Spring Break Shenanigans & 18 week update

I love the perks of being a teacher!

Spring Break is here (and gone tomorrow, literally) and with it comes the ability to refresh & visit with loved ones.

Trip to Land O Lakes

I was able to really catch up with a lot of great people while I was back home.

My first night in town my entire family plus my dad's side (my nana, aunt & uncle) met to have a lavish dinner at my nana's house. It was such a great time of laughter, fellowship, & so much food we could barely finish half of it!

Say hi mom!

See how full my plate is? I couldn't finish it all...and then dessert came.

Two homemade ice creams, a pound cake, and a strawberry pie. Are we spoiled or what?

 I met up with Alisa who is about a month ahead of me pregnancy-wise; she is having a little girl. It was great to catch up, have breakfast at The Breakfast Nook, & shop for little baby things at the local thrift store. If you're in the area you should check out Little Lambs Consignment!

I bought four hardcover children's books for $10! Aren't these awesome?!

Clothes from Little Lambs

All for $10!

While in town, I also met up with Courtney & Kristin to eat at The Refinery. I heard great things about them online, and my ever health conscious friend/vegetarian Jessica said they were amazing so I knew we were in for good food! When I visit cities (whether new or familiar) I always have the goal of visiting a local, favorite eatery or trying out something new or highly recommended. I love food. :)

We all tried something different- Kristin had chicken with homemade dumblings, Courtney had pork chops with a side of homemade spam, and I had fish with a salad/potato mix. They were all SO incredibly unique, locally grown and relatively afforable! I will definitely be visiting this restaurant again when I'm in town, maybe sitting at the rooftop bar next time?!

my food

PSL

After returning from my trip, I was able to relax in Port St Lucie for about 1 1/2 days before embarking to Orlando. It was nice to rejuvenate, sleep in my own bed, and play with the kitties before I left.
David was also thankful; he had to ride his bike all over town while I was gone or catch a ride. He left on Friday to pick up his new car, but I know those few days without his own were painful.

Trip to Orlando

On Friday morning at 7:00am, David and I embarked on our journey to Orlando and his journey to pick up his new car!! After a perfectly easy drive to the Sanford airport, I meandered over to College Park to drop my stuff off at Kierstan's house & camp out at a local Starbucks to grade papers.

It was a LONG day of grading, and I only got through half of my classes. How I pity and empathize with my former teachers now! Grading papers, especially lengthy essays, sucks to put it plainly.

After camping out on Kierstan's couch in a fetal position trying not to use any more brain power, Kierstan and I ate at Dandelion Communitea and picked up art supplies for a crafting extravaganza!

Dandelion is an amazing, amazing vegan restaurant and tea shoppe in downtown Orlando. I stuck with my favorite standby, the Bean There, Done That wrap. This wrap, although meatless, is ridiculously filling and yummy. After eating half of the wrap plus some homemade hummus, Kierstan and I went to buy supplies!

We went to a cute little local art store called Sam Flax for the canvases (which are apparently always on sale) and then to Hobby Lobby to buy paints and anything else we could think of.

I've been debating between these two nursery themes: Eric Carle & Dr Seuss

However, after deciding to make art for my little nugget's nursery, I knew Eric Carle was the way to go. Luckily (and amazingly) Kierstan had just watched a video on how Eric Carle makes his artwork! Watch this video, Illustrating the Very Hungry Caterpiller, to see for yourself!

I started here....

I painstakingly followed this method to get here by the end of the night....

And finally here the next morning!

I absolutely LOVE the finished picture. I'm thinking about making another similar one of Eric Carle's butterfly.

The girls- Kierstan, Abby, & Jaide- were all also equally focused and came up with some awesome pictures of their own! Craft night will definitely happen again in the near future!

Finally, Kierstan and I spent Saturday at Sea World with some free teacher passes!

The day was overcast but still nice and warm. Thankfully, it never rained while we were there though the clouds sure looked threatening!

I definitely noticed some personal differences in the theme park experience while pregnant. Poor Kierstan had to be super patient as I used the bathroom frequently...probably 5-6 times while we were there? I wish I could help it; I know it will only get worse! Oh boy.

We watched the Seamore & Clyde show, ate at the Sharks restaurant right next to the tanks, and generally walked around enjoying the animals. It was great being able to pop into Sea World for a few hours, see only what we wanted to, and head home feeling tired but not dead.

This was under the bar where we were eating- so cool!

A vegetative evening watching MoneyBall at Kierstan's house ended my stay in Orlando!


18 Weeks Update

I think I kinda look like I just ate too much. haha

How far along? 18 weeks  3 days( 2 weeks 'til 5 months!)

Total weight gain: 2 lbs... I lost about 5lbs during my first trimester so I'm just barely over my normal weight at this point!
Maternity clothes? I have some cute shirts and one pair of pants, but I'm going with the rubber band around my normal pants for regular work clothes still... Everything is definitely tight though!!
Stretch marks? nada
Sleep: I sleep great, but I have the WEIRDEST dreams & they're super vivid.
Best moment this week: On Friday we find out whether it's a boy or a girl!! I'm so excited for it!!!!
Miss Anything? Beer & Wine & Being able to exercise as hard as I did before.
Movement: I think I felt one little flip yesterday, but that has been the first I've felt anything so far. We will see!
Food cravings: Still lots of salads & veggies. I love ice cream after dinner. I've had more food aversions than cravings I think.
Anything making you queasy or sick: spicy/greasy food hasn't been sitting well with me.
Gender: ????
Labor Signs: Oh jeez, hopefully not for awhile!
Symptoms: fatigue & I'm super hungry a lot. I've gotten out of breath from exercise easily too.
Belly Button in or out? Starting to poke out in this freakish and disconcerting way. Ah!
Happy or Moody most of the time: Happy
Looking forward to: Friday's ultrasound & a St Patty's 5k Saturday morning!!

Time for spring break & 17 weeks pregnant!

I feel like all I do is count weeks nowadays.

Each week carrying the baby brings a milestone & new things to learn about.

Every week at school brings me one step closer to finishing the school year.

School news...

It's amazing to me how different the relationships are with kids as the year progresses. I now really see the vast wisdom in having teachers move with their students to various grade levels. On one hand, you're stuck with certain kids you didn't want to have again. However, you also have the advantage of not learning the new Little Johnny Trouble Maker's tricks the following year. You also get to enjoy your cherished students another year and watch them grow. I also feel the relationships you build with students can decide whether or not Johnny gives you trouble.

For example, I have a student, Trevor, who has never given 100% or even 50% in class. He failed the first semester of my class, much to my dismay. My initial method was honestly to berate him into submission. He would usually be quiet, but he never actually did work. When I tried the nice approach he would be sarcastic and troublesome. It seemed like a losing battle whichever method I chose.

Eventually at the start of the second semester, I sat down with him and asked him what was going on. I heard from a fellow teacher that his parents were going through a divorce and, noticing his ever growing unruliness, I wanted to talk to him about it before it escalated further.  He never did divulge the divorce news, but we talked about his future and I encouraged him to at least pass my class so he wouldn't have to retake it. I would like to think that little pep talk did it for him. Who knows. He is definitely not a model student, but lo and behold he actually does his work. It's not a huge leap, but it's definitely progress from where we started the year! If it took me almost 6 months to get to that point with him- it makes me think there are others who, with more time, would open up and become successful.


17 weeks pregnant....

See the clip holding my dress in? I'm just barely showing at this point!  Everyone say hi to David taking the picture for me! What a good guy. :)

I feel like everyone I know is pregnant right now!
As such, I wanted to share some things that worked for getting me through the first trimester & see if others had tips for the 2nd and 3rd!

For morning sickness/nausea-
Personally I want to stay as far away as possible from taking medicine just so my baby gets as much natural nutrients and antibiotics as possible. As such, my first few months were torture as I went through morning sickness.

Luckily, my friend Anna shared that she had used magnetic bracelets designed for sea sickness to help her out. Although I never used one, I loved that it was a natural way to deal with the inevitable.

Another thing I noticed was that my prenatals were making me very sick- the large amount of iron was too much for my stomach to handle. Changing my prenatal to an all organic one with considerably less iron brought immediate relief. I also started taking it at night before bed so I had a day's worth of food to help lessen the harshness.

For car rides, my mom bought ginger chew gum that she lovingly passed my way. It tasted disgusting, but I got almost immediate relief when chewing it. I only used this when I felt super ill though b/c the taste was daunting.

The last thing I used for nausea and the one I used most frequently was oil extracts, specifically peppermint, lavender, and ginger. Rubbing these on my stomach and neck/forehead provided extended relief and allowed me to stay away from synthetic drugs. Sure I smelled a little funny from the oils, but the benefit outweighed the old lady smell- even if David disagreed.

For fatigue-

First off, it is completely normal to be dead tired almost continuously. Allow yourself to sleep and get help where you can 'til your body adjusts to pregnancy. Do NOT feel guilty for needing extra sleep or extra help with household chores.

However, if your schedule doesn't allow much free time, like mine, make do as you can!

I found that exercising was super helpful in keeping me going on long weeks with little free time. It's funny how much expending effort can give you a boost of energy.

Also, you're probably not eating much. This adds to the fatigue! Find a few things you like/can stand and stock up! For a week or two all I wanted was popcorn b/c it didn't upset my stomach and was mostly bland. Next was fresh veggies and LOTS of fruit. Try to get your protein where you can- peanut butter and nuts are easy on queasy stomachs.

All in all, try not to worry. The first trimester is here and gone soon enough replaced by a growing bump and energy like you had before the pregnancy.

Where am I now?


-I have a tiny bump starting to protrude. It's almost disconcerting as I look at pictures of all the other people I know that are pregnant and how much larger all their tummies are. You really can't even tell I'm pregnant unless I'm wearing something skin-tight; it just looks like I ate too much at lunch.

- I have so much more energy! YAY!!

- My blood-sugar level is super sensitive now, and I've found I need to eat much more frequently to combat this. I thought I ate pretty continuously, but the pregnancy has made it even more so. I find if I don't have a snack with me and go too long without eating it results in a very sick feeling me.

- On March 16 we find out whether it's a boy or a girl. I personally want to know the sex so I can plan the nursery, name, and baby shower without all the neutral crap that comes with a surprise birth.

3rd Quarter Crunch

Ladies and Gentlemen,

It's that time of year. Thought your seniors had senioritis before?

Oh no.


Now is the time that their true daydreaming, slacker tendencies make themselves known.

Thinking back to my own senior year (a short 6 years ago) I can recall football games, senior camp out, senior skip day, homecoming.... and not much about what I actually learned.

What I do remember are the great teachers that had an impact on my life, on my future and the amazing memories made on that campus. That great teacher is the kind of teacher that I hope I can be for some of these kids.

 I don't remember what my English teacher taught me, but she showed me how to work like a college student and helped me to love literature. I don't remember a bit about what my history teacher taught me, but his stories and blunt honesty will stick with me. My psychology teacher was strict but her kindness towards students who gave a damn was immense.

These three teachers in particular- Mrs. Gorski, Mr. O'Brien, and Mrs. Browning weren't especially unique in their teaching techniques. We read a lot in English, took notes in history, and read the book for psychology. It was the teachers themselves imparting the information and treating us like adults that made me want to make them proud.

Back to my students now-

How do I get them motivated that way?

As a student, I know I was different that the majority of the students I teach. I wanted to go to college and took harder classes because of it. I always completed my work and rarely missed school. My students work full-time. They miss schools constantly. They really don't like English or reading. They are mostly planning on technical schools, the military, or community college.

I want to need to find a way to make my subject relevant to their lives while still meeting benchmarks, Sunshine State Standards, and Marzano's ultimate decision that teachers have no mind of their own and need to be told how to do basic skills such as monitoring, scaffolding, and lesson planning.


The question is how?

I know I've learned a lot during this school year already...

1. Be prepared
2. Always have a back up lesson plan or idea.
3. If you're going to show a movie you better make it tie into the curriculum or be able to explain why you're showing A Bug's Life to your administrators.
4. Always ask administration before doing something questionable. Always.
5. Planning ahead is a good idea- planning Monday morning before the bell rings is realistic.
6. Lessons don't always go how you planned- some take much longer than you planned. Some are over before you even realize you have to find something else to do.
7. Students can tell when you care and will work accordingly.
8. Having other teachers to vent and laugh with is crucial. Don't get too busy to talk to them.
9. Make friends with the copy lady, media center people, attendance clerk, guidance.... They will all make your life easier if they like you.
10. Be honest with your students.


Can't wait to add more to that list!
And now, on to the lesson planning i've been putting off... Or maybe I'll wait 'til the morning.

Two pink lines

Yes, it's true.
David and I are going to be parents in a mere 6 months.

At 14 weeks pregnant I can say it's beginning to really sink in.
The morning sickness is gone replaced by fatigue. I'm beginning to notice my bump showing, and my hormones are acting crazy.

For my random readers, if you pondered my absence from blogging (not that it's often enough on a normal basis) it was partially due to this big news that we were keeping to ourselves.

Now I feel confident that I can finish out this school year on a high note and start to make the plans necessary to care for our future addition.

I will now address the FAQ that I've gotten regarding the pregnancy:

1. Do you plan on getting married? When?
Yes we plan on getting married; however, we are following the same timeline as before we found out about the pregnancy. Meaning that we will be engaged before the baby is born, but there will be no rushed wedding with a very pregnant bride thank you very much.

2. When do you find out if it's a boy or a girl? Do you want to know?
We find out in mid-march and are very excited to know. David is pulling for a boy, and I will be happy either way.

3. What are your plans for teaching next year? Coaching?
I will be telling my school next week and will know more from there! Ideally I will take two months off and david will work later hours to allow us to spend less on childcare. Coaching is really up in the air unfortunately...

4. When are you due?
August 9th!

5. Have you thought of any names?
I will say this is a loaded question. While I don't mind sharing what we like, I don't appreciate people's opinions about what THEY like for my child. What gets me even more are unsolicited options for us to "consider". I understand it is completely well meaning; however, just because you think "Riva" is a great girl's name does not mean we will. As a couple we have perused many names, and the options we've come up with are names we really like.

Boy- Payton, William, Benjamin, Jackson
Girl- Zoey, Bailey

6. How does David feel about it?
This question makes me feel like people are expecting him to be upset about the whole thing or imply some underlying issue of longevity in our relationship. Yes, he was freaked out at first wondering whether we could afford it and how it would change our lives, but David has really been a great supporter and I know will make a great daddy.


I think this post has enough shocking information for one entry so I will try to post something more satirical regarding my lovely high schoolers next time. As we approach the end of a school year, I'm sure my seniors will oblige with amusing things to document.


Happy Sunday!

Christmas Day is in our grasp so long as we have hands to grasp!

Christmas Break Countdown:  6.5 School Days!


There are decorations & Christmas music in my class & around the school... I love the Christmas spirit!!

With Christmas break right around the corner, I am as antsy as the kids to get out of school and have a vacation. In talking to my mom the other day I complained, "Ugh. I only have two weeks off for break." Trust your mom to put it in perspective for you, "Two weeks? Jaquelyn I'll be lucky to have a day off."

I am very thankful for the extended holidays afforded those of us who work in schools. Although, I feel like without those breaks we wouldn't be able to handle the kids anymore than they can handle us! Teaching is tough, tiring, and full of work taken home.

I can't believe the year is almost half over as well! I passed out progress reports yesterday, and when we return will soon after be sending out report cards. Holy cow!! I have undoubtedly been stressed with lessons, discipline, and other such issues, but all in all I'm having an amazing first year teaching. The kids really seem to respect me and my classroom. While this doesn't guarantee they do their classwork, many of them will talk to me about it and attempt to keep up with it.

Overall: I really enjoy my students, classroom, and teaching (as tiring as it is)!

Christmas Countdown: 17 Days!


It sounds so scarily close-- and I haven't even begun to Christmas shop, AH!! Having a big girl job takes away leisure time to actually shop, boo.

This year, for the first time, David and I will be spending all of Christmas (& New Years) together! In college we mostly shared New Years together but never Christmas. We celebrated and then went to our respective family homes for a week or so on our own.

This year we are spending a day with my mom & siblings in Land O' Lakes before driving up to Hickory, North Carolina to spend Christmas day and the following weekend with David's family!

We are also making a post-Christmas trip to CO to snowboard. I actually bought snow gear and am super excited to be able to use it!!

I am very, very excited that I will be somewhere cold for Christmas, but I feel like a little kid and am sad at missing our Christmas Eve & morning traditions.

Life gets so busy the older we get... I appreciate, so much more, the small simple things:

- Opening one present Christmas Eve
- cheesy Christmas movies while stringing popcorn and cranberries
- Christmas plays at a local church
- Advent to celebrate Jesus & the real meaning of Christmas
- Breakfast casserole and coffee early Christmas morning
- Opening stockings first thing and then waiting for mom to wake up to open everything else.
- Spending time just hanging out with your family for an entire day where everyone is happy & full of love.

Lots of warm fuzzy feelings this holiday season!

 I will try to catch up on posting over break, until then Adieu & Happy Holidays!!!

The Good, The Bad, & The Oh-So-Ugly

I should be grading papers right now. I really should.

What am I doing instead?

Drinking a glass of wine, eating Kit Kats & Reese Cups, rocking in the corner.

Okay, the rocking in the corner part is a lie, but the rest is true. This is what the kids have pushed me to. A day after my resolve to "eat healthy" this is where I find myself.

Let's start with...

The Good


Let me say how proud I am of my little nuggets who have been working their butts off to pull their grades up this 9 weeks. They have been meeting with me one-on-one and making sure they have what they need to do well in my class.


I really feel like I've gotten to really know these kids over the past few months. Some of them are going through things that I can only imagine dealing with while others have really opened up.
I appreciate when they're real with me and the love I can feel.

The Bad


I still have quite a few kids failing my class for the quarter. I've given these kids the opportunity to pull it up with a major project grade this week and some of them still didn't do it. at all. 


Out of 150 students, roughly 15-20 have Fs & maybe 8 have Ds. I know that's a small majority, but it makes me upset to have to fail anyone.


Side Note: Teachers do NOT like to fail you! It disappoints us more than anything...




The Ugly

Discipline. The word itself irks me.

Having been a rather laid back student in terms of rules, I myself would prefer to be lackadaisical and allow them the freedom to be themselves. They're almost adults, and I believe they should act like it.

Take, for example, my food policy. If it doesn't end up on my floor, I don't care what you eat. I also really don't mind talking as long as you don't talk during my lesson, and I don't really give a hoot about the dress code policy. My goal is to educate my students not crack down for a shirt being untucked.

Which brings me to my point, I have written 4 referrals thus far and plan on adding 2 more to that list this afternoon. I absolutely, positively loathe referrals. If I could avoid these irksome pieces of discipline, I would in a heartbeat. Alas, students have pushed my tolerance to its breaking point so it is with regret that I will give them their due repercussions.

My last item of contention is in administrative reviews.

My administrator is a pretty stand-up person overall. What I do not understand, however, is the general disconnect to teachers in regards to appropriate observation times.

Example 1: During FCAT week (NOT appropriate)
Example 2: On the first day of school, during the first hour of your day (NOT appropriate)
Example 3: The last 10 minutes of the last hour of the day (NOT appropriate)
Example 4: Homecoming week (NOT appropriate)
Example 5: The last day of the end of quarter marking period (NOT appropriate)

All of these examples are unfortunately real instances that myself or someone else has experienced this year already.

......

And so we are back at my glass of wine, strewn candy wrappers, and hypothetical rocking in the corner of the room.

Lord give me strength through the rest of this first year of teaching & help me get this pile of papers graded before the due date!

Teaching with a little bit of life on the side

I've always heard of workaholics who allow their jobs to overtake their lives. However, what do you do when the job overtakes you?

It's currently Wednesday, and the first day in quite a while that I've felt like I have the time/energy to write.

It's homecoming at my high school, and it's crazy being on the other side of things! I've realized that there are a lot of things I didn't even realize my teachers did. In honor of these revelations....

Things I took for granted in high school:

-School supplies

I was never one of those kids who took teachers' materials like pens or paper. However, I did use their scissors, colored pencils, construction paper, and books without a thought as to the personal cost. I know for a fact that not every county is so limited supply-wise, but I am flabbergasted at how much my teachers really supplied....and how much I supply!

- Senior activities & graduation

As a high school senior, it never dawned on me that those college talks, job placement tests, and reading placement tests were designed with me and my classmates in mind. I mindlessly assumed they were lackluster attempts from the high school to get us in and out. Now I know how much (most) teachers really care about their students and their success!

In addition to graduation assistance, seniors are privileged to end school before the other grades, have an entire senior week full of activities planned for them, and partake in tons of other things just for them. Did any of us realize someone had to plan these events? Apparently I thought they magically happened.

-Coaching, Clubs, and Dances

I was always excited to see my teachers at games, sponsoring clubs, or chaperoning dances. I know, for a fact, that we complained about not seeing them at these events enough! Looking at it from a teacher's perspective, I now realize how much of our personal time that takes. Don't get me wrong, I am participating in a homecoming event tonight and fully involved in my school as a coach and chaperone!
 I love supporting our school, my students, and seeing them outside of the classroom in a neutral setting.

On the other hand, my exercise plan has dropped to basically nothing, I plan my lessons on the weekend, and I cringe when I see my laundry and dishes pile at the end of the week.

Grown up life is a bit crazy, but there are definitive perks!

The Upside of Being a Grown Up:

- I bought my own Halloween candy, whatever kind I wanted and did NOT feel guilty about it.

- David and I just booked a snowboard trip to CO for January

- In preparation for this trip, we stocked up on new winter gear, my first real set of clothes for cold weather!

- I can join a gym, a yoga studio, a running club... All lovely things that I WILL do, and soon!

- Holidays, health insurance, and retirement plans.... So dull to say, but I am so relieved to be able to work full time and so grateful that I am employed!

- Reconnecting with your family. My perspective as a working, responsible adult is vastly different than that of my brooding teenage self. I love consulting with my mom who is full of wisdom and, imagine that, has been through whatever I'm enduring. My little brother and sister aren't quite as annoying as I remember, and that quirky extended family is endearing rather than embarrassing.

On that note, I bid the blogging world adieu and hope that I will return sooner rather than later!