The changing of the seasons

Happy fall, y'all!

Hope you're enjoying the beautiful colors of the changing of the leaves, the fields that have turned a gentle shade of brown, and the cooler temperatures that cause you to turn the heat on in the morning and the AC on in the afternoon.  I really miss Minnesota in the fall, especially after seeing Cassie's photos of the beautiful colors of Duluth!  Don't get me wrong, I actually hate most other things about fall, like being cold, not dressing appropriately because it warms up so much during the day and I'm dressed for winter, etc. But, I guess I'll take it because it means that Christmas music is right around the corner!

In working with my teachers, each Friday I send out an e-mail blast with information that is relevant to them and important announcements, etc.  I think the opening of my blast summarizes my thoughts from a couple of weeks ago and I'm going to recycle them here...

I have a confession, I REALLY want to be a blog reader.  I know that sounds so silly and strange, but it’s true.  I want to be in the habit of reading awesome blogs from people throughout the country or world, people that I might not even know, but am so captivated by their words that it doesn’t even matter. I’m obsessed with reading other people’s stories and learning about their lives and experiences.  I read 2 or 3 blogs on a semi-frequent basis, all people that I know.  In one of these, the message has had a resounding impact on me lately.  Her blog’s theme: love where you live.  This totally rings true.  For me, every place or situation I’ve been in thus far in my life, I’ve loved it. I loved high school and didn’t want to leave.  I felt the same about college.  I felt the same post-college.  And now I feel the same about the Delta.  However, there are days that I find myself racing home following afternoon meetings, only thinking about the e-mails that have accumulated in my inbox.  I sometimes regularly forget to slow down and enjoy the sights, sounds, and experiences around me.  

    Yesterday I took a vacation day and played in a fundraiser golf tournament.  Yes, it was 100 degrees outside and miserably hot.  However, even though I had a ton of e-mails and phone calls to respond to, and I didn’t work for a day and felt even more behind, I was suddenly overtaken by this beautiful, nostalgic feeling that I should spend more time looking at the world around me rather than only looking straight forward.  I decided to do just that and ended up taking a MUCH more round-about drive home stopping every so often to capture sights that I only glance at as I drive past.  I’m including one of the pictures here that I captured yesterday—use this as a reminder.  Slow down.  Enjoy your surroundings.  Explore. Sleep because you know you need it.   Laugh with your students.  Love what you’re doing.  You might not be perfect at this, no one is, but you’re making a difference and you need to tell yourself that.  And of course, love where you live.

While I recognize this blog is short and I do have a ton of e-mails and whatnot to be responding to.  I want to leave you with a few of my favorite shots from the last couple of weeks after I took the time to slow down and enjoy my surroundings.  I hope that you'll do the same.

 A perfect cloudy morning with the sun trying to shine through...

It's totally by chance that I entered Sunflower County at the same time as this crop duster.

One of my favorites and probably the last of the cotton season.  The same field that Ingrid, Sara, and I came upon while driving--so beautiful that you HAVE to stop and take pictures.

Sweet Summertime

What an absolutely exciting time of year it is--yes, I realize it is far from Christmas and that is clearly my favorite holiday, but June also provides much awesomeness of its own!  For starters, all of our new teachers came last week.  More than 300 folks are joining us in classrooms throughout the region for the next two years.  While I generally love induction (the 4 day span of introductory sessions), this year was especially exciting.  Everyone has their placement already, much sooner than normal.  This is both a good thing and a bad thing.  It's awesome that our teachers can spend all summer learning how to be a great teacher, without stressing about where/what they'll actually be teaching.  It's bad because not all schools have figured out the openings that they'll have, if all of their current teachers are coming back, etc.  Although my former school hired 2 new teachers, it looks like they still have 2 openings--hopefully NOT resulting in students having long-term subs for the school year again.  What's so inspiring about this group is how optimistic and enthusiastic they are.  When someone would get called to go sign their contract because a principal or superintendent showed up, everyone would burst into applause and cheers.  This was not a one-time coincidence, this happened repeatedly.  This crew is so supportive of each other and it gives me extremely high hopes for what they'll do for students here.

June is also exciting because HELLO, it's summer!  While this big-kid job doesn't exactly give me the summer off, it's still a change of pace from the school year.  I spend more time planning/revising sessions that we'll be using in July and wrapping up all of my data from last year.  And, tonight when I looked out the back window I saw a lightning bug in the yard!  I don't think I've really noticed them in Mississippi before!  It definitely takes me back to days Cassie and I would chase them throughout the yard, either capturing them in a glass jar or smearing the glowing guts on our arms.  Gross, I know.

Also, June means my return to Minnesota for a little over one glorious week!  Cannot wait to spend some time with my Winona friends, to see Cassie & Joe, and to hang out on a lake while celebrating America, in my american flag swimsuit of course.

Life in the Delta is changing dramatically.  My roommate left for a three week adventure home and elsewhere throughout the US.  She'll return before I am back.  By the time I get back from my conference and vacation, she'll be entirely moved out.  The same person I've lived with for the last 4 years, the one who also agrees that our landlord should let us have a cat, the one who doesn't laugh when I eat a bowl of strawberries for supper or that I refuse to go in the attic terrified of what might be up there.  While there are two others who are planning on moving in and I like them just fine, it isn't going to be the same.  I hate change.  I hate saying goodbye to people and I've done that far too many times these last two weeks.  Why am I constantly putting myself in a place in which there is high turnover, it doesn't make anything easy.  However, I know that people can't stay forever, I feel the same.  I guess I just want them to stay as long as I do so I don't have to adjust to this location without some of my close friends!  Here is a photo that Lois and I took this morning before she headed out to Florida.  We took a very similar picture 4 years ago in July when we first got to the Delta.  It was only fitting we did it again.

Did I mention that it was 7:45 in the morning and the sun was in our eyes?

The only other exciting thing that has been happening lately is of course the weather...what else do we talk about?  We had crazy storms come through on Monday evening.  I was driving back from Greenville and saw huge storm clouds, while I thought it was going to start downpouring as soon as I got closer, I realized that it was insane wind.  The weather reports said up to 70 mph wind.  There were black clouds being created from the wind blowing dirt up from open fields.  During one brief moment, I was worried that there was a tornado near me because the wind was blowing up so much dirt and dust that I couldn't see beyond it--no tornado though.  However, these cray storms lasted throughout the night, blowing the tin off of the factory roof next door to me, blowing down limbs, branches and in some cases entire trees.  Our yard was pretty much a mess with several large limbs down.  I spent a good hour picking up the front yard (all of that practice I had from picking up willow tree branches as a kid--still not my favorite task) and left the back yard for the yard man (there could be snakes back there).

Anyway, I'll be spending the next week involved in the chaos of writing final orientation sessions, doing a ton of prework for the conference I am going to, and getting packed both for the conference and for a week in Minnesota...it's going to be difficult to be productive with all of those exciting things on the mind!

GOOD LUCK this weekend to Jeannie who is running a 5K and Cassie who is running Grandma's Marathon in Duluth!  Run like the wind!

The show goes on alright...

Well, it's true.  The show goes on.  This song (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rmp6zIr5y4U&ob=av2n) really isn't relevant other than the fact that the show does go on.  For me, the show continues here in the Delta. I'm honestly surprised that I am writing those words, but after 4 LONG months of applications, talking to other regions, interviewing, and LOTS of phone calls--I've decided to stay.  Not stay because I'm tired of looking, but stay because I applied for and was given an opportunity to really focus on things that I love--elementary education, quality professional development, empowering leaders within this movement to stop being complacent and start fighting for the education that their kiddos deserve.  So with that, starting June 1st I will be the Director of Teaching and Learning.  It is a position that will let me work with and train our course leaders and learning team leaders who facilitate Professional Development once a month.  I'll also get to focus on region-wide professional development that our corps members will take part in.  And lastly, I'll still have some corps members that I manage--probably less than 10, all elementary teachers.  I'm secretly thrilled about this last part.  If I support corps members at my former school again, it means I'll have teachers who teach 3rd and 4th grade--they'll have all of my former students.  In many ways, it's a second chance to make sure I do things right for my kids.  And lord knows I love them.

A few updates on the last 5 months, as it really has been 5 months since my last blog, whoops.  I don't feel like much happened this spring.  Two friends/coworkers and I went to the Dominican Republic for spring break.  One of my friends was gifted a spot at a timeshare resort, so the three of us jetted out of the country for a bit.  We were welcomed to the DR with some random country tax--literally, you pay $10 to get into the country and a very confusing taxi ride from the airport--however, we were greeted with a two story hotel room, the upstairs bedroom had a gorgeous ocean view, and a week of all-inclusive, beach laying, pina coloada drinking vacation.  It was glorious.  We literally layed on the beach all week, venturing out of the resort once to go horseback riding on the beach.

For Easter weekend, Cassie came to the Delta!  She came down with Jeannie and Trevor when they moved all of my belongings, but I was still lost and homeless so it wasn't nearly as exciting!  I picked her up on Friday with my three favs and we headed for the Memphis Zoo!  From what I've heard, the Memphis Zoo is much better than Jackson, so we decided to spend the afternoon there.  People were right, the zoo was HUGE and had a ton of animals---and is pretty much smack in the middle of the city.  The kiddos loved it, although the long day with lots of walking and warm weather definitely took a toll on all of us!

You can't really see it, but there is a massive gorilla sitting right behind my right shoulder!  We literally saw everything from giraffes, to elephants, to farm animals.  However, we skipped the aquarium (it was SO hot in there) and the reptiles--for obvious reasons. And good news, we only lost one kid for 10 seconds in the ENTIRE day!  Success all around!

Cassie and I spent the weekend touring the Delta, shopping, eating catfish and crawfish, playing tennis, walks through Ruleville, getting tan, etc.  We even cooked a massive Easter Brunch for several of my corps members that were in town!  Together we learned that a spiral cut ham is the best thing since sliced bread.  We then ate ham and egg bake for the rest of her trip!  Here's a picture of us before our brunch...the background looks like my house is still stuck in the 70's.  Sweet birds.

Well, that pretty much sums up my excitement from the spring.  State tests are now over, teachers are giving final exams and I've started my End of Year Conversations with each person.  School is done next Wednesday, just in time for people to take off for Memorial Day.  Kids are anxious and teachers are ready. It's hard to believe the year is over already--as a student it NEVER went by this fast!

Before I finish, I'll leave you with a few things I'm looking forward to in/around the Delta next year!...

Mardi Gras---seriously SO much fun! And way more family friendly than I anticipated (as long as you stay out of the French Quarter)

Every small down Delta fall/spring festival!  This is a picture of our roommate reunion at Juke Joint in Clarksdale, MS several weeks ago!

 Of course I'm excited about another year in Ruleville!

Holiday traveler

49 lbs is what my suitcase weighed in...at home. Flying back from Thanksgiving I put it on the scale at the ticket counter at 6 a.m. and it was 57 lbs. My ultimatum was to either pay an extra $20 for an overweight bag or take something out. Well...lucky/unlucky for me I knew what I could take out. My new pyrex pans. Yes, I put glassware into my suitcase...it was worth running the risk of being overweight because then I had to carry the darn things in one of my carry on bags the rest of the day. This time I got lucky, the man lifted my bag and said, "oh, this isn't 50 lbs, you're good to go" and sent me to my gate without ever putting it on the scale. Merry Christmas to me!

I'm currently flying from Memphis to Minneapolis...I LOVE the holidays and sometimes getting free inflight wireless! Last year Delta offered free wifi on their flights. This year it isn't as great, but Ebay offers 30 minutes free if you enter an e-mail address. Yes, I'll definitely make up a new e-mail address every 30 minutes. Okay, I take that back, already got kicked off once--now I learned that I need to open a different web browser AND add a fake e-mail address every 30 minutes.

There are lots of children on this plane. Not babies...like 5 year olds.

So, a quick recap from Thanksgiving...although I think the only people that actually read this blog (my mom and grandma) already know these things. My November blues turned into November AND December blues...in the form of pneumonia. It was gross and I was disgusting. After I was finally able to breathe normally, I still had a head cold. For the most part that has cleared up...thank goodness. Better jump back on the gummy-vitamin train!

After Thanksgiving I was in Minneapolis/St. Paul for four more days doing interviews for new applicants. It was fun and I met a lot of great people! Minus being sick, it was a really great selection tour! By the time I got back to the Delta I literally had one full week of observations and meetings with teachers. Their quarters wrapped up this week and the majority of their time was spent giving 9 weeks test, preparing for Christmas programs/plays, holding holiday parties, and trying to keep kids calm and in control. I love the holidays, I DO NOT miss trying to manage children right before the holidays start.

I did a whirlwind Christmas shopping extravaganza this year. Literally. I went to the school on Tuesday to get names, sizes, and a rough idea of what kids would want. I shopped on Wednesday evening for several hours and got pretty much ALL of the toys and most of the clothing. Finished that up on Sunday afternoon, sorted everything Monday morning and a couple of gracious friends came over for dinner and to help wrap on Monday evening. Initially it was 16 kiddos (6 of whom I taught) but after I delivered presents this week I realized I had forgotten a couple of kids--or they were inadvertently left off the list because they weren't in elem school. So...back to the store I went and did some shopping for a 14 year old girl and two baby siblings of one of my former students. While I was at the school asking some of the kiddos what Santa was going to bring them, one of them (an 8 or 9 year old) was having a hard time coming up with anything. A sweet, sweet boy, he said, "well, I guess I hope that Santa will bring something nice that I can give my mom so she can have a blessed Christmas too." Oh my, yes sweet child, he will. Another one, who doesn't have a winter coat says, "hmm..at my grandma's house on Christmas she has this jar of chocolates that I really like. That would be something that I wish Santa might bring." I love them dearly and am so grateful to be given the opportunity to help them have a joyous, youthful Christmas. With that, I am so, SO grateful to anyone who has donated for these kids--whether it was this year or in the past. I wish you could meet each of them and know how big of an impact you have with such a simple gesture.

I want to close out with a pic of my two favorite kiddos from our adventures yesterday but apparently those pictures are still on my camera! Because yesterday was an early release day (they got out of school at 1)...I was able to pick them up and bake Christmas cookies quick before I left for the holidays! We had a HUGE mess in the kitchen, but it was amazing to see how great they were at rolling out the dough and decorating their cookies--especially compared to last year (that rolling pin was sought after but not effective in the least). We had a good time and I hope their 3 plates of cookies last until them until tomorrow or Monday :) I'll try and post a picture late this week!

MERRY CHRISTMAS! May your holidays be joyous and blessed! And that the real reason for Christmas is held in your heart. Yesterday when I asked the 7 year old what Christmas was celebrating he said, "Santa and Jesus." I'll live with that...

November Blues

It's because I was bragging. I should have known better. Last year I bragged alllll winter about never getting sick, hardly ever getting even as much as a snuffy nose...all because I was taking gummy vitamins. This year I resisted the last few (stale) gummies in the bottle and decided I could wait. Lo and behold...I now sound like a man, I can't breathe through my nose, and I cough in such a way that would probably make people mutter *gross* under their breath. I had one observation at a middle school this morning, luckily it happened to be the middle school right down the street. Because the Principal told me last week that she was concerned about this teacher--I didn't want to cancel it. However, as I was leaving his classroom, the Principal says, "Ms. Ward are you taking any medicine for that?" I responded, "yes ma'am" She said, "good, you sound awful." Point taken.

Enough complaining...about that subject at least. Where the heck has this year gone. It's already the middle of November...soon to be December, um what?! How is that even possible? Because the month of October was pretty much a wash: a week in Newark, a week in Columbus, a couple of days at a whole team retreat...these past couple of weeks have been really exciting. I'm seeing soooo many teachers really step up their game and develop into strong leaders of their classrooms. Students are being FORCED to think deeper about their classes and subject knowledge and articulate what they are learning. It's awesome. It's necessary. It's still not perfect.

Only a few more days until I'm back in Minnesota! I fly out on Saturday and am going to the Zac Brown Band concert with Sara--SOOOO EXCITED. I LOVEEEEE ZBB! That's why I have to kick this cold so I scream/sing EVERY WORD! I love having a week at Thanksgiving--even though I have work to get done te first couple of days next week, I'm still excited to be in a new location for a brief period of time!

Just heard on the news that the Obama's are going to see Justin Bieber Christmas Concert? Soooo many things I could say about that, the one that I'm going to leave you with: I wanna go :) NOT because it's Justin Bieber...only because it's Christmas :)

Happy Thanksgiving to you and yours!

Nothing about anything

An update of sorts...yeah, yeah, yeah, I haven't written in ages, I've updated once in the last year. I know. Maybe I'll write more regularly, maybe I won't. Still working in the same job...this year I have all new teachers and am supporting people closer to my house. I am also supporting the teachers who are at my old school which is exciting and makes my job feel extremly purposeful being that I know ALL of the kids and many of their families. The first time I walked into a classroom at the middle school an uproar ensued. I guess I didn't realize that I would know the 7th graders from my 2nd year of teaching (they were in 5th grade and I helped their class get ready for the May Day program) and they never expected to see me walk through the door. It's sometimes wonderful to feel like a celebrity in a town of 2,000 people ;)

It's definitely nice to feel more in control in this job, although I'm realizing that each day there is more and more that I need to learn. There are days that I feel like I'm brand spanking new at this, yet other days that things that might have upset me last year aren't anything to get worked up over now. I somehow always find myself behind and with a to-do list a mile long most of the time. I currently have 285 e-mails in my work e-mail...my goal is to get down to 10, by last weekend. Clearly I have some work to do. However, right now I'd rather lay on the couch and look up flights for Thanksgiving (more than $500 and it's still 2+ months away, ugh) and watch Diners, Drive-ins, and Dives. Last weekend I spent an entire day lounging and reading a book, the entire thing, it was GLORIOUS.

This is my warning to anyone/everyone...you have the rest of this school year to come and visit me in Mississippi...or it won't happen (and I'm going to reevaluate our friendship!). End of warning.

These next few weeks are going to be crazyyyy. Next week is PACKED for work. I have soooo many observations/meetings/sessions that I am leading, etc. It's good and I'm sure the week is going to FLY. Next weekend is an Ole Miss football game which will encompass my entire weekend--let's hope the weather is as mild as it has been the last couple of days. I take that back, it could be a little bit warmer next weekend for the game. The following week (last of Sept) Ingrid and Sara will be here for a long weekend! I am soooo excited and racking my brain trying to decide where we should eat--there are so many Delta-specific places/items that I want them to experience! The day that they leave I also fly out to Newark NJ for a conference for the majority of the week. October is also packed with a team retreat and the possibility of being gone for a week selecting the next group of corps members. Really, what I'm getting at is that it's practically already November...oh man.

Hope your life is fabulous where ever you are!

The lives that have impacted me...

Right now I'm supposed to be doing a multitude of things...prepping for some interviews that I have to do tomorrow night, reading a packet for our team meeting, sleeping, cleaning my mess of an e-mail inbox, responding to the 78 e-mails that are sitting in there, nahhhhh....I probably won't do any of those things tonight.

I realize I haven't blogged in a long time, I've decided that my job is significantly less interesting now that I am not spending 8 hours a day with 25 five-year olds. I mean, don't get me wrong, I am responsible for supporting 31 teachers to ensure that their kids perform at a rigorous level, however, I don't have the same experiences with kiddos now that I did before, definitely not the same ones day in and out. However, I love my corps members and do enjoy this job. I've committed to one more school year in the Delta...to figure things out and actually feel successful in this job. After days like today though..sometimes I can't imagine leaving.

This story is not one that is a common occurrence, nor is it one that is designed to generate a positive reaction or engage in a few laughs. However, it's reality, the stark reality for my kids. If you have read my blog from the beginning, you'll remember my "little lovely" who caused me grey hair and multiple bruises from the number of chairs he threw during my first year of teaching. Well, he went to first grade, was put on appropriate medicine, was deathly afraid of his teacher and didn't cause major problems (or not that we heard about). When I go back now to visit, I am immensely proud of him. He'll be in line with the other 2nd graders waiting to go to the bathroom and will stare at me until I notice him and he'll wave shyly. He never wants to get out of line or make a scene, but he's the first one to run up and give me a hug when he has the opportunity. I'm so incredibly proud of him and tell him that each and every time I see him. He is working hard in school and is on a much different life path than he was two short years ago.

Today I got a phone call from a teacher at the school saying he "had news. But not good news." My little lovely had brought a gun to school yesterday. He's in 2nd grade. It burns me to no end that he even had access to it. I have no idea where it came from or what it was. Apparently he was showing someone during recess or DEAR (drop everything and read) time. Another student went and told the security guard on campus. He was immediately escorted off campus and taken home. No one found out about it until today, not even HIS teacher. The rumor is that they are trying to keep it covered up so he isn't expelled. I can't even believe it. What if something horrible would have happened. He is in the 2nd grade. He shouldn't even be exposed to something like this, much less be able to put his hands on it. I'm an equal combination of disgusted and mortified. Not to mention having a heavy heart. Nothing horrific happened, thank goodness. But what if it had happened to one of my kids. One of the kids I spent an entire school year with. Ugh, this shows me more and more the risk that we endanger children in our country to. Transformative change. Putting kids on a different life path. Instilling habits, mindsets, and actions that prove we are changing the lives of children, for the better. This is why I am in this job. This is why I am responsible for indirectly impacting 3,090 lives, for the better I can only hope.