Last Day of Student Teaching spent as a Snow Day

This was the actual last day of student teaching because the following day was a snow day! We got about 14 inches in about 12 hours. While student teaching I had been told some 'mythes' or 'urban legends' about ways of getting a snow day. These are things we typically tell students for fun, but I needed to try some of them out myself...this is why I added some odd looking pictures. Trust me though, they do have a purpose in this. To get a snow day do the following:
(1) Wear your pajamas inside-out
(2) Sleep with your feet where your head usually goes and your head where your feet go
(3) Eat something white for dinner
(4) Eat some snow for dinner
(5) Sleep with a spoon under your pillow
(6) Put a white crayon in your freezer
(7) Put icecubes in your toilet

Now, I didn't do all of these things to get my last day of student teaching as a snow day. I did make sure that I wore my pjs inside-out, put a crayon in the freezer, ice in the toilet, ate something white for dinner and spoonS under my pillow. Yes spoonS. I put four spoons under my pillow to ensure a snow day!!! It wasn't because I didn't want to see my class on the last day. I wanted to be able to say that I got away with being absent just one day out of the 7/8 weeks. I am sure I will go back on Monday to say goodbye and give the class their gifts. Let me tell you, by doing at least 5 of the 7 things I got my snow day, so I hope that you try it too! My cooperating teacher, Ann, called me at 4:45 a.m. to tell me that me school was canceled. Kinda early...I was thinking about getting a call around 6:30. That was just a little too early for me, even though we were lucky enough to have a snow day. I am glad that it was a good snow day AND that I am finished with student teaching. By the time my advisor and whoever else at CUW complete my paperwork, I should get my license in the mail by February or March! Feels good to have completed the Master's in a year and a half, then complete the license in another year and a half! I feel very accomplished at this time!!!!!

Death to baking cookies

To quickly explain...the top picture is of just the pile of garbage from all of the 3D cookies that didn't turn out. The next picture is of the pile of garbage and all of the actual 3D cookies that didn't die are dancing around it. The last picture is of me holding the pile of garbage in front of the Christmas tree.

WHAT A DAY! It was a crazy one. Cassie came over last night after babysitting in town, so today we bummed around and then made cookies. Cut to me though two days ago in Michael's going "Oh cool! Check out these 3-D cookie cutter things. Let's get them!" Cut back then to Cassie and I having the hardest time with these stupid things. There were several issues: (1) baking them was not turning out, (2) getting them to fit into each other, (3) frosting them, (4) decorating them and (5) making them actually look good while attempting to make them stay standing up. Oh yeah, AND how to you then store them and transport them to your families' houses for Christmas??? You can be the judge for yourself, but trust me, THEY DID NOT TURN OUT GOOD. It was somewhat fun while we did it, but I think that Cass and Dave would agree with me that next time we bake cookies (which won't be for awhile) we are doing back to the boring old traditional way. Check out the pictures and comment!

On a side note, only 5 days left of student teaching. My last week is this week and it's mostly all just observing other teachers in grades K-3rd. I hope to get some ideas. I am also meeting with my advisor tomorrow about completion and my final portfolio review. PRAY FOR ME! She better not through any curve balls my way because I am not going to deal. I am finished! I HAVE to be finished because as soon as I get back from Louisiana, on the 8th, I am suppose to be taking over a maternity leave right away on the 9th!

Nearly the end

Student Teaching at Donges Bay in almost over!!! There is only about 3 weeks left. We will definately be going out to celebrate on Dec. 19th! In the meantime of counting down the days to being totally complete with classes and student teaching to getting the license, I've been working on paintings for the apartment and possibly for others. I've found it fun to continue to paint when I've had free time from student teaching and planning. I've talked to a few people and their thoughts are all starting to surround the same idea of starting my own website for my paintings. Thoughts??? Depending on the type of people who view the bestsite and are willing to pay for the paintings, I think it could potentially be a really good idea. Even if I keep the costs low I could make some money, which could always be used to help pay off my student loans. Ecspecially since I owe A LOT of money to the loan company. Perhaps instead of taking the time to write this blog, I should be getting the website up and running. The cool part about it all is that the people who are interested in the paintings will be able to select their own colors for the painting they want. I guess the next post should have the title of the website posted for people to view other paintings I've done, outside of the picture attached.

Halloween 2008

Halloween night was probably in my top 5 of going out. Before that might proceed my own 21st birthday, which was a total BOMB!!! Following by...a few college nights. We went out in downtown Milwaukee, which I have to admit I don't go to often, but WOW; I had a BLAST! Cass dressed as a Ho, Dave as a Goth (yes again), and Amelia and Ericka went as devils. I of course went as a doctor. I had to be, for school-sake, it's gotta be kid friendly. I also go hit on by a 'real' doctor dressed a jailer/police officer. Not too sure if I really wanted to be picked up (at all), on Halloween, in a bar, in Milwaukee, by a 'real' doctor. Honestly, she looked like she was 12, and I don't mean I look like I'm 12, but she really didn't look like she could have even possibly gone to college and med school already. Anyways, I had a blast going out with them that night. I had never really dressed up and gone out, we attempted it one year in Reedsburg, but that doesn't even compare. It felt good to go out too, because I finished the one placement and moved onto the second by then. Now, that I am finally posting about it, I only have about 5 1/2 weeks left! In a way I guess this is also just a blog to get me through the last finally hoops of completing school to get my initial license, which of course is only going to be good for 5 years and then I have to spend even more money to keep the thing. Can't we just let people get through life and give a different incentive to continue to be a life long learner? Honestly, I am not sure if I totally get it. Maybe that is another issue to blog about. Anyways, Halloween...one of the greatest times ever. I think the rest of the group agreed. We are all looking forward to New Year's where even more people will hopefully get off their butts and join in with us! I don't even know how many bars we went into. The one place I think we all loved the most was the one that we went into to do 2 Jell-O shots, took about 2 pictures and walked out. Probably only in there for about 5 minutes! Also, afterwards we headed to Lunas, which was LAME, got a drink and left. We got back to our apartment to watch The Strangers, which I might recommend, but I still have mixed feelings about it. All in all, it was a great first Halloween adventure of actually going out and being dressed up. IT ROCKED!!!!

Nearly finished

I have nearly completed my first/second placement for student teaching. I might just be getting a little sad about leaving. I know that I will be back to take over a maternity leave for a 4K teacher, but I have really enjoyed my time with the 1st graders. All of the things that I've learned and experienced are truly going to help me with my own future classroom. We made a trip to the Dairy and Pumpkin Farm last Friday. What a challenge, considering I was also sick for most of the week; pretty bad cold. The farm gave the 4K through 3rd grade classes a lot of hands on/first hand experience with the farm, planting with tractors and care for animals. Remember, most of the students in my class come from low income families who haven't gone very far outside of the city of Milwaukee. Anyways, they were able to see calves, heifers, beef cattle, bulls, the food the cows eat, and the machines used to plant crops. The pumpkin farm had a few more animals for the kids to see and pet; pigs, goats, chickens, ducks, horses, cows, llamas and more. It was a great experience. Some of the kids certainly had some interesting questions for the teachers and the helpers at the farms. Now that we are back to school on Monday, I only have four days left. Four days of teaching them about the farm and then I move onto to Donges Bay in Mequon to teach kindergarten.

Been sometime...

So, my thoughts are swarming and I am thinking that I am not doing too good on keeping this up-to-date. With student teaching going on, I am busy, but feel like I am just jumping through the hoops to make D.P.I. happy. I mean, I have a good teacher to work with, who I consider a friend, but still feel as though I would be happier if I just have my own classroom at this point. I have been working extremely hard to get everything finished to move on. I was a social worker for a whole 5 months because I hated it. I finished my master's in 18 months and have been completing other classes for the last year and am not student teaching. It's like I am in the home stretch, but at times I feel like I've barely left home plate. I am counting down the days until the 'final' freedom is here, 74 days! I've already got a long-term job lined up for part of January through part of March. Then, hopefully I will be interviewing for 2nd or 3 rd jobs in the area by then and will know where exactly I will be teaching next school year. I feel like at times I am rushing things through and not truly enjoying it, but when I get to that point I think things will just be much easier and happier! We'll see though, I guess just ask me in 365 days!

First Day Blogging

So...I only started this because I noticed several other people have been doing this and I didn't realize it. I am not sure how well I will do keeping up with this, considering all of the paperwork I already have to type each and every day, but I am sure that will all change as time goes on.
Currently, I am student teaching because I completed my Master's degree in a different field that my Bachelor's degree. I have to please the state of Wisconsin by doing this. At least they are accepting my one year of teaching preschool already, which I really enjoyed, except for the administrator. I am student teaching at a choice school right now and will move onto a new school in the Mequon area in a couple more weeks. Things are going really good right now, even though I have no source of income. Thank God, literally-everyday, for the best friend and roommate that I have. Although it's going well and I am developing more and more into a teacher each day, I am counting down the days until it's all over, 87 to go!