Oh whoa, we're half way there...

It's hump week!! (if you're like WTF does that mean, it means it's our middle week of institute....just have to get over the hump and we're on the home stretch!). THANK GOODNESS. Hard to believe it's half over, then again, hard to believe we've only gotten through half of it.

I'm going to try and recap as much as possible in a short amount of time. Institute is still "intense." Every Tuesday we have two lesson plans due (for Thursday and Friday of that week). Every Thursday we have three lesson plans due (for Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday of the next week). Therefore, those nights are semi-packed. Maybe I don't spend enough time on my lesson plans, but I basically pound them out. They really are rough drafts, I turn them in, get feedback from my Faculty Advisor and Corps Member Advisor, then sometime before the lesson day I thoroughly go through and revise them to make sure they flow smoothly and are satisfying the objective. I, however, do not stay up until all hours of the night working on them. In fact, in the last two weeks I haven't been to bed past midnight. Some people STRESS out around here and go to bed at midnight and get up at 2 a.m. to keep working. Um, no thank you. I like my sleep. Plus, there is no way you can function in front of your class the next day with only two hours of sleep.

So....interesting events in Houston. Well, the first weekend we went out for a night of "Delta debotchery" I didn't name it. We went to some bar, some place in Houston. We parked in a parking lot close to the place and tried to use a machine to pay. The machine practically ate our card, so we said, "whatever." Well, we come back out a few hours later to find out that the car is towed. It was my friend Tamara's, not mine. BUT, it was her birthday. So, we get a cab to take us to wherever they took our car, only to find out it costs $200 to get it back. To make a long story short, the place we had to pay "claimed" that they were just contracted out, they didn't own the tow trucks, or the lot, all of this garbage. They refuse to tell you who does own it. They finally give us a phone number to call (Tamara was pissed because we honestly tried to pay). Well, we called the number before leaving and it turns out a lady inside the impound lot answers. Really mister? I thought you told us you weren't responsible for the lot or the tow trucks? He was such a joke. So, the moral of the story. There's a huge scam in which someone in that join owns the lot and the tow trucks and they just haul away ALL cars that park there ALL night and make 200 bones off everyone. I obvs. didn't learn this management technique in all of my classes through the business department.

Last weekend I took an afternoon off and went to the U of Houston pool, it's a block away, so convenient. They have this amazing little water park, it's so fun, going there every weekend from here on out! Although....and this is hard for even me to admit....It was hard to sit outside all afternoon in 104 degree heat. Don't tell Randy Vargason, he thinks I can endure through any kind of heat/humidity!

Side note, I have these ANNOYING birds that sit on the ledge outside of my window. They are pigeons...one was always there and would always puff out their feathers and make this annoying noise. I named it Bert. Then, I realized the Bert layed two eggs there and that is why he/she doesn't leave. NOW, there have been this polka-dotted pigeon that sits outside of my window. One day I came back and they were mating. I would throw things out the window at them, but wait, U of Houston does not have windows that open. So I'm forced to either close the blinds or have pigeons perched continuously outside of my window. Bert the bird is no longer my friend...although I do come home from school and look to see if the eggs have hatched. They better get a move on, I'm only here for a couple more weeks!

OH, on to the good news, I am PRETTY sure that I will be teaching in Mississippi next fall! Well, the Delta region extends into Arkansas and for several reasons, I really did not want to be in AR. However, people got slips in their PO's today saying they had to be fingerprinted as a law in AR. YAY! However, in less than 24 hours I WILL know my placement! They said we would find out on Wednesday. So, I get home from school at about 4:30, and I BETTER have a letter waiting for me :)

My last subject before bed...teaching. Last week I taught the science lessons each week. They went really well, I love doing experiments and teaching the kids about fun stuff like that. However, I was NEVER observed. Tons of people can/will come and observe you. Your corps member advisor, other corps members, the school director, your faculty advisor, the literacy or curriculum teachers, regional people, national people...I had no one. Wait, I take that back, I had a couple of my peers in for 10 minutes each. Anyway, Monday morning, my first day of reading/writing (which is also a 100 minute session, almost twice the length of science), I'm sooo nervous because I have no idea what I'm doing...and I have my CMA, literacy advisor, and faculty advisor all in my room watching me BLOW that lesson! Okay, it wasn't horrible, but the kids didn't understand my objectives, they couldn't sit still, I never had complete control of the class...it was one to brush off the shoulders, that's for sure! I had a little meeting with my CMA last night about it, just going over her notes...I attribute most of the bombshell to be my lack of confidence about teaching phonics and where the kids should be at and specific objectives they need to be meeting right now. We talked about a few strategies and today..my lesson was A-MAZING :) No observers though, go fig. Oh well, tomorrow should be okay. I met with my faculty advisor (who is the regular teacher for my classroom) and she helped me out a TON. Obvs. she knows all of the kids in the room, what they should be learning, and how I can effectively teach them in a non-TFA military style lesson! She rocks, my kids are awesome, and I'm just doing my Browning Best.
My apologies that this got so long again!

I'll leave you with a little "chant" aka "shout" the kids do in the morning:
Be the best
kids: be the best
Be the best
kids: be the best
Be the best
kids: be the best
Be the best
kids: be the best
the best
kids: the best
the best
kids: the best
The best of whatever you are
kids: the best of whatever you are.
(Yes, it is that repetitive :))