That ABBA song definitely fits what my life has been like the last three and half weeks. On August 15th I went back on track ( back to work). With work comes planning, planning, planning, grading, parent teacher conferences, a bit of teaching, a lot of paperwork, and some more planning.
As a first year teacher planning is a large part of my daily life. For the most part I keep about two-three weeks ahead of my students. I have the whole quarter outlined and then I just go from there. This is a system my CT (the teacher that trained me last year) taught me and I liked at have kept it in my classroom.
Ever since coming back on track I feel like it is becoming harder and harder to stay on top - now don't get me wrong I am still good until the end of September, but I still feel stressed. The good news is I love my job. I love my students and I love my team (the group of teachers I work with everyday).
I hate the drive and I hate the paperwork. I also don't really enjoy dealing with parents, but I guess that part won't go away. I also don't really enjoy my Family Consumer Science class. Currently, I am trying to learn to sew so I can teach my students to sew. And by learning, I mean putting it off for as long as possible. I think I am hoping the school will miraculously get rid of the sewing portion of my class. Haha, unlikely.
Luckily, my school is on that weird track system and I get a break every few months- which I love- love- love! My next break starts October 16th and I really cannot wait.
Being a teacher really is great, but by the end of the day I am pooped! I have now realized holidays and weekends were created to give teachers a break and not the other way around!
(Just in case you need a visual of how far I drive everyday: I live in Laie and work in Mililani Town. And no I can't just cut across the island... I have to follow the red line... which takes an hour there and an hour back!!!! EVERYDAY!!!)
BUT IT'S WORTH IT CAUSE I GET TO WORK WITH THESE PEOPLE:
Back row: Richard (Wheel), Jeff (Counselor), Jake (Science)
Front: Hiroko (Sped), Pat (Language Arts), Me (Social Studies) Krysti (Math), and Kelley (Sped)
At my school we work as a team of teachers. Meaning we all have the same students and work and plan together. As a first year teacher this has been extremely helpful and I love love love my team!
Well, the olympics are long over and Jenny is long gone. This last month has been crazy. I had a friend come stay with me, I started school back up, and well work sucks a lot out of me. By the time I get home I am so tired I can barely stay awake until 9:30 let alone blog about my life.
But I will try to catch you all up in the exciting life of A Fay.
Like I said the most exciting thing was Jenny's visit around mid-August. Her visit worked out perfectly because I was on break from school and was able to spend all my time hanging out with her, plus I had a real job so we were able to go and do some fun things.
We went to the beach a lot! I actually got a pretty good tan (although it is now fading).
Matt was able to go with us a few of the days!
Of course we went to the PCC. This time around I thought I would try the small group tour. I would have to say it is definitely worth doing the PCC that way, except I must warn you the tour guides will say the word cousins so many times you will want to scream by the end of the day. So beware of that.
Note: Please be impressed by my artistic skills of grass weaving... yup I made that myself... however, Jenny threw away my final masterpiece. (Oh and P.S.- it's a fish)
We went to turtle beach and saw some turtles :)
We also went to Iolani Palace. This was the last home of the Hawaiian monarchy before/ during the overthrow. They made us wear these cloth slippers to protect the floor in the palace. Matt and I were able to get in for free because of the Kai'maaina (local) discount- which was awesome. The palace was really interesting and I would recommend it to anyone wanting to learn more about the overthrow.
Another must was to see the USS Arizona. This time we did the audio tour- again really impressed with it. Here is Matt and I in front of the USS Bowfin- a submarine.
My cousin Ashley suggested we try this restaurant called Shokudo. They had the best dessert- honey toast with ice cream. TRUST ME - you have to try it!
We did lots more stuff and it was a blast! Jenny stayed for about a week, but it was the best time ever. We had such a great visit and I can't wait to see her again. When I dropped her off at the airport I got about one exit back before I started crying- it was a little depressing. So here's to you Jenny.
For me, the last week has basically been olympics, olympics, and of course more olympics. Since the 27th our t.v. has barely left NBC.
I have heard a lot of complaints about NBC's olympic coverage and their lack of primetime diversity. And you know these are just not 'true' olympic fans. I say this because true olympic fans watch more than NBC's primetime coverage. A real fan watches the coverage all day and into the wee hours of the morning. A real fan is dedicated to reading all the news updates and catching on-line clips of all the events. A real fan doesn't let primetime coverage discourage them from watching other events.
Haha- I am kidding... a little. I think overall NBC has been fine. I mean the primetime coverage is what the majority of Americans want to watch, so it makes sense what they show.
Now, I know I might be a little a lot obsessed with watching as much olympics as I possibly can, but let me make it clear- I am on intersession or a break from work. I literally have nothing to do, so I have the luxury of watching 24/ 7 olympic coverage.
Well, enough of the NBC haters! Let's talk about what I have seen. This past week has brought some highs and it has brought some lows. I have cried... I have yelled... I have scared my husband away... all in all I have become an olympic nut job... and I have loved every minute of it.
I have watched swimming (of course), volleyball, both men/ women's and beach and regular, water polo, kayaking, diving, fencing, judo, cycling, indoor cycling, rowing, track and field, basketball, trampoline, tennis, gymnastics, shooting, archery, and even some equestrian ( I mean who could pass up seeing the Queen's granddaughter compete!)
The other day, NBC was taking a break from olympic coverage and I changed the channel and saw Will Ferrel on Conan. And of course they were talking about the olympics and I started laughing because Will was acting like a USA nut and I was like oh my gosh- Will is doing an impression of ME!!!
I showed Matt and we just laughed because I am pretty sure I was saying the same things about the Russian gymnasts!
For more insight, please watch this video. This will show you just how excited I get about the olympics, and trust me it is not an exaggeration.
I hope your Olympic experience is going as great as mine is! All I have to say is I am glad we are finally beating out China in the metal race! And GO TEAM USA!!!!
*Note: I did get permission from Joe to use this memory as a flashback.*
My mom has always been pretty adamant about using the technical terms when talking about the human anatomy. Even when we were children it was a penis or a vagina- there were no hoo -hahs or pee pees in our household.
Joe, like most little kids, had a hard time saying certain words and for vagina he would, instead, say China. (At this point he is no more than 3 years old.)
One weekend, my Papa Stewart was visiting us in Macon and he turned to my mom and said, "Andie, can I put this china in the microwave?"
Joe then got this horrific look on his face and he exclaimed to Papa: "YOU CAN'T PUT CHINA IN THE MICROWAVE!"
Hahahahaha can you imagine what young Jo Jo was thinking! This story has been told many times around my family, but regardless of how many times I hear it- it still makes me laugh.
So if you ever hear someone say- You can't put china in the microwave. You will know what we are talking about.
Although I have been MIA the last couple of weeks does not mean I have not been reading. Also, this series will now just be 'reads' as it is no longer summer for me and I want to still share what I read from time to time!
I have been attempting to read Jane Eyre, but it is slow coming. I just can not get into that book, but I am going to keep trying.
I have read a lot of my 'trashy' romance/ thriller novels. I won't be sharing all of those books, but I do want to share my latest read: Where We Belong by Emily Giffin. This is her latest book and overall it was pretty good.
It is a lot like her other books (Something Borrowed, Something Blue, Baby Proof, The Heart of the Matter, and Love The One Your With). I have read all of her books. Something Borrowed and Something Blue are by far my favorite, but Where We Belong is definitely good.
The thing that frustrates me the most about Giffin's books, but at the same time something that I also love about her books are that the main characters are always so flawed and selfish. I guess a more accurate term would be that her characters are real and experience real feelings and tendencies.
Where We Belong is about a story about adoption and a relationship between a birth mother and the daughter she gave up. It goes a lot deeper than that, but if you want to know more read the book!
Another thing I love about Giffin's books is that there is always a cameo from her previous characters. In this book, you learn more about Claudia from Baby Proof. I loved reading about them in this book and look forward to seeing a cameo about Conrad and Marian in her next book- whenever that comes out.
Where We Belong came out on July 27 and I think it is worth reading, especially if you are a fan of Giffin. If you have never heard of Giffin click HERE!!!
