September turned out to be a pretty hectic month for me, with camp and then the "big" move shortly after getting back from camp. It's time for some more background information about my job. The reason the 8th grade job was available was because the former 8th grade Language Arts teacher took on a different position at our school...intervention specialist. That meant she no longer would have a classroom but would be compiling and studying lots of data. The only problem, she had already made plans to have a student teacher. Since she had the student teacher it was decided that the student teacher would slowly take over my classes during her time with us.
We had enough rooms out in the portables (where the 7th and 8th grade is housed along with the options program...for kids with behavior problems that prohibit them from being able to function in a regular classroom) that Jodi (the former 8th grade teacher) and I could each have our own rooms. That was until September when another classroom was needed for the options program. The solution...Jodi and I would share a classroom and the 8th grade math teacher would move in to my old classroom.
On moving day I was still packing things up as things were coming in, going out, and kids were here, there and everywhere. And in the middle of it all the preschool calls and Nathan had just thrown up. Talk about a crazy day! Yup, I should have stayed in Kindergarten!
I was going through my work email about a month ago looking for something and I found an email from Jodi referring to this as the "big" move. Oh if only this were the big move. It turned out to be very minor compared to what was in store for me next.
Saturday, March 12, 2011
I should have stayed in Kindergarten!
I don't know if I shared this on here or not, but I was originally hired to teach kindergarten at our school. For anyone that knows me well you would know that I went to school for elementary education with a very heavy focus on teaching middle school. I student taught in a middle school, my first teaching job in Detroit was for 6th grade, and I coached middle school cheerleading. I just love middle schoolers, so the thought of teaching kindergarten scared me...a lot! So when our principal called me in mid-July and said there was an 8th grade Language Arts position available it was a no-brainer for me, that was more my speed and a lot less scary sounding. Little did I know what I was in for when I took this position. I have more than once found myself saying, "I should have stayed in Kindergarten!"
This year the 7th and 8th grade students at our school went away to camp for a week in September. Camp Sky Y, in Prescott, AZ. It was a leadership/high adventure type camp. I was excited to go and overall it was a lot of fun, except for one thing...my first "I should have stayed in Kindergarten!" moment. One of the activities was a high ropes course. The students could choose one of 3 options. They could do a single person ropes course, a two person ropes course (which was about 15 or so feet higher than the single person course), or they could go on a huge giant swing. I thought the swing looked like great fun, even though I am deathly afraid of heights. I would love come my fear to experience that swing!
As I am standing around waiting for my turn over comes Fred (our principal) and asks if I'd gone up to do the ropes course yet. I said that I hadn't, but I was waiting my turn to do the swing. And before I knew it I was harnessed up and climbing, nervously up the pole to the two person ropes course.
I get to the top and got scared. Fred was already up there waiting for me and helped me get across the first challenge. That was when I froze. I was at a pole and hugged that pole for dear life. I couldn't even change my own harness I was so scared. The second leg of the challenge was way harder than the first and I had to do it alone. It was jumping from platform to platform, but the platforms were very small and they weren't completely stationary. I got across one, then two, then three, even four. But then the gaps between got a little bigger and I really struggled. I probably stood there a good 20 minutes afraid to move. I was in tears, my students were trying to help talk me across the last 2 platforms. Finally "E" (a student)who had my ground rope had an idea to get me across using the ground rope. He said to hold on to it and he would pull me across. So that was what I did. Seriously, if it weren't for "E" I'd probably still be up on that silly ropes course.
The last leg of the course was easy and fun. If I hadn't been so shaken from the previous part I may have enjoyed it more. And then getting down was a blast. It was like repelling down an invisible wall. Once my feet hit the ground I instantly fell and kissed the ground and said the words, "I should have stayed in Kindergarten!"
There have been a few other times those words have been uttered from my mouth this year, but they will have to wait for another time.
This year the 7th and 8th grade students at our school went away to camp for a week in September. Camp Sky Y, in Prescott, AZ. It was a leadership/high adventure type camp. I was excited to go and overall it was a lot of fun, except for one thing...my first "I should have stayed in Kindergarten!" moment. One of the activities was a high ropes course. The students could choose one of 3 options. They could do a single person ropes course, a two person ropes course (which was about 15 or so feet higher than the single person course), or they could go on a huge giant swing. I thought the swing looked like great fun, even though I am deathly afraid of heights. I would love come my fear to experience that swing!
As I am standing around waiting for my turn over comes Fred (our principal) and asks if I'd gone up to do the ropes course yet. I said that I hadn't, but I was waiting my turn to do the swing. And before I knew it I was harnessed up and climbing, nervously up the pole to the two person ropes course.
I get to the top and got scared. Fred was already up there waiting for me and helped me get across the first challenge. That was when I froze. I was at a pole and hugged that pole for dear life. I couldn't even change my own harness I was so scared. The second leg of the challenge was way harder than the first and I had to do it alone. It was jumping from platform to platform, but the platforms were very small and they weren't completely stationary. I got across one, then two, then three, even four. But then the gaps between got a little bigger and I really struggled. I probably stood there a good 20 minutes afraid to move. I was in tears, my students were trying to help talk me across the last 2 platforms. Finally "E" (a student)who had my ground rope had an idea to get me across using the ground rope. He said to hold on to it and he would pull me across. So that was what I did. Seriously, if it weren't for "E" I'd probably still be up on that silly ropes course.
The last leg of the course was easy and fun. If I hadn't been so shaken from the previous part I may have enjoyed it more. And then getting down was a blast. It was like repelling down an invisible wall. Once my feet hit the ground I instantly fell and kissed the ground and said the words, "I should have stayed in Kindergarten!"
There have been a few other times those words have been uttered from my mouth this year, but they will have to wait for another time.
Nathan Goes to School
Teachers reported back to school the last week of July and students were back the first week of August. We found a home daycare for the kiddos but it was clear after one day that while it was great for Emily it was not a perfect fit for Nathan. He was not acting like himself at all when we picked him up that first day and the next morning he did NOT want to go. It was hard getting him out of the car and in to the house. Thankfully we found out that our school district was opening their preschool up to full-time, tuition based students. We got special permission to enroll Nathan (since we are out of district) and he started school on August 5th. Here he is on the car on the way to school, outside his classroom, and then headed in to all the fun!
Now I know what you may be thinking. I sent my kid to preschool...isn't that against everything I believe in eduction? In short- yes, but he was thrilled with the idea, especially if it meant he didn't have to go to the home daycare anymore. The goal is still to get back to a place in life where I can home school and do my unschooling thing for a while before starting anything formal but for now life is what it is. It has been rough since Nathan is in a 3 year old class and is actually regressing a bit academically to try to fit in with his classmates. We are actually strongly considering early kindergarten for him if our circumstances stay as they currently are come August.
August was full of very long days and being tired and exhausted. I was quite homesick and stressed most of the time. I'm happy to report that while we still have very long days and are tired and exhausted we are a bit happier now and not as stressed. Teaching this year has been hard on many levels, more about that later, but I am surviving and what doesn't kill me will nly make me stronger!
Now I know what you may be thinking. I sent my kid to preschool...isn't that against everything I believe in eduction? In short- yes, but he was thrilled with the idea, especially if it meant he didn't have to go to the home daycare anymore. The goal is still to get back to a place in life where I can home school and do my unschooling thing for a while before starting anything formal but for now life is what it is. It has been rough since Nathan is in a 3 year old class and is actually regressing a bit academically to try to fit in with his classmates. We are actually strongly considering early kindergarten for him if our circumstances stay as they currently are come August. August was full of very long days and being tired and exhausted. I was quite homesick and stressed most of the time. I'm happy to report that while we still have very long days and are tired and exhausted we are a bit happier now and not as stressed. Teaching this year has been hard on many levels, more about that later, but I am surviving and what doesn't kill me will nly make me stronger!
July 2010
So many things to say about living here that I simply haven't had time to post about. So now that I have a moment I thought I'd try to get at least a couple posts done. When we arrived in Arozona on July 1st we literally had the stuff in our van and that was it. We had the TV and computer, a few pots, clothes, pillows, and sleeping bags and that was about it. Thanks to my messgae board addiction I already had some friends out here in AZ (not strange creepy people met in a chat room a week before the move but actual people I've been "friends" with online for a few years) that were already anticipating our arrival. One of these amazing ladies loaned us an air mattress (which I am ashamed to admit I still have and it's now March) so we didn't have to sleep on the floor.
We sold a lot of our furniture in Michigan to save space on the moving truck and because we had no idea how much space we'd have in the apartment so we figured we'd get a smaller couch (we had a wrap-around) once we got here. So we figured out where a few furniture stores were and set out on our journey to find a red couch. We asked Nathan what color we should get and that is what he said. Jon and I had actually both been thinking a red couch would be quite fun even before Nathan said red so we were totally on board! The couch was delivered before our moving truck arrived so we at least had somewhere to sit now.
Finally on my birthday (July 7th) our moving truck rolled in. Happy Birthday to me, I get all my old crap back, lol. We had an awesome crew of people from church helping us move in. The truck could not get into our complex so it parked across the street and everything was loaded off the truck into our van or the two pick-ups people brought with them then driven to our unit and unloaded and carried up the stairs. It was quite the operation but it was done quickly.
One of the perks of moving to AZ for our little family was being a relatively short drive away from Disneyland! Since the job lay-off in MI and the subsequent move meant we had to cancel a big Disney World trip we had planned for August we were even more anxious to go to Disneyland. We decided to book a trip for Fall Break (mid-October). After a few days we were thinking that we could get annual passes for a great price that would totally pay for themselves if we just made 2 trips to Disneyland this year so we quickly booked a July trip and left a few days later.
The kids loved Disneyland. We were surprised about how much they remember from last year when we went to Disney World (if you haven't figured it out we are kinda Disney freaks here). Here are some pics from the trip.
At a potty break for Nathan we saw this seen. That WAS a fire hydrant. Someone was having a rotten day for sure!
We were mean parents and made Nathan go on a few rides that he was a bit scared of. Hey, at least we warmed him up with the little kid coaster before taking him on Space Mountain. To this day he is still afraid of elevators because we took him on Tower of Terror.
We sold a lot of our furniture in Michigan to save space on the moving truck and because we had no idea how much space we'd have in the apartment so we figured we'd get a smaller couch (we had a wrap-around) once we got here. So we figured out where a few furniture stores were and set out on our journey to find a red couch. We asked Nathan what color we should get and that is what he said. Jon and I had actually both been thinking a red couch would be quite fun even before Nathan said red so we were totally on board! The couch was delivered before our moving truck arrived so we at least had somewhere to sit now.
Finally on my birthday (July 7th) our moving truck rolled in. Happy Birthday to me, I get all my old crap back, lol. We had an awesome crew of people from church helping us move in. The truck could not get into our complex so it parked across the street and everything was loaded off the truck into our van or the two pick-ups people brought with them then driven to our unit and unloaded and carried up the stairs. It was quite the operation but it was done quickly.
One of the perks of moving to AZ for our little family was being a relatively short drive away from Disneyland! Since the job lay-off in MI and the subsequent move meant we had to cancel a big Disney World trip we had planned for August we were even more anxious to go to Disneyland. We decided to book a trip for Fall Break (mid-October). After a few days we were thinking that we could get annual passes for a great price that would totally pay for themselves if we just made 2 trips to Disneyland this year so we quickly booked a July trip and left a few days later.
The kids loved Disneyland. We were surprised about how much they remember from last year when we went to Disney World (if you haven't figured it out we are kinda Disney freaks here). Here are some pics from the trip.
Welcome to California! We realized after this trip that our van has pretty much been driven coast to coast now. We went out to New Jersey a couple years ago and now it has been to California.
At a potty break for Nathan we saw this seen. That WAS a fire hydrant. Someone was having a rotten day for sure!
Disneyland and California Adventure:
We were mean parents and made Nathan go on a few rides that he was a bit scared of. Hey, at least we warmed him up with the little kid coaster before taking him on Space Mountain. To this day he is still afraid of elevators because we took him on Tower of Terror.
Nathan is such the Ladies' Man. He's got a way with these Princesses!
And the Fairies just can't resist him either. Seriously, Tinkerbell had a 5 minute conversation with him, completely holding up the long line of people behind us!
We made it back just in time for new teacher orientation and then life got very busy! A few other things we did do in July were find an indoor mall with play area (perfect for those 115+ degree days) and an outdoor mall with splash fountain and Coldstone for the 90 or so degree evenings. So much fun!
And the Fairies just can't resist him either. Seriously, Tinkerbell had a 5 minute conversation with him, completely holding up the long line of people behind us!
Sunday, January 16, 2011
The final leg of the drive: Albuquerque to Phoenix
July 1, 2010, the day we are to arrive at our new home. After saying good bye to our friends in Albuquerque we were on our way to Phoenix. It was a day of excitement and relief to finally get out of the car!
We don't have many pictures from this final leg of the journey, the battery on the camera was very low and we knew we would want a few key shots. We really began to see a change in landscape as the plains changed to mountain and desert.
We crossed into Arizona:
Not too long after entering AZ it was time to exit I-40. We basically could have gone one of two ways to get to Phoenix, down the mountain or through Flagstaff. Our friend the GPS told us go down the mountain! I (Michelle) was driving and lets just say the GPS and I have suffered some major fall-out in our friendship after that experience! Quite possibly the scariest thing ever. It doesn't help that there was also a rather large construction project happening. But we made it out alive and as we reached the valley we knew we were "home." We just happened to arrive on what was one of the hottest days of the entire summer. Really, the heat wasn't too bad.
We knew it would be a few days before our moving truck arrived so we had some basics with us in the van, a box of kitchen equipment, sleeping bags, TV, computer. Thanks again to the generosity of strangers, who are now friends, we were able to borrow an air mattress so we weren't sleeping on the floor. We went out to dinner, then to Walmart (oh Meijer how I miss you dearly) and got a few groceries and things that we knew we would need (garabge can, cleaning supplies, etc). We were a bit surprised when we left Walmart around 8pm or so and it was DARK outside. It was the middle of summer and we were not expecting that, but then I remembered that AZ doesn't participate in daylight savings time so it made sense that it was dark that early.
And so there you have it, our drive from Michigan to Phoenix!
We don't have many pictures from this final leg of the journey, the battery on the camera was very low and we knew we would want a few key shots. We really began to see a change in landscape as the plains changed to mountain and desert.
We crossed into Arizona:
Not too long after entering AZ it was time to exit I-40. We basically could have gone one of two ways to get to Phoenix, down the mountain or through Flagstaff. Our friend the GPS told us go down the mountain! I (Michelle) was driving and lets just say the GPS and I have suffered some major fall-out in our friendship after that experience! Quite possibly the scariest thing ever. It doesn't help that there was also a rather large construction project happening. But we made it out alive and as we reached the valley we knew we were "home." We just happened to arrive on what was one of the hottest days of the entire summer. Really, the heat wasn't too bad.
We knew it would be a few days before our moving truck arrived so we had some basics with us in the van, a box of kitchen equipment, sleeping bags, TV, computer. Thanks again to the generosity of strangers, who are now friends, we were able to borrow an air mattress so we weren't sleeping on the floor. We went out to dinner, then to Walmart (oh Meijer how I miss you dearly) and got a few groceries and things that we knew we would need (garabge can, cleaning supplies, etc). We were a bit surprised when we left Walmart around 8pm or so and it was DARK outside. It was the middle of summer and we were not expecting that, but then I remembered that AZ doesn't participate in daylight savings time so it made sense that it was dark that early.
And so there you have it, our drive from Michigan to Phoenix!
The Drive to AZ: OKC to Albuquerque
Waking up June 30, 2010, we were a bit excited. Today we were driving to Albuquerque and we were actually staying with people we knew! Just a week before we left Michigan we had some friends leave as well and they moved to Albuquerque. Jokingly one day, as we were planning our drive I mention to the husband that we could just stay with them in Albuquerque for a night and was shocked the next day when the wife told me they were excited for us to stay with them. How amazing that even though they'd only be there a few days themselves they would open their home to us on our way to Phoenix.
Jon and I were also excited to drive through Texas, even if it was just a small part of Texas, since neither of us had ever been to Texas. We made a point to stop and eat in Amarillo. just to say we'd done it. Yup we are dorky like that!
Oil rig in Oklahoma. It's the simple things that amuse us.
Red dirt! It is the REALLY simple things that truly amuse us, lol!
I get the whole wind energy thing, but putting the turbines on the side of the highway is VERY distracting to those of us not used to them (side note, this wasn't too bad, on a future trip to LA there were probably thousands of them for a good stretch of the road and it was beyond distracting):
Entering Texas:
Jon really got a kick out of these billboards scattered along our drive:
This was the only place we've ever seen a different speed limit depending on the time of day (well minus a school zone):
Hmmm... Leaning Water Tower of Texas?
Entering New Mexico, we are almost to our new home, just one more state away!
Jon and I were also excited to drive through Texas, even if it was just a small part of Texas, since neither of us had ever been to Texas. We made a point to stop and eat in Amarillo. just to say we'd done it. Yup we are dorky like that!
Oil rig in Oklahoma. It's the simple things that amuse us.
Red dirt! It is the REALLY simple things that truly amuse us, lol!
I get the whole wind energy thing, but putting the turbines on the side of the highway is VERY distracting to those of us not used to them (side note, this wasn't too bad, on a future trip to LA there were probably thousands of them for a good stretch of the road and it was beyond distracting):
Entering Texas:
Jon really got a kick out of these billboards scattered along our drive:
This was the only place we've ever seen a different speed limit depending on the time of day (well minus a school zone):
Hmmm... Leaning Water Tower of Texas?
Entering New Mexico, we are almost to our new home, just one more state away!
The Drive to AZ: St Louis to OKC
So it's been over 6 months since we first departed MI on our way to AZ, what better time to get caught up, right?
The next leg of our trip was driving from St. Louis to Oklahoma City. Again we would be staying with a family we had never met, but had offered us a place to stay for the night. And this family also were the ones that arranged our stay in St. Louis since they themselves had recently lived there and knew people. In OKC we stayed with the oldest child of a family that Jon and I had grown up with. To make things a little more comfortable, upon arrival I was surprised to see that one of the other "children" is the family, one I had known since he was around my age, was there visiting as well.
I suppose they call this area of the country the "plains states" for a reason. Driving along I-40 was, to be honest, a bit dull...beautiful, but dull.
This picture reminded Jon and I of The Amazing Race!
Entering Oklahoma:
On a funny note, while staying at our overnight accommodations Jon received a phone call for an interview for a job in Texas. We actually were really interested in the area of Texas that was calling but seeing as we were half way to AZ he had to turn it down.
The next leg of our trip was driving from St. Louis to Oklahoma City. Again we would be staying with a family we had never met, but had offered us a place to stay for the night. And this family also were the ones that arranged our stay in St. Louis since they themselves had recently lived there and knew people. In OKC we stayed with the oldest child of a family that Jon and I had grown up with. To make things a little more comfortable, upon arrival I was surprised to see that one of the other "children" is the family, one I had known since he was around my age, was there visiting as well.
I suppose they call this area of the country the "plains states" for a reason. Driving along I-40 was, to be honest, a bit dull...beautiful, but dull.
This picture reminded Jon and I of The Amazing Race!
Entering Oklahoma:
On a funny note, while staying at our overnight accommodations Jon received a phone call for an interview for a job in Texas. We actually were really interested in the area of Texas that was calling but seeing as we were half way to AZ he had to turn it down.
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