Halloween/ pranks in Quinhagak

my wonderful math class

e Friendship is like peeing on yourself: everyone can see it, but only you get the warm feeling that it brings.

Well Friday was Halloween at our school!

First things first there was a pumpkin carving contest. Now Jim wins every year and I was determined to beat him-- so Friday morning my class set off to make a beautiful Mickey pumpkin--not going to lie this was no where near beating Jim's class, but I was pretty impressed. Who knew I was such a carver?

After school around 12 it was time for the costume contest--the children starting getting dressed up-- I had my puppy face on and was ready to roll.

The costume contest was a hit, there were many cute funny costumes...clap for him...clap for her... The pumpkin contest ended with a win for Jim. So once again he is bragging BUT I already am planning out my pumpkin for next year!

Here are some of the pumpkins from the contest:

Friday night there was a...DANCE..I was excited. It was the perfect time for me to break out my crazy dance moves. Now at first there was not much dancing going on, just standing around, but then something magical happened. Allison, Rachel, and I started to BUST A MOVE. The cupid shuffle went on and the crowd went crazy! By the time we left there were at least 15 kids up on the dance floor dancing and having a good time!

Friday and Saturday night we decided that we needed a little fun in Quinhagak. Friday night myself, Steph, and Jim decided to have a little fun. Allison was at our house so we ran underneath the house and started banging. We planned this out so that we would hit at different spots underneath the house. Jim had a hammer so it was super loud. Within two minutes I got a text from Allison--is that you? We had planned what I would say if she asked this so I said No I'm watching Little Miss Sunshine--whats up? We continued knocking under the house and then ran back to Steph and Jims. Once I returned home that night--I made up a story how kids were knocking at our house too--and it was super scary.

Saturday night we decided to tell Allison that it was us all along and then we had a new target---Alison and Jon. So once again we paraded over there with our hammers, window scraper, and other various tools to give them a scare. Now there house is lower then ours, so this was a bit of a challenge. We once again began hitting under the house. Now these two didn't move for a while. We knocked and scraped and knocked and scraped--until finally Jon came outside to see what all the commotion was. I had to army crawl out from under the house and finally after about 5 minutes we were spotted because of Jim's red coat. What a funny time.

Shoutout to Alison Z on her birthday today!! We had a great celebration with food and cake. Who would have thought you can still have fun birthdays in Alaska!!

Miss you all!

You Only Need One

So its Thursday—I’m sitting in Bethel waiting for the snow to stop so that we can fly back to good old Quinhagak. This week with the speech tournament was really what I needed. I was sitting around last night at the Junior high dance realizing how good it was to get away and how much fun I have been having.

Tuesday we came into Bethel for the junior high speech team. There were about 90 students here from 13 different sites! I was pretty nervous as this was my first time coaching anything. We were the only site who only brought one student which was also a little nerve wrecking., but hey—you only need one! Round one and two were great. I waited outside the door like a nervous mother listening eagerly to how she would perform. After round two we were told she didn’t move on. We were a little upset but we still enjoyed the night watching a movie and laughing with each other.

Wednesday morning as I was eating my pancakes and bacon we got a special announcement. The scores were miscalculated and she would be moving on to round three. We were jumping up and down it was great—I think I even shed a little tear. Round three was narrowed down to 12 and she…nailed it! I couldn’t be prouder. At 12:30 the paper came out and it was official…she would go to FINALS!

Finals we got to watch all 24 students perform! We had dinner and then the results were in…..1^ST PLACE!!!!!! It was awesome to see a student so successful in speech and I felt like a proud mother!

When we returned to Quinhagak the entire school was waiting in the lobby to congratulate Larissa!

Woo I just love the Seahawk pride!!

We're going on a bear hunt!

"Keep those in your life who want you in theirs"

Sitting here waiting for my corn dog to cook and thought I would sneak in a quick blog. Things have been going great! I can’t believe it has been 3 months almost and I am really trying to take this all in. My new motto is just to enjoy-enjoy the next two months until I get to visit friends and family!

It is snowing for the second time since I’ve been here, and today I am not crying. I am going to embrace the coldness and beauty of the snow. When I was walking to school this morning I felt a little coldness on my cheek and knew this day was coming.

Al’s parents were here all weekend and yes my friends they got to experience the….HONEYBUCKET…which by far has to be the best part of living in Alaska…We have had a great time enjoying home cooked meals and showing them what we do on a day to day basis. It’s nice because a lot of people I don’t think truly understand what is like here and they are truly here to understand it.

This weekend something great happened—the boys got a bear! It was my first ever bear sighting—it was very scary---it was skinned and all. It was dead by the time I got to see it and man oh man it was a huge sucker--- I now have a new goal in Alaska….SHOOT ME A BEAR!

These pictures are courtesy of Jim-- just thought you would enjoy!

So today is Monday--and tomorrow I am going into Bethel for speech team! Oh yes I am the speech team coach, I am not sure why all my friends back at home laugh when I tell them this, but tomorrow we are off. This speech competition is just for Jr. High so I am taking only one student, next month is Senior high and I will be taking more. Stayed tuned for details for my speech trip!

So today I had a thought--since I have been here I have pretty much been stuck on the past. But the day has finally come that people have been waiting for--I can honestly say that I believe I am moving on. I just finally realized hey if I keep thinking about what could happen, what if, and other things like that I will not fully experience Alaska and growing as a person. I am excited for the new confidence en-stilling my body..WOOOO!

One quarter down......

Well it’s Friday already—and I felt it was time for a blog. This week has been a GREAT WEEK! I got out of my homesick “funk” and was excited for the week to begin. I feel as though homesick will be a natural part of being so far away in rural Alaska, but I am proud to announce that I will be home in officially TWO months from today. YAAAAAAAAAHOOOOOOOOOOOO!

Let’s start with Monday—Monday was a great day. I was pumped for the week and ready to roll. This week marks the end of my first quarter as a real teacher! I will be putting in grades soon and then the quarter is officially over. This week we added another member to the dream team! Quinhagak now has a new assistant principal who we welcomed on Monday morning!

Tuesday was our second ever…DINNER PARTY. Oh the fun! Myself and Al came home from school and it was business time. We baked pizzas (CORRECTION—ALLISON BAKED THE PIZZAS). She kept demoting me from kitchen duties, but I made one great delicious salad. Dinner was a great time laughing with the gang and just kicking back….after dinner someone made a special visit to our dinner party. That special guest was NANA! You see I got this box in the mail of Nana’s apple cake and I was really just waiting for that special moment to bake it for everyone. What better moment then a dinner party? So I put Nana into the over and BAM! Ladies and gentlemen we had one delicious cake on our hands! After this experience I will be ready to throw a dinner party anywhere.

Wednesday night was also an enjoyable day. After I shot down a free roundtrip to Vegas, I got to Skype with my mother-like figure Christine. Truly the friends and support back home make a difference here. Laughing with her for an hour really made me appreciate everyone back at home who is there to chat, send letters, send facebook messages, etc. Our internet was not working that day, so I EVEN biked up to school!

Wednesday at school I did a math lesson with my class. Now I was pumped for this lesson because I have been struggling at times with how difficult my lessons can be. I started a new chapter on measurement, and I am really trying to make this a hands on chapter for my students. So we measured our feet and then came up with an average size for the class. We then went around the school and outside measuring different things. I really think my students enjoyed this activity as well as me. One thing I learned though is that I have huge feet. One of my kids goes “WHOA Miss Weaver I hope my feet never look like that” I can honestly say I never remember my feet EVER being the “average” size of these student’s feet. Oh kids they say the cutest things.

Thursday was a delightful day because I was so looking forward to Friday. After school we watched a little movie, which was yet another Net Flix disappointment, and then headed back to school. We got our game faces on and scrimmaged the volleyball team before they traveled to Kweleuth. I am proud to announce that this time around we won 3 of the four games. I spent most of the game ducking and running from the ball—but hey it was still a great time!

Thursday night myself and Al got to drive a four wheeler! This was my first time ever driving a four wheeler! At first we struggled to even turn it on. Now you are probably wondering why someone would trust us with their vehicle, but we are one close fam here in Quinhagak. Driving the four wheeler was such a sight—VROOM VROOM. At first Allison didn’t know how to shift it into gear, but once we got it we were cruising the town. Halfway home we switched places so I could have a go. IT WAS AWESOME. I don’t think I have laughed that much in a while. Just close your eyes and picture two grown women on this four wheeler trying to get down the street. I kept asking “what do I do, what do I do?” Oh the memories I am gaining in Quinhagak!

And now it is Friday, I am relaxing in my bed getting ready to call it quits. Allison’s parents are here visiting, experiencing what we call home every single day. I am sure I will have stories to tell about this fun weekend.

Final thought for the weekend is freedom. It is a great to be in a place where I feel I can truly be myself. I am free to just relax and experience the culture around me. Here I am far away from home, friends, and my comfort. Being here means I am still discovering who I am and it is a great feeling. Here I can be goofy and outgoing and it is embraced and welcomed.

Miss and love you all

We are Seahawks

Hello friends,
So the rest of the school week finished and we concluded spirit week! Wednesday was hat day and Thursday was Seahawk day. Our colors are black and gold. Thursday afternoon was time for my…PEP RALLY! The pep rally was a success—this time the pep rally was for the volleyball and wrestling team. The wrestling team all had on matching uniforms and boy oh boy did they look sharp! They ran into the gym while we all cheered, they even showed us some moves. When we were finished we did our cheers and I even taught a new one! The new one was a cheer created by yours truly! After the cheers I showed a video that I created for the Salmon Run—it had music and all =) After the video I made a banner for the whole school to sign. I am going to laminate it and it’s going to be a reminder of school spirit!

I am proud to announce I worked out three days last week! My body is still aching, but I do feel better after working out for three days--not sure I if see working out in my future but we shall see.

Good things are happening in my classroom. The students are finally starting to catch on to this chapter we’ve been working on. I started playing around the world with them (it’s a math game) and every student is succeeding at the game. It is giving all of my kids the confidence they need I believe to start solving some of the harder problems I’ve been throwing their way. My reading is starting to pick up as well—I’ve been playing games with the students to help them grasp the concepts and it’s been successful!
Friday night we all had dinner at Marsha and Dennis’s house! Home made chili, biscuits, pizza, and other goodies! It was great to just laugh with friends and all get together. What a delicious feast--someday my cooking skills will be up to that level!

Shoutout to all the boss’s out there—Today is Boss Appreciation Day!

Answers to questions I have been getting about living here--
1. It is starting stay darker longer/get darker earlier. On our walks to school now it is pitch dark and stays dark til about 9 am or longer. When I first arrived in Alaska it was light until about 1 am, so things are starting to change.
2.Things you can send me---send me anything...I love mail--I've been here about 2.5 months and the homesick is settling in. Anything that reminds me of home will make me happy. Even just plain ol letters brighten my day here!
3. I love it here--I think the toughest thing about being here though is knowing that everyone back home is all together. It makes me sad when I see pictures of everyone together and I'm not there---but I know I'll have feelings of this from time to time
4. THe honey bucket---looks exactly like a toilet, except it's not. This is probably the aspect I have adapted to the most that I thought I would not. Me and Al have a system and team work helps us to do the nasty chore of dumping the bucket--one dumps and one follows the other one with a trail of febreeze--one bottle in each hand.
5. The weather is about 30's most day--about two weeks ago it was a lot colder then it is now--so I am thankful it warmed up a bit

Thanks it for now--

the thoughts that fill my head

Life is too short not to make the best and the most of everything that comes your way everyday.

From time to time I enjoy looking at quotes that inspire and this one really stuck today. So today is Tuesday all ready, and this is proving to be a busy week! Today I am going to just blog about 7 random thoughts in my head right now. Another fellow blogger does this—and I thought it was a clever idea!

1. I never realized how much determination it takes to work out! The last two days I have done P90X and it has felt like death. Right now I may just be a big ball of sore. My muscles, tendons, bones, cartilage (I am pretty sure everything is aching. The main question here is why I am jumping on the working out bandwagon, and I simply do not know. My plan was not to work out until February, guess I am a few onths early! First a bike ride now a legit workout—I am going to be a lean mean teaching machine come December.

2. Spirit week can be fun no matter where you are! This week at Quin is our spirit week! Yesterday was goth day! I think I had so much black make-up on it was kind of hard to see! Today was inside out day. I even wore my jeans inside out! That is something that is not as difficult as you would image—it is even pretty comfortable. Thursday kicks off my second pep rally at Quinhagak—stayed tuned for the details

3. Nothing beats a home cooked meal. Prior to moving here, my cooking skills were not necessarily what you would call up to par. Lately though, Allison and I have been switching dinner meals and I’ll have to admit, things are looking up! Tonight we even made a stir fry with all of our vegetables from full circle.

4. Thought four in my head is just being grateful. I am grateful that things are working out for me. I know this experience is not for everyone and I am glad thus far things are going smooth. I have people around me that are just what I need to make the most out of this experience. I feel like this experience is what I needed to learn about myself and to embark on a journey. Along with being grateful here, I am grateful I have people at home who are thinking about me, sending letters and other goodies—It definitely makes me realize that I have people all over the world who care and are rooting for me.

5. Teaching is tough—Last year in my position as a substitute I don’t think I truly realized all that teachers do. I now admire everyone that has the same profession as myself. It takes a lot of important qualities to be able to work with children. Before this year I would write papers for college about my philosophy of teaching, but I think now it is starting to click and I am understanding what it truly means to be a teacher. I am enjoying the time I am getting to know each student at Quin. I am not going to lie teaching can be frustrating and I am finding that a lot more this year than before. But I truly believe that I am impacting these students more than I have/will imagine. I also believe that everything happens for a reason, and there is some reason I decided to come to Alaska this year!

6. It is getting cold again! I am starting to embrace the cold. I realize that no matter what I do, it is not going to get warmer. I just need to man up and pretend I am in Alaska or something.

7. On that note—my skin is turning as white as snow—the children think it is funny to comment on my skin color—it was so tan before this experience and now—so pale. I guess things could be worse! Here is a before and after shot--(Note it's only been 2.5 months)

N

Thanks for all my friends, family back home, and Alaska friends who are sticking by my side! Thinking of you all!

The little biker that could

So it’s Sunday and I am tired! This weekend has once again gone by quickly and tomorrow starts a new week! So some things I learned this weekend.

The first is that crocheting is not for me. Friday night is craft night in Quinhagak and is lots of fun. This Friday we got the bright idea to crochet. Now me being the non- crafty individual l that I am decided I would try this too. After about an hour of working hard I ended up with a pathetic looking piece of crocheting. You can be the judge of that though. Oh and to clarify the part that looks well done (that was not done by me). In fact I just did the long string randomly appearing and coming off the base. So craft night was once again a success, I just will not be crocheting any of you anything anytime soon.

The second thing I learned—you can have a lot of fun with dead animals/fur. Notice the pictures of beaver mittens, arctic foxes, etc. Now at first I thought that these items would creep me out. And you know what I was right. But here in Alaska the animals are used to make mittens, hats, and other important necessities to survive the cold. It is interesting to see how something can be turned into something so crafty. Someday my friends, someday I too will make my very own beaver hat.

The third thing I learned biking is not for me. So Saturday morning the girls decided to go on a run/bike ride. I agreed because I had no idea how far we would be traveling. Not let me tell you—my poor little legs rode for 8 miles. Now prior to this experience I have not really exercised let alone for that long. Why on earth I though an eight-mile bike ride would be my first experience I’ll never know. We started off on the journey and things were going great. Allison and I were just pedaling along laughing and telling stories. There was no greater relief then reaching our destination, which was four miles away. The depressing part of this story is the 4 mile bike ride back. There I was with no will to go on. I was perfectly content with just laying down and taking a little rest. With some pushing from my room mate, thinking about chocolate pie, and forcing myself to move…I MADE IT BACK TO THE VILLAGE.. Now it wasn’t easy I literally have to give it all I had. At times when the others had gone ahead I got scared incase a bear would have came and attacked me, but then I realized I would have not have been able to move. I would have simply just asked that bear to eat me. But 8 miles later I made it—and I now know I can do anything I put my mind too—8 miles does not sound like a lot, but to me it was a milestone on this journey in Alaska!

Another thing I realized is that campfires and the Bering Sea are both beautiful things to watch. Saturday night we decided to have another fire down at the beach. It was a great time. We ate hot dogs, roasted marshmallows, and even got to touch the BERING SEA! The ride was in so we got to actually feel the water this time—and my oh my it was nice! It is nice to just appreciate and fine and beautiful things that Quinhagak and Alaska has to offer.

So that concludes my list of things I learned...but I have exciting news---I have booked my flights home for Christmas-- It is going to give me something to look forward to. Similar to my eight mile bike experience knowing I had chocolate pie in the fridge, it is great knowing in a few months I can visit home and have something to look forward to.

This last week has been tough and I have been giving it all that I have. This week has challenged my teaching as well as me personally. I definitely am excited to be here and am learning so much about myself and Alaska but I am hitting that point where I am drained emotionally. I keep referring to the bike ride, but yesterday when I was struggling bad I decided to never give up and just look at the positive sides of the situation, similar to what I am doing here. Thinking of all of you at home!

a random thought

I heard shouting and turned to see a fish hurling through the air into a man’s arms. A cheer followed, and the fish was expertly wrapped and given to a laughing woman. I was laughing, too. I watched for fifteen minutes. The shouts, cheers, and laughing continued—mixed with flying fish. At the Pike Place Fish Market in Seattle, Washington, it’s another day at work. We should all learn something from them.

So it’s Wednesday night I’m not really tired and blogging just makes me happy. It’s good practice for someday when I write my book!

I’ve decided to write about the FISH philosophy tonight—it is something that I first learned about in college. The FISH! Philosophy was started in Seattle at a fish market and it is about four different principles to live by to make your life and work more enjoyable. I am going to introduce you my readers to them and tell you how I lived the FISH philosophy in the past week! Quinhagak talked about it last year so it is definitely something I plan on incorporating more into my classroom.

Choose your attitude!

Now this one is a BIG one especially since I live in Alaska. There are many times where I just get stressed out. I miss my fast food restaurants, I miss tanning, I miss my flush toilet—but I think I can either be Debbie Downer—or I can make the most of this experience. Every morning no matter what is on my mind, I try to go into my classroom with a big smile on my face. After all it is not my student’s fault that I am having a bad day. This experience here can either be wonderful or a struggle—it is my choice and my tude that decides it!

Play—

Teaching is something I love! Sometimes I just need to find ways to laugh a little and enjoy life. Play is probably my favorite because I am a girl who knows how to have fun! Here is an example of how I did play today. After each of my reading sessions I played hot potato with music with my students. It gave me a chance to relax a little and laugh a little. I enjoyed seeing the kids smile and having fun just by playing a quick little game. It is essential to work hard play hard!

Make their day— “The world becomes a better place the moment you act on an intention to serve another.”

I feel the children make my day everyday—they give me friendly smiles, they say funny things, they know how to turn a frown upside down. Just today I found myself getting a little stressed out, and one of my students said Miss Weaver are you happy? I said yes. They said good I like it when your happy and then gave me a hug! One of my goals for the year is to try to think about others first and how I can make their day before trying to make my own. =)

Be there—

Living in a rural village in Alaska I definitely see this philosophy the most. The other teachers are like a family to me. We are always there for each other. If I need cheered up, sure they will make fun of me for crying but then they will cheer me up! If we run out of something I know I can always run across the road and my ingredient is only a knock away. It is great knowing that there are so many people around me who will “be there” for me and they know I will do the same. An example of this is my lunch times with Steph. Everyday we eat lunch together and I always know this is a time I can get away and just have a relaxing time chatting and gossiping on people.com. It is a time I can just talk, be myself, and enjoy a bite to eat.

So that ends my random babbling –hope you enjoyed, sometimes it is just nice to wind down before bed!

So this week is long but halfway over! After this blog I shall hit the hay and tomorrow will be Thursday! I am really looking forward to this weekend and just relaxing and…SLEEPING IN! I’ve been in Bethel the last two weekends so it will be nice to just do whatever I want. Who knows maybe I’ll even get a slush puppie!

Kids do the darnest things!

So yesterday Al and I were minding our own business cooking dinner like usual when we heard a knock on the door. Allison went to get it because I noticed it was one of her students. I instantly heard a scream—Allison slammed the door and said that her student had a mouse in his hands…A DEAD MOUSE…I might add! As we were freaking out in the kitchen, little did we know this child was going to lock himself if our arctic entry refusing to get out. We begged and begged for him to leave our house with his rodent friend but he would not. You should have heard us two grown adults screaming over this mouse saying things like “we will give you candy, I’ll give you a dollar, and just please get out.” So after about ten minutes he gets out and we watch him throw the mouse into the field. Whew what a relief—BUT NO he is not finished with us yet. He proceeded to get back into the house (this time we left the kitchen door open)

Things then become a blur-- I see something coming after me. He is chasing us with a stick (now at the time, I did not know this stick had nothing on it) and I began barreling down the hallway screaming with Allison following—I ran into my room begging for the child to leave –while he chased Allison into our other entry. Finally after a struggle we got him to leave. The entire time this is going on—other children are just standing where watching like this is some reality television show. FUN FUN TIMES.

I could not even get mad at a prank like this. He had been planning this all day—and hey I’m sure he got the reaction he wanted. Two teachers screaming like babies! Oh the good times in Quinhagak =)

Other then the mouse experience--things are going well! It's already Tuesday--there is no more snow for now and things are looking up!

Thinking of you all--

It's Winter Time!

SO what a week!Wednesday, Oh, Wednesday-- So Al had been mentioning for days that she was cold. I just thought she was crazy since I had been sleeping in a tank top, but little did I know she was right. Wednesday after school I got home and my house was…FREEZING…FELT LIKE A REFRIGERATOR. Allison and I sat in the house with our winter gloves on. It was quite a sight watching us type in our mittens on our computer. We decided to go to the neighbor’s for dinner because I couldn’t feel my body any more. Later that night we found out that our house had in fact ran out of heat and we were homeless for the night. At first we tried to just bare through the pain. I put my winter jacket on and was ready to bare the cold, but I just couldn’t do it. Between it being the first day that it snowed and the fact that my house had no heat—I just couldn’t take it. Poor little Gill was floating up and down in the tank about to die and I was crying like a baby. After the initial laughing My WONDERFUL family came to the rescue and we had a….SLEEPOVER! It was far better then any sleepover I had as a child. We watched television, had some puppy chow, and my wonderful family tried to cheer me up! We even got a motherly “hey girls it’s 7:15” by Stephanie. Oh how lucky we are to have the fam.

The family let us watch GLEE at their house. This week was BRITNEY SPEARS WEEK—Nothing makes me happier then Britney Spears!!!-OH WHAT A DELIGHT. I love that even though I am in Alaska, I am still able to watch shows I love—gives me a little taste of my old life in Ohio.

ITS MASK MAKING TIME….Thursday was my last art class. I had one great looking mask. You can be the judge of that though. So after a few classes and some art projects I earned a college credit!

Friday at school I did my first art project with my children. We made pumpkins since it was the first day of October. Later I went to Steph’s class to do the same project with her students. On Friday I am going to go to her class to do art with the students. I am becoming quite the artist that is for sure!

IT’S SALMON RUN TIME….Friday after school was the 2^nd annual Salmon run! It is a race around the village! There was quite the showing! I Alicia Weaver ran a half a mile! Now I know it doesn’t sound that much, but it was a milestone for me. Typically I am not a runner unless it is to get a burger or running from something scary. I had a great time running beside the children cheering them on! I even ran the race in my jeans and ugg boots. Allison and I were the timers for the second race and it was quite the time! The children got bags, a shirt, and a bunch of other goodies. I even got a…RIBBON!

Friday night we flew into Bethel again, and it was…MILKSHAKE TIME…I had a peanut butter shake this time to try and shake things up a bit and it was DELICIOUS! The flight was a great view of the snow and beauty that Alaska has to offer. The flight back was also quite enjoyable. The girls and I made a new friend and had a great time laughing and enjoying great times in Alaska.

Saturday something spectacular happened….I ate fish for the FIRST time EVER!! At first I was kind of afraid, but I took the next step and took a little nibble. You know what? It wasn’t too shabby. It was fried and tasted like chicken. Woo I am growing up. Later I tried baked Grayling. IT WAS NASTY- TASTED LIKE MUSHY GUSHY GROSS-NESS. I will NOT be eating that again!

So lately I have been thinking a lot about grad school and I think that I am going to start grad school in the spring. I really have a passion for special education and I think that is what I am going to pursue my masters in. I spoke to a school and they will accept me! I am pretty pumped about this and can’t wait to dive in and come up with new ways to help my students!

So my final thought today is about positivity. I want to try and look at everyone and everything here in a positive way. Before I came here I noticed that sometimes I didn’t take the time to find the good side of things. I am going to challenge myself to look at every single situation in a great way. Today I had training in CHAMPS which is a behavioral program and it really challenged my thinking. Made me evaluate my teaching and I want to ensure that I am rewarding the positive things instead of focusing on negative things. My goals for this year are that my students will leave feeling confident.. I also want to provide them with opportunities to build meaningful relationships with myself and with other students. This week has been quite a tough week. It has been draining as a teacher, but I am remaining positive which is something I am not sure I could have done a few months ago.

I can tell changes are happening and I am ready to embrace them. Change is happening outside with winter coming, and change is happening within me. I can’t wait to see what is still left to come!

Shoutout to everyone--Miss you =)