Friday Afternoons

I stood in the humid hallway with my hair slightly fallying out of my ponytail holding the walkie talkie. It was my first time on carpool duty with our ex-football playing PE teacher. He already had a system down and I was quickly trying to keep up. "FOURTEEN! NUMBER FOURTEEN!" screamed the walkie talkie in its muffled static. I quickly raced up and down the hallway to find the kids in the number fourteen spot. "Go on you guys, have a great weekend!" I said above the scream of kids on a Friday afternoon. "You too, Miss C!" they replied. It was complete chaos in that hallway but I was liking the chaos. I had been in enough classrooms this week to finally start getting to know the students. Although I still have not had any kids in my room, I have been making my rounds and looking over test scores about the students I will have. I have been in lots of meetings and conferences. My room is about finished and I will be posting pictures of it soon! It is all blue and orange and organized! (Yes, for me and every other ADHD and LD student that I will have, it NEEDS to be organized!) As for me, I am doing very well here in DC. I am connecting well with the teachers and the principal at my school. I have not really been homesick much as I am too busy and excited with my job. I believe I have found a church that I fit into very well. They already invitied me to lunch and the pastor was thrilled to hear about me being from Indiana! (He is from Illinois) Well, I am off to get some DC pizza! Take care everyone!

Living in D.C.

Yesterday I manage to make a day as a tourist in the city. I spent the day like a vacation and indulged my sense of adventure as a explored on my own. I started my morning in a little dinner around the corner from my neighborhood. I had some coffee and french toast before starting my trek into D.C. My roomate had thoroughly explanined exactly how I should go and which tunnels to take. I arrived at the parking garage and promptly found the correct tunnels to take. After recieving some help from a kind gentlman, who believes in Indiana is a fantastic place to live and famous for inventing the jump shot in basketball, I made my way down to the platform and waiting for the metro while doing my best to act like I fit in. Acting like I am a pro on the metro only required me to put in the earbuds from my iPod. As I arrived at the Smithsonian, I picked a couple museums that I thought looked interesting. Little did I know that I would be mesmorized by the exhibits. I spent a couple hours just staring at all of the airplanes from all different countries and eras. It was fascinating. I then strolled across the lawn and made my way to the Museum of American History. I noticed a tour starting and jumped in the back. I do not usually like tours, but this guide knew so much and had so many interesting stories to share that I was so glad of my decision. I do not know if I have a favorite exhibit but I did enjoy seeing the Abraham Lincoln area and the Julia Child's kitchen that is on display. (Her real kitchen!) I also learned a lot about the flag that inspired our national anthem. Did you know that the holes in the flag are not from wear and tear but because of "souverneiring". They would cut part of the flag and hand it out to people as souveneirs. So one day, one of the pieces of the stars may end up found in someone's attic!

Waiting...

Well, I am still waiting to start teaching. I have a meeting at school on Friday all day but still no kids. My principal told me to relax and enjoy my few days. For those of you who know me well, you know that I do not relax and wait well. However in a city bustling with activities to do, I am managing well. I seem to be practicing my independence quite well these last few days. I managed to drive in DC traffic, which is stopped most of the time, find my way through and out of an IKEA store, drive back, and build my bed! I was very proud! I have also tried out some local flavors around my area. I live in a very multicultural neighborhood. There are so many different nationalities. There are several Latino families that live on my block. Because there are so many different cultures blending and living together, there is every kind of food you can imagine here. I hope everything is going well in Indiana. I did not get to watch the Colt's game, they do not put it on out here, but I am so glad they won! Take care everyone!

I have had several people ask about donating school supplies or items for my classroom. I am sure the students and I would appreciate anything you would like to give but please do not feel obligated. I am working on creating a list of items so that you may pick and choose what you would like to give. Right now I am trying to get some mini dry erase boards and markers for all of the students. I will keep you posted.

170 Days and Counting!

I have just been hired as a 4th grade inner city teacher. This is my adventure. It is what I have been waiting for. My feeling right now is that I have so little time to give my students everything I feel they need to be successful in life. I will meet my class in one week! It is both scary and exciting. I plan to record my thoughts and feelings in my first year of teaching here on this blog. I hope to keep my wonderful network of other teachers, friends, and family and take all of their advice and wisdom to heart. I will need all the support I can get. Let's go!