The wild world in which we live

I haven't updated all month and quite a bit has happened and continues to happen. Instead of an in-depth update you're getting the Kelly's Update List of Might and Wonder. Yes, you read that correctly... Kelly's Update List of Might and Wonder. It's exciting stuff. So, without further ado, here it is...

• Finished and passed student teaching
• Completed screening interviews with seven school districts and the Catholic Diocese
• Entertained a very generous job offer from Duchesene School District teaching Special Education at Union High in Roosevelt, Utah
• Took a road trip to check out the YSA scene in Roosevelt...very young and naive
• Nearly died on said road trip due to lovely March blizzard
• Determined I cannot, under any circumstances, live in Utah County. The construction alone would negatively impact my health and driving record
• Received second job offer to teach at a junior high in Ogden, which I am still considering. (Yes, you read that correctly. I have gotten two job offers. I had two non-district interviews and both resulted in job offers. Just had to toot my own horn a bit. Okay, bragging done)
• I continue to work on finishing up my Teacher Work Sample, ePortfolio and other odds and ends in preparation for graduation this spring
• Casually and not so casually looked for a new apartment
• Got the oil changed on my car
• Made some really great new friends from my cohort
• Finally released from old calling and called as the Relief Society pianist
• Sang in Sacrament meeting with Shannon
• Agreed to sing in my parent's ward with Shannon and Lisa...although that won't be for a few more weeks
• Called for two interviews at local charter schools
• Purchased first ever suit to look appropriately professional for said interviews...I think it worked
• AND I'm going to see Hunger Games tonight with the sister and her hubby

All in all, it's been a pretty busy month and the upcoming months will probably be just as busy as I, hopefully, get settled in with a new job, new apartment and new ward. Maybe then I'll remember to blog a bit more...eh...maybe not.

Such grand expectations...

I had planned to post once a week with a recap of my student teaching adventures...

....crickets....

Obviously, blogging did not happen as planned. I am on the downward slide now. I'm finishing up week 5 of 10. It's been exhausting, frustrating, infuriating, confusing, frightening and absolutely fantastic. I basically have 4 weeks left and I'm starting to get a little anxious with all I still need to accomplish. Plus, I'll really miss my students. Yes, I know. They aren't really my students. But after teaching them for the past month, I feel like they're my students. I won't miss the waking up well before dawn. I won't miss the snarky comments that come my way. I won't miss the complete and utter exhaustion.

But, thankfully, this experience has just made me more excited about what my future holds. I cannot wait to have my own classroom. I can't wait to get everything organized and ready to go. I feel absolutely ready. I know the first year of teaching will kick my butt but (tee-hee) I am beyond excited about it.

So...here's to 4 more weeks!

Highlights

• Getting several glowing evaluations from my Westminster Supervisor
• Not feeling nervous every morning on the drive to work
• Establishing and enjoying the relationship with my students
• Positive feedback from students and peers

Low lights

• Having a student threaten to "curse" me...not AT me but an actual supernatural, witch and spells curse.
• Having to fight students every day about their cell phones
• Back-talking
• Smart students that are just too lazy to actually turn in their homework
• Having to teach ACT Prep...gross!

One down, Nine to go....

I survived my first week of student teaching.... yes, let's all take a collective deep breath. I kind of can't believe that I'm finally here. I feel like I've been at this for such a long time. In a few short months I'll graduate. They're actually going to give me a license to teach.

It was a pretty good week. I started out just doing a lot of grading but I ended up doing quite a bit of teaching. I subbed for my host teacher all day Thursday and part of Friday. I was surprisingly not nervous. Not surprisingly, a few of my students tried to push the limits to see if I would cave or not. I didn't. Classroom management has been something that I've been worried about. I worry that I won't be able to get them to pay attention to me and participate. This week went a long way to soothe my nerves. There were a few moments of minor panicked thoughts of "Oh crap, what do I do now?!" but we all got through it in one piece.

There will still be the students that try to sweet talk their way around the rules, those that will sleep through class, the back talkers and jokesters. I know this. Yet, I am now fairly confident that I will be able to handle this.

It was a long, exhausting week. I've been battling a cold all week on top of grading, planning and trying to get some semblance of a routine going. Some nights I came home, said hello to the roommie and crashed. Yet, despite the sheer exhaustion I drive home every day thinking - "that was fun". Okay, maybe it hasn't been 'fun' every day but I am thoroughly enjoying myself.

Highlights

• Student wrote "this sub is awesome" on the whiteboard on Thursday for my host teacher to see the next day. They haven't quite figured out the difference between a substitute and student-teacher.
• Students finally understanding grammar compliments and compliment vs. complement. They have been working on this for quite a while and weren't getting it until Thursday.
• 2B discussion on Satire and Mark Twain...they were completely engaged and I hardly had to say a word.

Low lights

• Losing my voice after teaching all day Thursday and coughing frequently while trying to teach.
• Not sleeping due to said cough.
• Student attempting to stare my down...he lost because I walked away without engaging.

Student quote of the week... "Your shoes are cute. My mom has those same shoes."

He's makin' a list!

We in the Bubanks household have a tradition. If either of us is going to be elsewhere for Christmas we celebrate roommate Christmas a couple of days early. We have dinner, do stockings for each other and a present and then usually watch a movie or play a game. It's a strictly roommates only event. In the past we've ordered pizza, chinese take-out, I think one year we actually made ourselves a meal, which is kind of a big deal. We use stemware and pop open a little sparkling something or other.

Lisa gives some pretty fantastic gifts. One year she got me a book of William Wordsworth's poetry from the late 1800's. It really is amazing what one can find on Ebay. BUT I think this year takes the cake...

I love books. It's a well known fact. I have them double stacked

on my bookshelf and floor. I write my name on the inside cover just to make sure they get back to me if I ever lend them out. For quite a while I have wanted book plates so it would be a bit more permanent, and really, how great would it be to have my own book plates? I have looked online but they're expensive and would get even more so with my ever growing library. So, instead of a bookplate, Lisa got me a book stamp! I love it! The beauty of it is, when the ink runs out all I have to do is buy an ink replacement! So fantastic!

What do you think...?

Two-fer

I started perusing Amazon.com and here's a quick wish list...

• The Les Miserables 25th Anniversary 2010 cast recording. It's simply ridiculously amazing. I mean, really...amazing!
• I love me some Pyrex. I have also been wanting some nice mixing bowls. Best of both worlds, really.
• I really have a thing for lockets. I really love this one.
• I've always had a thing for maps and globes.
• And this is just a thing of beauty.

Lately...

I haven't blogged a ton lately. It's been pretty busy with school and work PLUS a serious case of procrastinationitis and being all trunky with graduating next semester. But I feel the urge to let the interwebs know what I've been up to. It's not that exciting, really, but I just can't seem to help myself. It's more of a compulsion, really. Sorry but, lately I have...

• bought delightfully soft and cushy slippers. Seriously, they're fantastic
• made new friends...which, considering how much free time I have, is nothing short of a miracle
• saw my niece play a goose in Charlotte's Webb...ah, junior high productions. Memories of awkwardness and overacting came rushing back to me
• "cooked" more
• got to know some of the folks of my new cohort - they're actually nice! Something new and different for the MAT program!
• laughed so hard I almost cried...in Sacrament meeting
• not slept nearly enough
• spent far too much time on pinterest
• found tons of fun crafts and things I'd love to do on pinterest but will most likely not get around to doing any time in the near future
• purchased a teakettle. Hot chocolate season is upon us!
• suppressed the urge to bury my heal in a guy's cranium
• submitted my graduation application for next semester...woot!
• planned a trip to Paris
• canceled said trip to Paris
• trying to get ready for student teaching next semester
• served in that Baptistry at the Salt Lake Temple. LOVE it!

Girl's just wanna have fun...

I'm what one would call a "late bloomer". I rarely, if ever, dated in high school. I was asked to the dances by guy friends or it was girl's choice. I was never the first girl asked to the dance. In fact, I was more than once, a guy's 'back up' date. I didn't go to my junior prom and spent my senior prom avoiding my date. I dallied with inappropriate relationships (we're talking parolees, gang members and burn outs - what can I say, I had thing for the bad boys). I now think it is a miracle that I didn't end up in serious trouble.

College wasn't much better. I had my first ever bonafide boyfriend for all of about three weeks at the very beginning of freshman year. After that I didn't date...at all. I had a run in with a NCMO (if you don't know what that is google it) end of my junior year. However, seeing as how I was desperately in love with his cousin that was dating a friend, who just happened to be spending the semester abroad...the trend of inappropriate men continued.

Since then I've dated closet cases, a schizophrenic, megalomaniacs, egomaniacs, commitment-phobics...and the list goes on. It sounds like I date a lot but this has been spread over the course of six or seven years. I didn't date a lot until fairly recently and really, it's only a lot in comparison to my fairly empty dating history.

The guys in my most recent past haven't been perfect but then, neither am I. And I mean really, if a guy doesn't have a skeleton in his closet, he's got a Bertha in the attic. (if you don't know the reference...seriously, go read a book! OR go check out pinterest.com) We're all just trying to find the one that is the same kind of crazy.

I have a blind date tomorrow...my first, in fact. Lots of dating lately...lots of dating.

It's exhausting....