Bring Braydon Home

Oh, the exhaustion one year can bring to a family. It has been not without event. Please click on the button to learn more about what' going on in our life and help Tab and Braydon if you can. More updates later.

"Let the wild rumpus begin!!!"

   If you don't already know, the above title is a quote from  "Where the Wild Things Are."  When I was a young mother and read this to my children, I never once thought it would apply to my career choice in the not so near future. Lucky for me, it does apply now!!
   After student teaching, I was offered a position as an afterschool instructor at Soleng Tom Elementary school. Great school, by the way. My good friend who runs the program has known all my kids and employed my Tabatha for many years. She kept the job for me and has even reserved me a position teaching third grade summer school. But I digress...
   In my mind, the wild rumpus is the amount of energy that is bottled up inside a third grader, especially a boy, until that glorious part of the day when he can fully unleash the fury. I have the honor of witnessng such an event and also the task of trying to moderate and control it, somewhat. How can I deny these kids the ability to relax.  I can't. So we have fun, within the bounds of practical rules!!
   What a treat to spend some time with the "Wild Things"!


   


 

Welcome back Kotter , I mean Kathy..

    Today, almost two weeks after surgery, I decided to head back to the classroom for my last week.
  I couldn't do much but sit for several hours, but I felt so comfortable there. The hugs were the best part. Then I found out that the principal along with many others in our school district had been given their pink slips. After the rearranging of schools some of them will have their jobs back. And so I will have a teaching degree in the most competitive teaching market Tucson has seen in years. I feel so blessed to already have jobs lined up for the summer and possibly fall. The resumes are flying. Still, absolutely no regrets about the career choice. It is rewarding when you remain focused on the importance of each student. This journey has been a road of faith and following the whisperings of the Holy Spirit.  It is no coincidence that I am receiving my diploma at this time in my life. Once again, good timing Heavenly Father. How did you know?

Where's Kathy?

For my 5 followers....you may be wondering where I've been? Well, I have been exhausted. After a day with second graders I get to come home and tend my sweet grandbaby. She is awesome and we have a lot of fun together but I am so tired afterward. If I sit down, it's over. And so the blog must wait.
I have been enjoying my student teaching like crazy. I am just a few days short of finishing it. I have been filling out graduation applications and tying up lose ends in regards to that great event. Oh and having some procedures. So, the time escapes to update the blog.
The experience of education has been wonderful. Not sure how I did it. I should say "we" did it. Because, in fact, it was a big bunch of great people who helped me do it. Most of all, my family. Thanks everyone.(It takes a village to raise a 45 year old.)  Especially Mom, who is my biggest cheerleader and always pushes me to improve and learn more. That's what moms are for.
And so this is short. I should be more diligent in the next few weeks. I've missed you, little blog.

The "Starter" Life. (for my bestest navy friend)

     This week at school I was given a starter.  "What is a starter?" you may ask. Well, it is quite simply an analogy for life wrapped up in a ziploc bag. Ziploc bags are so freaking handy, aren't they? The starter is lovingly divided up by someone who has added to the Ziploc bag a mixture that resembles a thinned out pancake mix. Included with the mix is a recipe. A recipe for life.
     First of all, let me explain the origin of the mix that is received. This mix has previously been spending the duration of at least 10 days with the person that gave the mix to me. Now, understand that everyday the recipe has called for a procedure that must be followed precisely or all is lost. Also, understand that the person who  gave me the mix has had a portion of that mix given to her previously. The mix is a perpetual ingredient that has been in the care of many others previous to me. Picture, if you will, DNA. I contain the DNA of generations of relatives before me. My starter mix contains the mixes of generations of bakers before me. It's like a food chain letter.
    So, as in life we come to earth with the DNA of others before us(refer to the starter mix analogy). We are starters in human form.
    Now every day to insure my recipe will be succesful, I have to do some things. Here are a sampling of instructions; Day 1- do nothing, Day 2-do nothing, Day 3-do nothing, Day 4-mush the bag, Day 5-mush the bag.  As you can see these are very mundane activities that really require very little effort. As in life, the mundane is inevitable.  Our lives roll along and we do the things we need to do to survive. We take out the trash, go to work, wash the clothes, go to church and so on and so on. Not that we aren't happy doing these things, it's just that they are the things we do to survive and can become very regular and taken for granted.
For the mix, these kinds of days are very important because they allow the ingredients to rest and yet do their chemical work that will create a masterpiece. These days cannot be hurried or taken for granted.
   Refer to  Day 5-mush the bag. Mush the bag? Yes! Squish it around in your hands, It's great therapy. It causes some angst within the mix and yet it is necessary. Do you feel at times your life is being mushed? And yet, you are contained in your life and can't escape it. Just like the mix. That Ziploc bag won't let it out for anything. It must endure it's mushing. Just like us. Mushing in life comes in the form of, unexpected bills, illnesses, problematic children, marriage difficulties, death. The list goes on and on. It could be as simple as your clothes not being organzied correctly by your wife in your closet that throws you off. But I digress.
Anyway, we all have been mushed at one time or another. This is necessary in life to make us better.
    Day 6-Day 6 is what gets me through days 1-5. On day 6 we add flour, sugar, and milk in this particular recipe. Don't you just love a change? Changes in my life that have made me happy are babies being born, family coming to visit, pay raises, shopping for clothes and  peanut butter m&m's.  Once again we must mush the bag to mix it up. This is a good mush.
    Since all good things must come to an end we find ourselves back to Days 7-9 wherein we will resume mushing the bag. Why can't we just go back to doing nothing. Now doing nothing is looking pretty good. And thus we learn, how we have taken for granted those wonderful, repetitive, do nothing days. However, without the mushing, our mix and ourselves cannot grow.
    And now-Day 10. The final day. The day all of our hard work and patience pay off. This also, in my analogy of life, is the day we die. However, it's all good. This is the day that we mix our final ingredients with our starter. The accumulation of our 9 days of work have come to this point. We pour our mix into a glass bowl. We free it from it's Ziploc bag. We also share. We take four cups of the mix and divide them evenly into 4 Ziploc bags. This is where we share our mix with others and provide them with a starter. We share our experience with them. I liken this to having children. I'm sure some things my children would have preferred I not share with them. Such as my praciticing parenting skills on them, crying in front of them and arguing with their father. But such is life.There is a lot of mushing going on. We add the final touches, mix and bake. We are going to take our finished product to that great county fair in the sky where Heavenly Father will judge it. Has all our doing nothing, mushing and mixing paid off?
    Suffice it to say, the cake was delicious. I think I will add walnuts and chocolate chips next time to make it more interesting.   Hmm..another analogy for life.

What Do You Expect?!

This week in second grade I learned a very important quality for a teacher. Expectation.
As my nature is, when a student needs help with something or has mistakingly lost a pencil or forgotten a library book, my attitude is "don't worry about it, here use my pencil." Well, apparently niceness doesn't really work in a classroom. Well, it can if you want to raise up a generation of adults that think everyone is going to pat them on the head when they shirk on their responsiblities. Hello. I think we have a generation like that already.
So my supervising teacher shows no mercy. If the kids have not done what she expects of them, they hear about it. "My parents didn't sign my reading log." "Well, who is responsible for that? You or your parents?" Sulk. "I forgot my library book in the car." "Well you can't just expect your mom to leave work to bring you your book that you forgot." Sulk.
The expectations are set. I will teach you and you will do what I've asked you to do so that you can learn. Life lessons.
Now I apply that to my life and my parenting. Expectations. I have expectations for my children, but have I made them clear? Perhaps not.
Now, I apply it to my marriage. I have expectations for my marriage, but have I made them clear to my spouse? Perhaps not.
Now, I apply it to myself. I have expectations for myself, but have I made them clear to myself? Not really. We don't talk much lately.
Am I the only one learning anything from this? Heavenly Father spells out His expectations for us in the scriptures. It is a fantastic model for life. The consequences come when we don't attempt to meet those expectations. Lofty goals? Maybe. But the rewards are fantastic: Self reliance, eternal life, knowledge and spiritual strength.
So now I must set myself to task and ask myself what I expect from myself and others in life and then proceed to expect nothing less. Show no mercy? Not quite. Just make the rules clear and the consequences sure.

Make Some Noise!!

For some reason, I always think that a classroom should be working quietly. I know that's not true, nor is it possible. And in my student teaching classroom it is not always necessary. These little kids somehow manage to stay on task with just a little prodding from their teacher. Even with the sounds of chatter and chairs moving, the learning keeps on.

I had such a great week even though it was a short one. This week I was able to teach a lesson on citizenship and community. The kids learned that their classroom is a community and they are all citizens. We discussed that we all had to try to get along if our community was going to work. From the mouths of babes......

And wish me luck. Tomorrow my first observation happens. A nice man from Prescott College will be coming to observe my 45 minute lesson on Presidents. Should be fun and I'm not really worried.
Looking forward to another fantastic and fun week.

Good morning, Mrs. Nye!

My student teaching has begun and week one was a complete joy!
Remember how you used to feel when you would get to school with your new crayons and pencils excited for a new year? That's how I feel everyday when I walk into the classroom. Yes, I'm a freak. But after all, the most exciting thing for my daughter Stephanie and I to do is to go to Office Max together. WooHoo!!
I have the honor of shadowing a fantastic teacher, Mrs. Lugo, at Marshall Elementary School. She is so organized and has fantastic classroom management. The class practically runs itself. I can't think of a better person to learn from. She has 28 students and she has created a system that allows the students the freedom to grow while learning.
This week I was able to teach two lessons on Martin Luther King, Jr. The kids were awesome and they learned that he promoted love. "Use your words, not your fists!" as one student told me. There is hope for the future! Mrs. Lugo told me that one of the students said, " I can tell she's gonna be good." as I began my lesson.
And no school week would be complete without a trip to the library and a fire drill.
So, I am on my way. Finally realizing the capstone of my education degree. It's been exhausting and I'm excited for everyday. What a great reward! 11 weeks to go, but who is counting? One day at a time, because I love it!!! Stay tuned for more exciting 2nd grade adventures!

And we're off!!

And so the week is almost over. The first week of 2010. It has been absolutely full of stuff.
Doctor's appointments, clerical work, turbo tax purchasing, among other things that mysteriously made it into the cart at Target: shoes, storage boxes, hangers, baby clothes, hair spray...you know. It wasn't on the list, but I needed it. Also grocery shopping, babysitting, school registrations and church meetings. Most importantly, family prayer and some scripture study.
All of this craziness is in preparation for the next 12 weeks of my life which will probably prove even nuttier! I will begin my 12 week student teaching practicum! The capstone to my teaching degree. Whoo!Hoo! I've only been working on this for 25 years or so, but better late than never. I'm even figuring out what I need to do to become middle school certified and maybe get a reading endorsement. All very intriguing. But on to the student teaching. A wonderful class is waiting for me with an equally terrific teacher who has lots of experience to share with me. I hope to update you on every fantastic experience, that is if I can still see straight after juggling family, school, appointments....well, you know.

Yipee, it's a do-over!!

Please excuse the bold, larger font. I'm going blind. Until I get to the eye doctor this will have to do!
Anyway, so excited for the New Year. Has anyone felt any different? As I watched the ball drop in Times Square ( I know it was a recording) I saw a young girl standing with her hands on her cheeks in anticipation as if something marvelous was going to happen when that thing hit the bottom. I think she was right. Something wonderful is happening. The New Year is a fantastic do-over. It brings a bit of relief and comfort to know that we can try again.
This is the same feeling we can have when we ask our Heavenly Father for forgiveness for our short-comings. This is why I love Sunday. Every Sunday when I take the sacrament I am reminded of my Saviors sacrifice that has enabled me to be forgiven of my mess ups and that, my friends, is the best do-over ever.
So as we approach the New Year, remember to keep trying and pull out that do-over card whenever you need it!