brrrrr

A few years back someone, someone who knows me very well actually, once said, "Jennifer can't stand to be alone when it's cold outside. She needs someone to keep her warm." I laugh thinking about it now because it was said as a half joke. I am always cold...even when it's 70 degrees outside I am still cold. I thought you were supposed to be more adaptable to cold Michigan weather when you've lived here your whole life. However, the tough gene must have skipped me because I am always cold. Maybe it was growing up in my house, where the thermostat never seems higher than 64. That's only when we have company too. Usually it's 62...I wish I was just kidding there...haha So, as I freeze a little from the cold weather outside I just want to mention a few of the things that help me stay warm: a hot cup of coffee, wrapping up tightly in a blanket (which usually lends itself to an afternoon of reading if I have my way...), knee-high socks, my favorite sweatshirt (which is perfectly broken in of course), and a few intangible things. For example, my mother's smile, laugh, and the way she drinks her tea. Or watching a good movie and having someone to share it with. Perhaps, the way my dad cares about my brother and I so dearly. He is such a softhearted, wonderful father. Even the way my family teases one another in a playful manner. Maybe I'm cold on the outside, but these all warm my heart, which is far more important....that is all. :)

11/11

The 11th of November...by far one of my favorite dates on the calendar (even now, 4 years later). I've always been a lover of dates. They are committed to my memory in a strange way, and (WARNING: The following information is very nerdy and boring.) I tend to notice "cute" patterns with the numbers involved. Example 01-02-03/ 08-08-08/ 02-04-06--yes, I'm serious. :) It's not like I make a huge deal out of this sort of thing, but it makes me smile. Now, 11:11 is a popular time for some people with the whole "make a wish" thing, typical of optimists under the age of 25. So, is it really that shocking that I would think 11/11 was so special?

Other things I find special:
When you pick up your phone to call someone and it starts ringing the instead your fingertips graze the surface with...surprise, surprise, that person on the other end.
When the first snow comes to town and the flakes dance across your nose and dance around the ground...so excited to be back after the long summer that they refuse to settle.
When you sit down and realize you don't have anything to do..the idea is do foreign you rack your brain, but alas, you can relax without feelings guilty about it. :)
When you impact someone's life---it might just be passing a stranger and shooting a smile in his or her direction, but it makes a difference.
When you look back and see how much you've changed in the past year, and hopefully, it was for the better. Maybe you even grew up a little, but not too much. "Be childlike, not childish" :)
When you jam out in the car and catch the people next to you staring, after a .001 seconds worth of embarrassment you just keep dancing. Life is too short to care what other people think about you.
When a hug from someone special can make all your problems just melt away. It's rare to find people like that and if you do, hold onto them, but also, know when to let go of people. This is one of the hardest lessons I've faced in life.
When you think back on old memories and still laugh out loud because of your friends involved in making them. A true Friend Is Like A Good Bra... Hard to Find. Supportive. Comfortable. And Always Close To Our Heart... ;)

...just some random thoughts on a good day, that is all. :)

329

Today I was the 329th voter for the 4th percident in Rochester Hills. Voting has always been a big deal for me. I went to the Secretary of State the day after my 18th birthday to register and haven't missed an election since. This is not going to be some rant about my political opinions by the way. My parents raised me to keep those thoughts private. :) However, I will talk about the importance of voting. Two hundred years ago when our country was founded we were given the right to vote (well at least white men were and since then it's spread to everyone else over the age of 18) and I hate to sound too corny, but it's a gift. My first election was in 2004, and it was a presidental election so it was all the more exciting. I'm proud to have a voice in this country. :) that is all..

just another thursday

Okay, I just have to say I LOVE teaching. It is, without a doubt, what I feel called to do for the rest of my life. Every month, every week, every day, every class--I learn more and more. Student teaching started off a little slow, but over the past two months it's only gotten better and better. :) My students are good kids. Sometimes they talk more than they should and drive me crazy, but overall, they are great. I used to be crazy overwhelmed by writing lesson plans, making handouts and worksheets, and grading papers, and I do it all for free. However, I want to come back every day. I want to get out of bed (Maybe not as early as I have to, but I'm more of a morning person than I ever have been). and teach all day, every day.
So...a little more about my classes.

1st hour: I have 12-1, which is a senior level composition class. It is designed as a college prep course and far harder than any classes I took in HS as far as I recall, it has been a long time... haha The class is surprisingly talkative for 7:35a.m. but funny. A few of them are amazing writers and far ahead of a lot of college freshman I have encountered. I hope some of them get a kick in the butt when they get to college though because they can be a bit whinny about Shakespeare and the workload at times. :)

2nd hour: My prep. Basically I plan things out with Sarah or put on my headphones and knock out your typical teacher tasks. I dare you to say that 5 times fast. :)

3rd hour: Oh my juniors...This course is 11A. It is the harder of the 2 junior courses offered in our district. The first 6 weeks were dedicated to learning MLA, gathering sources, outlining, and writing a large research paper. Now, we review grammar briefly MWF and have been dedicating the rest of class time to reading 1984. Speaking of grammar, I still need to write their accumulative grammar quiz for tomorrow. On Friday I hand them a mini paper filled with mistakes, which review all the grammar and MLA we have learned up to this point, and focusing on the latest skill dominantly. This week it's colons and semicolons. Always exciting. :)

4th hour: Yearbook, and by far the most unconventional part of my day. You see, most of the girls who apply for this course, know Sarah and have developed a sort of teacher/student friendship with her over their time at Stoney. Some of them have even paid to take required classes in summer school, so they can take YB over and over--it being an elective and all. It's nice to get to know those girls because they are so sweet. However, don't get me wrong, they work VERY hard. Stoney Creek puts out one of the nicest yearbooks I have ever seen. I can't wait to get my copy of this year's in the spring.

5th hour: Mythology, which is a mix of juniors and seniors. This is a literature course that all these students have elected to take. It can be a lot of fun too. Since it's a literature class there are no papers, but there is a lot of reading involved. The class is broken down into different units by archetypes. We just finished the god-teacher unit, which included a few short stories and the novel Frankenstein. That class is rowdy in one word. haha It is composed mainly of boys, it's just after lunch, and it has 35 students--in other words, every desk is filled. Sometimes they can get a little crazy, but honestly I find myself trying not to laugh before I turn on my serious face and telling them to quiet down. :)

6th hour: Another section of 12-1. This class is very focused. They are doing an amazing job of getting through Hamlet and their college application essays were great. There are some very cool stories in that class too. From the guy who is the essence of school spirit to the injured football player/wrestler who can never play these sports again but was still voted captain and goes to every practice and game helping from the sidelines. You can't make this stuff up...he's truly inspirational to me and doesn't even know it.

Well, that's a brief look into my life...that is all. :)

grading papers

I can't believe it's been two weeks since my last entry. My life has been pretty hectic lately. I'm teaching full-time now, which is exhausting but rewarding. The best way to explain being a first time teacher is to compare it to freshman year of high school or college, particularly college. When you get there it's kind of scary and possibly uncomfortable at time, this is similar to those first observations you spend in a classroom. Then you get comfortable, make friends, and have fun until you hit that week. That week when you have 2 papers and a huge test looming along with a mountain of homework and you freak a little bit. You are incredibly stressed but somehow manage to make it through, probably getting marks a little lower than you were accustomed to. Then you get in the groove, work out a schedule, and learn time management. After this it's all downhill, and college (although challenging) becomes less of a nightmare. Well, writing lessons, teaching, and grading papers is the same way. The past two weeks like my "freshman year" and now that I have that under my belt it's coming much easier. Well...grading a stack of essays still takes a great deal of time; however, that's only because some of them are written so...(must stay positive...stay positive) creatively written. :) I love teaching though, and I can not wait to get my own classroom...that is all. :)

shall we dance?

The staff dance performance was yesterday, and it was fantastic! Note: we were better than any of the class performances. :) I admit this is coming from a somewhat biased stand point; however, I still believe it is a true statement. After 2 weeks of practices, sore muscles, and far too many 8 counts it all came together. It's nice to have a place in the Stoney Creek family. I realize that in another 2 months I will graduate and have to move on somewhere. It would be wonderful to come back to SCHS full time and actually be paid to teach. The reality of the situation still strikes me though...I don't think I'll be getting a teaching job full time in January in this state. Dancing in front of 1600+ people though...that was fun. :) Wow, I didn't realize how big that audience was until just now...good thing too. If I had realized that sooner I might have been a little more nervous. :) Well, short and sweet, this was all I had time for...back to lesson plans! ..that is all.

ode to autumn

There is always that one morning. If you've lived in Michigan for any extended period of time you know what I'm talking about. That one morning when you wake up with a shiver and realize at some point during your slumber summer ended and autumn commenced. It usually happens at about 3 or 4 a.m. because you have to get up and slide out from under your sheets and throw that extra blanket on your bed. No longer are you fighting with your sheets anymore prying them off halfway through the night due to the heat. Instead you now cling to every possible source of heat. Then when your alarm goes off and you start to slide your leg out of bed and your toe grazes the chilly floor you instantly cringe and fling the covers back over your body grasping for those last few moments of warmth from your safe haven of pillows and blankets.

I bring this up because this was 2 nights ago. How poetic that it happened on September 30th/October 1st. One month ending, a new month beginning--one season closing, a new season opening. I know there are official days on the calendar devoted to the starts of the seasons; however, we Michiganders know best when it comes to weather changing. After all, we experience these changes about every 20 minutes. We often joke around saying, "If you don't like the weather wait 15 minutes because it will change." There is a great deal of truth to this statement. In fact, this one characteristic of Michigan that I have come to love over the last 22 years. If I lived somewhere without 4 distinct seasons I might just cry. Especially autumn--with the reds, yellows, and oranges on every tree slowly overtaking the green; the apple cider; cool mornings and days perfect for sporting your favorite sweatshirt...it is by far my favorite time of the year. If only it could last a bit longer. :(

Hmm...Fall is awesome! That is all. :)