2 years in Washington in a nutshell

After many late night conversations, phone calls, and moving arrangements, I was set to move up to Washington. Here are some snapshots of uprooting to the Pacific Northwest...

My very first year of teaching ended and I had to pack up my classroom... That was hard.

Brandon flew down to help me make the long drive from southern California to the Seattle area. We regretted writing "or bust" on the sign because right before the Washington border, Zippy (my car) did. Reality hit hard when I arrived... Awkward roommate where I rented a room, no job, mean girls... I was so thankful for Brandon and good friends.
The POD arrived... Time to mix my stuff in with Brandon's.
Even with a very bumpy summer, Seattle was starting to grow on me. I loved going to fun little spots in Seattle and taking picnics... well, when the weather wasn't against it.
Then, the big day finally arrived!!!
We had a fantastic wedding and honeymoon. But all things come to an end. It was tough to leave paradise, but it was wonderful to know we were returning to our home!
Getting our first Christmas tree:
Photos of our first Christmas together:

After a very cold winter at our first apartment, we moved to a cute townhouse in Redmond. We also found a gym together. Finding our mutual enjoyment of working out played an important role in making me feel more at home and fighting seasonal affect disorder.... Seriously.

By our new place, I was introduced to the lush green Washington spring time... well spring of 2010 was nice at least.
I learned what all the talk was about the mountain being out...
Photos of our 2nd place:
We found the joy of hosting friends and family at our place. Here's an early Thanksgiving meal we hosted:
Then, wrestling season started. As well as taking a full load of graduate courses in addition to working full-time. Winter 2011 was tough.
We made another family visit to the Lights of Christmas at Warm Beach Camp. That was fun.
Life got even more exciting with our newest addition!

Right after the new year, we adopted Buhner...
It was fun to give him a home while I still felt like I was trying to make one...
Brandon and I also discovered a healthy love for cooking together...
We did the 40 day challenge with our trainer at the RAC. It was incredible! Definitely a great thing for us to go through together for our relationship and our health.

We planned many adventures around the northwest during the past several months...
Leavenworth...
Skagit county...
Seattle for Mother's Day...
...and finally (further afield) our big summer adventure to Europe!
This time is coming to a close... I'm not sure what to expect in our next chapter. At least we'll be going through it together.

A new view

It feels so eerie to look back at previous posts and think about how much has changed in two and a half years.

I live in a different state with my husband of 1.5 years and our little dog Buhner. I am an experienced special education teacher, having taught in a wide range of classrooms.

It's a very welcome change. My life feels so much more full and balanced. I can't believe how lucky I was to find Brandon, my husband. If I had to summarize our life in single words it would go like this:

talking. travel. play with the dog. church. Mariner's. family. cooking. sit with me. friends. avid sitcom watching . little adventures. let's go out. beautiful. messy. learning. frustration. what should we do? prayer. together. discovery. hope. late nights. work. ugh work. planning. what's next?

iep #1

So I'm writing my first IEP (Individualized Education Plan) for an annual review tomorrow. For those of you who didn't know, IEPs are a huge deal in special ed. They are legal documents that are used to drive instruction and assessment for students with exceptional needs. They are one of the main reasons special ed. teachers have higher starting salaries than other teachers.

Anyway, I basically describe the student's current levels in all levels (academic, social, communication, etc.) and write goals for their areas of need. As I write and describe one of the most delightful students in my class, it nearly brings me to tears because of the sheer privilege of being his teacher--to be the one on the receiving end of that bright smile and hug every morning. This is certainly a human enterprise.

I knew this would happen.

It's been three weeks and I simply adore my students.

magnificent

I just ended my first full week of teaching. I have 8 wonderful students. Monday and Tuesday were kind of rough as far as the flow of the day, but once I reworked my lesson plan and allowed more space for flexibility and downtime, Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday were great.

My first IEP meeting is next Friday and I must say I'm pretty proud of myself for organizing it and getting the team together for it. But I found out that I have two triennial evaluations in October; which in the world of special education, is a very big deal. It consists of a battery of official psychological and cognitive skill assessments that decide what special education services the student receives. To give you an idea of what that means, the other SH teacher I work with told me that she has only had two triennials in her 5 yr career, and I have two tri's in my second month of teaching!

end of week 1!

Have you ever done something that just felt so right? I was so nervous before I started my job, then in the classroom it all felt so natural. It was as if my experience, education, and who I am came together in perfect harmony.

My students are fantastic and my colleagues are so supportive. I couldn't ask to teach in a better environment.

One thing I really love about special education is that while it's kind of a mixed bag, students will take care of each other. Today several students grasped the hands of their peers to help them walk through the halls. And I smiled when one of my students made himself door guardian to prevent wanderers from leaving. It's so great.

Now... planning, planning, and more planning. I know I'm going to make myself very sick of my computer. I'm off and running, especially with my first IEP being due in 15 days!

"It's the truth universally acknowledged, that the moment one area of your life starts going OK another part of it falls spectacularly to pieces." -Bridget Jones

Balance has always been a struggle for me. I've never been very successful at keeping all the plates spinning. Here I am at the beginning of a huge transition and my confidence is nil..... I've come to the uncomfortable realization that in the past year while my outer self has been thriving, my inner self has depreciated.

a quick tour

I'm beginning to feel much more confident and excited. I can do this! My classroom is really coming together. Enjoy a few of the pictures of the process below. Also if any of you have materials, organizational skills, creative leanings, or just some extra time... I'd love the help! :)

Welcome to Ms. Jenny's room 64!

the doorway to the classroom and the back wall

part of what will become the reading and listening center... definitely need more books and cd players...

Our tree of values! The apples have values written on them: kindness, fun, respect, learning, growth, as well as "try, try, try". Symbol representations of the values are in the works.

Focus wall and my lovely palm trees

Bookshelf and table for materials and student exploration activities

a view of the back portion of the class. yay for the sunrise!

And there's my domain: my desk in the back corner and my instructional podium. Note the fancy technology... woohoo!

a bit overwhelmed...

I was in the midst of creating another tree in my classroom when I finally had to leave because my head was beginning to spin.

Sidenote: I have an amazing classroom with new carpet, lots of space, and lots of natural light. The beginnings of a great learning space! My theme (for the time being) is trees because trees are such a great symbol of growth. There are so many different kinds of trees, some grow quickly, some more slowly, but they all bear fruit and add to their environment.

That being said, one of my favorite ways to avoid work, fear, or anything really is to tap into my creative outlets. Hence my blogging when I should be doing some classroom planning. So yesterday the fruits of my labor are shown here with my lovely palm trees.

Today I made an apple tree, the apples will show our class values. Pretty much it's all a safe way for me to do something while actually doing nothing.

I really need to step up and get my act together. I've been working for this for so long and it's finally here... a very strange feeling. It's so much more pressure and I feel so nervous. The biggest knot in my stomach comes from the feeling that I'm in this alone. There's no one there to hold my hand through this process. My parents and my brother are my biggest fans and support me so much, but it feels like they're in another world up in northern california. Adulthood sucks sometimes.

my brother is hilarious!

Jpisms:Random sayings:

“What if I marry a hunchback?” (Totally out of the blue)

“It’s all for God” (To Todd at Breakaway)

“Did I just eat a snail?”

“Are snails eatable?”

Jim Morrison and the Doors- JP asked- they were called- “The Whores?” What.

“Why don’t you carry a knife?” (To Ashton- when she was scared of the streets)

“What about some blood?” (To the waiter- when asked what he wanted to drink)


JP went out by himself in Paris- when asked where he was- he said: “ I checked all of the usual places.” (Mr. independent)

moving on......

As many of you probably know, I got a teaching job for the fall! I'm so stoked!!! Well, as I become a professional in the field, I decided to branch out as far as blogging goes and create a blog documenting my experiences and journey in my new career as well as my observations in the field. I would love to incorporate some research and valuable information for others in the field, but for now it's my little pedestrian blog... Notes on being "special". :)

opportunity knocks...

Alright so I started applying for teaching positions a week ago... I had my first interview yesterday. It was definitely intense. The questions they asked me were paragraphs. For instance, In light of universal design and differentiated instruction; which instructional strategies would you implement into the classroom? Ummm I feel stupid...

Nevertheless I did well enough to be called back for round 2 tomorrow! Another district called me for an interview.

Needless to say, things are going very well in my search for a job, even in this economy.

quote of the day...

Ashton on excessively full reusable grocery bags, "Yeah you're saving the earth, but you're getting a hernia doing it!"

Good times.

jobs, jobs, jobs

Alright I'm finally putting my fears aside and taking this applying for a teaching position seriously. I don't have my credential yet, but I'm internship eligible. I haven't been seeking as voraciously as I should be since I've been so afraid of failing. But I serve a God who is faithful and has called me into this. He will make a way and I truly believe that.

Please pray for me.... oh man...

you're so white.

Stuffwhitepeoplelike.com

This list is so hilarious! The blog links are even better... It's funny because most of them that I find in conversations and even the blogs of other white people. Of course I should include the disclaimer that this blog mainly applies to white people who are on the younger more liberal side of society...

insufficient

There was a moment tonight when I was outside replacing circuit breakers with my sister. As she held her cell phone up as a source of light, I shocked myself and started crying and realized I don't want to be a big girl anymore. I want help, I need it.

I can't do this by myself.


And that realization, while humbling, makes me feel so liberated.

be aware

It's World Autism Awareness Day.



This video is so fascinating because it is a first-hand perspective. Amanda Baggs' experience is not shared by everyone who has autism, it has been said, "When you meet one person with autism... you've met one person with autism." Anyway, the current rate of autism is 1 in 150 children are diagnosed.

Australia's Sprite truth hunters.... a new favorite

Today was so amazing, I can't even explain it.

God speaks in whispers and in silences, but have you ever felt like he uses a megaphone?

I am overwhelmed and challenged.

The things he does.... his ways are mysterious....

Things work together, random occurrences.

my desktop

look what i can do!

yeah, i have clever friends who teach me how to do cool stuff.

the thing about moving is...... it's so stressful..... ugh.