Remember What's Important

I had a humbling moment the other day. Let me share.

My day began like every other day. Students enter somewhat louder than I would like but quickly quiet themselves as they sit at the carpet. Lunch counts are put in, backpacks are put away, homework is turned in, and several students so kindly remind me of EVERYTHING I have forgotten (the schedule on the board, the calendar, adding a straw to our counting bags, changing the date on the board, handing out the table prizes from the day before, etc.) If it's possible to forget it, I've forgotten it. Fortunately for me, I have 23 voices in my head mercilessly reminding me. This particular morning I had forgotten to switch the calendar from January to February and apparently it was everyone's responsibility to let me know because one person telling me just isn't enough. Before my patience could be worn thin from endless reminders, I took the time to tell my students that February happens to be one of my favorite months. I told them it is the month of my favorite holiday: Valentine's Day. We talked for a few moments (enough to calm me down) about what makes Valentine's Day so great, and the day continued from there.

Lesson one from teaching: If your students are driving you crazy, tell them a little something about yourself and they instantly become engaged and you calm down. I promise. It works.

Reading time ensued soon after and my patience was almost worn through once more.

You see, during reading time my students have a list of things they have to get done while I read with small groups of students. If they finish everything on the list there are some 'Can-Dos' for them. For those of you that are visual learners, said reading ticket is shown below.

Lately I've had a problem with them playing around with the 'Can-Do' materials instead of actually doing them. Yesterday was no different. I looked over at my desk to see a noisy group of students all huddled together with my magnet letters. My first instinct was to send them back all to their seats. They were noisy and there was no way they could all be using my one set of letters. Yes, students, I'm not stupid. I know what's going on over there. I know that even though you look busy you aren't staying on task. You can't fool me. I was just about to send them all back to their desks but I decided I just didn't feel like fighting them today so I continued teaching my small group. Reading time soon ended and my class cleaned up and headed out to recess.

Knowing these students weren't on task I knew they probably didn't get all cleaned up either. I trudged over to my desk to pick up the forgotten magnets on the floor. To my humbling surprise I found no magnets on the floor. Instead I found just this:

(Happy Valentine's Day Miss Wood

love

the class)

Here I was ready to get upset with them and they were working together to write me this love note.

Upon returning from recess, those students all came up to ask if I had found their secret note for me. Ha! I couldn't help but smile and tell them it was the best surprise I had ever found. I think that note will be staying up for a while. Not just because it isn't Valentine's Day yet but as a reminder to myself to trust my students a little more and lighten up on them a little. Leave it to kids to teach all the important lessons of life.

Christmas Trees... Past and Present

As an update to my last post let me just say that the Lord is always there for you. I think I wrote that post in a last measure of desperation to make the pain go away and it worked! I'm happy for him and haven't really given him much thought in the past week or two. There has been too much going on. Everything is hunky dory and life is kinda fantastic right now, minus the fact that I haven't seen my students in almost a week. Darn you Thanksgiving break. I miss them!!!.

Now onto the newest chapter of the Story of My Life. This past week was Thanksgiving (obviously) and so the next day inevitably involved...

Putting up the Christmas tree!

If you thought I was going to say shopping then you must not know me very well. I am not against the whole Black Friday thing, I'm just not an avid participator.
Back to the Christmas tree... I have been the owner of a REAL Christmas tree every year since living on my own. Said Christmas trees have also been named and loved like a pet. Let's go back and reminisce...

ALEXANDER '08

This fella came from the side of a mountain near Holden, Utah. Kaylie and I stomped through mud for hours to find him and chop him down. And then we epically got lost carrying him down the mountain and came out of the clearing a mile too far. It was a lot of work but sooo worth it. He turned our house into a home.

JAMES (JIMMY) '09

My new roommates and I couldn't find a time to go tree huntin' all together so we decided to hunt for one at a nearby lot instead of the mountains. It was only fitting that since our house was the Peach Palace, we name him James (as in James and the Giant Peach). But just for kicks and giggles we called him Jimmy. He was quite the looker. You can read more about him here.

DARLA '10
Unfortunately, I don't have a picture of Darla :'( This is due to the fact that some young men (I will allow them to remain anonymous) decided to break into our apartment, kidnap her, and drag her across the parking lot into their own apartment, ornaments and all. They didn't even have the decency to water her. Needless to say she didn't survive very long. We still kept her until Christmas but she was dead as a doornail.

HAROLD '11

Harold (Hark, the 'Harold' Angels Sing) is my smallest tree yet and most expensive (darn you rising prices) but I still love him. For the first time every I am reusing decorations. These were all from Darla but seeing as she didn't use them much, I decided to save some money and reuse them. The finishing touch on this little guy would be the Welcome sign. The Lehi Reams is closing :'( and I found it on sale for $5. I had to get it. It has been sitting in my room with nowhere to go for a while now. After Harold was decorated my roommate and I began the search for a tree topper. What to my wandering eyes should appear, but a welcome sign ready to sit up top here. It works perfect and adds the perfect western touch. I love it!
Yes, he doesn't have lights on him yet, but don't you worry. I'll get those on once my parents bring out their decor and excess lights. I know, it's backwards. But when do I ever do anything in the right order? :)

Yay for Christmas lights, Christmas smells, Christmas sounds, and Christmas trees!!!

I'm Going To Be Obnoxiously Open About My Life

I'm writing this not because I want pity, not because all I ever talk about is the drama of my love life (because thus far, I've steared clear of that topic). I'm writing this because unfortunately it has been the story of my life for the past little while.

The Summary:
I dated a guy pretty seriously for the past 5 months. Serious enough that we were talking about getting married. The more we talked about it, the more I felt Heavenly Father's disapproval and my own disapproval stronger and stronger. So right before Halloween I ended it. It was one of the hardest things I have ever done. How do you explain to someone that you love them but you get a bad feeling about being with them. Those are two contradicting statements! Amazingly however, I felt really good afterwards. As much as I missed him, I finally felt the peace in my life that I had been missing for so long. Note to self: Your first year of teaching is the wrong time to decide to get rid of your only social life. You don't get much of a chance to meet new people when you spend all day with second graders and all night with your laptop planning lessons and such. Needless to say, I've been a loner for the past little while.
I thought I was going to get lucky and would squeak by with a somewhat easy post-break up. The peace I felt made everything so easy. Then I found last week (3 weeks later) that said old boyfriend is now engaged to the girl of his dreams. My life has been a wreck ever since. Remember when I said I loved him? That didn't just go away because I didn't feel right about us. I still love him. At first, I was upset because I was in love with someone who was engaged to someone else. That felt so wrong! Then I was upset that I was still in love with this guy and it was affecting me. I'm an independent person and I hate admitting that something or someone can bother me. So here I am world, admitting that something is affecting me and I'm not as strong as I wanted to be. It sucks. Big Time. Luckily for me, I have some great family and friends who have helped me ignore everything that I have been feeling inside lately.

The Cure
My biggest distraction: School. I am loving it more and more. My students are starting to give me proof that I am actually teaching them something!!! The average score on our last math test was 8 out of 9!!!
I have also learned the application of the following quote:
“When we treat people merely as they are, they will remain as they are. When we treat them as if they were what they should be, they will become what they should be. ”
― Thomas S. Monson, Pathways to Perfection: Discourses of Thomas S. Monson
One day I wondered why I didn't seem to have any of those sweet, angelic students I hear about and then this quote came to mind. So I have been treating my students as if they are angels and it's working! They have turned into the sweetest little class ever!
I have another meeting with the other interns all day tomorrow and I am seriously depressed. I don't get to see my students AND I had to write sub plans. Seriously, the worst.
Can I tell you how glad I am that I chose this profession? It's the best! The teachers I work with are so much fun and the students are adorable. A few precious examples:
- Last week I had a little girl bring a figurine of a woman she made with beads. "Miss Wood" she said, "It's you! I made it for you!" Yep, it made my day!
- I also had a parent come in last week to pick up his child and told me that his son never stops talking about how much he LOVES his teacher. How cute!
- Today, I was finally organized enough to send math homework home for the first time in a week and one student said, "Miss Wood! Do we have math homework tonight?" "Yes," I replied. Her response: "Yay! I love math homework!" Three students nearby heartily agreed with her.
I think I just might be doin' something right :)

Some Thoughts on the First Day of School...

After the shortest month of August I can ever remember, school started up yesterday. I wish I could explain the anxiety and anticipation I was feeling Wednesday night and Thursday morning, but I don't think it's possible. Let me just say this: imagine every knot you have felt in your stomach, every important job interview you have had, and every twist and lurch in your stomach as you entered the world's wildest roller coaster. Times that by ten and you come close to what I was feeling.

I have never put my life so wholly into something before. It finally feels good to see it start paying off. Let me just say, even after two days it has started paying off. I have already received four thank-you/love notes from students and numerous small gifts and hugs from them as well.

It hasn't come easy. That's for sure. Before school even started I had a couple emotional breakdowns over silly things as some of my accumulation of anxiety and stress revealed itself.
No sane person breaks out in tears because they forget about cleaning checks or because their car overheats for the first time.

One of the hardest parts about the first day of school is most definitely back-to-school night. I had numerous parents enter my classroom and give me 'the look', the look that means they think I am way too young to be teaching their child and they want to know why their child got stuck with the teacher that doesn't even look old enough to be done with high school. For most interns this isn't a problem because they are married and they have the pleasure of sticking a Mrs. before their name. For Lauren and I (the other 2nd grade intern) we are stuck with the youthful Miss in front of our name leading parents to believe that we aren't old enough or experienced enough to be their child's teacher. Lucky us. (I had some students ask me today if I was in high school or college. I asked them why they thought that and they said it was because I wasn't married. They said if I was done with college then I should be married and have kids. I told them my mom sometimes tells me the same thing).

Having said that I must say that I love the parent community of Heber City! ALL of the parents are involved in their child's education. They all want to help out in any way possible and they want to help you help their child. Not in a pushy, hovering way but in a "let's work together to help Johnny succeed" kind of way. It's soooooo helpful and encouraging. I have a great group of kids and an even better group of parents.

Halfway through the first day of school, I finished reading a story to my class and looked around the room for their teacher to let her take over teaching her class. Then I realized I was the teacher. A little frightening and intimidating? Yes. But do you know what brought me back to reality? 22 little faces staring at me like I held all the answers to the universe.

Note to self: Sometimes hot is too hot. Our school doesn't have an efficient A/C. By 10:00 a.m. we are all sweating even with the fan on. By 3:20, no one has any energy to move. I never thought I'd say this but autumn, please come soon!!!

Many people have asked my why I am working in Heber and still living in Provo. Long commute they say, scary winter driving they say, but I say THERAPY. Driving through Provo Canyon is therapeutic and it's only going to get better as the fall comes and brings it's blankets of red, orange, and yellow. All summer while driving up, Lauren and I have discussed stopping to smell the daisies. K, really it's the wild sunflowers (or whatever they're called) and we don't want to smell them, just take pictures with them. So we decided our first day of school was the perfect day to do so.

My Classroom:
It doesn't look like I did much, but this, my friends, is three weeks worth of spending all day decorating, laminating, cutting, stapling, designing and everything else in between.

Morning Calendar

Library

Desks

Star Student Board/My Desk

Birthdays/Job Chart

Please Excuse My Absence

I have done some back-to-school shopping like you've never seen it done before. I would love to tell you all about it, but every time I sit down at a computer my to-do list runs through my mind and I get deterred from my blog because school starts in LESS THAN 3 WEEKS!!!

Who knows when I'll have time again. Hopefully it will be sooner than later.

Some Folks to Share My Summer With

The 4th of July was so much fun to celebrate with the Haymore's again. Last time they were here Garrett was just a few weeks old.

What is my favorite part about my neice and nephews? The fact that they are so darn stinkin' cute! My sister really knows how to dress her kids. Here is Evelyn sporting her independence outfit during the parade.

With the upcoming school year approaching, my to-do list has been getting bigger and bigger and so the time came for me to quit my job to allow for more time. I have never been so sad to leave a job. I have been working at MultiLing for over three years now (which is a lot for a college job) and have been so blessed. It was the perfect student job: professional, flexible, non-stressful (most of the time), and a decent salary. I count my lucky stars (k, really I just give thanks to my Heavenly Father) for blessing me so much. Here are a few of the lovely ladies that have been my support and friends during my time there. Thank you MultiLing!

Speaking of jobs, Christi stopped in Utah for a little bit and so we got together with Charisse at the good 'ol Creamery! Can't believe that was three summers ago that we all worked together. Unfortunately Jacqui has dropped off the face of the planet (moved to Minnesota) and could not join us but it was good to catch up on all of the good times the four of us had not only while working but also at our weekly Girls' Nights.

Remember how my dad and I go to country concerts more and more often? We decided to go to some more. The Scera Shell is the best place to find good country concerts for way cheap! Last year we went and saw John Michael Montgomery. This year there are/were two fantastic concerts lined up: Mark Wills/Mark Chesnut and Sawyer Brown.
Since the tickets are so cheap we got some amazing ones: second row, front and center (I know, amazing, right?) What a night! Ugh, I hate trying to blog about concerts because there are no words that can describe a good country concert and what it makes you feel. I'm not going to even try so let me just direct you to the words of Kendra (who was so kind enough to join my pops and I on such an enjoyable evening) to help explain what a good country concert can do... click here. Okay, really. You have to click there so that you can read about the awesome picture we got that could only happen if you were on row 2!

Mark Chesnut & Mark Wills

Mark Wills

Me & Kendra LEANING ON THE STAGE!!!

Some things I have loved about having the Haymores back in Utah: EVERYTHING!!!
I'm so sorry that none of you can have nieces and nephews as cute as mine because they ARE the cutest. We are all enjoying being able to play with them again including Grandpa (my dad). He is Garrett's favorite toy. My dad was always a tough guy when it came to raising kids. Bedtime was bedtime. No exceptions. Unless your name is Garrett. Now my dad turns into a big soft marshmallow around bedtime and would do anything for that little boy.
The other day he got his four-wheeler out and became the boys' new best friend as he took them around for a ride.

What else do we love about having the Haymores back? Messy faces.
This particular afternoon's artwork was a conglomeration of Cheetos and cotton candy. Yum!



Oh, and this is a random picture I took of the sky on campus because it was just too blue to not get a picture of it. No photoshop folks, that was really what the sky and mountains looked like.

Reflections

My bestest friend, Lindsay, invited me to go wedding dress shopping with her yesterday. It was so much fun and caused me to reflect on how we had gotten to this point...

Let me explain.

There are 6 of us...

Lindsay - Kaija - Amelia - Kaylie- Steffanie - Me

These girls are my heart and soul.

I met Lindsay first. The second semester of my sophomore year of high school we had P.E. and dance together right after each other. I distinctly remember Amanda Bench introducing me to her friend Lindsay. On the first day, Lindsay came up to me and said, "Hey! You're Amanda's friend! We have two classes together right after each other! We are going to be great friends!" At the time I thought she was the craziest, friendliest person ever. I was right. She is. :) What a girl! She has been there and listened to every boy story I have ever lived through. She was there listening and understanding when things between my dad and I would get rough. She asked me to do a duet with her and invited me to be in my first piano recital ever. And together we conquered the wild on a camping trip that will go down in history. Every day she urges me on to new limits. I love her!

Next came Kaija. I don't remember the moment I met Kaija. She was just always there! I think she had a ballroom class with my friend, Katelyn, and that's when I started to get to know her better. But then there was that moment I found out her favorite movie was "Spirit", she had the soundtrack, and her room was decorated with horses. Yep, we became instant friends. Her dedication and organization in life amazes me. She is literally the person that has kept us sane all these years and kept us out of trouble. She is the mastermind behind planning everything we do. I don't know how she puts up with us, but I'm glad she does. Kaija was the one who inspired me to finally move out. She offered me a room in her house in Provo where I made some of my best college memories that will never be forgotten. When I found out a close friend had passed away, she was the first one there to hug, comfort, and listen to me cry and cry and cry. Kaija is also my fellow cougar. She saved my life freshman year when she took time out of her schedule to meet up and eat lunch with me. I love her!

Amelia came next. We had P.E. together with Katelyn my junior year. It was a class of 20 guys and about 5 girls and I remember how all she talked about was boys. Haha, that is still all she talks about. We got along great but didn't become close friends until Kaylie started dating her cousin during our senior year. That's when she became the last missing piece to our sisterhood of the six. Amelia is never afraid to meet new people. In fact, she loves it and she's so good at it! Amelia is my fellow dancer: Always willing to go to zumba or dance classes together and willing to spend nights cramped in our front room choreographing a duet just for the fun of it. Amelia knows what she wants and doesn't settle for less. I love it! She is dedicated to her family and the gospel. She has been the best example of attending the temple on a consistent, regular basis no matter what. I love her!

Kaylie. What can I say about Kaylie. I had never met someone so friendly, so caring, and so dedicated to the gospel. Even though she is the youngest she was always the mom of the group. Taking care of us, feeding us, and making sure we were alright. But she has the sense of adventure of a four year old. Everything was exciting to her. Oh, how I miss those days driving around in the green van all over town. And our days together at the peach palace? They were epic. Including (but not limited to) puddle jumping, tree climbing, late night pudding snacks, all-nighters and so much more. Kaylie is a great listener. She will listen and will sympathize with you but then will always tell you what she thinks. I love her! Kaylie suffered through summers of 7 peaks supervisor responsibilities with me and who can forget our Friday night sleepovers? Every Friday for a year. Yep, she's the best. I love her!

Last, but certainly not least, comes Steff. To be honest, Steff and I were good friends but I never got really close with her until we were roommates. Then, I discovered what I had been missing out on for so long. In her quiet, sweet way, Steff lived and loved the gospel in a way I had never witnessed before. She has been a better example of Christ-like love for others than anyone I have ever met. She also taught me what it means to be clean. She put up with so much from me and with the biggest heart ever. She stood by my side through everything, and was always there for me even in the trials that seemed minuscule and pointless to everyone else (and most likely were minuscule and pointless). She is a great example of staying healthy and being self-reliant. She motivated and trained me to do my first triathlon-ish. She even helped my mom start training and getting into running (My mom just ran a marathon). Steff loves learning and is always trying to better herself however she can. Learning doesn't come easy to her and yet she still does all she can to learn as much as she can. What a girl. I love her!

I can't even think of mentioning these girls without mentioning their parents. Truly and literally I have 6 sets of parents. How lucky am I? This was actually super beneficial in high school when I got sick of my own parents. These 6 sets of parents have loved me, guided me, and supported me in the choices I make.

Really, could anyone ask for more? I look back at the moments in my life where I was frustrated and feeling down because things weren't going my way and I was feeling like I deserved more blessings than I was getting and I think to myself, "HELLO!!! You are so blessed!!!" Because of these girls, I will never feel alone. I will always have someone there for me and I will always belong somewhere. I had a recent discussion with someone about whether or not it is possible to have more than one best friend. He debated that it was not possible. That you may enjoy your friends a lot, but you can only have one that you are more close to than anyone else. I disagreed. I feel like together, the 6 of us make one complete person. I can't love one more than the other. Yeah, there are times when I see some of them more than others but we are all still just as close to each other.

So where are we all now?

Lindsay just graduated from USU with a bachelor's in Elementary Education and will be getting married in November.

Kaija has been married for two and half years now. (Wow, that flew by fast!) Her and Josh have a little (sorta) German Shepherd named Maya.

Amelia just got married in May to Nate Riske. (our friend from high school whom she hadn't met til this January). Except for the summer time, she teaches preschool.

Kaylie has been married for a year and half to her high school sweetheart, Spencer and they now have a little baby boy, Sterling. What a cutie pie!

Steffanie is serving an ASL mission in Nauvoo, IL. She gets back mid September and will be studying deaf studies at UVU.

In a nutshell... these girls are my heart and soul.