Hey, remember us?

Sooo, I took a hiatus from life (not really) but I'm back! Brandon asked me a few weeks ago why I hadn't blogged, in true Jessica fashion I gave him the, "Are you kidding me look (ha)"! MY LIFE IS BUSY, not necessarily his. I feel like a thoughtless robot going through the in's and out's of life...robot goes to work, robot comes home, robot grades papers, robot reads and does her personal school work, robot skips dinner, and robot goes to sleep; it's the same thing everyday. Who is this husband you speak of? I'm sure he feels like he has been put on the back back back burner, most nights I make it into bed before he gets home from work and on his weekdays off, I spend hours grading papers and working on grad school work. You won't hear a complaint from me, I know these were the choices I made, but goodness they are wearing me down! I am ready for Christmas break so I can go into hibernation!

Teaching: Hey, if you don't know...I am teaching fifth grade Science and Social Studies. A positive is that I really enjoy the curriculum and find myself spending hours pinning a lot of fun things to do in the classroom. It is a very unique age of children; I enjoy the (almost) independence they have from third graders, but a negative is that they are the most hormonal kids! The majority of them are trying to find some type of identity before they enter middle school; so it is a constant struggle between the teacher and the child to "figure" them out. They also like to tell a lot of untruths about things, so it makes it very hard to build a trusting relationship; something I am not used to. Another thing I am learning to "cope" with is having to share my class with two other teachers; I think we all have different ideas and styles which is a great change for the kids. I think after experiencing having one class all day, to having three I still enjoy having the same class all day long. It's easier to keep up with 24 kids, 24 parents, 24 papers, 24 grades rather than 68 of everything! Bless you middle and high school teachers! However, I am thankful for this wonderful learning experience; teaching teaches me more and more about what I am able to deal with and all the craziness that goes along with it.

Another positive is that I am in the home stretch....I am almost finished with my master's degree. This has been the toughest semester because I have had to spend a lot of time interacting with kids outside the elementary school and I have had to interview and complete many projects outside of the public school library. To sum it up....I've been running around like a chicken with my head cut off trying to find the time to be at so many places in a limited amount of time (this usually means I have to take a day off of work to get these things complete). However, it is one of the greatest learning experiences I have ever had! I am learning soooooo much about things that effect all aspects of the library and library users (mostly children and teens). In undergrad I learned how to write an effective lesson plan, but now I am learning about how to make children learn, why kids don't enjoy school, and the in's and out's of a school....super cool!

That's my life, it's a crazy and tired one, but it will be worth it in the end...KEEP CALM AND STUDY ON! As for Brandon....luckily he has some good guy friends he can hang out with! He's my saving grace...he keeps my nerves in CHECK and is really running the home and making sure I eat SOMETHING for dinner. I thank God every day for having such an amazing partner..husband, YOU ROCK!