Shed Project

Kevin has been hard at work building a shed for all our yard equipment. He is doing a great job! Yesterday, he finished up the shingles and hopefully this weekend, he will be putting the doors on. After that, we need to wait a little bit before we go ahead and paint it. It will be great to get some things out of the garage and into the shed. I am ready to not hit my car door on the lawn mower every time I get out of the car. I am ready for more room in our garage! Now let's hope that doesn't mean our shed will be jam packed. :)

Happy Spring!

So is it really still March? It's hard to believe with this 80 degree weather we're having on the first day of Spring. I'm not complaining by any means. I LOVE it! I just hope this doesn't mean we have an unbearable summer. I also hope that it stays nice and that we don't get snow in the next couple weeks. Buddy is liking the weather, too. He is, however, a bit hot (he is sitting in front of the fan as I type this)! I think a haircut is in store for his very near future. We weren't expecting to get his hair cut quite this soon but he's going to need it.


Well, my weekend was fun and again the weather was just wonderful. Kevin also had a good weekend. He has some funny stories from his trip to Washington D.C. Let's just say, we're glad he even made it to D.C.!


GIRL'S DAY!
Saturday, I had a girl's day and we did some crafting. I worked on two things and where do you think I got my ideas? Pinterest, of course! I made these shoes (well, I just colored them with permanent marker) and I made a tie-dye t-shirt with fabric spray paint. It turned out really good. Sorry, I don't have a picture of it. 

the awesome shoes i made!

KEVIN'S CRAZY D.C. TRIP!

Kevin left for Washington D.C. early Friday and 7 1/2 hours after they were scheduled to get there, they finally made it. He chaperoned 8th graders from his district's middle school. This is the 4th time he has gone on this trip and it was the biggest group he has gone with. Because the group was so large, they were on 2 separate flights. Kevin and his mentor teacher from his first year of teaching were together on one flight, while the rest of the group was on another flight that flew directly from Grand Rapids to Baltimore and this group made it to D.C. on time. Kevin and Nancy, however, did not. They had a lay over in Cleveland, but because of the heavy fog we had on Friday morning, they were unable to leave Grand Rapids in time and ended up missing their connecting flight in Cleveland. When they finally arrived in Cleveland, they had to wait several more hours and finally got a flight to Philadelphia. Once there, they booked a bus (which happened to be a limo party bus) to take the rest of the way to Baltimore. The students that were in his and Nancy's group didn't complain once ... impressive! They were very optimistic and were excited to ride in a limo for 2 1/2 hours! Kevin's group finally made it to D.C. just in time for dinner. Even after all the hassles he had, he did have a great time on his trip and he had great weather! He is excited to go again next year! He took some great pictures. Enjoy. 

 the MLK monument is new. it was under construction when kevin was in D.C. last year.

 kevin in front of the Iwo Jima monument. kevin shared with me some very cool facts about this. there are 6 men holding up the flag, but there are only 11 legs and there are 13 hands. one hand is said to signify the hand of God.

 Arlington National Cemetery

 Changing of the Guards at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier

 a painting that represents September 11

 parts of the National Cathedral that fell during the earthquake in 2011

 Capitol Building

 The White House

 Iwo Jima at night

kevin with some of the chaperons. he wasn't the only male chaperon.  

Get outside and enjoy this beautiful weather we're having! Oh and HAPPY SPRING! :)

How Teaching Has Impacted Me

As I was looking for a disc with my subbing files on it, I came across some pictures from my first long-term subbing job at Oakridge. (I have many photos but for obvious reasons, I will not be posting these on this blog). These were some of the best students I have taught. I was their 5th grade long-term substitute and now they are in high school...yep HIGH SCHOOL! Can you believe it? I just hope I made a big enough impact on them for the short time I was there that they will always remember me. I had 3 groups of 5th graders. Two groups I taught Science to and the other group was my main class.

I also had a great group of 1st graders for my Student Teaching semester, also at Oakridge, and now these kids are in 5th grade. It's been awesome watching them grow as I have subbed at their school for the past 3 1/2 years. My Teacher Assisting kids I haven't seen since that ended, because they are in Wyoming Public Schools, but those were 3rd graders and now they are in middle school. I can't believe how fast the time has gone by and how quickly it seems they have all grown up. 

In the fall of 2010, I also did a long-term sub job in 4th grade at Oakridge (my home away from home). These kids are only in 5th grade now, but I know they will be in high school before I know it. 

Along with those teaching gigs, I have also spent time as a parapro at Lincoln Park and Ross Park, both a part of Mona Shores, and I have enjoyed that job just as much as teaching. These jobs gave me the opportunity to work one-on-one with struggling students. I really loved the time I got to spend with individual students and watch them grow as they learned! 

All of the teachers and administrators I have worked with have all been welcoming and encouraging. Muskegon County has great teachers and great students. And even though I haven't had a classroom of my own YET (one day I will), I have learned a lot from all the students and teachers I have been privileged to work with. It has made me into a better educator, has instilled patience in me, and has given me the opportunity to encounter all walks of life and all different backgrounds. 

As I look back and think about the opportunities I've had to be a teacher and paraprofessional, I have felt honored and blessed to have taught such great kids and I hope they never forget me. I've had some great experiences as a substitute teacher and parapro. I can't wait until the day I get a classroom of my own!

I am proud to say that I am a teacher no matter what becomes of the education system. The kids of today are our future and we should all remember that.  I don't want to get into the politics of education but we really need to remember that one day, these kids will be "running the show."

Enjoy your weekend!

Manhood

Today Buddy has his procedure to be neutered. I dropped him off at the vet's office this morning and we won't get to see him until this afternoon. It's so weird without him here. We can't wait to see him later! We're sure everything will go smoothly and hopefully he won't be too  out of it when we pick him up. I hope he isn't mad at me for dropping him off to get the surgery. He was excited to be there. He loves all the workers there ... well, he loves everyone! I felt bad for leaving him there but I know he is in good hands. Say a little prayer for my little Buddy. :)