Today never ends.

No time for funniness. Must get right down to business.  Yeah, we all know that won't happen with me.  Today wasn't my best day. This morning (prep time) was good.  I got everything done that I needed to plus a little more.  School was going well for most of the day; then, it happened!  The sewage pipes burst and everyone had to breathe in the stench of moldy water and you know what.  Can you even imagine how horrible that was?!?! Alright, let me rephrase that. Can you even imagine how horrible that would have been?  Okay, so i'm trying to make light of the real situation; which in comparison to the previously thought of situation, really wasn't that bad.

Here's how things really went down. I set up my classroom and decided that the kids were only going to do puzzles before lunch. This seemed to make things easier because then they weren't getting everything out then having to put it all away not long after.  There were some kids who had difficulty following this new routine but overall, it will be a nice change.  

Lunch was good, the students are starting to get used to going back to their seats after they're done eating instead of going to play right away.  The aspect of going to play right after eating, that's a home thing.  There is no way that's happening in my classroom.  Lunch is going to be for talking with others and working on manners. 

Though the course of the day we did lots of practicing of daily routines, as well as fire drill practice (which went really well, in short terms).  An hour before the end of the day, we were at the carpet, meeting as a group.  Would you like to take a stab at what happened? I'll give you a hint.  It doesn't have to do with sewage pipes, volcanos, markers, or globes.  Yes, I was thinking of random things around the room.  Okay, here's what happened.  One of the students decided to throw a temper tantrum.  Yes, i have two other people in the room; however, Im am the only certified teacher.  What did I end up doing?  I moved my class to a different part of the room so it would be easier for them to concentrate on the book we were reading, instead of the screaming child.  This would have been a good idea had the upset child not been told to go join us!  The boy got up and ran to the group, and disrupted the story again.  At this point, I had one of the other teachers take over reading the book and I went to sit by the upset child.  I asked him to go on a walk with me and he declined, by kicking me and whining some more.  I told him that when he was ready to go back with the group, he could tell me.  About 40 minutes later, he was ready to join everyone.  I said okay, but we had a small talk first about what we should do when we get upset, instead of kicking and screaming.  

By the time the day was over I was, and still am, ready to be done.  Honestly, today I wondered why I went into education.  Because I love kids?  Because I want to spark creativity and allow for exploration?  These may be valid points, but at this time, they don't seem like rational reasons.  

Tonight it supposed to be 'Horrible Movie Night', well, it still is, I'm just not going.  I have too much to do.  Yes, mom, 'Welcome to teaching'. I've got my lessons for next week to do, all due tonight, I might add.  Have I started them?  Don't be silly, leaving WI didn't change my procrastination habits.     Moving might have changed my cooking habits though.  They're still not wonderful (and never will be)  but after tonight, I can officially say I've made a burger on the stove and there was no pink in it!!  stove-0 Lauren-1.  Oh wait, smoke filled house-1 Lauren 0.  Does this leave me at 0?  

Alright, math can't be my forte tonight, it's got to be lesson writing.  Au revior <3

Oh, by the way, in case you're wondering, here's my schedule for while i'm in the church basement.

Monday:  8:30-12 (with kids) 12-4 (prep)

Tuesday-Friday:  7:30-12:30 (prep) 12:30-4 (with kids)

To Moving Day and BEYOND!

Oh goodness! It's been a super busy week!

Sunday, I was planning on moving stuff to the church basement but that didn't end up working out.  Why did I need to move things to the church basement you ask.  Well here's the rundown.  We have the 'big school' which is Kindergarten-12th grade.  My school, the 'little school' is for ECE (3 and 4 year olds).  The church basement however is our current classroom because the ECE building has a large crack in the wall and the ceiling.  Does this sound safe for young children to be in?  How about this detail of information:  my desk is in the ECE building.  Not only do I work on my lesson plans in a building that could collapse, it's also freeeeeeeezing cold in there!! There's a door that doesn't shut so the 44 degree weather today was not only outside the doors but inside too.  Since I couldn't move stuff I decided to make sure everything was all sorted and ready to go. I went though the entire building and decided what I wanted to bring ot he basement and what I wanted to leave at the 'little school'.

Anyway, I finally got to start moving stuff on Monday.  We got everything into the back of the truck and were going to head to the church basement to unload.  What do you think happened next?  No guesses?  I'll tell you.  The truck didn't work.  Something near the tire snapped so we had to transfer everything to a different truck. We ended up using a Honda (4-wheeler) with a trailer too.  We moved everything from one building to the other in about 5 trips.  I'd like to make sure I mention this, I love driving Hondas!!!!! Oh my gosh, it's one of my new favorite things!!  If I ever end up back in WI, or anywhere I suppose, I am getting myself one.  I don't know what I love about it so much, the wind in my hair, the feeling of driving again, or the excitement that comes with riding/driving one for the first time ever.  Who cares the reason, though, it's awesome!!

After moving everything to the church basement and eating lunch, we started setting everything up.  The dramatic play, sand/water table, puzzles, games, art supplies, everything has it's own space.  I loved watching the room come together little by little.  The idea that every little bit built off of the previous; it's just like watching lights click when a child begins to understand something.  After everyone else (the 3 year old teacher and my other classroom people) left, I got back to work.  I gave everything a home and started thinking about what else I needed or wanted for the room.

The first day of school was good!  There are some things that could have gone better but it could have been so much worse.  During the course of the day, only one child pooped his pants and one child cried (the one who's dad works in the classroom). I say, that is a successful first day.  I took pictures of the kids with a frame I had made that said "My First Day of Pre-K".  Some kids didn't want their picture taken at first but warmed up to the idea later on in the day.  We used these pictures for a class book on day 2.

Day 2....let's see, what happened?  Is it a blur?  No, not really.  Was it tiring?  YES! I'm used to working with young children but 17 at one time is a lot.  How people deal with over 30 kids at once is beyond me. The kids 'wrote' their names today so I could start to look at progression over time.  I also took note of different things children were good at and need to work on.   This is something I will be doing on a daily basis so I don't have to try to come up with everything all at once. I also will have these to show parents when they ask me how I know their child has progressed in a certain area.

House update:  My breaker box exploded.  Apparently Amy and I both sleep like rocks because neither of us heard a thing and we heard there was a large spark and the BROKEN streetlight went on!!!  Am I sleeping at home tonight?  No.  I'm on the floor in the library with my favorite sleeping bag, pillow, wifi, and TV!!!!! I know, I'm full of excitement for such small things.  Think about it though, I get excited over plumbing now.  Speaking of which, I am showering in a shower tomorrow morning that will have clear water, not orange.

Well, I'm off to enjoy the TV while I can and look at some book orders.  Yes, I may be a 4-year-old teacher and have them for that purpose but I'm also a kid at heart.

Much Love <3

Lauren

Was that sarcasm?

Where should I begin? Why, at the beginning of course! I’ve had crummy internet here in Nome so I haven’t been able to update the online world lately.

Sunday:
I had the pleasure of being able to sleep in. Although I didn’t have to be anywhere in the morning, I was still up at a decent hour. I hadn’t yet packed for Nome and didn’t know how I was getting to the airport. I packed (lighter than the trip to Unalkleet/Stebbins) for Nome and then went to find out how I was getting to the airport. I searched for my principal at the school and when he wasn’t there, I went to his house (this is okay to do here). I found him, not! I then ran into the former ECE teacher on the way back to my house and she told me that I probably wouldn’t be flying out due to weather. Hearing this made me feel a little more comfortable and less rushed. I went to a friend’s place and searched for the phone number to see if the flight was still going as planned. Apparently, the BSSD flight number isn’t available, I however, have Sammy!!! I sent a text to the lovely lady and she was actually landing at that time. She asked the pilot (Aiden) if I was still flying. The message I received was that I was and I needed to be at the airport in 45 minutes. Well, a relief that I was still going came over me, but not as powering as the frazzled feeling I had. I headed back to my principal’s house but got no answer again. I decided to take one last look at the school; it’s a good thing I did because that’s where he was. I asked him who was taking me to the airport and he told me that he was, which is why he was there. I headed back to my house and gathered my things.  About 10 minutes later we headed to the airport.

I only had to wait about 3 minutes until I got on the plane and was off! I didn’t get to go right to Nome, first I got to pick up 3 other people, one in Brevig Misson, one in Whales, and one in Teller. Each of these flights were more turbulent than the last. Whales can be known to have the worst weather; at the time I flew however, Shishmaref was undergoing worse weather. After the long haul I safely ended up in Nome. I was hungry at this point and guess what?! The first place that looked familiar is where I ate, Subway!!!! After dinner Sammy and I came back to the hotel to relax. Don’t get too excited, the hotel I’m at is your basic hotel: cable TV, crummy internet, no breakfast, empty vending machines, dishes, a mini fridge, and microwave in the room, and the most uncomfortable beds I’ve slept in, ever. I would rather be sleeping on the ground, in the rain (as long as I had my sleeping bag of course). For dinner, we had ‘Milano’s’. Sammy and I each got a medium pizza so we would have leftovers for breakfast. As we walked back to the hotel, I proceeded to almost drop the left over pizza on the ground, then ran into a wall, that was fun. Both of us zonked fairly quickly that night.

Monday:
Bright and early, I had to wake up more my favorite thing, other than using fluoride, inservice. I hope you can read sarcasm, if not, that was my attempt. Getting ready was the easy part. What about pineapple pizza for breakfast is difficult? Everyone (all of the ECE teachers) walked down to the mini convention center together. When we got there, we got a big surprise! Balloons were everywhere! They were all over the floor and confetti was on the tables; one would have thought a birthday party was going on! Alright, so that didn’t really happen. We did get to choose from teas, coffee, and hot cocoa to indulge in though. Breakfast choices were also provided: oatmeal and fresh fruit. What did I take? Come on, you know me, well, maybe. I took the fruit. I won’t be able to have fresh items in my village often so I figured I might as well get it while I can. Once I got breakfast, there was another surprise waiting for me. There were toys on my table – stickers, markers, crayons, blocks, play-doh, and a puzzle eraser. No, really, this is the truth!! By the way, a puzzle eraser is 6 separate erasers that are 4×4 puzzle piece squares that all fit together to make a cube. This toy was by far the most distracting. Other than playing with the toys, I learned about Teaching Strategies Gold (assessment) as well as the domains I will be working with and how they will align with one another.

Personally, (as well as with others) I believe this inservice could have been done in much less time. Everything seemed to be repetitive. Our speaker was knowledgeable but seemed to be filling time often. How many times can a group of about 60 people hear everyone’s answers to questions? The answer: not even one. Although we could have settled for less than one, the actual result was closer to 4. For those of you who have a hard time with math, that’s 5 (questions) x 60 (people) x 4 (times/rotations) = 1,200 (moments of ridiculousness). Yep, that’s right, I enjoyed doing this math just to see how much time was wasted. Some of you may be thinking, “This time may have seem to be wasted because you thought the topic was boring, but wasn’t it beneficial?” My answer, no.

Anyway, after inservice, Sammy and I hit up a store on the way back to the hotel. This place was one of the cutest little shops I’ve seen in a while. It reminded me of ‘grandma’s secret closet’ which had all of the fun stuff in it that she wouldn’t let you see unless it was a special occasion. I ended up getting a deck of cards (go figure) as well as two puppets. I was once told that as an ECE teacher, I can never have too many puppets. I have now added a dolphin to my puppet collection as well as a glove. The glove puppet has an animal on each fingertip: brown bear, moose, puffin, polar bear, and husky. This might be one of the coolest puppets I’ve ever seen!

Would you like to take a guess as to what I had for dinner? I’ll give you a hint, I had Chinese for lunch and I didn’t have the same thing for dinner. Give up? I had ‘Milano’s’ again. This time, I had a cheeseburger. Here’s the most irritating thing I have encountered while eating out in Alaska, barbecue sauce seems to be a foreign term. I can’t seem to get my desirable addition to a meal. I suppose I will have to bring my own condiment selection next time I come to Nome. The rest of the evening wasn’t too thrilling, I attempted to update everyone on my newest endeavors, but like I stated earlier, the internet here is crummy. In the end, I went to bed.

Tuesday:
Look outside what do you see? Sunny skies, grass growing, or children playing? I wish I could see that. What’s my view you may ask? Let’s peek out the window and see – dark skies, rain drenching the ground, wind so strong it’s blowing Sammy over, waves crashing so loudly one can hear them without seeing them. That’s actually what the whole day was like. I’m not laying in bed, going over my entire day, which by the way I’m not going to go into great detail about, it would bore you. I promise, it’s exactly like yesterday, only crummy weather. My day was filled with inservice, yes, same topics, and walking back to the hotel was the same as well.

The only difference was that today, we stopped at GCI (my new cell phone company) because my phone isn’t working properly. I intend on getting a new one very soon. Like I said, not very thrilling. The exciting part of the day was dinnertime. I had ‘Airport Pizza’. No, I didn’t have pizza, or a burger, I had a BARBECUE chicken wrap!!!! Yes, I really was that thrilled when I learned they had this on menu. Here’s the twist though. Sammy and I didn’t feel like walking across town in the crummy weather so we decided to have the food delivered. Try to guess what our total came out to be: I had a barbecue chicken wrap and an unsweetened iced tea and Sammy had a small cheese pizza, breadsticks, and a soda. Now, think about this: 2 people and delivered. Do you give up? And the grand total came to……..$64.23 (okay the cents might be off) but the whole dollar amount is actual!! No sarcasm intended! Isn’t that crazy?!?!? Apparently, just to deliver the food was $10.00 because a cab driver had to deliver it. I tell ‘ya, we’re not ordering from there again.

The rest of the evening is kind of a blur. Sammy and I spent the evening in our beds, wishing we could dream of sugar plums dancing in our heads. Instead, we spent the evening wishing we didn’t have to get up early and go to inservice again. We’ve come to an agreement that we both want to go home, too bad home isn’t the same place for both of us.
Well, it’s about time the sandman has come to visit me, I hope you all enjoyed my update and I’ll keep them coming the best I can.


Sweet dreams <3

(copied from original blog - aug 22)

The Fishy Experience.

Dear Readers,
Today was my first Saturday Work Day. I woke up pumped and ready to work, thankfully. Apparently, Macs don’t have ‘Paint’ so I had to trace and color all of the pictures I needed for my schedule. I worked hard on this all day, come to find out that I could have been done in 1/3 of the time. No, I couldn’t have worked faster, I just could have worked smarter. I overlooked my scheduling plans and colored too many pictures. Eventually, I got my schedule and Lab labels completed. I only need to label them now, then I can put them in my room!!! :)
I tried a new food today. It’s called fish! haha :) I really did though. I had baked halibut and fried cod. Hats off to Nick, excellent chef! I also filled up on veggies, rice-a-roni, and couse-couse with sweet peas and chicken. Group dinner again soon please?
I head to Nome tomorrow, guess for what – more inservice. Even after this long last week I’m actually pretty excited. I do get to meet with Kewarek, which is the group that will be teaching the 3 year olds. I haven’t been able to do anything with my classroom because the 3 and 4 year olds will be using the same classroom while we’re in the church basement; which means I’m not the only one that needs to be okay with the classroom set up. I will also get to see Sammy at inservice!! I met her at Welcome Wagon and we hit it off right away. Both of us are ECE teachers (ECE is the only group going to Nome) and are full of ‘sillies’. Amy’s cooler will be going with me to Nome as well. I intend on bringing back perishable food items myself, that way they won’t look like squashed grapes by the time I return.
I also got to experience my first eskimo birthday party tonight. Birthdays here are a bit different. Instead of having cake, ice cream, and presents, there are many choices of cakes, pies, and other desserts, as well as a different gift giving theory. Presents are still given, but they’re not planned. When someone has a birthday party, you’re invited to go right then, not in a week or two. The reason for this is because when one has a party, not everyone is called right way, that way people can come in shifts to make seating/eating easier (see below to understand this more clearly). It’s common for guests to give a dollar (or more) to the birthday person, in the ‘money cup’. This money can be used for whatever the birthday person chooses. I know, that part is similar. One does not have to give money, gifts (often books) are welcome as well. Seating is also different. When arriving at a party, one should go to the living room, not towards the table right away. When there is a spot open at the table, the person next (in line, sitting in the living room) goes to the table to eat. When done eating, he removes himself from the table right away to make room for someone else – this continues until all of the guests have eaten.
At my first eskimo birthday party there were all sorts of sweets: Chocolate cake, white cake, red velvet cake, funfetti cake, apple pie, pumpkin pie, cheesecake, berries (with surgar), cinnamon rolls, spaghetti, and much more. The beverage of choice was one I hadn’t had in a long while, Tang!! You know, the orange powder stuff you used to love when you were little; well, now it’s gross! Trust me, no need to try it again for yourself.
It’s almost midnight here folks and my eyes are closing as I type.
Much love!
Lauren

(Copied from original blog - Aug 19)

It's Like Christmas!

Today was the last day of inservice, for the week. Yes, I set my alarm to go off, no, I didn’t get up when it went off. Please, don’t be alarmed, I did wake up in time to get ready for the day, pack, eat breakfast, and be where I needed to be, on time. My breakfast today was orange juice, a double chocolate, chocolate chip muffin, greek yogurt, a slice of french toast (with PB, of course) and an apple. I know, interesting right? After breakfast, we had the birthday ceremony (which celebrated birthdays from June-October). We will celebrate other birthdays at future inservice days. After that, I went to learn more about STEPP.
I was informed that I was the only one taking the 10:25 flight back to Shish. I planned on meeting at the front at 10:00. As I was enjoying (no, really!!) the presentation, I was called to come right away because the plane was going to be early. I hurried down the hall to get my things, and then I took them out into the rain to be put in the truck. When we (the school driver and I) got to the airport, we were waiting then were informed that the plane was no longer going to be early. As I waited, I talked to ‘my driver’ and the time flew. Eventually, the plane arrived and I was on my way back to Shishmaref!
When I got home, there was nobody waiting at the airport to pick me up. I asked someone who was going back into town for a ride; he said yes. I rode back to my place while listening to little girls giggling in the back seat. When I got to my house I got my stuff out of the back of the truck and headed for my door. Please note: it was still raining at this time. I got to my door and waved goodbye to the giggling girls in the back. I realized I didn’t have my keys out so I had to dig in my duffle bag for them (remember, it’s raining). I found my keys and found the right key. Take a guess to what happened next. Think…think…think…think. Give up? I’ll tell you. My key didn’t work! I tried multiple times; as well as trying keys that I knew weren’t for the house. Eventually, I ended up at the school to get help there. I found help at the school, but of course they didn’t have keys. So, I spent the next 5-10 minutes climbing though my window. The upside to this: I can officially say I’ve broken into my own house though a window; this must be an item to check off on a bucket list somewhere.
After the adventure of getting into my own house I went to get my perishable food items that arrived the day before. I bought them home and found out that my favorite pea pods weren’t kept cold enough. They looked like squashed grapes. I was so excited to go the post office to get my package (I tracked it while in Unalkleet and knew it was there). I got my package and was also told that I had more waiting or me at the school!! YAY!!! I dropped off the package from the post office then headed right to the school for more of my stuff. I ended having so many boxes (of varying weights) that I had to take three trips to my house. When I unpacked my stuff I was happy to find my comforter, pillow, pictures, clothes, food, gifts, and so many more things that will make my room feel more like home. It was like Christmas!!!!
Now, I am enjoying my first night in Shishmaref with my comforter and blue fuzzy pillow ☺ I’m hoping that I doze off during the Big Bang Theory; Saturday Work Day is going to come too soon.

(Copied from original blog - Aug 18)

Full of Curiosity.

The VTC’s were great way to meet in the morning (Wednesday, Thursday Friday)! Instead of everyone flying somewhere to meet and talk for a while everyone was at their own site and basically, we did a group skype. The part I thought was cool was that we could still see all of the people at the sites. We talked about generalized topics that everyone needed to be informed on.
This week, I got to go to Unalkleet!! You know, the location where they film that show with the planes? Well, don’t get too excited, I was there for inservice. Each day I had the ‘pleasure’ of waking up early and sitting in meetings all day. I did learn lots about Curiosity Corner, which is the curriculum I will be using to teach. I like how everything is set up but I feel like I won’t have as much freedom as I would like. I’ll work on figuring out how to make things my own while still following the curriculum. What is Curiosity Corner you may ask? It’s a cat. No, really, Curiosity is the name of the cat puppet I will get to use in my room. The curriculum itself allows students to use their creativity while learning. I will have Learning Labs in my room, which the students will have the opportunity to explore. Each of the labs will follow the theme of the week and provide multiple ways to be exposed to concepts.
The whole time I was in Unalkleet I learned about my classroom curriculum.
Now that I’m in Stebbins, I am learning about STEPP. STEPP is the idea that teachers go though a process to get to one place in the end. Collaboration is the key component!

(Copied from original blog - Aug 17)

The Village of Shish.

My town is about 600 people and everyone knows everyone! In fact, it seems that over ¾ of the tow is related to one another in some way. The people are kind and the culture is known for making crafts. People who do make the crafts have been doing it for many years. Often, they use whale, seal, and bear. I’m looking forward to doing my holiday shopping right here in my village. If you’re thinking that you’d like a village craft (earrings, statue, etc.) let me know.
My school is currently undergoing construction. I will be teaching my 4 year olds in the church basement down the road (sand road) for the first two months. My classroom here will be shared with the 3 year olds. I will have prep time in the mornings and students in the afternoons. I have yet to see this shared space. After construction is done, I should be able to return to the ECE (early childhood education) building and have my own room in there. I’ve seen this room; however, I’m not allowed to start setting it up because it might need to be taken apart when the renovations are being completed.
How’s the honey bucket situation you may ask? I think it can be most closely related to pooping in a bucket. Oh wait, that’s what it is!! The honey bucket is a bucket with a garbage bag in it and you do your business and hope that the candle burning in the bathroom is enough. Without a doubt, I can assume that you realize that I highly dislike the honey bucket. For your own reference, if you’re ever somewhere where you need to use a honey bucket, (please try to avoid this,) here’s a tip. If you’re sick, don’t puke in the honey bucket!!!! Think carefully, what might happen? No, I didn’t learn this tip from experience but I’m hoping you won’t have to either.

(Copied from original blog - Aug 16)

Welcome Wagon.

Oooh how helpful the Welcome Wagon was!!! My first dinner in Alaska was at ‘Humpy’s’. I’ve been told that this is one of ‘the’ places to go in Anchorage. While most everyone was enjoying their last alcoholic beverage before getting to a dry community, I was enjoying a large glass of water. I also decided to go with an entre that I knew I would be able to tolerate: blackened chicken cesar salad wrap…this ended up being a little too spicy for my taste.
Over the next few days, I got to see some of Anchorage as well as get my groceries (and mail them to myself). Getting my cell phone was one of the biggest accomplishments in Alaska!! At this point in time, I’ve decided that I miss my smart phone, a lot!
On my last night with the Welcome Wagon, I was able to enjoy dinner at TGIFriday’s with everyone. I figured that my last meal out should be something enjoyable; I ended up getting a kids cheeseburger and a salad with balsamic vinaigrette dressing. After all the childish behaviors throughout dinner, I ended up having a ‘cup of dirt’. — chocolate pudding with Oreo crumbles, gummy worms, and whipped cream. Our waiter was so cool about our obnoxious table that we thought he should have a picture with us!

(Copied from original blog - Aug 16)

Coincidence.

I started my adventure at the MSP airport. I went though baggage, security, and found my gate easily. On the plane I was thinking a lot about what I would do when I got to the Anchorage airport. How was I supposed to get to the Welcome Wagon (I will explain what this is at a later point) from the airport? As I was thinking about these things I overheard someone talking about this being his first year going to teach in BSSD too. We decided to stick together at the airport in Seattle. When we arrived there, we found our gate then headed to eat. We chatted and ate then went back to the gate for boarding. Want to take a guess as to what happened next? The gate had changed! I figured out that we needed to go to a different terminal. We took the shuttle and found the new gate with no time to spare. The two of us made it to the gate after last call; we even missed them calling our names over the loud speaker.
Needless to say, we got on the flight to Anchorage. During this flight, I was next to two people who met while working for BBSD. They gave me encouragement and advice for my upcoming adventure. Once we landed in Anchorage, we headed toward baggage claim; at this point, I still didn’t know how I was getting to the Welcome Wagon. As we walked, we ran into people with a sign saying they were there to pick up Kevin. In the end, it turned out that had I not met Kevin, I would have sat at the airport because I wasn’t on the e-mail list, so nobody knew I was going to be arriving.

(Copied from original blog - Aug 16)

I gave in.

I would guess that if you’re reading this, you already know who I am; however, you may be reading this randomly so I will give you a brief overview of me.  I’m Lauren.  I’m 23 years old and until recently, I lived in WI.  I took a teaching job in Alaska.  I’m now the 4 year old teacher in Shishmaref.  Many people have been telling me to start a blog, keep a journal, anything that would keep track of everything going on with me.  Obviously, I gave in.  Dave, if you’re reading this, thank you. :)   I’ll do what I can to keep this updated, but I can’t make any promises for a daily post.  Some of you out there know, my first year teaching is going to take up a crumb ton of time!

Enjoy the updates!

(Copied from original blog - Aug 15)