Habemus Papum!

This is a phrase I learned today when my RCIA sponsor texted me just after I left school for the day. Our text conversation went similar to the following:

her: Habemus papum!
me: still don't speak Latin... just tell me if the smoke is white or black. :)
her: white smoke! We have a pope!
me: !!!!!

Ever since Pope Benedict announced his resignation I have been swept up in the wave of curiosity and excitement surrounding the election of the next Pope. The last time it happened was during my senior year of high school when I happened to be studying the artwork of the Vatican in my art history course. It was a cool experience academically, but it didn't really go much further than that since I wasn't Catholic and didn't really know much about what being Pope meant.

Fast forward to today. I have spent months studying about the Catholic faith and preparing for union with the church and feel like I have a much better understanding of who the Pope is and what he represents.

Still, I was not prepared to be so overwhelmed by Pope Francis' address to the people today. He was so humble and so genuine in his words and actions. It made me wish that I could have been there in person even though the size of that crowd made me panic a bit just seeing it on tv. I'm looking forward to seeing what Pope Francis does with his position and which issues he chooses to take on.

PTLS Week

I'm teaching in the field all week this week to implement my PTLS project. It's basically half of my grade in three different classes. No pressure. :)

The basic idea is to teach a mini unit on a social studies topic and integrate a literacy standard. My project is about understanding the origin and meaning behind the Iron Curtain. Yesterday the kids were American spies looking at and interpreting Soviet artifacts like propaganda posters and pictures from the gulag. Today we are playing a game to help us understand capitalism vs. communism.

Our grand finale on Thursday will involve watching Churchill's "Sinews of Peace" speech and then creating a wall in the classroom with paper bricks covered in reasons for US and Soviet tensions.

I'm pretty excited about it and hoping the students learn something. After all, that is the point of school.

Yesterday was a bit rough from a classroom management perspective. The kids were just kind of wild and, although I know there were many contributing factors there, I still feel that my lesson may have been ill suited to my particular class. I've tweaked today's lesson and hopefully the students will have a more constructive experience. :)

feeling productive

Through a series of interesting events, I found myself with nothing on the schedule for today. It was strange to realize that I had all of this free time to spend as I wish.

Not going to lie... I was seriously tempted to go back to bed and sleep the day away.

Instead, I went to my favorite little coffee shop with my laptop and busted out the last of my lessons for my PTLS (Planning, Teaching, Learning Sample), created a pre-test about the iron curtain, and scooted over to the library to pick up some books for content research on the Cold War.

I'm kind of proud of all the work I got done before 3pm!

There are still more things on my list, but it feels good to power through some of the more daunting tasks.

pushing forward

Yesterday was a rough day for me. The stress of my program and trying to get some projects together played off of a lack of sleep and it got ugly. It was hard to focus in class. It was hard to connect to the passion I have for teaching.

In a word, it was really discouraging.

Today I woke up feeling similar and I had to work hard to make positive choices. I purposely dressed up for class and put on makeup. I stopped for some tea. Then I met with my adviser to finalize my plans for my ESOL student teaching portfolio.

It helped a bit and when I got home I managed to get some work done. I also registered for my certification exam.

I'm still not feeling 100% back on board, but I have to believe that this is just one of those things people deal with while they are nearing completion of a big goal. I just have to trust that this disconnect I am feeling is due to stress.

I took on so much this semester, but I'll make it through.

You really do need to floss

This is your friendly reminder to make sure you are not only brushing your teeth, but FLOSSING them regularly as well. I was at the dentist today (for compliments on my smile and a cleaning, of course) and heard the "you need to floss more" lecture several times from other rooms. While it can be entertaining to hear the excuses, I remember all too well what it feels like to be on the receiving end of those lectures and the consequences of not flossing regularly.

I know what you're thinking...

But if you think you don't have time to floss (5 minutes maximum each night) then you are in for a rude awakening when you have to sit in the dentist chair for hours with your mouth numb while they do a deep cleaning.... or a root canal... or a filling... or various other unpleasant treatments. 

Also, not many people know this, but if you floss regularly your gums will look healthier and the dental hygienist doesn't have to stab you with that sharp pick thing at each visit. It's only used when they feel they need to check for periodontal disease... which you can easily prevent through flossing. I would think most people would prefer less stabbings in their lives.

If you are still not convinced, I have a challenge for you. When you brush your teeth tonight give your mouth a quick floss and then smell the dental floss. If you are not completely grossed out by the nasty smell then I will never ask you to floss again. For the rest of you, I'm willing to bet the smell will be enough to motivate you into establishing a habit.

Keep in mind that water flossers are not as expensive as they once were. They are a great option for those of us who feel incredibly awkward trying to get to those back teeth with that tiny string wrapped around our fingers.

Lent and other new-ish adventures

For those who were not aware, today is Ash Wednesday - the beginning of the Lenten season.

Over the last several years this day has not held much significance for me. I did not really pay much attention to lent or anything having to do with church. The truth is, even though I spent a lot of my younger days involved in church- teaching Sunday school, participating in weekly bible study, attending youth group, going on mission trips -  I hit a spiritual dry spell once I moved out on my own. I met people with radically different beliefs, sometimes none at all. I experienced new situations and feelings and I found myself really questioning my beliefs for the first time. The new life I wanted to live, and the people I had come to care for and wish to be accepted  by, did not fit within the beliefs I brought with me into this new phase of my life. So, I distanced myself from the church and rationalized my choices until I didn't feel guilty about them.

This year is different though.

You see, this year Steve and I are really embracing Lent and all that it means as candidates for confirmation within the Catholic church.

To keep an incredibly long story slightly more brief, I have felt a tug back to the church since leaving Savannah. In dealing with my issues I realized I wanted to get back that spiritual relationship I threw away when I started college. It felt like a really important piece to the puzzle once I began receiving physical and emotional healing of my various ailments. Unfortunately, none of the churches I visited felt right... they didn't feel like home the way it did back in middle and high school. I would come home angry and upset after the services and Steve didn't even want to attend with me because he felt so uncomfortable. 

The anger and discomfort wasn't even due to dealing with our baggage. That would have been understandable. Many times I just wholeheartedly disagreed with what the preacher had to say!

After seeing me come home so many times disappointed, Steve suggested the Catholic church. I was hesitant for many reasons... not the least of which being the experiences of friends of mine who are Catholic dealing with their own issues within the church. In the spirit of open mindedness, we tried it out and we were surprised by how much we didn't hate it.

We began the process of inquiry back in August and have been attending RCIA classes. We met with one of the deacons of the church to discuss our questions and anxieties about joining the church. We have been reading the Catechism and studying the teachings of the church. I have had coffee dates with my conversion sponsor once a week lasting hours on end due to my many many questions on theological issues present in the church. There have been debates and tears and all sorts of awkward moments since we jumped in at the deep end in August.

At the end of the day, with the help of some friends, Steve and I have come to the conclusion that the Catholic church is the place for us to rebuild our spiritual relationships and raise our family. So, now that we have the basic information and understandings of the church, we will go through some rites this weekend before entering into the final weeks of classes and getting confirmed at the Easter vigil mass. Catholic Lent is a bit different than what I have experienced in the past. The no meat on Fridays thing kind of threw me if we're being honest. But, we've got plans to attend a fish fry or two and I've been pinning recipes so we will survive.

Steve has chosen to give up meat on Wednesdays as well for his Lenten sacrifice. I have chosen to give up ice cream and replace my slightly trashy chick lit/ brain candy reading with some books on theology of the body borrowed from my sponsor. 

If you don't mind, please be praying for us as we go through this transition. We know not everyone will feel supportive of this choice, but it is what we feel is best for our family.

In thanks to the many Catholic bloggers who have offered some interesting perspectives over the last few months, I'm going to link to a favorite blog's "Little Holy Days" linkup. Maybe something over there will strike your fancy.

In other news: classes are going well. I'm completely overwhelmed most days, but I think that comes with the whole "last semester of classes" thing. Again, I will survive.

the end of block two

Another semester over, another semester closer to finishing my degree. I'm pretty pleased with the way things worked out this semester. I mean, after so many semesters of just kind of plodding through, struggling for a passing grade, getting straight As feels good. It feels good to finally know that I'm on the right path. Of course, being on the President's List never gets old either. :)

I will say, it is a weird feeling knowing that next semester is my last one with regular undergrad classes. One last semester of going to campus, sitting through lectures, and taking tests. After May 2013 I'll just be in the classroom teaching.... maybe even teaching my own class if this Project Retain thing works out.

I don't think I mentioned it here, but I'm a finalist for Project RETAIN: a partnership program between GSU and the City Schools of Decatur where they will choose two interns to be hired as teachers during their last semester. Essentially, if chosen, I would be hired by CSD as a teacher, receive a salary, and complete my student teaching requirements by co-teaching with a mentor teacher for the 2013-2014 school year in a Decatur school. I would still graduate in December, but my job would be guaranteed through the end of the school year.

It doesn't get much better than that.

As a finalist, I will be doing my block III practicum in a CSD school. It also means that I will be completing my ESOL student teaching during block III rather than during my student teaching semester. More work now for a possibly huge payoff down the road. It seems to be fitting with the theme Steve and I have had for the last 3 years.

There are a total of 7 finalists and 2 will be chosen as teachers. At the end of block III I will submit my professional portfolio, my ESOL student teaching notebook, and my resume before participating in an actual job interview for the position. I'll know sometime around my birthday if they picked me. Here's hoping they do.

Besides the academics and finishing up classes, block III is when I will be taking my GACE exam (Georgia's version of the Praxis) and applying to graduate. It seems pretty surreal.