A Teacher's Workday

This about sums up why I haven't posted in two months.

A Teacher's Workday

September Sundays

September is proving to be one heck of a month, in the best way possible.

Big moments always make me think back to where I was at the same time last year. So it’s natural that my 25th birthday brought back some tough memories of last year. I had been in Nashville for a little over 2 months, and while I loved the city and my new place, I was having a hard time adjusting to my new pace of life. My coworkers were great, but we were still in that awkward we-are-friends-because-we-have-no-other-choice phase. Confession: I woke up the morning of my birthday and cried my eyes out because I was alone, no one who really knows me there to celebrate. I spent that evening with two sweet friends – an old college roommate and a new co-worker – and I remember feeling a bit defeated that these were the only two people who cared enough about me to be there (in reality, it was a holiday weekend and everyone else had plans, like normal people. Drama queen.) Now, I realize how lucky I am to have an old friend nearby and a new friend who embraced me so quickly.

This year was quite the opposite. The happy hour crew generously proclaimed it my birthday weekend – dinner on Friday night at our favorite Thai restaurant plus drinks and cupcakes at a local taproom, a girls’ night out on Saturday, and a Sunday dinner and game night on my actual birthday, complete with appetizers, adult beverages, and a custom made “whooping stick”.

It was the kind of weekend that is so great that it makes the Sunday night blues (or Monday night blues on that particular holiday weekend) even more poignant. Although I’m in a much better place this year than I have ever been since my teaching career began, I felt much like I did on Sunday nights in Eastern North Carolina, with a sense of panic and fear gripping my mind and my heart. Only this time it wasn’t fear of children declaring mutiny or fists flying in class. It was a fear of losing this feeling of happiness buoyed by a lightness of heart and a freedom from responsibility.

I was able to stave off the blues last weekend, with the help of a visit from one of my best friends and "the girls", Jenna. An impromptu trip to Nashville (via plane, plane, cab, and bus - she's a champ!) made me one happy girl, because there's just nothing like friends from home. One of our favorite artists, Matt Wertz, was playing at a Nashville staple, the Exit/In, and Jenna joined me and two of my Nashville friends for an incredible show.

Jen stayed til Wednesday morning, which made my week so much easier to bear - knowing I'd have company two nights after work, and knowing I'd only have to bear a few days until the weekend when the sad day came for her to leave. It was a busy week at work, and the bar had been set high for weekends this month.

And don’t you know – this beautiful September weekend brought me that same peace, that same soul-refreshing happiness of the past two weekends, only without the dread that accompanied it two weeks ago.

Remember that lovely new friend who so kindly joined me for my birthday celebration last year, when I was still feeling vulnerable and lonely? She is now one of my closest friends in Nashville, and Friday night we celebrated the purchase of her brand new townhome in the suburbs with pizza, ice cream, wine, and cable TV (a luxury for me these days). And while Saturday required several hours of work, it was quite possibly one of the most beautiful days since I’ve been in Nashville, and I couldn’t help but take advantage of the weather. I broke up lessons plans with a visit to the farmer’s market, where Annie and I rented b-cycles and took an adventurous and hilarious ride to the downtown library.

Don’t be fooled by the tranquility of this picture. It was one heck of a bike ride, including uphill battles, roads under construction, and left turns on downtown streets. (Don’t worry dad, there were no cars on the road and we used hand signals.)

Before this weekend, I didn’t think I was ready for fall. Saturday’s clear blue sky and crisp air started to chip away at my summer reserve. An evening on the gorgeous patio of an East Nashville wine bar, with a nip in the air that required a fall wardrobe, got me that much closer. Three things this Sunday pushed me over the edge, into full bring-it-on-fall mode: my Creamy Pumpkin candle filling my condo with the scent of Thanksgiving, a chilly sunset on the roof, and dark red nail polish.

It’s the little things in life.

I can’t explain why I’m immune to the Sunday night blues this week. Maybe it has something to do with the fact that there’s a lot to look forward to in the next few days – jeans day, Taylor Swift in concert, the Color Run, and a surprise schedule change that lightens my coverage load during my planning periods. Maybe it’s knowing that the end of this weekend is also bringing the beginning of a new season, and endless possibilities for fall activities. Or maybe it’s as superficial as the flickering Creamy Pumpkin candle in the background while I reminisce about my perfect weekend and look forward to picking up my new book when I get in bed tonight. Whatever it is, it is a welcome feeling.

Happy fall, y’all!

The First Month

A month to the day since I've last posted.

Grampy, I'm sorry. Forgive me. (You're probably the only one who's noticed.)

I'm sure it's obvious, but it's been crazy busy here since day 1, and I'm still not quite caught up on life yet. But I'll do my best to summarize what's been happening since I last wrote.

This year has brought some changes that have been both exciting and exhausting. I've moved into the role of "Lead Teacher", which sounds fancier than it actually is. It basically means that I'm doing much of the same thing I did last year, only this time I'm helping to develop another teacher in the process. My current teacher partner is a second year teacher who taught social studies last year. Needless to say, we have some work to do. While we are technically a team, there's a lot more responsibility on my end, and I spend a lot of time observing him in his classroom and live coaching.

The biggest change from last year was our decision to split kids instead of curriculum. Last year, my partner teacher (who moved up to 7th grade this year) taught half of the curriculum (focused more on algebra) and I taught the other half (focused more on geometry and ratios). We both taught all 100 kids, four different periods a day. This year, we've decided the best route is to split the kids instead of the curriculum, since every topic in math relates to each other in some way. This means that I only teach about 60 kids, but I teach almost twice the amount of lessons. Last year, I was planning 4 lessons a week - now, I'm up to 7. I have absolutely loved being able to focus on my 60 kids and get to know them really well, but the planning cycle is exhausting. My schedule is pretty crazy, too. To compensate for the increase in workload, we've been given more planning periods, but it also means every day looks different for me. It's been tough trying to keep up with when I teach, when I'm off, and when I have hall coverage periods, but it is definitely nice to know that I have more time to get work done a few days a week.

Our school leaders have also decided to do away with the typical "social studies" class and instead replace it with Global Literacy. While it's an exciting new addition to our curriculum, it also means we have to fit in "test prep" social studies skills somewhere, and that somewhere is every morning during our advisory/homeroom period. Which means on top of teaching math, leading a book club, and keeping up with the demands of our crazy schedule, I'm also a part time social studies teacher :). It's been an adjustment for sure, and while it's not ideal, I trust that our administrators made a decision based on what was best for our kids. I do often ask myself, though, at what point will it be enough?

There's so much more I could say, but like always, I've waited to long to say it, so I don't even know where to begin. I'll try to be better...but no promises.

My Summer In Photos

Our first official week, "Week Zero", is over. Kids and teachers alike survived Liberty's version of "boot camp", and I know I'm excited to get back to real school next week, with math lessons and book club and time to get to know my new babies. But I'm also very grateful for a weekend, even if it will involve quite a bit of work (still a lot to prepare for our first set of math lessons). And by the look on the kids' tired faces as they lined up for the buses yesterday, they need it, too.

My energy is drained, so instead of trying to recap the past week or my entire summer, I'll just add some of my favorite pictures. Enjoy!

Possibly the most spontaneous thing I've ever done in my life happened this summer: I booked a ticket just hours before boarding a plane! I decided to surprise my parents and crash their Chicago trip to see my sister for the 4th of July. I also got to see my cousin, who recently moved to the city to begin her residency, and old roommate/good friend from Teach for America. It was a great weekend, and I enjoyed spending extra time with family and friends that I don't see very often.

I've mentioned "the girls" many, many times, and this summer we experienced two life-changing events within a week of each other. We celebrated the birth of our first "girls baby" when Brittany and her husband welcomed sweet baby girl Nora into the world on June 26. On July 3, Jenna's beautiful mother, Jill, passed away after fighting pancreatic cancer for over five years. I could never even begin to capture the spirit of Momma Ward in words, but she is one of the most optimistic, generous, unassuming and strongest women I have ever met. A few weekends later, all nine girls were reunited for a bittersweet celebration of two very important lives - it was the first time many of us got to meet baby Nora, just hours before attending Momma Ward's memorial service. Many tears were shed that weekend, and I often had a hard time distinguishing between the happy and the sad ones. My heart aches to find the write words to explain the significance of that weekend, but my mind still can't quite fathom it. Instead, one of my favorite pictures from my short time home (the new momma is top right):

The new school year technically began on July 8, with four weeks of professional development, curriculum writing, and transitioning into the new building. As much as I would have loved a few more weeks of summer, it was great to have my friends back - since my network of friends still hasn't expanded outside of work. We added almost 15 new staff members this year as we expanded to include seventh grade, and I love every single one of them. A quick picture from a happy hour outing a few weekends ago, with new and old friends:

And a picture of the "new" old building that is our new home:

This summer I also experimented with my old sewing machine, making a few random projects, all of which are less than perfect. But there's something to be said for the feeling of creating, of holding something up knowing that you put it together from scratch, that you made something useful from a few yards of fabric. Probably my most successful project was an apron, and it still looks pretty good even though my impatience led me to scrap the pattern and start sewing pieces together where it "looked right". Don't look too closely - rough edges and imperfections are everywhere - but it's practical!

The rest of my summer was spent enjoying Nashville, with outdoor concerts and movies, new restaurants, and good friends. I am in love with this city, and even though my summer is officially over, the season and its festivities continue to live on, and I'll continue to enjoy it all as long as possible. Next up on the agenda: 3 of my favorite musical artists in concert, a 5K Color Run, and the famous East Nashville Tomato Festival (today!).

Next week we are in full swing, and my color-coded schedule says it all:

CRAZINESS. And that's only Monday (and doesn't include our 7am start time)...

Something only your parents care about...

The school year starts Tuesday. TUESDAY. There are many things I am doing to prepare myself, not just for the work itself, but also for the impending crazy schedule that will overtake my life: scheduling a last minute haircut, deep cleaning my condo, stocking up on groceries, and doing every last bit of laundry I can.

Another thing we've been instructed to do before school starts back up is to Google ourselves to make sure nothing pops up that we wouldn't want students to see. So far, the only thing I've found that I wish students couldn't see is my graduation year from college. I like telling them I'm in my forties, and hearing things like, "That's older than my momma!" That's right, I could basically be your momma, so sit yo' tail down and get back to work. (Okay, so maybe that's more applicable to my two years at Enfield, but it still comes out sometimes.)

I did happen to stumble upon a link to a short article that I knew my parents/grandparents would want to see, so here it is, for you all. I didn't know this, but apparently the Tennessee Charter School Association posted Facebook and Twitter updates when they announced the finalists for teacher of the year, and I got my very own posts, with a link to a bio that is a hybrid of their words and mine.

More of my words to come. I'm struggling to synthesize the past 2 months concisely, but I'll do my best.

Happy Sunday!

The Hardest Job Everyone Thinks They Can Do

I know I've been quiet lately, and I promise I'll update soon. But in the meantime, an article I came across that I found quite interesting, called "The Hardest Job Everyone Thinks They can Do." Sometimes, this is exactly what it feels like.

Summer Visitors

My first (and most likely only) summer visitors were none other than...Mom & Dad!

We had a full 4 days, most of which revolved around food and drinks, but really, would you have it any other way? Especially in Nashville, where there is so much to choose from.

On their first day, we spent some time walking around Centennial Park, with stops in front of the famous Parthenon replica and pretty little garden we found. Now if this isn't Christmas card-worthy, I don't know what is:

I wish I could remember the exact order of everything we did, but my memory fails me (in fact, as we were sitting around a meal our last day together, we had a hard time recalling everything we had done - I think that's a good sign!).

I will say this: we were very productive, and very full the entire week. Mom was in the zone, helping me organize, reorganize, and maximize storage space in my small condo. Dad was a true champ, patiently indulging his indecisive girls in multiple trips to Target and the Container Store, and then building two new pieces of furniture for my hallway. I had a few firsts: first time using a power drill, and first time hemming my own clothing (with help from mom). We rewarded ourselves for our hard work with delicious food at some new restaurants and some of Dad's Nashville favorites. Probably one of my favorite "food moments" that week was taking them to Jeni's Splendid Ice Cream in East Nashville. Not only is the ice cream truly unique and delicious (riesling poached pear, whiskey and pecan, brambleberry crisp, and roasted strawberry buttermilk are just a few of the flavors), but they are also always incredibly friendly and patient, encouraging you to sample as many flavors as you want. Knowing my father well enough, we got there a mere hour after it opened to ensure that we would beat the crowd, allowing dad ample time to indulge in the free samples. Sure enough, there was no one else there and we each had our fair share of sample spoons before deciding on our two flavors.

Ice cream heaven:

Other highlights include: seeing Vince Gill at breakfast one morning; enjoying the patio and delicious brisket nachos at Edley's, one of my favorites and one of dad's new favorites; the Bluebird Cafe, where we ran in to family friends from Glen Allen (small world!); and hitting up a karaoke bar on Broadway, where mom talked a big game about getting on stage, until she realized that people who karaoke in Nashville are legitimately amazing singers. Next time, Mom.

As always, a visit from my parents reminds me just how lucky I am to have two incredible people who have loved me unconditionally, supported me in some life-changing decisions, and continue to take care of me even as I've transitioned into adulthood. Mom & Dad, I am grateful for your generosity, your patience, and your unconditional love.

I'm ready for my next round of visitors...who's in?