6th graders

Hardest day yet. I feel so disrespected and unappreciated.

On a different note, here are a couple quotes:

A sixth grader explaining a friendship: "He's my brother from another color."

A six grader explaining the worst thing about middle school: "Drama. Because people build thereselfes up and let other people tear thereselfes down!! Drama is like fighting but with ur mouths. <3"

A sixth grader's quick write: "If I had to stay home alone I would be very scared, and I would scream bluddy marry... There would be no electtrisity, no games, bath... with noting insept food and drinks, and no clothes."

sapped

Exhausted and tested

and buried

over my head,

but in love

with all of it.

Life'll leave me
contentedly, wholly, richly bankrupt.

Friday, Friday, Friday

Yesterday was my first "observation" whilst student teaching. One down, five to go!

Delightful day. Delightful set of belated birthday packages form a delightful father. Delightful three hour nap. Delightful game of spades with Anne, Rachel, and Michael.

phew

Guys guys guys. I'm so into this teaching thing. This is my jam. It's such a go-go-go job. CONSTANT multitasking!

Normally, I'd ramble excitedly about the successes and funnies. I'm so tired, though. I can't even. I just can't. So here's a picture of a gerbil.

Hey girl,

Ryan Gosling's "Hey girl" stuff is so popular. Bloggers and networkers everywhere have discovered the formula,

A photo of Gosling + a comment aimed at an artistic chick = viral magic

Now they've got a "Hey girl teacher" tumblr. If you ever want to know how to compliment a teacher, take a leaf out of Gosling-photo's book:

Currently, Zach and the ladies are over for "girl's night," an illy-named movie night. I'm working and occasionally quoting...

Jocelyn: Anne, it's girls night. Make some chocolate.

Zarneson: Oh good. I've got some cocoa beans in my pocket.

Anne: Oh good, I've got... all... the other stuff.

Anne: If I lived in Medieval times, I would be a blacksmith.
Zarneson: No. You'd either be a nun, a peasant, or a wife.
Anne: No. It's girl's night. I would be a blacksmith.
Zarneson: You're right. It's girl's night. You could be a blacksmith. You could be a husband. Whatever you want.
Allison: Zach, you would be a wench.
Zarneson: It's girl's night. No drama on girl's night.

They woke me up after summit

I went to bed before 8. Kayla, Anne, Emily Larson, Kyla, and Rachel woke me up at 10. 

Emily Nichols is working the desk. She told Anne to enjoy her pizza. Anne said You too. Emily Nichols didn't have pizza.

Lindsay came over!! We watched our spring break video from last year, which was fun. :)

Emily's wearing my socks. I like that about her.

Here's something I think is funny:

it is (definitely) well

I'm really freaked out about going to my 2nd placement. How am I a Christian in the classroom, when Christianity isn't allowed? You can feel the warmth of a fire even if it's hidden from view. I think that's the answer.
A moment of doubt and fear and self-pity and then -- 
I am immersed 
in the freedom of a community 
of believers who release my fear 
into God's hands 
before my grip can tighten. 
And over me washes 
the realization of the grace 
that has already come and that will continue to come forever.
And it sounds so Christian-y 
but it feels so good because 
it is more real and more hopeful 
than a thousand selfish 
worries, whose itches I had wanted to scratch for a moment of relief 
until I bled. But
now He's bled.
He's bled 
an aloe eternal 
for every worry to come.
So now I have no excuse
because I know
He saved me from the desert
and gave me family away from family
and said "I will send you"
and allowed me to say "Choose someone else"
before He has said,
"Who makes you deaf or mute? 
Who gives you sight or makes you blind?"
and I have no excuse
because I know
He is the "Who"
and who am I to say that
"I" am useless 
by the power of "I Am"?

I was going to buy a lemon, but... the sky is falling.

I'm one of those people

who has a comfy day

and wants to write poetry.

Ladies Day

This morning, I made pancakes. Rachel, Kyla, Kayla, Anne, Katelyn, and Allison were all here. We drank coffee and talked. We read MBTI profiles.

Katelyn: *comes out of the bathroom* "...You know what I realized? If a superhero had an MBTI, they would be an INFJ."

Jocelyn is over and we're all eating brownies and chips and talking. Even Emily came over and we talked.

Emily: "You're still here? And what are you doing? (to Jocelyn) Are you talking to these girls? (to Rachel, Kyla, Bethany) You're like The View!"

Here is a picture of a wedding couple "planking." Isn't that an unfortunate trend?

Anne's description of Rebash

There was this mosh pit, but people weren't moving. And they were like maybe doing this... they weren't dancing. I just don't understand why they were standing so close together if they weren't going to dance. They were like penguins, like, "Ooh, I'm cold."

in this moment of reflection

I think I'm satisfied most in everything when I'm satisfied most in God. I know that, but this moment of reflection will be a good reminder in the future: if I feel discontent, than I need to evaluate the Root of my me-ness.

I LOVE teaching.

6th graders are presh.

PLENTY don't loose appendages on Everest.

• I just did the math and I'm pumped by this mountainous challenge. By the end of February, I will have written approximately 80 lesson plans. Let's double it and say I'll write between 140-160 this semester total.
• 12 formatted unit plans with block plans
• Then the pre-test, post-test, synthesis of data, narrative abstract, etc for the teacher work sample.
• 1 to 4 management plans.
• My 8 revised metacognitive papers, with 16 exhibits from my placements. 
• The final drafts of a resume, educational philosophy paper, and autobiography. 
• A peer reviewed video lesson and the review of a peer's lesson.
• The observation paperwork and thank you notes for a group of 3-5 teachers.
• The paperwork for a mock interview with the principal.
• All of the above paperwork, with process and example information, on a web page compatible e-folio
• Five essays for my English portfolio

Let's KICK IT.

I'm going to be like this guy. He climbed Mount Everest blind. No big deal.

Monday Funday

Anne and I celebrated our post-birthday miracles -- in which our degree audits worked out. A lot of high-fives were had.

The majority of the day was a giant student teaching seminar. The fun started at 8 am and ended at 5 pm. Informative, definitely. A little long, definitely.

Rachel and Michael returned!!! They came to the Alvey's with Anne and I and met the Koch family. Kelly and Jordan put up balloons, made me a cake, told stories, and played spicey uno. They are the BEST.

Michael got me the best Christmas gift. It was a mix of all of my favorite things: surprises, blankets, sewing, and thoughtfulness. I cannot WAIT to start sewing my quilt. It will have to be my reward activity... during the week? The weekend? Hmmm...

A new dawn, a new day, a new life--

and I'm feelin' good.

In church we talked about sanctification and how it can actually be pretty difficult -- how there will be times when God will poke at an area in our life and we'll go into stomach flu mode. It's nasty, but God is making us new and bringing us into light, and so it's gotta come out. Good to remember. I like that Christ brings light into places that don't even want light -- like the demon possessed man.

Anne did dishes this morning! She is the BEST! :D Kylee is coming over to hang out! Kelly and Jordan are having me over tomorrow! Michael's coming back tomorrow! I love friends and community. It's been a while.

Time to read about epiphany and plan all sorts of teachery. Why don't you take a minute and listen to Matthieu Boré's album Frizzante. Go for it. It's classy :] (Edit: Anne found Monsieur Boré)

NUMERICALLY ALLITERATIVE!

Remember 6 months ago? When I had a half birthday? Well, now I'm 22.

Kayla woke me up and made me breakfast and coffee. I re-opened the presents from Michael and the Conners (they're like a band) that I *peeked* at yesterday. :] Allison, Kayla, and I jammed a little.

"Can I tell you something? I re-did all my security questions on my bank site and answered them like I was Marcel the Shell." -Kayla Johnson

What a delightful day of well wishes! Kayla treated Allison to sushi (Allison's birthday always comes over Christmas break, like a thief in the night) and Anne treated me to sushi. Anne calls sushi shooshy, which is confusing but funny. Allison split off to what the GOP debate thingy (she's keeping the lodge politically informed), and the three of us went to Janna's lodge for Kristen's favorite: Ramona and Beezus. It was a ridiculously cute movie; I crocheted my rug the whole time.

Eastside staff snuck into the lodge to sing me a birthday song!!! Noelle brought me the ice cream I'd left in her fridge over Christmas break. Her motto is: FOOD NEVER GOES BAD EVER. But she was right! It was still good! A birthday miracle!

I have a wonderful set of friends and a wonderful boyfriend and a wonderful family. :) Today's birthday was a happy little ditty of a song.

We Converse from Separate Rooms (Day 3)

Allison: He keeps texting me.

Bethany: He likes you.

Allison: No. No. I'm in denial.

Bethany: Okay, you need to have a DTR.

Allison: NO!!! This is not fair. "DTR" SHOULD PAY ME! I could pay my way through coll-- I could pay YOUR way through college.

Bethany: Now that's saying something.

Allison: That is saying something.

Bethany: How many DTRs have you had denying people?

Allison: I could probably count.

Bethany: Take your time.

Allison: Thanks... 13. 

I would marry a man with a last name Schindler just so that I could potentially be literary... and possibly Jewish. -Allison Schroer

Curse you, cheerleaders, curse you!! -Kylee

It makes me want to put on suspenders and go do woodshop. -Allison

day 2 - the visitor's badge is temporary

Red 

Alone with a classroom of kids in the computer lab dungeon. All is chatty. Echo-y whispers and key-pecking. A red alert comes on. A man's voice, over and over. The 6th graders freeze. Their eyes say that they want their mommies. For the first time in years, their mouths say nothing. I search my memory -- yellow, orange, red. Red was worst case scenario. I imagined a dangerous, drunken, and high intruder stumbling through the hallways with a knife and a gun, foaming at the mouth and muttering obscenities. 

I command computer screens off. I command doors shut. The doors have no locks, but I command silence. They are my flock. ... then the door opens and Mrs. Meek tells me it's a drill and tells the students to just be quiet until it's over. 

I was just as relieved as the cluster of girls glued to one another under the back corner table. 

Orange
He wants a book about aliens. But not long. And not fake aliens. The real kind. They exist, and he wants people to write about them in short books so he can read about them for small increments of time. I should be frustrated.

But I'm excited. Invigorated by the challenge. It's a game -- a riddle. He can like reading. I just have to figure out how to navigate that maze of prerequisites his 6th grade mind has built. In my spare time, I google "aliens."

Yellow

It's tedious, arduous work. It requires planning and constant analyzation of what everyone is saying. Everything is important. Words make or break confidence. Words make or break respect. 

Plans are meant to be re-shaped as the lesson moves. A single question can cause an instant need to switch gears. Surprise activities. Surprise advice. Surprise reprimand or redirection. 

Plan in order to have a plan to change. Change in order to fulfill a bigger plan. Let them fulfill high expectations and they will grow and change. This is apparently the most challenging semester of college, and it's going to be my favorite by far. I feel like I finally fit. My future is bright.

day 1

check.

Teach.

My cooperating teacher, Rebecca Meek, is fabulous. She debriefed me for hours today until my brain was mush.

Tomorrow, I walk into RJ Baskett Middle School at 7:15.

Student teaching.

2012

"You think people will still be using napkins in the year 2000... or is this 'mouth vacuum' thing for real?" -Kramer, Seinfeld