Tonight Steve and I had our orientation meeting at our adoption agency. This is the first big step for us in the process of us becoming adoptive parents.
The meeting was a bit crazy because 1) it didn't start until 6:30 on a week night, and 2) it was a TON of information and rules. None of them were deal breakers and most of them were things I already was aware of as possibilities from my research, but it's one thing to read about it as a possibility and quite another to have a caseworker tell you this is an official policy. There were also a lot of people at the meeting. It was an orientation for people planning to foster-adopt as well as those wishing to only be foster parents.
We did fill out a letter of intent and signed a document saying (basically) that we have gone over the agency policies and agree to abide by them.
The caseworker in charge of the foster-adopt program told us to expect a follow up email in the next few days with information about signing up for IMPACT classes. The classes are either on Saturday mornings or Tuesday afternoons, so we won't know if we can attend the next 8 week session until we get the email with the schedule. Worst case scenario, we might have to wait 8 weeks to begin our training. However, we can go ahead and take our first aid/CPR certification and that sort of thing.
I'm trying to keep my excitement in check since we have a long way to go, but it seems as if we are on the right track and getting things moving.
Thursday, January 8, 2015
Friday, January 2, 2015
Get out of my head, Meryll Streep
Yesterday Steve and I went to see Into the Woods at our local AMC Theaters. I specify the type of theatre because if you haven't seen the new AMC then you are missing out. Seriously, the chairs recline! You're basically sitting in a huge, plush recliner. And if you really like the person next to you, the arm rests lift up and you end up with this super comfy love seat recliner.
Cuddling like you're on your couch at home, but the sound quality and snack options of a theatre? Dreams do come true!!
The movie truly was fantastic though. I am apparently the only person who didn't know it was a musical or that they incorporated the original, gory versions of the fairytales. This was a welcome surprise for me. Also, the acting was awesome. Steve and I have already decided we will need to buy the blue ray when it comes out and I may jam out to the soundtrack sooner rather than later.
I was surprised how emotional the storyline made me. The Baker and his Wife's storyline hit a little too close to home and the "no one is alone" song made me cry. The final line spoken by the witch (Meryll Streep) in the voice over at the end is "wishes come true but they don't come free". Ever since the movie ended that line has almost haunted me. It just seems to fit how I feel about our attempts to grow our family.
No real updates about our adoption. We heard back from our agency. They received our preliminary application and reminded us of the meeting on the 8th. I also had an adoption dream... a good one. In the dream we were at a meet and greet party with several kids and (skipping lots of details that don't really mean anything) we ended up matching with a sibling group made up of a girl and her younger brother.
Say what you want, but I take a lot of hope from dreams. I know they are just pictures from my subconscious mind, but I consider good dreams as unintentional pep talks. This one is no exception.
Cuddling like you're on your couch at home, but the sound quality and snack options of a theatre? Dreams do come true!!
The movie truly was fantastic though. I am apparently the only person who didn't know it was a musical or that they incorporated the original, gory versions of the fairytales. This was a welcome surprise for me. Also, the acting was awesome. Steve and I have already decided we will need to buy the blue ray when it comes out and I may jam out to the soundtrack sooner rather than later.
I was surprised how emotional the storyline made me. The Baker and his Wife's storyline hit a little too close to home and the "no one is alone" song made me cry. The final line spoken by the witch (Meryll Streep) in the voice over at the end is "wishes come true but they don't come free". Ever since the movie ended that line has almost haunted me. It just seems to fit how I feel about our attempts to grow our family.
No real updates about our adoption. We heard back from our agency. They received our preliminary application and reminded us of the meeting on the 8th. I also had an adoption dream... a good one. In the dream we were at a meet and greet party with several kids and (skipping lots of details that don't really mean anything) we ended up matching with a sibling group made up of a girl and her younger brother.
Say what you want, but I take a lot of hope from dreams. I know they are just pictures from my subconscious mind, but I consider good dreams as unintentional pep talks. This one is no exception.
Friday, December 26, 2014
Confession Time
I've been keeping some things in the down low for a while and I think it's finally time to fess up.
Steve and I have been trying to have a baby for about 2 years with no success. We had a very early miscarriage around Memorial Day this year (Steve's birthday weekend, actually) and not even the hope of a positive result since then. We are infertile. It is a circumstance I have been afraid of experiencing my entire life (I once claimed it to be my biggest fear) and here we are living it.
I'm choosing to be honest about this now because some exciting things have happened/are about to happen for us. No, we have not "beaten the odds" and gotten pregnant. Nor have we gone through a successful fertility treatment of some kind.
Actually, we have taken the first steps toward adoption from foster care!
Steve and I have made the decision, after almost a full year of specific prayer and reflection (and maybe a little incredulous questioning from time to time), to look for our children in the US foster system. We are open to a variety of circumstances, but are hoping for a school-aged child or group of siblings.
We are going through an agency since we have never done this before and wanted the help and support an agency can provide. We just sent in our preliminary application and are registered for our orientation session on January 8th. After that we can register for IMPACT classes and complete a home study.
This is the first step in a very long journey, one in which both Steve and I will need a lot of support. I'm not making any promises about posting, but my hope is to share our journey here in this blog as much as possible.
Steve and I have been trying to have a baby for about 2 years with no success. We had a very early miscarriage around Memorial Day this year (Steve's birthday weekend, actually) and not even the hope of a positive result since then. We are infertile. It is a circumstance I have been afraid of experiencing my entire life (I once claimed it to be my biggest fear) and here we are living it.
I'm choosing to be honest about this now because some exciting things have happened/are about to happen for us. No, we have not "beaten the odds" and gotten pregnant. Nor have we gone through a successful fertility treatment of some kind.
Actually, we have taken the first steps toward adoption from foster care!
Steve and I have made the decision, after almost a full year of specific prayer and reflection (and maybe a little incredulous questioning from time to time), to look for our children in the US foster system. We are open to a variety of circumstances, but are hoping for a school-aged child or group of siblings.
We are going through an agency since we have never done this before and wanted the help and support an agency can provide. We just sent in our preliminary application and are registered for our orientation session on January 8th. After that we can register for IMPACT classes and complete a home study.
This is the first step in a very long journey, one in which both Steve and I will need a lot of support. I'm not making any promises about posting, but my hope is to share our journey here in this blog as much as possible.
Saturday, November 1, 2014
Teaching in a war zone
Y'all, I can't even explain how overwhelmed and exhausted I am every.single.day. Since the beginning of the school year. I had intended to chronicle my adventures during my first year teaching here on the blog, but I have literally been too tired/overwhelmed/stressed to even think about it until now.
Don't get me wrong, I love my job. The list of things I love about what I am doing is long and my love for my kids grows more and more each day. However, there is a list of challenges facing me that grows longer each day as well.
Simply put, my coursework never prepared me for dealing with the type of social issues I have encountered thus far. I cannot call parents or schedule conferences without having an interpreter available. Some of my students only have the opportunity to eat when they come to school. Some students rarely see their parents because the adults are working numerous low paying jobs to make ends meet. Most of my students do not own any books. The kids constantly fear their parents being taken away in the middle of the night and deported. I've already had two students lose a parent this year.
In the midst of these social and emotional issues, I am responsible for teaching them academic skills. Did I mention that my classroom is at capacity and supplies are laughably scarce?
I'm not saying this to complain. I'm simply writing it down because some days I can barely believe I manage to get through the day, much less a full lesson plan. I had my first official observation this past week and it went much better than I anticipated. I got many positive comments from my AP and my kids' assessment scores are slowly but surely rising.
This job has been a huge dose of perspective. As is typical for doses of perspective, it has come with quite the adjustment period and a few growing pains. My heart gets broken at least once a week and more than once I have had to simply sit at my desk during planning and offer everything up to God. I keep a rosary in my desk for just such occasions.
Despite the challenges, I try to remind myself that this is what I felt called to do and where I felt called to do it. I accepted this position knowing that there would be issues to work through and challenges to face. I try to remind myself that these kids are not choosing these challenges for themselves and they deserve teachers that are fully invested in their success. It may be difficult for me, but these kids are worth my best effort every day.
Don't get me wrong, I love my job. The list of things I love about what I am doing is long and my love for my kids grows more and more each day. However, there is a list of challenges facing me that grows longer each day as well.
Simply put, my coursework never prepared me for dealing with the type of social issues I have encountered thus far. I cannot call parents or schedule conferences without having an interpreter available. Some of my students only have the opportunity to eat when they come to school. Some students rarely see their parents because the adults are working numerous low paying jobs to make ends meet. Most of my students do not own any books. The kids constantly fear their parents being taken away in the middle of the night and deported. I've already had two students lose a parent this year.
In the midst of these social and emotional issues, I am responsible for teaching them academic skills. Did I mention that my classroom is at capacity and supplies are laughably scarce?
I'm not saying this to complain. I'm simply writing it down because some days I can barely believe I manage to get through the day, much less a full lesson plan. I had my first official observation this past week and it went much better than I anticipated. I got many positive comments from my AP and my kids' assessment scores are slowly but surely rising.
This job has been a huge dose of perspective. As is typical for doses of perspective, it has come with quite the adjustment period and a few growing pains. My heart gets broken at least once a week and more than once I have had to simply sit at my desk during planning and offer everything up to God. I keep a rosary in my desk for just such occasions.
Despite the challenges, I try to remind myself that this is what I felt called to do and where I felt called to do it. I accepted this position knowing that there would be issues to work through and challenges to face. I try to remind myself that these kids are not choosing these challenges for themselves and they deserve teachers that are fully invested in their success. It may be difficult for me, but these kids are worth my best effort every day.
Thursday, July 17, 2014
Check out my SWEET trailer!
Earlier this week I had the opportunity to attend the Summer Writing Institute at my school. There were approximately twenty teachers there along with our principal and the presenter from the county which made for an intimate session focused on improving the way we teach writing. By the end of the two day session I had some new strategies to try and a beginning outline of my grade level's writer's workshop focus for the year.
As exciting as all of that was, it pales in comparison to the excitement created by being able to see my classroom!
My room is of the portable variety and happens to be located on a slight hill next to the school. I didn't get to see what furniture will be in my room or spend much time there due to the fact that it is being renovated. By the time I show up for pre-planning my room will be tricked out with new laminate floors (to replace the old carpet), freshly painted walls and ceiling, and new doors. I might even get new stairs if I'm lucky. :)
This is what my room looks like right now. All of my furniture is in storage while the renovations are being done, but should be back in place within a week or so. I snapped this picture from the doorway when I got a quick opportunity to look in on the progress after our session ended for the day. I've already got some great ideas for making my room bright and colorful, as well as functional, before my students arrive.
My Pinterest classroom ideas board is overflowing with all of my plans for August. :)
Sunday, July 13, 2014
Getting a jump start on my school year
In just three short weeks I will report to my school for pre-planning. I plan to bring lots of supplies and ideas with me once I show up to my first official, paid day of being a teacher. Many ideas are already rolling around in my head or represented on my many classroom related Pinterest boards. Other ideas will take shape in the next three weeks as I do many different things to prepare.
Yes, even though my job doesn't officially begin until the first week of August, I'm already busily preparing for my classroom full of kiddos. I'm reading my textbooks all over again within the context of my specific grade level, I'm reading blog posts from other first grade teachers and those posts geared toward newbies like myself, and I am exploring various texts and research about best practices with English Language Learners (ELLs). I'm doing all of this so that I can be the best possible teacher I can be at this point for my students.
I have no illusions of being Superwoman my very first year of teaching. Even with all of this preparation, I still intend to rely on my mentor teacher and grade level team for advice and guidance throughout this year. As prepared as I plan to be by the first day of school, I realize that I will still have "oh crap!" moments and times when I am unsure. Still, I firmly believe that knowledge is power. I might be able to cut down on those moments a little bit if I'm proactive. If I have a firm foundation on which to build, I will get just that much more from each "learning experience" throughout the year.
Full disclosure: I'm both ridiculously excited and pants-shittingly nervous about this year. Being a teacher has been a dream of mine for as long as I can remember. I actually had a chalk board in my room as a little girl and I would play "school" with my stuffed animals. I created worksheets for them to complete.... and then I graded them! Now, I won't be simply playing anymore. I will be living out the role I dreamed of and hoped for so much. Part of me can't believe it's actually coming true.
Tomorrow morning I'm going to my school for a writing seminar. I'm not getting paid for it and it is a completely voluntary activity. But, I'm giving up two days of my summer to sit in a meeting and learn about best practices in writing instruction. The best part is, since I'm going to be at my school anyway, my principal is going to let me see my room! By tomorrow evening I'll know whether I have a traditional classroom or a "mobile learning unit", aka, a trailer. Either way, it's going to be fabulous!
Yes, even though my job doesn't officially begin until the first week of August, I'm already busily preparing for my classroom full of kiddos. I'm reading my textbooks all over again within the context of my specific grade level, I'm reading blog posts from other first grade teachers and those posts geared toward newbies like myself, and I am exploring various texts and research about best practices with English Language Learners (ELLs). I'm doing all of this so that I can be the best possible teacher I can be at this point for my students.
I have no illusions of being Superwoman my very first year of teaching. Even with all of this preparation, I still intend to rely on my mentor teacher and grade level team for advice and guidance throughout this year. As prepared as I plan to be by the first day of school, I realize that I will still have "oh crap!" moments and times when I am unsure. Still, I firmly believe that knowledge is power. I might be able to cut down on those moments a little bit if I'm proactive. If I have a firm foundation on which to build, I will get just that much more from each "learning experience" throughout the year.
Full disclosure: I'm both ridiculously excited and pants-shittingly nervous about this year. Being a teacher has been a dream of mine for as long as I can remember. I actually had a chalk board in my room as a little girl and I would play "school" with my stuffed animals. I created worksheets for them to complete.... and then I graded them! Now, I won't be simply playing anymore. I will be living out the role I dreamed of and hoped for so much. Part of me can't believe it's actually coming true.
Tomorrow morning I'm going to my school for a writing seminar. I'm not getting paid for it and it is a completely voluntary activity. But, I'm giving up two days of my summer to sit in a meeting and learn about best practices in writing instruction. The best part is, since I'm going to be at my school anyway, my principal is going to let me see my room! By tomorrow evening I'll know whether I have a traditional classroom or a "mobile learning unit", aka, a trailer. Either way, it's going to be fabulous!
Sunday, June 8, 2014
We gonna party like...
It's my birthday!
This past year has brought about so many changes and new things. I finished my degree, got a new dog, worked my first semester in a teaching capacity, and got my first job as a classroom teacher. Truly, this year has been full of reaching personal goals. I can only hope being 27 comes with as much excitement as 26 did.
On Thursday I had new teacher orientation at the county administrative office. Surprisingly enough, it wasn't bad! I even ended up sitting next to the new ESOL teacher at my school and had some good conversation. If she is the one working with my kids this year then I know we will all make some great progress. In addition, I learned a lot about my county and got to meet some of the administrators that keep things running smoothly. Part of me is still amazed at how down-to-earth and kind everyone has been up to this point. Several hours in a room going over paperwork could have been an awful way to spend the day, but they made it seem like I was with friends.
I'm looking forward to next school year with so much enthusiasm. It's going to be amazing! August 4th cannot get here fast enough.
This past year has brought about so many changes and new things. I finished my degree, got a new dog, worked my first semester in a teaching capacity, and got my first job as a classroom teacher. Truly, this year has been full of reaching personal goals. I can only hope being 27 comes with as much excitement as 26 did.
On Thursday I had new teacher orientation at the county administrative office. Surprisingly enough, it wasn't bad! I even ended up sitting next to the new ESOL teacher at my school and had some good conversation. If she is the one working with my kids this year then I know we will all make some great progress. In addition, I learned a lot about my county and got to meet some of the administrators that keep things running smoothly. Part of me is still amazed at how down-to-earth and kind everyone has been up to this point. Several hours in a room going over paperwork could have been an awful way to spend the day, but they made it seem like I was with friends.
I'm looking forward to next school year with so much enthusiasm. It's going to be amazing! August 4th cannot get here fast enough.
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