98 More Days!

Well, Phil and I are making progress with our future life together. Yesterday we finally agreed on where to move and when to move in together. This has not been an easy decision as we both have leases ending before the wedding date. We also went through a time period of looking at one place and loving it, but then looking at another place and liking that one even more. We finally agreed to rent an mid-size apartment in my current community for the next year. By doing this, we can save a few thousand dollars to purchase a house next year (unless Phil decides to go to grad school and we move to either Texas or Tallahassee). We are getting very excited about this next step. Now we get to decide which furniture stays and which goes. Sound like fun, huh?

Oh, the wedding invitations came in last night. I was so nervous about how they turned out that I made Phil look at them first. They are GORGEOUS!! I cannot wait to send the out!!

Only 98 more days!!!

Where I'm At...

I can feel God working in me. This is where I'm at right now:

From The Inside Out

by Hillsong United

A thousand times I've failed
Still Your mercy remains

And should I stumble again
I'm caught in Your grace
Everlasting
Your light will shine when all else fades
Never ending
Your glory goes beyond all fame

Your will above all else
My purpose remains
The art of losing myself
In bringing You praise
Everlasting
Your light will shine when all else fades
Never ending
Your glory goes beyond all fame

In my heart and my soul
Lord I give You control
Consume me from the inside out
Lord let justice and praise
Become my embrace
To love you from the inside out

Everlasting
Your light will shine when all else fades
Never ending
Your glory goes beyond all fame
And the cry of my heart
Is to bring You praise
From the inside out
Lord my soul cries out

Updates...

Wow! It has been a long time since I've posted an update.

Work is fantastic this year. I have wonderful students, small classes, and a great curriculum. I am teaching a new class this year (out of the three that I teach), and am the only teacher with this class, so I get to form the curriculum. I am finally teaching English the way I want to--very rigorous and in-depth. The county is adding lots of pressure to content-area teachers and that has been a lot to deal with, but knowing that my students are learning has been worth it all. This FCAT monster needs to go away-it is destroying Florida education. Let me rephrase that: it's not the test that is destroying the education, it's the way the government is using the test. It's really sad. I refuse to teach to that test...EVER. I happen to be a good teacher, so I get away with a lot of things, but I feel bad for many students who don't have effective teachers and are only learning what's on the test.

School is going well. I just closed out my third semester with straight As; I currently have a 3.8 GPA. I wish I had done this well as an undergrad. I am learning a lot about how to teach reading to students, but I think my area of specialtise will be in professional development for teachers. County officials continue to jump on the latest and greatest trends to sweep through the nation, not visiting classrooms to check on relevance. I think I want to work with content-area teachers and equip them with strategies to help with literacy growth in their classrooms. I still have a few months to decide, so we'll see where I go with that.

My family is doing okay. We all spent Thanksgiving at Cheryl and Brian's house. We cooked together and had a lot of fun doing it! I could tell it was difficult for my mom not having my dad there, but he'll be home on January 5th. It sounds like he is doing well and is really looking forward to being back.

Wedding planning is fabulous! We are having a lot of fun with it. All of the big things have been taken care of such as DJ, venue, flowers, etc... Phil took care of the tuxes; I took care of the bridemaids dresses. I bought my dress a few months ago and am currently working on accessories. I have been trying to update the wedding website with as many details as possible, but we're at a standstill. When January rolls around, we are going to work on saving blocks of rooms at some of the nearby hotels. Then we'll work on the nitty-gritty: invitations, moving into a new apartment, honeymoon, etc...

I think that's it for now. We're off to Chicago for a few days, so I'll post another update and pictures when we get back. Also, if you're in town for Christmas Eve, CrossPointe is having three services this year: 10:30 am, 5:30 & 7:30 pm. Come on out and join us. I'll be singing so be sure to wave when you come in.

Ciao!

School Violence

I am sure that if you have listened to, watched, or read the news at least once during the past month or so, you've seen something about an instance of school violence. Pennsylvania, Colorado, Florida...

This week in Orange County, the county in which I call home, the school system that signs my paychecks, the area that I devote so much time to, experienced three acts of violence. Two attempts to cause harm were diverted; one resulted in the death of a 15-year-old boy. Last Monday, a 17-year-old student walked into his high school carrying a semi-automatic gun and ten bullets in his backpack. Luckily someone told the school administration and the student was apprehended and arrested before someone could get hurt. The news reported that he had the intention to kill.

On Friday, an 11-year-old student brought five knives to his middle school, one of which was eight inches long. Again, someone alerted the school administration and the child was apprehended. Apparently this child had the intention to harm as part of a gang retaliation plan.
But on this past Thursday, a violent attempt was not stopped. During dismissal at Phil's school, a 17-year-old student stabbed a 15-year-old student three times in the stomach and once in the back of the neck. He then dodged under a school bus, changed his clothes, and ran. After getting the entire into lockdown and conducting a search, the police found the boy and the knife. The child was then arrested and will be tried as an adult for premeditated murder. According to the news the motive was a disagreement over a girl.

Earlier this week, I had a discussion with my classes about fear. We spent some time identifying our fears; then we tried to personify and create our fears out of construction paper. As you can expect, my students asked me what some of my fears are. I shared my fear of big hairy spiders, of the dark after watching horror films, of being alone, of failing, and my list went on. This is the third time I've done this activity with students and this is the first time I added this fear to my list: getting hurt or killed at work. I shared this with my students; they pondered my response for a few seconds, and then someone said, "But Miss, we wouldn't kill you. We love you." I had to tell them that I am not afraid of my students, but I am afraid of irrate parents and irrational students. They understood what I meant immediately.

Tears have come to my eyes at random moments this weekend. Sometimes it's because I am thankful that Phil was not hurt on Thursday; sometimes it's because I think of the parents of these children. Most of the time the tears come because my heart breaks for the children in our schools. I don't understand how a person can get so angry that they feel the only way out is to take another person's life. These are children. Children that people in education have devoted thier lives to. Where are they getting these ideas? Who is taking care of them?

It's a difficult time to be a teacher. It's a difficult time to be a student.

Snakes On A Plane

You MUST go see this movie. Do not wait for it to go to DVD; you have to watch it in a crowded movie theater with friends. It will make all the difference. I was actually entertained by this B-movie. I laughed, I cried, I screamed, I got grossed out...it was tons o' fun.

Favorite quote: "I am tired of these muthaf&^%$* snakes on this muthaf&^%$* plane!"

Oh, go check out the website. Samuel L. Jackson will call you. http://www.snakesonaplane.com/

JOHNNY DEPP LOVES ME!!!!

Do you know who Jeffrey Rush is? The famous actor from such movies as Quills and Pirates of the Caribbean #1? Well, apparently I have his niece in one of my classes. I didn't know this until today when she walked up to me and said, "I have a present for you." She handed me two promo pictures from the first Pirates movie. One had Jeffrey Rush on it; the other had Johnny Depp. She went on to tell me that Rush is her uncle (they have the same last name and I never made the connection), and last week she called him and told him that her English teacher is in love with Johnny Depp, who coincidentally is currently shooting the third Pirates movie with Rush. According to my student, Rush sent her these pictures to give to me. I told her that I don't believe her. She convinced me that it is true, but she doesn't really like to tell her peers because she doesn't want to be bothered. I can understand that.

Anyway, as we were talking, I began to look closer and noticed that both pictures were autographed; one by Rush and one by the number one man on my "celebrity list" (if you don't know what a celebrity list is, email me). I was smiling cheek to cheek, but the bell rang so we had to get to work. At the end of class, I had my students complete an activity where they wrote me a note with questions or comments about what we learned during class. This particular student wrote that her uncle told Depp that her English teacher is in love with him and he responded with, "I am flattered."
I
sn't that just the craziest thing you've ever heard? So not only do I have the niece of a famous actor, but his and JOHNNY DEPP'S autograph, and he's flattered that I am totally in love with him.

I just hope this student isn't totally tricking me. For now I'll believe her. ;-)

A Burden Lifted

Last week I received some news regarding a relationship from my past. My first reaction was, "I'm not surprised." Then I called my mom. She reminded me that God will always reveal himself and that this specific situation is a confirmation of what He and others have been telling me for years, "You am not a failure." I hung up the phone and pondered the conversation and the situation. For the first time in four years, I felt my shoulders lift (regarding this particular relationship). I smiled and thanked God for being faithful. I am not happy about this situation and I am not shirking any responsibilty that I had in my past relationship, but for once I can say, "It wasn't me."

On another note: I have been taking advantage of my time this summer to clean out closets, drawers, cabinets, etc... Even though Phil and I aren't moving in together until we get married, I've been trying to prepare for moving. I have moved enough times and know that once school starts, time will be very limited. Anyway, I cleaned out my storage closet the other day. In there I found a box filled with all of my memorabilia from my first marriage. I started going through things to make sure there was nothing that I felt I needed to keep. I looked at pictures, read some cards and notes... what a different person I have become. I am a much more positive, much happier, more fulfilled with my life; my relationship with God is closer and honest making my relationship with Phil very close, honest, and faithful. I smiled as I threw everything away; not an evil, vindictive smile but a smile of relief.

I had two very heavy trash bags and a box of stuff to throw away so I waited for Phil to come over for dinner to help me. He helped me carry everything to the trash compactor and helped me throw everything in. As we threw the memorabilia in the compactor, I could hear glass breaking, frames cracking and various other noises. The compactor started up and the noise grew louder as it was all compacted into a neat, little cube of my past. I started laughing and Phil looked at me and smiled, "Do you feel better?" I actually do. I have officially accepted my past and moved beyond the hurt. I can see what God has been doing in me for the past four years and finally understand that I needed to go through all of that "crap" to get to where I am today. I am so excited about my future. Thank you Lord!

To My Fellow Educators or Anyone Interested In the Future of American Education

I have been reading the posts on a particular blog for the past few months. There are some really interesting and insightful things on here, all regarding education. The author has trouble spelling correctly sometimes, but I chalk that up to "thinking faster than you can type". He is a fellow high school teacher, but does a lot of reading on current trends in education. He also has a lot of links to other teacher-bloggers.

Check it out: http://www.ahighcall.blogspot.com/

Blah Blog

I know I haven't been posting much this summer; there's really not too much going on, not to mention I AM ADDICTED TO MYSPACE!!!

I just got back from Dallas, TX, where I was taking part in a week-long training session on teaching Pre-AP. For all of you who took AP classes in high school, the new trend is Pre-AP classes. These are classes in the ninth and tenth grade that are aimed at studying their particular curriculum but in a way that will prepare hard working students for their upper-class classes. I am really excited about this year, but it will not be an easy one.

Wedding planning is moving along. Jackie has been hired as our wedding planner and she is absolutely awesome. If you have a wedding in your future, and will have enough money to hire a planner, Jackie is highly worth it. She is helping us create a dream wedding. I am so excited that I get to have the wedding I always envisioned. It is going to be such a blast!!

That's really all I have right now. I am sure as the school year and wedding get closer and closer, I'll have plenty to blog about; for now, I'm out!!

Engagement Photos

If you want to see our engagement photos, check out MySpace: http://profile.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=user.viewprofile&friendid=50136029&MyToken=5b96d83f-18f6-422f-b1d8-e26f044e2282