Catching Up

Why, hello there! Long time no see... really though, I apologize. You know when you have that feeling where anything you write will just be plain and uninteresting, or you feel like your writing is so below mediocre that anything you put down will have a reaction like "meh"?  I'm going to take a minute (or thirty) to write as best as I can about these past few weeks; maybe even about the present day, as well! ;)

Let's start with Halloween. I was granted everything I hoped for in making Halloween as close to home as possible. Paul and I went to my sister's house (a usual spot for us to hang out) and we carved pumpkins as well as cooked and salted the seeds with my nieces and nephews. It was a great time!

Paul and Little Love

Little Boo carving her pumpkin.

Little Boo getting advice from Dad.

Little Boo's finished product.

Paul carving our pumpkin. Can you guess who it is?

If you can't, it's supposed to be Mike Wazowski from Monsters Inc.

 We failed on the teeth, but it still looks cool... kind of.

The pumpkin carving could not have been more fun, it was great to be with the family. The next day it was their turn to have fun! Along with getting ready for Halloween, my sister and her husband had a party of their own to go to, leaving Paul and me to babysit,  but not before getting some pictures of their awesome costumes (...or are they?... costumes, I mean.)!

As my mom would say, "Far out!"

Great look. Great people.

Now on to the babysitting. So many fun moments happen in this house. From playing on the Wii with the kids to watching the Munsters and playing outside. There has never been a dull moment in this house, not. ever.

These are some pictures that were taken during and after pumpkin carving.

We caught Little Dude working out in the study and taking care of some business emails.

Then it was time to play!

When my sister and brother-in-law were out for their 80's Halloween party, the kids were busy watching a show fit for the Halloween mood.

Little Dude watching the Munsters with the kids and Paul.

After Halloween was over, it was back to the grind of Student Teaching. I had taught the whole time and had the classroom to myself for 2 weeks while my mentor teaching worked hard on future lessons and charts that would be needed after I was gone. The week of Halloween was the time to release the class back to my mentor teacher slowly as not to cause too much change in one day. It went from teaching the kids most of the courses to teaching them one course by the end of the week. It was so great for them to have their permanent teacher back and it was great for me to learn more from her. Before, I was just watching my mentor teacher and writing notes while she taught. After I got to teach and experience all the challenges with the class and teaching certain things, I learned so much more. It was nice to have my eyes opened, not just watching to see what material she taught, but how she differentiated the education for each student or group of students.

The next week was for observing other teachers and seeing how they handle their classroom and what kind management they implement. I was very impressed with a lot of the classrooms I visited. I also realized how great my own mentor teacher's classroom was. The students, overall, knew what was acceptable and what was unacceptable. It was not too strict and not too free. It was perfect for them. It makes me think how, not only differentiating education is important, but also how classroom management can change with each year of each couple of years. It is what kind of learning environment best fits the students.

After this observation week came to a close, it was time to say bye to the students. However, I could not do that yet, so I went in Monday morning to make copies and see if Mrs. R needed anything. The next day was my final exam for the school I attended and received my certification through. It went very well and I passed, but not before freaking out and trying my best to concentrate on what I was looking to discuss.

I had time to relax afterwards and I have not been more happy to read books for pleasure. I missed it. I went to the library and picked up whatever I thought looked interesting. I read The Red Door by Charles Todd, then The Carousel by Richard Paul Evans (the author of the Christmas Box and The Locket, as well as many others). After that, I read This Fine Life by Eva Marie Everson. In the span of five days I had read three books. 

Now I am home in Colorado and I am starting to reread To Kill a Mocking Bird. It's been a while and I'm sure that every time I reread a book, there is always something I missed or didn't quite catch the first time. It's like seeing a movie when you are a kid and then re-watching it as an adult and getting the deeper meanings. 

Anyways, next up on my list: Pride and Prejudice,  The Screwtape Letters, The Help, The Scarlett Letter (I wish I could say I have read this one... but alas, I have not and I am so interested.)

I hope I have caught up on everything that has happened. I also hope to be better in the future. Hope all is well with you and that you have a warm and comfy rest of the week! God Bless!