To Blog or Not to Blog

I feel like there has been so much going on these days I don't even know where to begin. But delve into it I shall...

     For starters I'm training for a half marathon. I joined a running group with a local running store and headed down the path of no return. My dad warned me that it is a slippery, oddly addictive, slightly sick slope. Once you start you can't stop. Part of me hates every step I take but a bigger part of me gets a thrill watching the miles tick by. I've been training for a couple of months at this point but I still don't really feel like I can consider myself a runner. Our longest run at this point has been 11 miles which still kind of amazes me considering I could barely run 4 miles when we started. Now I just need to start working on the speed aspect. :) Let's just say my pace wouldn't take anyone's breath away!
    I joined the running group as a way to branch out and attempt to make friends. Heaven knows I could use a couple of those! So anyways that was my intent; meet some fun people, get a little exercise, carry on living the dream. But it's kind of been more limiting than I envisioned... Early bed times (I'm a stickler for getting a certain amount of sleep) and early mornings on the weekend have been kind of a wet towel on the social front. It's okay though, I'm enjoying what I'm doing and learning that going to bed 7 hours before you have to get up is nothing to stress over to the point of actually only getting 5...
    Last weekend social interaction overpowered the need for speed sleep. I went out with two girls I work with. We had a blast but I definitely learned a couple of things. For starters if you go out with a girl that is 6'2" with blonde hair, blue eyes, and a rockin bod you're going to get noticed. OK so I didn't get noticed but my co-worker sure did. Last weekend I was allowed a glimpse into the life of the rich and famous and honey I am not cut out for that lifestyle! Don't get me wrong, my other co worker and I held our own for a good while. Cutting lines? Check, we can handle that. Chatting it up with rich slightly older men? Check, in the bag. Being oggled at as I walk by? Oh right, again that wasn't me but I was with the girl being oggled! Staying out past midnight? Mmm that's where we started to fall apart. The early bedtimes and mornings have ruined my partying stamina! I can only handle so much inst inst inst past the hour of 1am. So Des and I started to head home, leaving our blonde bombshell to party the early hours away with her bros. We walked aaaand walked aaaand walked until we couldn't walk anymore, but we still weren't home... Turns out we were a bit further from my apartment than we originally thought. We decided to cab it the rest of the way and it was the best 10 bucks I have spent recently!
   The next morning was a little rough but I made to the gym and sweated out the drinks I had the night before. It's all about balance! At times the scale may be a bit uneven but I will get it right one day!

I leave you with that for now friends...

Boy Bands are baaaack because we want it that way

Anyone else watch the Today show this morning? 

Loving this blast from the past, even if they sound a little rough. We all know Nick Carter needed to do something with his life. Now if only NSYNC would jump on this train...

On another note, I'm off to meet with the volunteer coordinator at Ronald McDonald House this morning! Then it's workout time. Let's hope I stay motivated; afternoon workouts are not my thang.

Time to spill. Are you a NSYNC or BSB fan? (yes present tense, you know you still love them) 

Keep on Keepin On

There's a statistic that says one in five teachers will no longer be teaching within the first 5 years of starting their career. I never thought I would contribute to that statistic but here I am writing to tell you that I will not be teaching next year.

I have decided to take a position with a company I interned with for a summer a couple of years back. I will be working in the marketing department surrounded completely by adults, weird.  It was a really difficult decision to make but I feel like it was the right one. After a year of being in the classroom I know what things I really do like about teaching but also the things I don't like so much. This opportunity will allow me to really figure out what I want to be doing!

I think I really struggled with this decision because I didn't want to be considered a "sell out" or somehow minimize how important I feel children are to our world. However, teaching will always be there and if I find out that that's really what I want to be doing then I can always work my way back into it. I have worked with kids since I was a kid because I enjoy their company. Their view of the world is different and interesting to me. Yet there is part of me that is curious what it is like to interact with adults, have adult conversations, have adult conflicts, and push myself to be a professional in a way I have not explored; this opportunity will allow me to do that.

It is time for me to step out of my comfort zone and into a world I don't know much about. To me kids are pretty intuitive but the business world? Not so much. Don't worry though! I've created a plan to keep kids in my life and give back to the community. I will be volunteering at the Ronald McDonald House of Dallas once a week!

We'll see what the world has in store for me but for now I'm taking changes one day at a time. Because, well, that's the name of the game.

Down the Hall and to Your Right

Do you ever feel like an impostor in your own life? Lately that's how I have been feeling. For whatever reason it just occurred to me that the teachers I work with see me as a peer. Simply put, this boggles my mind. How can teachers who are clearly professionals and obviously know exactly what they are doing speak to me as though I am a professional who knows exactly what she is doing? It doesn't make sense. I am supposed to be the student, the teachers are supposed to be telling me what to do; not looking to me for input on how to deal with something.

It feels as though my life has moved forward into the professional world but my mind is still stuck back in school. At times I feel as though I can relate more to the dum dum in the back of the room trying to lick their elbow than the teacher in the front of the room explaining how to find the percent of a number. After all, I have spent 17 years being put into the category of the dum dum (aka student) and only 8 months (!) as the professional. My mind has obviously not caught up with the rest of my life.

For example, today I was walking through the hallway on my way to PE when a voice pierced through my thoughts. "Where's art? Where's art? Excuse me, where is art?" Suddenly it dawned on me that this child was speaking to me! He was asking me where his art class is. This little question set off a series of thoughts. Wait, he was asking me which clearly means he identified me as an adult. And not just any adult but as the adult who would know where his art class is, which means he must have thought I am a teacher. Oh wait, I am a teacher... Well kind of... What exactly am I?

You know the phrase fake it til you make it? That's EXACTLY what I feel like I am doing. Half the time I am making it up as I go and trying not to expose myself for the child I really am. But I am 23! Frighteningly, I'm not a little kid anymore. It's alright for these people to view me as a professional! Question is, when will I stop feeling like I'm pretending to be an adult and actually be one?

Welcome to limbo... The world between adult/student and teacher/wanna be. My name is Haley and I will be your tour guide; that is if I can find my way around this place.

Como se Dice... EVERYTHING

I clearly did not get a bilingual education degree and I clearly am not bilingual on my own in any way. And when I signed up for this whole tutoring gig I was unaware it included Spanish. Who takes Spanish in fifth grade? Not me, that's for sure. But unfortunately these kids DO have Spanish in fifth grade which means it is a continual thorn in my side and I am responsible for helping guide them through the dark. Sadly, it's the blind leading the blind...

For the past 6 months my brain has been stretching and flipping and flopping trying to dig out this hidden treasure called the Spanish language and it has not been pleasant. I did my time. I did my fair share of copying studying with friends. I passed Basic Spanish and left it in the dust four years ago as a high school senior. So why now after it has had the chance to lay dormant for four years am I required to bring it back to the surface? It's as if the foreign language Gods are saying "you WILL learn basic spanish," even if these children do not. And DO NOT they are.... if that makes any sense.

Failing grades, nearly failing grades, and a brief shimmering glimpse of hope, only to be smashed by another ugly grade. How will I teach these children to speak, write, and understand Spanish? It's exhausting trying to stay a step ahead of them while ensuring they master the concept.

This has been the most stressful part of working with the students I tutor and I am open for any suggestions on how to get these kids to absorb the info. I am on my knees begging the foreign language Gods to forgive me for the work with friends copying I did in my time; have mercy on these poor children foreign language Gods, please!

End Rant/Begging/Complaining

When a Uterus becomes an Utter-Us

I'm sure we all remember having to take "Human Growth and Development" when we were in school and let me let you in on a little secret, things haven't changed. Students are still expected to learn about the changes they will experience and the oh-so-uncomfortable section of learning about the opposite sex, heaven forbid. I am not responsible for teaching this but I am responsible for making sure one of the students I tutor gets his homework done...

After shuffling through this student's homework I came across a definition page that he insisted was completed but was obviously not. After a little bit of arguing back and forth he agreed to finish the definitions. They were on female reproductive parts... This student proceeded to mention he was on "utter-us" and "wom", aka uterus and womb. I had no idea what he was talking about but once it dawned on me I couldn't help cracking up! I guess that's what happens when you go to an all boys school and don't have any sisters. And in all honesty I would rather see this innocence than have him know too much before his time.

I Want a Hippopotamus For Christmas

Growing up in Az 99.9 was a staple radio station. Ok lets be honest it's pretty much the only radio station I listened to until I was like sixteen. Delilah was the background music for many car rides home, most memorably from WOW (aka word on wednesday) at church.

Anyway I digress.... one thing I have noticed since being in Dallas for Christmas for the past three years is that they don't play the song I Want a Hippopotamus for Christmas, my favorite christmas song. Sure I could listen to it on youtube but it doesn't hold the same excitement as hearing it come on the radio! I guess it will just have to be a fond memory until some brilliant radio dj decides to surprise me one Christmas. Bah humbug. BUT if that's the only thing I have to complain about I think I'm doing all right. 

For the past two weeks I have been completely enjoying myself with family and being kid free, minus one exception, this little guy!

Colin has gotten so big and I'm so happy I got to spend his first Christmas with him! Unfortunately all good things come to an end and I am back to school on Monday. I feel relaxed and ready to spend some more time with the little monsters angels!

As I head back into the battle zone I’ve been trying to select my arsenal of organizational tools, motivational strategies, and other ways to make kids overall superstars. Tomorrow is the day I lay out my strategy but for tonight I am vegging on the couch with a Friends DVD since last night looked something like this…

 Happy New Year everyone!