Theme Verse

"Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be terrified; do not be discouraged, for the LORD your God is with you wherever you go."
-Joshua 1:9 (NIV)

"Ya te lo he ordenado: ¡Sé fuerte y valiente! ¡No tengas miedo ni te desanimes! Porque el SEÑOR tu Dios te acompañará dondequiera que vayas."
-Josué 1:9 (NVI)


Monday, October 15, 2012

First Quarter

 A picture of my classroom.


Well, I have completed my first quarter as a Spanish teacher (for those of you not in Olathe, a quarter is about 9 weeks; half of a semester). It hasn't always been easy, but it has been mostly fun. Every day we start by going over the calendar, and I ask the students for the date and the day of the week.  Then we watch a video (usually about 15 minutes, though sometimes I skip parts), and afterwards play a game or do a worksheet.
The kids have been pretty good, though sometimes I have to take away a star or two (their reward system to earn a "fun day"). I'm slowly starting to learn all 500 or so names. I can usually remember at least several per class, and today I saw a few kids at the Book Fair and actually knew their names!

(Side note: the Book Fair is this week, and I am soooooo excited. I love the Book Fair!)

Some days are rough though. I've got several classes that are challenging, sometimes just to get kids to stay in their chairs. I have several kids per day (sometimes per class) asking to go to the nurse, to the bathroom, to get a drink, to get a band-aid....honestly it wears you down, especially when 83% of the time they're really just bored.

In the realm outside of school, life is going pretty well. Drew and I have been married for almost 4 months now. Crazy. He's enjoying youth, and I'm helping him out for game nights and on the second Sunday of each month. My friend Bekah just sent me the next Percy Jackson book, which I've already finished. :)

It's a short week this week, due to Parent/Teacher conferences, so Drew and I are planning to do something fun on one of my days off. Oh yeah, and I have to be there for a couple hours of P/T conferences... wish me luck!