The First 2 Weeks!!!

I have made it through my first 2 full weeks at school!!! Our kids started back on Monday, but I don't start my services with the kids until the 30th. For now I have been working on a schedule for me and my para and working on lots and lots of paperwork. I have been meeting with the Principals and teachers to figure out the best times for me to work with the kids. I think I have an initial schedule figured out, but with everything else in teaching, it will change :-) I am providing services for 39 ESOL students in grades K-12 so the schedule has been challenging to say the least.

Everyone has been super nice and they are glad that I am there. I think I will love working there. It's a community even smaller than Columbus, but the people are very nice.

I have decided to stay in my apartment for this year. I rented a small 1 bedroom apartment in Pittsburg (right by PSU) just so I always have a place to stay when I go back every other weekend to see the boys. I call it my hotel suite on retainer, lol. It only takes me about 35 minutes to drive to work so that's not too bad for me. I thought about moving to Newton, but I went and checked out some places there and I think I need to live somewhere where there is diversity. I also knew that after loosing dad, getting a new job, and having all of the responsibility at work, it was just too stressful to think about moving here too. I plan on finding a place on the North side of Wichita next summer. Hopefully when I don't need to pay 2 rents then I can afford a house.

I still haven't gotten used to getting up early every morning so my energy level after work is non-existent right now, but I will eventually get used to it. I am so thankful to have this job and I can't wait to start working with the kids. They are having a new teacher picnic tonight so I need to get my cleaning and laundry done so I can head to Hesston to the picnic :-)

Take care all, love ya!!!

Here are some pics of my office:

Good News!!!

My New Life Continues..................

After spending an exhausting emotional week with my dad at the hospital, I had an interview in Hesston, Kansas last Thursday. An hour and a half later the superintendent called and told me that I had the job!!! I am THE ESOL teacher for Hesston! This is a full time position and I will be in charge of coordinating and implementing the services for the ESOL students in Hesston. I will be traveling between the High School, Middle School, and Elementary School. It is a small community of 4,000 people with 850 students. I will have approximately 25 ESOL students that I will be providing services for in grades K-12. I am so excited to get this opportunity and to stay in the Wichita area. Hesston is only 30 minutes North of Wichita. I am still trying to figure out what I will do, do I move closer to Hesston? Do I stay at my apartment which I really enjoy? I will keep you all updated on how it all plays out. I'm just so thankful to be given a chance to do what I love...........teach! Go Swathers!!!!

I tried to post a pic of the Swather Mascot, but Blogger is not working with me tonight.

By the way, I didn't know what a swather was, but it's a combine! lol

My Dad

In Loving Memory

God saw you getting tired,

When a cure was not to be.

So He wrapped his arms around you,

and whispered, "come to me."

You didn't deserve what you went through,

So He gave you rest.

God's garden must be beautiful,

He only takes the best

And when I saw you sleeping,

So peaceful and free from pain

I could not wish you back

To suffer that again.

My sweet dad went to join his family in Heaven on July 7, 2010. I am blessed that I could spend his last days with him. I know he is enjoying himself catching up with his family and friends in Heaven. We will miss him dearly. We love you DAD!

Remembering Tremayne

April 17, 1998-April 11, 2001

I thought of you with love today but that is nothing new

I thought about you yesterday and days before that too,

I think of you in silence I often speak your name

All I have are memories and your picture in a frame

Your memory is my keepsake with which I’ll never part

God has you in His keeping I have you in my heart.

An Amazing Week!

Last Thursday (March 11) Tyler came to Wichita and we went to see Tyler Perry in Madea's Big Happy Family! We met Marchella (Tyrone's oldest sister) and her oldest daughter Lola for supper before we went to the show. They were going to the show also but they were able to get their tickets before we got ours and they had much better seats, lol. The show was AWESOME!!! Neither Tyler, Lola, or I had ever been to see a play that wasn't a High School play. It was such a good show that I would gladly go again if I ever have the chance. I love Tyler Perry!!!

Tyrell and Kelsie

Tyler was only here Thursday night and then he left Friday a little before noon. We went to my friend Julia's house in Wellington Friday morning and picked up a washer and dryer that she gave Tyler (Thanks Julia!). I had to work half a day that day so I headed to work as he headed out of town. By 3:00, Tyrell and his girlfriend Kelsie were making it to Wichita, so they came by my school and then we went to the apartment. My friend Dena and her husband Rick came over that evening and they brought their son Reid and his girlfriend Kristin over so that the kids could go bowling that night at 11:15 p.m. My original plan was to go with them but by 11:15 I was pooped, lol. I ended up taking them to the bowling alley and then picking them up later. Tyrell and Kelsie were here until Tuesday, during that time Dawn, Alan, and Josh came up on Saturday and we went to the zoo on Sunday. We also went to eat at the Texas Roadhouse on Monday evening. We had a great time at the zoo, we loved watching Josh! We were afraid that he would get tired before we got through the zoo, but at the end we were all exhausted and he was still ready to go, lol.

Tyrell was supposed to bowl in a tournament here on Saturday but unfortunately he had fractured his wrist the week before so he wasn't able to bowl in the tournament. He bowls with his left wrist which is the one he fractured. He can bowl with his right hand too, but he's not as good with his right as he is with his left so he didn't want to let down his team by risking it. Thankfully it wasn't a serious fracture that required surgery and he only has to wear the cast for 3 weeks so I will be going to Pittsburg on the 31st so he can get the cast off on the 1st.

Here are some pics of our little Joshy at the zoo :-)

the petting zoo

ride em coyboy!!!

silly boy

It really was an amazing week. I was so glad to see everyone and show them a bit of my world here in Wichita. I don't go back to school until Tuesday and I'm ready! I have missed my kids at school. I'm going to take my camera this week and see if I can get some pics of them. I have to admit that I'm a little nervous about what will happen with my job next year. With all of the cut-backs in education I am a part time first year teacher which means that I am at the very bottom of the totem pole. I just have to have faith that it will all work out and I'll still have a job here next year. Pray for me!

Worst Blogger EVER

Ok I must be the worst blogger EVER!!! I almost forgot I had started a blog! Things here in Wichita have been very busy since school has started again. As you know from my last blog almost 3 months ago (pitiful), I finally got my own classes when the new semester started. They gave me 20 students that had all failed the first semester of World History and U.S. History 1. I have 12 students in the U.S. History class and they are all passing at this point....................thank you Jesus. I only have 8 students in the World History class and 6 of them are passing........yes! I still have 17 students in my Seminar class, I've only lost one since school has started.

Moving to Wichita has been a life changing experience for me. I was heart broken at first to leave my boys, but as time has moved on, I realize that they really are ok. I still make it back to Pittsburg every other weekend. Well except for this weekend, I skipped because they are both coming here this coming week. Tyler and I are going to watch Tyler Perry in Madea's Big Happy Family on Thursday night. Then Tyrell and his girlfriend are coming on Friday so that he can bowl in a tournament here on Saturday. The last time I was in Pittsburg Tyrell bowled a 675 series game. He is sooooo good at it! Dawn, Alan, and Josh are coming on Saturday so that we can go to the zoo on Sunday. That should be a LOT of fun!!! My little apartment will be full but it will be so nice to have them all here! I have spent more time by myself in the last few months then I ever have.

I have made some friends at school and they are awesome at inviting me to go when they all meet somewhere after school. They are a fun bunch of people and even though I don't drink, I enjoy watching them do it, lol. The kids at school have changed my life! I have kids from 8 different countries and I love learning about their cultures! It is a whole different environment then I have ever been exposed to, there are over 1800 students in our school. We have gang issues which has heartbreaking outcomes at times. I'm afraid I am very ignorant when it comes to the gang stuff. I can't tell a gang whistle from a bird call and the so called gang graffiti looks like the same thing we did in school except we wrote our names in bubble letters and they use old English, lol. Although, I know that some of my kids are in a gang, I have never had any issues in my classes. All I can do is make sure there are no conflicts in my class and that all of the students feel like it's a safe place to learn. Somehow all 35 of my students have found a special place in my heart.

Well hopefully I will have some good pictures to post soon. I can't wait to have some company and watch little Josh at the zoo! This next week is going to be a great week! I will also hopefully start being better at blogging, lol. That is if anyone is still checking this blog! :)

A new development..............

At work on Wednesday, my boss said she wanted to go over how next semester is going to go. When I met with her that morning, she let me know that I would be teaching 2 sheltered classes next semester. I will be teaching a sheltered World History class and a U.S. History I class. Can I just say.............. YIKES!!! Sheltered classes mean that I will have only ESOL students in my classes. Since I am teaching these in the second semester this means that I get all of the ESOL students who flunked these classes in the first semester. OH GOODY! The good news is that these will be very small classes (about 8 students, we think). The bad news is that not only do I have 2 weeks to learn World History, but now I have to learn U.S. history also. So instead of relaxing on my holiday break, I'll be reading and working on lesson plans. I have been team teaching in World History this semester so I at least have a foundation in that class. U.S. history however is new territory for me and some of this stuff I haven't heard since I was in school (a long long time ago), lol. I'm very excited to finally be teaching my own classes, even if I don't have my own room yet. It's definately going to be interesting to see how many of these students I can get to pass these classes this semester. I guess it's good I like a challenge :)