Filed under 3rd year

Hilarity

S1: Miss. LOOK. My nails say “SEX!”
Me: Oh… wow… umm… are those letters made out of gold? That’s really cool!
S1: How can you say “cool?!?” It’s supposed to say “SEXY!”
Me: …
[1/2 hour later]
S1: MAN! Now the X fell off of my other hand!
S2: Put them together! Now you can be “SEXSAY!”

The 10th grade is doing a pregnancy/parenting project and our students got their “babies” this week. Instead of eggs, I passed out ornaments to my curriculum skills. Today I was met by 10th graders carrying their offspring around. Some children have… full heads of hair.

Positive Affirmations

“Dear Ms. Hamm,

First and foremost, I miss your class. It was really cool to be able to write our own stories and blaze our own paths. You were, and still are, an awesome teacher. Although the class isn’t about that anymore (Creative Writing), I bet you still keep English creative. Thank you for all your support.”

 

“Dear Ms. Hamm,

Ms. Hamm I’ve missed your class so much. I like our conversations and even though I don’t have you anymore I still feel like you’re my teacher. You’re an awesome teacher and person.”

 

“Dear Ms. Hamm,

I miss you! My freshman year was the best and your class was fun. You’re a sweet teacher and energetic. You’re always smiling and have a good attitude with everyone. I hope you’re back next year so new freshman can enjoy your way of teaching.”

 

Heartwarming Teacher’s Appreciation Week messages from my first freshmen. They’ve done grown into seniors! What the heck?!?

And here’s yet another from my current freshman with the horse jokes…

“Ms. Hamm! I got kicked out! Because I said boo-boo! It’s okay though. I found Jesus while I was out here so I guess it’s a good thing.”

It’s been a year of…

State standardized testing is one of the big indications that the end of the school year is near.

For me, it’s been a year of:

-Meetings & Conferences

-Swag bags & water bottles

-Dinners & Receptions

-Focus groups & Town Halls

-Multiple preps & Collaboration

-Assessments & Data

-Media & Social Media

-& the best kids of my life!

Life made a whole lot more sense in year 3.

Now what will year 4 be like? Amazing, I hope! Looking forward to solidifying my instructional practices, growing in my leadership, and expanding my network. Fellowships, coursework, beginning National Board Certification, and additional job duties are all possibilities, so it’ll be cool to see what actually ends up happening.

Horse Humor.

If you heard my “hay” joke, this is from the same kid:

Sea Biscuit?!? Isn’t that the book about the horse? WHY WOULD YOU NAME A LAND ANIMAL ANYTHING WITH THE WORD SEA?!?

It’s like.., Ms. Hamm, I bought a SHARK. I think I’m going to name him LAND CROISSANT.”

30≥25

I’m probably going to make myself sound incredibly young in this one, but I’m okay with that.

03/16/10

I’ve been teased by a handful of people for that doodle above; it was scratched out during a conversation with a few of my favorite ladies who were a few months into 25 (and a few days away from it). I loved hearing their confidence and I really wondered what it would be like for me. I guess I had this fascination with the age of 25. It seemed so old, so seasoned, so experienced, so knowledgeable, even though I was only a few years removed from that milestone. I guess it also helped that we really celebrated birthdays right that year. Surprise trip to New York, shooting up to the Bay, and taking in the Seattle fall… it was all so wonderful.

Anyway.

Looking back through the pages surrounding that quick thought and drawing makes me smile. So many dreams, hopes, and wishes in the pages surrounding that quick sketch have come to fruition since then, while worries and insecurities are thankfully fading at 25. From goals of getting fit and training for a marathon, to that motif of hearts and swirls that is now etched permanently into my skin. From notes taken at a professional development meeting that was going completely over my head (WHAT ARE THEY TALKING ABOUT?!?), to an angry (nearly illegible) scribble crying out “I hate feeling like all I’m doing is worthless…and then… just being ineffective! I want to be good at the things I do!”

[Sidenote: HA! If only I knew how much "EFFECTIVE" would become a part of my vocabulary this year, haha.]

Anyway, the reason I busted out that journal is this: At a meeting tonight (yes, a meeting on teacher effectiveness), one of the attendees mentioned that it’s his 30th birthday. He kind of hung his head in sadness at leaving the 20′s, and I won’t lie, my first thought was: Man. Sucks. I was surprised though, everybody in the room started talking about how awesome their 30′s have been so far. Apparently they’re even better.

It seems I’ve got a new obsession.

La Educación

“You’re good–but you could be great.”
I’m appreciative of it and I’m taking it to heart. Next steps? I have a few ideas.

Another one of those weeks full of conversations about Education. Some expected, some not, all welcome.

In ever-so-slightly related news, we wore prom dresses to work today. That was fun/ny.

El Trabajo

“For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.”
~Eph. 2:10

It’s been a great Spring Break, potentially the best of my life.

But I’m ready to go back.

Not because I’m bored, because man. It would be amazing to continue spending hours with friends, enjoying good food, and exercising daily. It’s just that this way, I get to keep doing that (albeit a good amount less each week) while also doing something meaningful with my life.

Sure, I’m ready to get cussed at and eyes rolled at me, but mostly I’m ready for the smiles, the stories, and the productive exhaustion.

7 more weeks, and after that? We’ll see. Putting it in God’s hands, can’t deny he’s taken care of my career, putting me right where I need to be thus far.

ESPAÑA! Memorias Visuales

Here are the photos/videos from my trip!

I got a little lazy with captions/labeling each site, but… I at least labeled what cities we’re in. We went to super tourist-y sites anyway, so it shouldn’t be too hard to figure out where we’re at.

ESPAÑA! QUINTO y SEXTO DÍA

What can I say? Days 5 and 6 were spent continuing to fall in love with this city, good food, and great travel companions.

Gelato, salad, pasta, paella, coffee, chocolate-covered strawberries, fresh fruit… strolling through tiny streets and stumbling upon great sites… Gaudi, Gaudi, Gaudi… Skateboarding, artisanal/craft shopping, open air markets… it’s all been great, and my kids kick butt. I wish all of my students could be like these two; life would be absolutely awesome.

I’m sad that every day can’t be like the days spent on this trip, but I’m excited to get home to my own bed, my family, Jay-Jay, etc. Looking forward to the opportunity to exercise, spend time with loved ones, and enjoy another week of Spring Break. I’m ready to eat carne asada tacos and miso ramen! Please, spare me the potatoes for a few days.

Fingers crossed that I fall in step with productivity and happiness, rather than post-vacation blues during my down time.

ESPAÑA! Quarto DÍA

We love Barcelona.

The trip here took most of the day, with about an hour spent in the charming town of Zaragoza, Aragon along the way.

I no longer speak the language, but it’s all good. Catalan sounds like a mix between French, Spanish, and English, so it’s easy enough to understand.

From the moment we stepped off the metro, I was in love. We passed a few key sites on our walk to a delicious tapas dinner, and then had the opportunity to split off in our little group of four and walk the town for a good while before heading back to our hotel. There may or may not have been a near mishap where I almost got stuck in a train station, but… I escaped :)

But man, love love LOVE.

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