Welcome to the Blog for New Horizons, New
Horizons - Rehoboth, and Full Circle Interns. It is hoped that we can stay
better connected through this Blog. I hope you will share stories and
struggles, new experiences and new questions, as well as all you are learning.
Please send any pictures you want to share on the Blog to me (Dr. Meyer) so they
can be posted on the Blog.
I'm
hoping this blog will help to connect everyone. Some will have like experiences
and I'm hoping that will help create a common bond. Some have limited
connectivity but hopefully we can find ways to support each other.
If you have questions, ask. If you have frustrations or joys, share. If you have pictures, post them. We all want to learn.
If you click on the Followers link you will be notified when a new post is made.
If you have questions, ask. If you have frustrations or joys, share. If you have pictures, post them. We all want to learn.
If you click on the Followers link you will be notified when a new post is made.
For
your first post, if you have traveled to your destination, talk about your journey and accommodations. Are you feeling
settled yet? If you are home, talk about how you have made arrangements to be a professional at the home front. Have you had to make any changes in what you do, how you do things, your role in the home, expectations from family and friends, etc.
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Over Friday and Saturday I drove down here to Rehoboth. It was a good time. I love driving and road trips, so this was a good time. My goal was to leave on Friday morning at 9:00. I did pretty well. I think I actually left my house at 9:45, which is good considering my track record with leaving on time. I had my Twizzlers and Golffish crackers to munch on when I got tired and I was set. I drove straight through to St. Louis without stopping. I missed an exit that I was supposed to take, but while I stopped for gas and lunch I figured out what I had to do to get back on track. I do not have a GPS or a smart phone so I had to use an atlas and directions I printed out from the computer before I left. I got back on the road and headed towards Fayetteville, Arkansas. I have a friend, Mary, who lives there, who I stayed with for the night. I got there around 8:00pm and we went over to her fiancé’s apartment and had a game night with friends.
ReplyDeleteI got up bright and early in the morning had some breakfast and mapped out my route to Rehoboth. I said goodbye to Mary and left her place around 9:00. I literally drove down one interstate for 850 miles. It wasn’t too exciting but it was a nice sunny day there were some great views. I stopped a couple of times for food and gas, but never for more than 10 minutes. I made to Rehoboth at 9:30pm Mountain Time zone. I brought a couple things inside to my friend’s apartment and I she showed me around her building. I am staying in one of the dorms in her building, but I don’t have any keys or anything yet. Throughout today (Sunday) I have been bringing in more of my stuff, and just placing it in various places in my friend’s apartment waiting until I officially have a room. I’m looking forward to starting tomorrow and actually moving into the dorm room that I will be staying in. I’m hoping once I have some things unpacked I will feel more settled, but for right now, it still hasn’t really set in that I’m going to be here for seven weeks.
Currently Michigan (and Illinois, I hear) is an artic tundra right now. It is Monday, the 6th, and I was supposed to start student teaching today, but it was a snow day. And I checked the news website a short time ago and guess what... another snow day tomorrow! So I'm just waiting patiently (sometimes) for the weather to clear enough to start this placement.
ReplyDeleteA quick background about my placement for you all to know before I get to discussing what it's like being at home for this experience. I'll be at NorthPointe Christian High School in Grand Rapids. I'm working with two different teachers, and plan to be teaching 3 sections of 9th grade English and 2 of 12th grade English daily. This week is NorthPointe's j-term, which is like interim. So the students and teachers have some classes that aren't normally part of their schedule for this week. One of my teachers isn't even teaching for this week, because she's the coordinator of the whole week. Thus, this week I was primarily going to get to know the students, staff, and school and then start observing the teachers' styles and classrooms at the beginning of next week.
It hasn't been too bad being at home. People at church keep asking me when I'm going back to school, so I've given my "well, I'll be around the area for another seven weeks because I'm student teaching" speech many a time. My parents forget sometimes that I've been organizing my own schedule and making decisions myself for a long time, so don't need them to do it for me, but they've actually been pretty good at allowing me freedom and space and to work independently as I have for many years. I've also had to change my mindset as I prepare to student teach here. Usually, being at home means the ability to do what I want, visit old friends and favorite places, and just relax. However, I don't have that time necessarily; I have work to do. So I'm trying to remember that and not make too many plans until I get a better idea of what each night's workload will be like. It's also important to remind my extended family and my friends of this fact; though I love having wonderful friends and grandparents, but they sometimes seem to think because I'm home for now I'll be able to visit them or go out with them often, which won't always be the case. So everyone is adjusting their attitudes about this experience.
I'm pretty pumped to begin. The teachers seem like they'll be good people to work with, we have a plan that I'm excited about, and I have a good amount of support behind me. So though I'm stalled for now, I look forward to what this week will bring.
I will second Becca's arctic tundra comment- it is insanely cold and snowy here. I have about 18 inches of snow in my front yard, and many of the roads by my house have yet to be plowed. My school district had to cancel school today and yesterday because of the weather, so I am hoping to start student teaching tomorrow.
ReplyDeleteI am completing these first seven weeks in a small rural elementary school called Alamo Elementary. I will be working in a kindergarten classroom. I'm very excited to get started! I haven't met my students yet, but I have met my teacher and my principal and they are both WONDERFUL. I will have 19 students, one of which is starting their first day at Alamo tomorrow also.
Living at home for the next seven weeks will be an adjustment, but it should be a fairly easy one. I have been working to create some type of desk space in my room so that it feels studious. My house is generally pretty quiet, but if it gets too rowdy I can retreat to my room to grade and plan. One area that will be a huge adjustment is internet. My house near Trinity has wireless internet that is so speedy and wonderful, but my house in Kzoo has internet that is one step up from dial-up. I'm sure there will be many trips made to the local library or café. I'm sure that this will be inconvenient some nights, so I will have to plan according to my schedule.
Even though Trinity is only two hours away from Kzoo, I have ALWAYS had a hard time with being away from home. These next seven weeks, although filled with stress from student teaching, will be the least stressful because I am with family. I am looking forward to having Mom close by for support, and being in the same state as my fiancé for once is a nice change. (:
I hope that all of you had/have a wonderful first day. Jenna- get tan. Jon- make some sweet art. Becca- stay warm.
Howdy! This is part of the rambling email I just sent to friends and family. I promise to write better next time, but I only have about 10 minutes between things here today on my first day.
ReplyDeletemidday break kind of right now so I asked to send a quick email. don't know about internet at the house yet so communication might be spotty for a few days :(
I got home at 2 am. I was supposed to fly out saturday but got delayed to Tuesday. first flight was delayed so I had 1 hour to catch connecting flight. found fellow teachers when I got to new york and our second flight was delayed so God was good and it all worked out.
I went to bed. REAL hot but I had a fan. I laid there still trying to cool off
I slept well but it was short.
I woke up after hearing rustling in the apartment and I figured it was time to get up--4 hours later (I had tried to set my alarm the night before and do the math because my phone was still an hour off). I walked out, my roommate asked if I was coming to school today. I said yeah I think I have to. She responded with okay because you have 2 minutes.
Sooooooo I just put on capris, a top, and my TOMS and off I went.
side note-there is a lizard on the garbage can next to my desk right now oh hey.
The bus comes to my house at 6:40 and leaves from the school at 4 pm every day. I had another teacher give me a granola bar for breakfast on the bus as I hadn't had time to eat.
Tomorrow if i get my phone switched over I'll have a lot more luck.
Highlights from the day so far.... it's real sunny and hot :) feels good but makes me more tired. I had a student ask me what the word horny meant. i responded with I cant tell you that's inappropriate. the teacher explained that they are going to say it is when a girl or a guy like the other.
I also got to start my day with coffee in a PIG MUG!! haha it'll be my designated mug :)
I also saw a tarantula this morning. I guess they are common. That's fun!
We are on the fourth floor of the apartment building.
today after school my one roommate is going to take me shopping. I just am flying by the seat of my pants so it's all a little overwhelming.
I hope i can get internet to work at the apartment so I can talk to you all a little more at the ends of my days.
I am busy here which keeps my mind off of things and just makes me think I'm aiding. The students seem to respond well to me but we'll see when I'm in charge of teaching.
I also watched 1.5 movies on the plane last night and didn't sleep on the second flight. again, I was thankful I could connect with some of the girls who are teachers here too. Wide variety of teachers :) some young couples who are both teaching and married living here. other single girls. my cooperating teacher married a Dominican man so they live down here.
Again, hope i can connect more to keep you all in the loop and not miss out on too much but as of now I'm feeling comfortable and confident here as well.
OP lunch :) had rice and chicken... its a dish I've had before in peru maybe... it's good. just have to get used to how things work around here.
there's my babbled mind of the last 8 hours :)
i'll try to have my blog to keep everyone posted, but that's only going to be possible with Wi-fi (might be harder to find then I thought)
Hope you enjoyed those tid-bits of the Dominican lifestyle I've experienced so far. Here's to our 7 weeks of adventure!