I find that there are times in my life when I just have to sit down and laugh. Laugh at something that just happened, laugh at something I saw, but most of all, laugh at myself.
I have found over the years that life is what you make it. When situations come up, good or bad, you are in control of how you act and react to every situation. You decide how much you worry about it, laugh at it, love it, or hate it. You decide what you do because of it and what you do not do because of it. Often times I think we tend to forget that we are in control of our own choices. We tend to forget that we chose and choose the life that we live.
We also tend to forget that all of our choices are connected and lead us to our future. Each choice that we have made in the past has lead us to where we are now. What we chose to do three years ago helped decide where we are standing today. What we learned, didn't learn, what we did, and what we didn't do in our lifetime have all played a part in who we are and where we are in our lives at this moment. Likewise, what we then choose to do today will help determine who we become and where we will stand tomorrow and in the future.
We can't choose to spend our time worrying and stressed out. We can't chose to spend our time depressed about life or mad at the world. But most of all we can't choose to stop choosing. We can't decide to give up and stop making choices. For when you do this you let yourself be controlled by the world. You let yourself fall to the wayside. You let yourself become lost.
Instead, we must choose to laugh. We must choose to stop worrying about the things we can not control and start changing the things that we can. We must choose to smile and to look at the world around us and see the beauty within it. We must choose to search for the good and to be a part of the good that is in the world. We must choose to lift ourselves and others up and move forward with courage and with faith.
Don't let the world drag you down. Don't let the world get the better of you. Storms will come and things will happen that we do not like. But when you find yourself being tossed about and not knowing which way is up, know that there will be day when you look around and realize that you are standing upright on solid ground and that you are exactly where you are supposed to be. You will realize that all of that tossing and turning landing you where you need to be and where you dared dreamed could happen. You will find that it has made you happy.
So remember to laugh and remember to smile and one day you too will realize that life is funny.
Saturday, November 17, 2012
Monday, October 29, 2012
Speaking In Sacrament
Faith, Hope and Charity
Hello. Brother Baza came up
to me about a month and a half ago and asked me if I would be willing to speak.
He said that I had been on his mind for a while now and he was waiting to see
what I would have to say. I agreed to
speak, and then he said great and that was the end of the conversation. At the
time he had not given me a date, a topic, or a length of time that he wanted me
to speak. I figured he would come to me again and let me know these things.
A couple of weeks later when
I still had not heard any further news of me speaking I made the mistake of
asking him about it. I went up to him one Sunday after sacrament and asked him
if he had forgotten that he asked me to speak. He gave me a smile and said that
he had, but since I had reminded him, he then said that he would like me to
speak on Oct. 28. I walked away kicking myself for reminding him and wonder if
I would have gotten out of it had I never gone up and asked him.
As I was walking away though,
I also realized that I still did not have a topic to speak on. I wondered if I
should go back and ask, and then decided that Brother Boza would probably just
call me and tell me at some point. Plus, I had already reminded him once that I
was speaking and I didn’t want to remind him again. Well, he didn’t call. And by the time I got to
two Sundays ago I figured I should probably go and ask him. Part of me just
thought about talking about whatever I wanted and for whatever length I felt
like, but a bigger part of me felt like I should ask. So after sacrament to
weeks ago I found the brethren in the office. The first thing out of Brother
Boza’s mouth was “two weeks. I didn’t forget.” I laughed and said neither had I
but did he have a topic he wanted me to speak on or should I just pick my own.
I was hoping he would say pick your own because I had had some thoughts running
through my head that I felt I should share. He gave me that smile again and
then said “I will give you a broad topic….how about faith, hope and charity.
You may speak on it what you will.” I thanked him and then walked away.
As I walked away that day, I
was a little disappointed because I couldn’t see how I could fit what I had
been thinking about sharing into the topic he had given me and I really didn’t
want to start thinking about a new subject to share with you. But, the more I
thought about it, and as I started to research the topic, I found that it did in
fact cover what I wanted to share.
So, today as I speak to you I
want to go backwards. Usually when one is given the topic that I have they
speak on each subject in the order it was given: Faith, hope and then charity.
Today, however, I want to start with Charity.
Growing up I always thought
charity was just about serving others. I figured it just meant to go out and do
service. So when people would start talking about having charity, and being the
young girl that I was, I thought to myself, yeah, I got that one covered. I can
help others, move on to the next thing I need to accomplish. As I have grown up though and learned more
throughout the years the word Charity holds so much more meaning to me now than
it ever did as a young girl.
Charity means more than just
serving your fellow man. It means more than bringing food to a neighbor in need
or shoveling someone’s walk when they are too weak to accomplish it themselves.
Charity is what is beneath all of that. It is what fuels the actions mentioned.
Charity is the pure love of Christ. It is the base for holding the foundation
of love and relationships. It is something that is given and something that you
have to work for. Hyrum Smith said, “We ought to be careful of what we say, and
take the example of Jesus, cast over men the mantle of charity, and try to
cover their faults. We are made to enlighten and not to darken one another,
save men, not destroy them.” In Moroni
7:44 – 47 it states the following:
44: …if a man be meek and
lowly in heart, and confesses by the power of the Holy Ghost that Jesus is the
Christ, he must needs have charity; for if he have not charity he is nothing;
wherefore he must needs have charity.
45: And Charity suffereth
long, and is kind, and envieth not her own, is not easily provoked, thinketh no
evil, and rejoiceth not in iniquity, but rejoiceth in the truth, beareth all
things, believeth all things, hopeth all things, endureth all things,
46: Wherefore, my beloved
brethren, if ye have not charity, ye are nothing, for charity never faileth.
Wherefore, cleave unto charity which is the greatest of all, for all things
must fail-
47: But charity is the pure
love of Christ, and it endureth forever and whoso is found possessed of it at
the last day, it shall be well with him.
Optimism and hope spring from
deep faith in Jesus Christ. And the natural by-product of hope borne of faith
is charity, or the ability to truly care about others more than yourself. True
charity gives us the power to stop worrying about what the world thinks of us
and to start caring for others. It gives us the power to find those in need to
and make people’s lives better because we were there.
Hope is something that is
required to have charity. One must have hope that they can make a difference.
One must have hope that things can be better. The definition of hope is the
emotional state which promotes the belief in a positive outcome related to
events and circumstances in one’s life. Despair is the opposite of hope.
Hope is something that gives
us courage. It is something that helps us move forward in life and helps us to
act. The concept of hope is a noun. It is an idea that we have and an idea that
we tend to believe in. But hope also needs to be a verb. It needs to be an
action. Hope is not just something that can sit by ideally and wait. It is
something that you must use. Something that you must put into action and then
act upon.
President Uchtdorf gave an excellent talk In October 2008
entitled The Infinite Power of Hope: In it he sates a few things that I
would like to share with you.
The
scriptures say that there must be “an opposition in all things.” 15
So
it is with faith, hope, and charity. Doubt, despair, and failure to care for
our fellowmen lead us into temptation, which can cause us to forfeit choice and
precious blessings.
The
adversary uses despair to bind hearts and minds in suffocating darkness.
Despair drains from us all that is vibrant and joyful and leaves behind the
empty remnants of what life was meant to be. Despair kills ambition, advances
sickness, pollutes the soul, and deadens the heart. Despair can seem like a
staircase that leads only and forever downward.
Hope, on
the other hand, is like the beam of sunlight rising up and above the horizon of
our present circumstances. It pierces the darkness with a brilliant dawn. It
encourages and inspires us to place our trust in the loving care of an eternal
Heavenly Father, who has prepared a way for those who seek for eternal truth in
a world of relativism, confusion, and of fear.
Hope has
the power to fill our lives with happiness. 2
Its
absence—when this desire of our heart is delayed—can make “the heart sick.”
3
Hope is a
gift of the Spirit. 4
It
is a hope that through the Atonement of Jesus Christ and the power of His Resurrection, we shall
be raised unto life eternal and this because of our faith in the Savior. 5
This
kind of hope is both a principle of promise as well as a commandment, 6
and,
as with all commandments, we have the responsibility to make it an active part
of our lives and overcome the temptation to lose hope. Hope in our Heavenly
Father’s merciful plan of happiness leads to peace, 7
mercy,
8
rejoicing,
9
and
gladness. 10
The
hope of salvation is like a protective helmet; 11
it
is the foundation of our faith 12
and
an anchor to our souls.
“Faith,
hope, and charity complement each other, and as one increases, the others grow
as well. Hope comes of faith, 32
for
without faith, there is no
hope. 33
In
like manner faith comes of hope, for faith is “the substance of things hoped
for.” 34
Hope is
critical to both faith and charity. When disobedience, disappointment, and
procrastination erode faith, hope is there to uphold our faith. When
frustration and impatience challenge charity, hope braces our resolve and urges
us to care for our fellowmen even without expectation of reward. The brighter
our hope, the greater our faith. The stronger our hope, the purer our charity.
The things
we hope for lead us to faith,
while the things we hope in
lead us to charity. The three qualities—faith, hope, and charity 35
—working
together, grounded on the truth and light of the restored gospel of
Jesus Christ, lead us to abound in good works”
With that said, the last topic of the day then, is faith.
When I first hear the word faith my mind automatically goes to the primary song
that states faith is like a seed, if planted it will grow. When I was little I
used to wonder if I had a tree growing inside of me or if I needed to sallow a
seed to get the process started. I
wanted to have faith and I was willing to do what it took to get a tree of it
inside of me.
Looking back on that young girl I realize that I had the
faith all along. I realize that that desire to have that amount of faith had
already planted the seed inside of me and that it was indeed growing. But, with
looking back I also wonder if I have that same amount of faith in myself now. I
wonder if my tree has grown well, and if in fact it is still growing.
With this thought in mind I choose to look of faith the
Topical Guide one night. When you look this up by the word faith it gives you
other words to look under for more information. In the parenthesis next to faith
is says:
See also
assurance; baptism, qualifications for; believe; confidence; faithful;
faithfulness; obedience; trust; trust in God; Dictionary …Faith.
The word that stuck out to me the most in this list was the
word confidence. I pondered that word with faith for a moment and then decide
to look for more. I choose to then do what it said and look up faith in the
bible dictionary. The definition for
faith is a long one, but it sums up what it is and how it should be used in our
lives so very nicely. I am going to read it to, but please don’t fall asleep.
Faith is to
hope for things which are not seen, but which are true (Heb. 11:1; Alma 32:21), and must
be centered in Jesus Christ in order to produce salvation. To have faith is to
have confidence in something or someone. The Lord has revealed himself and his
perfect character, possessing in their fulness all the attributes of love,
knowledge, justice, mercy, unchangeableness, power, and every other needful
thing, so as to enable the mind of man to place confidence in him without
reservation. Faith is kindled by hearing the testimony of those who have faith
(Rom. 10:14–17). Miracles
do not produce faith, but strong faith is developed by obedience to the gospel
of Jesus Christ; in other words, faith comes by righteousness, although
miracles often confirm one’s faith.
Faith is a
principle of action and of power, and by it one can command the elements and/or
heal the sick, or influence any number of circumstances when occasion warrants
(Jacob
4:4–7). Even more important, by faith one obtains a remission of
sins and eventually can stand in the presence of God.
All true
faith must be based upon correct knowledge or it cannot produce the desired
results. Faith in Jesus Christ is the first principle of the gospel and is more
than belief, since true faith always moves its possessor to some kind of
physical and mental action; it carries an assurance of the fulfillment of the
things hoped for. A lack of faith leads one to despair, which comes because of
iniquity.
Although
faith is a gift, it must be cultured and sought after until it grows from a
tiny seed to a great tree. The effects of true faith in Jesus Christ include
(1) an actual knowledge that the course of life one is pursuing is acceptable
to the Lord (see Heb. 11:4); (2) a
reception of the blessings of the Lord that are available to man in this life;
and (3) an assurance of personal salvation in the world to come. These things
involve individual and personal testimony, guidance, revelation, and spiritual
knowledge. Where there is true faith there are miracles, visions, dreams,
healings, and all the gifts of God that he gives to his saints.
This definition in whole says a great many things. It talks
about faith being and action word and not just an idea. It talks about how
miracles do not produce ones faith but can make it stronger and it also talks
about how faith must be centered in Jesus Christ and in God. But it also talks
about how to have faith is to have confidence in something and in someone.
The first person that we must have faith in, or confidence
in, is God. It is not enough to just have faith that he exists. It is not
enough to just believe that he is there. One must also have faith and
confidence in his words and in his works. If we are to truly have faith in God then
need to have faith in 1) that he knows who we are and hears ours prayers in 2)
that his words are true and will be fulfilled and in 3) that he has a plan for
us.
Along with God our Father, we must also have faith in his
son Jesus Christ, our brother. We must have faith in his existence here on
Earth and in the life that he lived. We must also have faith in his works and
words as well. We must have faith that the sacrifice he made in Gethsemane was
real. But not only was it real, but that it was for us. We must have confidence
that he can take our sins away. Confidence that he can take our pain away. Confidence
that he knows what we are going through and is there for us in our lives. It is not enough to just have faith that our
Father and brother live. We must also have confidence in their words and in
their works.
The next
person we must learn to have faith and confidence in is ourselves. This one can often times be the hardest one
for us to achieve. For some reason we find it far easier to have faith in
someone else and what they can do, then to have faith in ourselves and what we
can do. President Hinckley said the following: “I have been quoted as saying,
‘Do the best you can.’ But I want to emphasize that it be the very best. We are
too prone to be satisfied with mediocre performance. We are capable of doing so
much better.”
Often
times in our lives I think we settle for good enough. We look around at our
jobs, or living situations, our friends, and think to ourselves... “yep, this
is good” and we stop there. We stop trying to be more or to achieve more with
our lives. We figure that we have made it this far and don’t attempt to wonder
what more there is to accomplish. I was in this place about two years ago. I
had graduated from college, I had a job that suited me just fine, and I had a
ward I liked and friends I liked to hang out with. But what I had stopped doing
was moving forward. I had stopped trying to be more or to change more about
myself and my life. And even though I was happy I soon realized that I had
gotten myself stuck. I realized that I was in a rut and I didn’t know how to
get out of it.
I then
took a look at my life and realized that I had settled. I wasn’t trying to be
my best. I had a job, yes, but it was not the job I really wanted. I spent some
time with the talents the Lord had given me, but I was not longer trying to
continue to develop them. I was not trying to be more or to achieve more in any
way. With this realization came the knowledge that I needed to change. That I
needed to be more. But when one determines that they need to change it can
bring about a fear inside of one selves. We start to wonder if we can truly
achieve more or if we can really get the type of job and life that we really
want. And sometimes this train of thought can make us stop in our tracks and we
decide that yes, life is good and we are right back to where we started.
Instead of
getting stuck in this circle, we must start to believe in ourselves. We must
start to have faith in ourselves. We must start to have confidence that we can
be more. That we can be all we are meant to be. In order to do this we need to
remember who we are. We need to remember that we are children of a king. We are
royalty. We are all princes and princesses. In 2 Nephi 20:8 it says: Are not my
prince’s altogether kings?” We are all
his children and within all of us is the potential to be kings and queens. We
need to be the ones to work to reach that potential and we cannot let something
like fear stop us. We need to do as it says in D&C 78:15 and come up unto
the crown that is prepared for us. Our Father in Heaven is a God and a king and
he has a plan for each and every one us. He has promised blessings waiting for
us to reach for. He wants us to be great. He wants us to achieve what he has in
store for us, and if we start believing in ourselves and working towards those
goals he will help us. But If we never make an effort to be more, if we never
make an effort to achieve, then it will never be accomplished.
One of my
favorite quotes is by Marianne Williamson. It is a poem entitled
Our
Greatest Fear
It is our
light not our darkness that most frightens us
Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate.
Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure.
It is our light not our darkness that most frightens us.
We ask ourselves, who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous,
talented and fabulous?
Actually, who are you not to be?
talented and fabulous?
Actually, who are you not to be?
You are a child of God.
Your playing small does not serve the world.
There's nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other
people won't feel insecure around you.
We were born to make manifest the glory of
God that is within us.
It's not just in some of us; it's in everyone.
We were born to make manifest the glory of
God that is within us.
It's not just in some of us; it's in everyone.
And as we let our own light shine,
we unconsciously give other people
permission to do the same.
As we are liberated from our own fear,
Our presence automatically liberates others.
we unconsciously give other people
permission to do the same.
As we are liberated from our own fear,
Our presence automatically liberates others.
As we move forward in life we must remember who we are. We
must remember that we are royalty and that we have a God as a Father. We must
remember where we come from and where we want to go. We must not let fear keep
us from being who we are meant to be. We must not settle for less than our best
and we must remember to keep the faith. Keep the faith in God and his
existence. In his word and in his plan for us. But most of all we must keep the
faith within in ourselves. The faith that we can achieve, that we can be great,
and that one day we can return to live with God.
Tuesday, September 18, 2012
The New Job
As some of you already know, I got a new job. That's right. I said goodbye to the Sylvan Learning Center and found a bigger and better job for me.My new job is teaching 6th grade at the Syracuse Arts Academy. I have now been working there for the past month now and I LOVE IT!
I had started to look for a new job back at the beginning of May. I just felt that it was time for a change and I knew that I didn't want to stay at Sylvan for much longer. I liked the job and all, but I wanted to move forward in life and I no longer wanted to work six days a week with a boss that was starting to make me crazy. Since I had a job though that I knew I could keep as long as needed I was not in any rush when I started looking for a new one. I knew that I wanted to find something that I would really like doing and not just settle for something new.
With that said, I started to look for jobs that had something to do with the arts. I love the arts and I love being with kids so I knew I wanted something that included both. Since most public schools are starting to push the arts out, I knew looking into them would not help me much unless I could get a job as the art specialist, which would be difficult with them pushing the arts out of the schools. I started to look into jobs as a art teacher within the local schools and within community centers around the area. While in my searches I cam across a site called teachers to teachers. It is a site set up to help teachers find the jobs that they are after. Teachers can get on and fill out a profile about themselves and there experience with teaching. The teachers fill out what kind of license they have, what areas they are interested in teaching, locations of jobs that would work for them, and so forth. Then schools that have job openings can also get on and post a advertisement for the job. From there what the system does is match the teachers up with the jobs that it thinks would work for them. As a teacher it sends you a list of new job postings that fit your criteria each week. Then if you are interested in the job you can fill out the online application and submit it to the school from the site. After looking into this site a little bit I choose to sign up and see what it could do for me. Plus, it was free to sign up , so I couldn't really see any downside to it.
I filled out my information and then started to look into the jobs that they had posted. It quickly became apparent that I wasn't going to find much in the regular public school system besides art teaching jobs for Jr. High and High School, which my license dose not cover. Over the next couple of weeks I I would check the site and look through the listings of jobs. I came across a few that I thought I would like and started applying for them. The ones that I had applied for were for charter schools that emphasized the arts with kids. there are not many of these out there so they were pretty far spread out. One I applied for was in St. George, one in Logan, and then One in Syracuse. All of the applications asked me about what I would like to teach, how I integrate art into lessons and why I thought art was important for kids to learn and participate in.
Right after I applied to them I went to Cabo, Mexico for the next week. When I got back I found that the Syracuse Arts Academy wanted to set up an interview for sometime that week. I quickly called and set one up for that Wednesday the 6th of June. That first interview was with the Vice President of the school. She informed that they had had some other openings since I had applied and that she would consider me for a variety of them. I thought the interview went really well and as I was leaving she said that I should get an email by Friday morning letting me know. As I was driving home from the school I had this feeling that that was where I belonged and that it would all work out. Well, Friday came and went and I had no email. I thought for sure that I didn't get the job but felt OK about it all. I continued on with the next week and didn't check my email again until the next Saturday. Upon checking it I realized that I had indeed received and email from the school and that I had received it the Saturday before. In it is was asking me if I would like to come back for a second interview with the Principal. I felt like an Idiot. Why hadn't I checked my email earlier??? I felt for sure that they thought I was a snob not to answer back and had probably filled the position. I quickly wrote back a reply saying that I was very interested in coming back and what had happened with my email. I apologized profusely and hoped that it would be enough.
That next Monday I received a phone call from the principal. She laughed at my story and said that she would love to meet with me as soon as I could. We set up an interview for the next day which was Tuesday June 19. I went into this interview a little more confident then the first one and walked out of it with that same feeling of belonging and that all would work out. As I was leaving I was informed that the next step would be to come back and interview with the grade level team that I could be working with. Two days later I received a call to set up that interview. We set it up for the next Tuesday June 26. By the time I walked into this interview I felt like a pro. this time though there were about 8 people in the room all asking me different questions about my teaching style, procedures in the classroom, my art background and how I could bring that into the school, and so forth. I was there for about 45 minutes and once again walked out with a smile on my face. I felt good about the school, the job opening, and the people that I had just talked to. I went home with the feeling of things working out just fine once again.
On July 5th I received and email from the principal that said she liked me very much and thought that I would be a great fit to the school. she listed out some of the details with the job and wanted me to read them over and get back to her as soon as possible if I wanted it. I quickly read through them and decided to think about it for a day. The next day I called her and had a couple of questions for her. We talked for a minute or two and then she asked "so, do you want the job? I think you would be great at it." I paused for a moment before answering trying to decide if this was right. I knew it was and told her I wanted the job.
The job that I was offered was for a 6th grade job share. I would have a 6th grade class but I would start the year off sharing it with another teacher. The i other teacher is pregnant and will be leaving on maternity leave next week. She had to start out the school year in order to keep the insurance. The school wanted to set the job up as a job share so that I could start the school year with the students and then just take over when she leaves.
Since I have started this job, I have loved it. The rest of the summer was a little crazy trying to get things settled with Sylvan and get the new people trained. I have spent many days and Saturdays there trying to help then understand the systems and the programs. I officially had my last day two Saturdays ago. I told them they could still call me if they needed, but that I would no longer be coming in. And let me tell you, it has been great not going in. I really don't miss it all.
Ever since I started the job with my new school I have felt right at home and know that it is where I belong. After the first three days of school it felt like I had been there forever. I still have some things to learn and figure out, but that comes with every job and especially with teaching when the core standards change and a new school system to learn. And even though I have some things to learn and figure out, and even though I am crazy busy trying to plan the lessons and stay on top of the grades, I am loving it. I have a great group of students who make me laugh and drive me nuts on a daily basis. I get to integrate art into all the lessons I want. But most of all I get to teach kids and I get to watch them learn and grow and become more of who they are meant to be.
I had started to look for a new job back at the beginning of May. I just felt that it was time for a change and I knew that I didn't want to stay at Sylvan for much longer. I liked the job and all, but I wanted to move forward in life and I no longer wanted to work six days a week with a boss that was starting to make me crazy. Since I had a job though that I knew I could keep as long as needed I was not in any rush when I started looking for a new one. I knew that I wanted to find something that I would really like doing and not just settle for something new.
With that said, I started to look for jobs that had something to do with the arts. I love the arts and I love being with kids so I knew I wanted something that included both. Since most public schools are starting to push the arts out, I knew looking into them would not help me much unless I could get a job as the art specialist, which would be difficult with them pushing the arts out of the schools. I started to look into jobs as a art teacher within the local schools and within community centers around the area. While in my searches I cam across a site called teachers to teachers. It is a site set up to help teachers find the jobs that they are after. Teachers can get on and fill out a profile about themselves and there experience with teaching. The teachers fill out what kind of license they have, what areas they are interested in teaching, locations of jobs that would work for them, and so forth. Then schools that have job openings can also get on and post a advertisement for the job. From there what the system does is match the teachers up with the jobs that it thinks would work for them. As a teacher it sends you a list of new job postings that fit your criteria each week. Then if you are interested in the job you can fill out the online application and submit it to the school from the site. After looking into this site a little bit I choose to sign up and see what it could do for me. Plus, it was free to sign up , so I couldn't really see any downside to it.
I filled out my information and then started to look into the jobs that they had posted. It quickly became apparent that I wasn't going to find much in the regular public school system besides art teaching jobs for Jr. High and High School, which my license dose not cover. Over the next couple of weeks I I would check the site and look through the listings of jobs. I came across a few that I thought I would like and started applying for them. The ones that I had applied for were for charter schools that emphasized the arts with kids. there are not many of these out there so they were pretty far spread out. One I applied for was in St. George, one in Logan, and then One in Syracuse. All of the applications asked me about what I would like to teach, how I integrate art into lessons and why I thought art was important for kids to learn and participate in.
Right after I applied to them I went to Cabo, Mexico for the next week. When I got back I found that the Syracuse Arts Academy wanted to set up an interview for sometime that week. I quickly called and set one up for that Wednesday the 6th of June. That first interview was with the Vice President of the school. She informed that they had had some other openings since I had applied and that she would consider me for a variety of them. I thought the interview went really well and as I was leaving she said that I should get an email by Friday morning letting me know. As I was driving home from the school I had this feeling that that was where I belonged and that it would all work out. Well, Friday came and went and I had no email. I thought for sure that I didn't get the job but felt OK about it all. I continued on with the next week and didn't check my email again until the next Saturday. Upon checking it I realized that I had indeed received and email from the school and that I had received it the Saturday before. In it is was asking me if I would like to come back for a second interview with the Principal. I felt like an Idiot. Why hadn't I checked my email earlier??? I felt for sure that they thought I was a snob not to answer back and had probably filled the position. I quickly wrote back a reply saying that I was very interested in coming back and what had happened with my email. I apologized profusely and hoped that it would be enough.
That next Monday I received a phone call from the principal. She laughed at my story and said that she would love to meet with me as soon as I could. We set up an interview for the next day which was Tuesday June 19. I went into this interview a little more confident then the first one and walked out of it with that same feeling of belonging and that all would work out. As I was leaving I was informed that the next step would be to come back and interview with the grade level team that I could be working with. Two days later I received a call to set up that interview. We set it up for the next Tuesday June 26. By the time I walked into this interview I felt like a pro. this time though there were about 8 people in the room all asking me different questions about my teaching style, procedures in the classroom, my art background and how I could bring that into the school, and so forth. I was there for about 45 minutes and once again walked out with a smile on my face. I felt good about the school, the job opening, and the people that I had just talked to. I went home with the feeling of things working out just fine once again.
On July 5th I received and email from the principal that said she liked me very much and thought that I would be a great fit to the school. she listed out some of the details with the job and wanted me to read them over and get back to her as soon as possible if I wanted it. I quickly read through them and decided to think about it for a day. The next day I called her and had a couple of questions for her. We talked for a minute or two and then she asked "so, do you want the job? I think you would be great at it." I paused for a moment before answering trying to decide if this was right. I knew it was and told her I wanted the job.
The job that I was offered was for a 6th grade job share. I would have a 6th grade class but I would start the year off sharing it with another teacher. The i other teacher is pregnant and will be leaving on maternity leave next week. She had to start out the school year in order to keep the insurance. The school wanted to set the job up as a job share so that I could start the school year with the students and then just take over when she leaves.
Since I have started this job, I have loved it. The rest of the summer was a little crazy trying to get things settled with Sylvan and get the new people trained. I have spent many days and Saturdays there trying to help then understand the systems and the programs. I officially had my last day two Saturdays ago. I told them they could still call me if they needed, but that I would no longer be coming in. And let me tell you, it has been great not going in. I really don't miss it all.
Ever since I started the job with my new school I have felt right at home and know that it is where I belong. After the first three days of school it felt like I had been there forever. I still have some things to learn and figure out, but that comes with every job and especially with teaching when the core standards change and a new school system to learn. And even though I have some things to learn and figure out, and even though I am crazy busy trying to plan the lessons and stay on top of the grades, I am loving it. I have a great group of students who make me laugh and drive me nuts on a daily basis. I get to integrate art into all the lessons I want. But most of all I get to teach kids and I get to watch them learn and grow and become more of who they are meant to be.
Wednesday, September 5, 2012
An Epic Summer of FUN
School started last week which means that it was also the official end to summer. And what a summer it has been. One full of friends. laughter. adventure, and great memories which will last forever. The summer of fun all started when one of my best friends received her mission call to Jacksonville, FL. Those of us in that group of friends were talking on night and decide that we should make it the best summer ever, full of adventure and all the activities we could before she would leave. By the time the night was over we had the beginnings of The Epic Summer of Fun. Now, my summer of fun included that many activities with this group, The Fab 5, and a few other groups of friends as well. This is how the summer went.....
May
The month of May started with me getting a new car. My old one was officially dead and I needed something to drive. I went and got my car that first Saturday in May, May 5th. That night stated the Epic Summer of Fun activities with a night at the Drive-In where we saw the Avengers. This is also the night that I found out my new car heater worked extremely well :). The rest of the month included a trip to Logan, a backyard BBQ, singing in the Stake Choir at the conference center, getting new contacts, and the best trip of all that happened the last week of May. This would be a trip with most of the Fab 5 to Cabo San Lucus, Mexico for a week. We left on the 25th and drove to Vegas that night. the next day we boarded a plane and headed to California and then to Mexico. Once there we proceeded to drive to the villa that we were staying for the week, Casa Grande (you can look it up on the internet if you want to see where it is at) We stayed there for a week with days spent sunning by the pool, playing at the beach, shopping, eating at fabulous places, music videos, para-sailing, and just enjoying time with friends.
June
The fun continues in June with first returning from Mexico. Then we have a Backyard movie and BBQ for Brett and Jacq's Birthdays. This month was also the month that Jacque went through the Temple and it was such a great experience to be able to be there with her. There was a John Bytheway devotional, a family party for great cousin Jimmy who turned 80, and then some backyard fun at Taryn's. From there we had a weekend in Park City, some baseball, movie nights, and I ended the month with a trip to Driggs ID with the sister, brother-law and nephew. On this trip we drove up to Driggs on Friday and then went to Yellowstone on Saturday and then drove home Sunday afternoon. It was a pretty great trip and a great month.
July
This month was a busy month. It started off with a bang with the 4th of July. The night before included fireworks at the WB park with music and friends. On the 4th the day included the ward Breakfast, the West Bountiful parade, and then the Stadium of Fire with the Beach Boys and the most amazing fireworks show ever. I loved every minute of it. This month also included trips to the temple with friends, the Bountiful Farmer's Market, Fab 5 girls nights, a Day spent at Cherry Hill, and the first trip of the year to Lake Powell with the Fab 5. This trip usually takes place over Labor Day, but we choose to do it sooner so that the whole gang could go. We left at 3am on Thursday the 12th after a night of packing and crashing in the living room of Brett's house. We spent the rest of Thursday and the next two full days on the lake before we headed back home on Sunday. After the Lake Powell trip came the Bountiful 24th parade with the 2000 Stripling Warriors, a Bee's Baseball game, the Bachlorette Party, a night at the Ogden Rodeo, a day at Bear Lake to celebrate the 24th, a game night with old friends and a new one, a camp-out at Crystal Hot Springs with my friends ward followed by a Saturday spent at the Hogel Zoo to celebrate my birthday, and then onto Jacquie's mission farewell and another trip to Lake Powell. All in all is was a pretty amazing month.
August
August started off with one of my favorite trips. Every year there is a group of us that goes to Lake Powell for the first week of August.Once back we had a farewell night to say goodbye to Jacq. The rest of the month included dinner at Taste of India for Jessica's B-day, cleaning at the Deseret Mills, dinner with friends, dinner at Johnny Rockets, shopping at City Creek, a BBQ with my new co-workers, BBQ for Jer and Allie's B-days, new teacher training for work, The Brigham City Temple open house, And movie nights throughout the month. And then school officially started and that meant it was the end of Summer. But, even though it ended it was full of fun and laughter and truly became the Epic Summer. Now....onto a Fabulous Fall. :)
May
The month of May started with me getting a new car. My old one was officially dead and I needed something to drive. I went and got my car that first Saturday in May, May 5th. That night stated the Epic Summer of Fun activities with a night at the Drive-In where we saw the Avengers. This is also the night that I found out my new car heater worked extremely well :). The rest of the month included a trip to Logan, a backyard BBQ, singing in the Stake Choir at the conference center, getting new contacts, and the best trip of all that happened the last week of May. This would be a trip with most of the Fab 5 to Cabo San Lucus, Mexico for a week. We left on the 25th and drove to Vegas that night. the next day we boarded a plane and headed to California and then to Mexico. Once there we proceeded to drive to the villa that we were staying for the week, Casa Grande (you can look it up on the internet if you want to see where it is at) We stayed there for a week with days spent sunning by the pool, playing at the beach, shopping, eating at fabulous places, music videos, para-sailing, and just enjoying time with friends.
This is Rudy Lob
Night at the Drive-In
Trip to Logan
Cabo Mexico
June
The fun continues in June with first returning from Mexico. Then we have a Backyard movie and BBQ for Brett and Jacq's Birthdays. This month was also the month that Jacque went through the Temple and it was such a great experience to be able to be there with her. There was a John Bytheway devotional, a family party for great cousin Jimmy who turned 80, and then some backyard fun at Taryn's. From there we had a weekend in Park City, some baseball, movie nights, and I ended the month with a trip to Driggs ID with the sister, brother-law and nephew. On this trip we drove up to Driggs on Friday and then went to Yellowstone on Saturday and then drove home Sunday afternoon. It was a pretty great trip and a great month.
Backyard Birthday Fun
Park City
Softball Game
Yellowstone
July
This month was a busy month. It started off with a bang with the 4th of July. The night before included fireworks at the WB park with music and friends. On the 4th the day included the ward Breakfast, the West Bountiful parade, and then the Stadium of Fire with the Beach Boys and the most amazing fireworks show ever. I loved every minute of it. This month also included trips to the temple with friends, the Bountiful Farmer's Market, Fab 5 girls nights, a Day spent at Cherry Hill, and the first trip of the year to Lake Powell with the Fab 5. This trip usually takes place over Labor Day, but we choose to do it sooner so that the whole gang could go. We left at 3am on Thursday the 12th after a night of packing and crashing in the living room of Brett's house. We spent the rest of Thursday and the next two full days on the lake before we headed back home on Sunday. After the Lake Powell trip came the Bountiful 24th parade with the 2000 Stripling Warriors, a Bee's Baseball game, the Bachlorette Party, a night at the Ogden Rodeo, a day at Bear Lake to celebrate the 24th, a game night with old friends and a new one, a camp-out at Crystal Hot Springs with my friends ward followed by a Saturday spent at the Hogel Zoo to celebrate my birthday, and then onto Jacquie's mission farewell and another trip to Lake Powell. All in all is was a pretty amazing month.
Fireworks at WB Park
4th of July
Cherry Hill
Lake Powell
Farmer's Market
24th Parade - Stripling Warriors
Bees Baseball Game
Bachlorette Party
Hogel Zoo
Ogden Rodeo
Bear Lake
Jacquie's Farewell
August
August started off with one of my favorite trips. Every year there is a group of us that goes to Lake Powell for the first week of August.Once back we had a farewell night to say goodbye to Jacq. The rest of the month included dinner at Taste of India for Jessica's B-day, cleaning at the Deseret Mills, dinner with friends, dinner at Johnny Rockets, shopping at City Creek, a BBQ with my new co-workers, BBQ for Jer and Allie's B-days, new teacher training for work, The Brigham City Temple open house, And movie nights throughout the month. And then school officially started and that meant it was the end of Summer. But, even though it ended it was full of fun and laughter and truly became the Epic Summer. Now....onto a Fabulous Fall. :)
Lake Powell
Farewell
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