Teaching

As I'm writing application after application, I came across this little ditty I wrote in graduate school.  It brought me back to why I am starting this crazy teaching career and I thought I'd share:

Why Anne Marie wants to be a teacher....

When I think about the reasons as to why I want to be a teacher, the influences that I have had in my life are what come to mind.Growing up, I was surrounded by educators. My mother is a teacher and two of my aunts are also teachers. I noticed growing up that my mother would never say, “I’m going to work.” She would always say, “I’m going to school.” When I was about six, I asked my mom why she goes to school and not work, like most of the parents that I knew. She explained to me that she loves her job so much that she doesn’t consider it work. She looks at school as an adventure and opportunity to better the lives of children. Throughout the course of my life thus far, I have always aspired to have a career that I don’t consider “work.”

My passion for teaching goes beyond the influences of my mother.When I was in 6^th grade, I had the most excellent teacher a child could ask for. He is one of those teachers who make every student feel that they are special. He teaches in a way that enables all types of learners to be able to understand the material. Not only was I lucky to have him as a teacher because he helped me so much, he is the reason why I want to become a teacher. I know it sounds cliché and everyone has that special mentor but he has a lot to do with me choosing this career path. As I went through high school and college, I still wasn’t sure if I wanted to go into teaching because I was scared that I was going into this profession just to follow my mother, Then, I had another teacher that again, confirmed for me that I want to be a teacher. I stepped into my chemistry class with a lot of anxiety because science is one of my weaker points. As I progressed throughout the term, the professor that I had made me absolutely love chemistry. I looked forward to going to lecture and ironically enough loved taking the midterms and final because it was such a fun subject for me. This is another example of a teacher who had the ability to make students want to learn the subject; even if it is something that they aren’t necessarily good at. I aspire to be that type of teacher.

As I started my practicum classes that let me actually work with children, I knew that teaching was the right choice for me, my calling. I looked forward to spending everyday with the children that I worked with and loved making a difference in the lives of kids. During my spring term of my senior year, I worked in a pre-school class at a school called Bates where the OSU students run every class. It was a time that I felt like a teacher and my direct impact on children was a feeling I couldn’t explain. I remember talking to my lead teacher about it one day and I told her that no matter how rough of a day I was having, the smiles on the children’s faces everyday made it worthwhile. I can’t wait to be a teacher and I know I will never consider it work.

when a girl needs a friend....

I know that a lot of my posts appear after difficult times but it is through these times that I am able to sit back think about all of the things that I do have and have a reason to be thankful for. I have the best friends in the world. I said it. All four of you (I am imagining that is the approximate number of readers that frequent my blog) think that you have better friends than me. I'm sorry to say, you don't. Mine are the best. I can't tell you how often my friends have stopped by or called just to check on me this week. I love them and I am so thankful for these beautiful people. Thank you for being you and helping me through this time. I love you to the moon and back.

Forgot a picture of Lily!

24????

I cannot believe I just turned 24! I had an amazing birthday with my wonderful family and friends. I worked during the day and came home to a new baby kitten! She is absolutely adorable and we decided to name her Lily because we thought that name flows nicely with our other cat, Lucy. Now we have the dynamic duo: Lucy and Lily. Equally spunky and cute! She has been so much fun so far until last night...she decided to use my bed as a litter box. Being the loving and forgiving mother that I am, I forgave her and have showered her with love just as I did before I almost rolled onto her urine.

The rest of the summer has been so nice! I have been nannying for two different families, The Nelsons and The Roths. I have known the Nelsons forever so it has been so much fun! Not to mention a really nice break from school!!

At the beginning of August, we will be heading off to the most magical place on earth! Disney World is definitely a family favorite so it will be nice to get our annual dose of Disney. Afterall, Lily's last name is Disney so we had to go this year to honor our newest addition! This year, my aunt Nancy and my cousins Sam and Abby are joining us. It is always more magical to be able to show the world to people who have never seen it before so it will make our trip even more amazing! Don't worry, I'll post pictures...post DW 2010.

I am still planning on running the marathon in October. A lot of my summer has been spent training for the marathon and has been such a gratifying experience. I am so proud of myself so far and can't wait to keep pushing myself more and more. I do a lot of my training runs with Emily (the mom of the kids I babysit) and being able to share that with her and become closer and closer friends with her has been so great. Even when the runs get hard, I know I can depend on her to keep pushing me.

I love summer and I don't want it to end!

A long week...

Well this has been a really tough week. My grandma Jean passed away last Monday morning. Anyone that has met her knows that she truly was an amazing person. She had the ability to make anyone laugh whether she was trying to or not. She had a deep love for family, Pi Phi, the Blazers and Duck football. I was so lucky to be so close with both of my grandparents and had such a special relationship with my grandma Jean. I find comfort in knowing that the pain that I feel during this time is a result of one of the most important relationships in my life. One that I always knew would be there and one that never changed. She was definitely having a rough time the last few months of her life so I know that she is in a better place. Plus, her anniversary with my grandpa is tomorrow so I know they will be having some popcorn and scotch together to celebrate.

It is through difficult times like these that I really try to make sure I appreciate the wonderful family that I have. We tried to make Janny's Mother's Day the best it could be. To do that, my sister-in-law Laura took some amazing pictures of my brother, sister, and I to give to my mom. It was the first time we have had pictures taken of the three of us since I was like 8 years old. My mom said that this Mother's Day was the best one that she has had :) here are some of my favorites.....

Time Flies

Wow! Time sure has flown by! It has been so long since I have updated my blog. I started this blog as sort of a journal for myself. Well I obviously need to be better about updating it!

A lot has happened in the past few weeks. I started my solo teaching. I can't believe that I am in charge of a whole class! It has definitely been a challenging experience but I have loved every minute of it. Most importantly, it has shown me that this is the right profession for me. I look forward to seeing those kids everyday and love that I have the ability to make a huge difference in their lives. It has also flown by. I am already starting my fourth week of my solo tomorrow and I'm sure these last three weeks will fly by just like the first three. I am really looking forward to my graduation in June. I will miss school but I think it is a well deserved break!

I decided a few weeks ago that I am going to run the Portland Marathon next October. I was talking to my friend Nicole and she asked me to do it with her. I could only think of so many reasons why I should run a marathon and only a few "why nots". So I decided I can do it! It has been fun so far and the training runs have given me a lot of "me time" that I don't usually get. I am so excited to say "I ran a marathon"!

Life is busy as always right now but I am loving every minute of it!

Something Blue

Do you ever take your stress out on the people you care about the most? I don't know if I'm alone on this one but I definitely do. I don't hate a lot of things but I really hate that about myself. Why in the world would I be mean to someone who has supported me every step of the way throughout my life? Last night, my mom was just trying to have a conversation with me and talk about life in general. Instead of allowing myself to have a conversation with my mom about anything except school, I decided that I would snap at her. About what? Who knows? Does she deserve it? No way! My mom has been a constant source of support over the course of this year and she is also the person that I take out my stress and frustration on. It is not okay! I went to bed last night feeling pretty crummy about my decisions and went through my whole day thinking about how terrible I was to her. And what does she do this afternoon when I see her? She gives me a hug and tells me that she has missed me today. She is an amazing mom and I hope I remember how terrible I felt today. Afterall, the way that I felt today because of the way I treated her was a million times worse than the way that I feel when I am stressed out. I guess I can always read this if I feel like I need to take my frustration out on my mom.

On a lighter note, I am loving this weather! My sister in law and I decided to get together last week and take advantage of this weather. She has been wanting to do a "something blue" photo shoot for a while now and the weather finally cooperated with us. She is such an amazing person and I love every second I get to spend with her. My brother is one lucky guy! Here are some of the photos she took.....