see what next year looks like. :)

Learning style survey!

If you're randomly reading this blog, I would love for you to take this quick survey about your personal learning style. It will be really helpful to my team and I as we analyze different teaching methods!

Thanks,
Megan

Click Here to take survey

action research, part one

So today was a long day. Today we started our new classes for the next two weeks-- Language and Literacy, and Action Research part one. It was also the first day that my cohort and I had to separate.... :) For the past two weeks, we've had the same classes with the same people, but today we broke into classes with just our authorization levels... (i.e., only the people who are getting authorized to teach elementary/middle school like myself were in a class together). We also adjusted to new professors and new assignments.

One of the things I love about the program are all of the teaching methods and "best practices" we learn. It might seem kind of funny that we spend some of our mornings drawing or journaling or doing literature circles or playing "common threads" games, but really, they're for a bigger purpose. I can't teach my students how to do these different things if I've never done them before! I'm definitely not spending $5,000 a semester just to play. Things have already started to get more difficult, such as our action research project we're about to begin.

Action research is a huge component of the MAT program at George Fox. Not only will I be spending two full semesters student teaching and developing lesson plans for language arts and social studies classrooms, but I will be conducting a year-long research project that has to do with some sort of classroom/student learning improvement. It's pretty awesome because not only is it a chance to discover something new that I may be able to implement in my own classroom, but it also provides a great resume building opportunity once the research has been completed and the results have been analyzed. I've decided to do my action research project on "Building Community in Diverse, Middle-School Classrooms." I want to study whether it's possible for students to build community and relationships with one another (similar to a cohort), when they are constantly moving to a new class every 50 minutes. It's easier to build relationships in elementary schools because the students are in their homeroom class all day, but building community in period classes has proven to be more difficult. So, I'm going to see a) whether it's possible, and b) if so, whether community-building in the classroom has any positive effect on a student's self-esteem and overall classroom participation.

But until then, I'm currently involved in an AR project with two of my cohort members studying differentiated instruction (how we can apply different teaching methods to different learning styles within the classroom, while not compromising standards and the integrity of the lesson). That project will be finished by the end of this week! And..... that's all for now. :)

I can tell it's gonna be a good day...

I'm doing homework in the blue sky and sun with my hot cup of coffee, and listening to a song called "Dream." My new (and old) favorite artist is a girl named Priscilla Ahn. She is a simple girl with a piano, and sings songs that I connect with so much. They're little songs-- remembering times when we were little girl dreamers, playing pretend and changing every-day things into something bigger and more elaborate. Patches of trees became forests, cardboard boxes became castles, and my mom's clothes became fancy dresses. Why do we, at some point of our lives, allow ourselves to stop dreaming and settle for reality? It's important to not turn away from what really exists in the world, but we only live once. Why do we waste it on worrying, being mad or doing what people tell us we're supposed to be doing, but not what we really want? This is part of the reason why I want to teach. Kids don't really get to be kids anymore. Not like I was able to anyway. Exploring, playing pretend and just being totally oblivious to life for just a few years. I want my classroom to be a place where they can just be themselves for a little bit. We're of course going to learn, but not take ourselves too seriously. I know I'm only in my second week of grad school and will probably be hit with many realities in the next year, but I refuse to believe that we all have no choice but to settle in life. I really believe that the classroom can be so much more than just a place of academics and tests and reading, so I'm going to try my best to make that possible. I don't know. I guess I'm still a big dreamer and that will probably never change. And I'm okay with that.

Week two reflections...

So I had the best intentions to start this journal before grad school even started. I wanted to capture feelings, fears, questions, etc., but, that obviously didn't happen! Now here I am, already finished with two classes this term and done with my second week. I guess I'll just sum up the past couple of weeks and then start fresh with today. :)

I guess re-winding pretty far back into my life, it's pretty surreal to me that I'm actually here-- back at George Fox, pursuing my dream and immersed in one of the best teaching programs in the Northwest. I'm beyond blessed-- it's been such a long process. I will never forget the moment last summer when Lexie and I were on a train through the Alps, heading to into Germany. I was staring out the window, journaling, and thinking about all of the things I had observed in Europe so far-- the value of relationships, the importance of quiet time, the enjoyment of the simple things, and the friendliness of all the people. I had just started working for what I thought was my dream job-- in marketing with International travel. It was an exciting life initially, but one that ultimately left me unfulfilled as I sought for more meaning and purpose in choosing a life career.

So here I was, journaling, and I thought to myself, "If I could wake up each day and look forward to going to work-- to my real dream job-- what would that look like?" and I thought immediately, "to be a teacher." Then I started journaling about that and everything else I was thinking, and then just asked myself why I wasn't doing that? Life is too short to do anything but what is important to you! I had chosen this career because other people in my life wanted me to be successful, and from my growing up experience, money meant success. So anyway, I sat on the train with this renewed excitement and just started dreaming about going back to grad school and becoming a teacher.

Once I got home I immediately began looking into GFU's MAT program, talking with counselors, and studying for entrance exams. One thing led to another, and I began passing my tests, writing my essays, collecting references, and finally applied. Another 2 months later after interviews and assessments, I was admitted into the program. After 2 more months of waiting, here I am now, immersed in an experience and career preparation that is already changing my life.

Before I started two weeks ago, I was worried that I wouldn't be good enough; that I would be overwhelmed, that I lacked creativity, and that the financial aspect of the program would catch up to me. But I was placed in a cohort that couldn't have been a more perfect fit for me. The first day I knew that these amazing men and women were going to deeply affect my life, along with our cohort leader Ginny. I've already learned so much in two weeks!

We've talked about personal learning theories, what kinds of teachers we want to be in the classroom, wrote papers, opened up with one another about personal experiences which have affected who we are today, played silly games to teach our own students, had breakfast, laughed together, cried together and share the bond of our deep passion for investing in children through a career in teaching. I know I have a long road ahead in this program, but I don't want it to go by too fast... :)