Post-Institute

So I finished institute last Friday. 

It was rather bittersweet.  Saying goodbye to my kids was tough, but it was also a huge relief to be done with the crazy schedule that they had us on.  What was a little strange about the whole experience was that there wasn't much build-up to the end.  Most times in my life when I have transitioned from one thing to another, there has been a good amount of anticipation of the end.  When I was a senior graduating high school and college, I had a lot of time to think about my time ending there.  Institute was such an intense and short experience that now it seems rather surreal that it even happened.  It felt a little bit like we were all just doing our best to push through the next couple lesson plans and figure out housing back in our regions that it was all of a sudden, over.

Going from an extremely structured schedule to having no schedule has been an adjustment.  Especially when currently I am technically homeless.  I am really excited about where I will be living, but unfortunately we can't move in until a week from today.  So, what this means is that all of my belongings are packed tight in my car, and that I am shamelessly crashing at friends' places.  Me, my air mattress, and my study materials are finding homes all around the Dallas-Fort Worth region.  It's an interesting experience when I would like something of mine, but I have no idea in which bag it might be.  I know that all I have is in my car somewhere, but for the meantime I'm using whatever is on top.  My new office is Starbucks because they won't kick me out and they have Internet.  Lucky for me, I know lots of amazing people who are more than happy to house me.

So what am I doing with all this free time?

Well, first...sleep.  Taking advantage of that time while I can.

First step into my school

 I got to meet with my principal and offically tour my school and my classroom!  I am officially teaching 5th grade bilingual in the fall and should expect somewhere around 24 students.  There will be five 5th grade teachers including me, 3 of which will be bilingual.  I got a really great feeling stepping into the hallway and seeing these banners up.  My classroom is basically a blank canvas which means that I have a lot of opportunity to create whatever I want.  For those of you that know me well, this also means lots of decisions which is not exactly good news for me.

I was able to grab some of the teacher manuals for some of the 5th grade curriculum.  I haven't quite had a chance to look at it yet because I'm supposed to be studying for the Bilingual Supplement test that I have to take on Tuesday.  This test deals with the history and theories surrounding bilingual education in the US and Texas.  I also have to take another language proficiency test next Saturday.  Right now of course I'm updating my blog instead of studying.  Luckily the test is only about 70 multiple choice questions so it shouldn't be too bad.  That's of course assuming that I actually crack open my book and get some studying done.

View from the door to the classroom

Other than that, I have been down to the district office a couple of times to fill our paperwork.  Today I got to sit through a thrilling four-hour orientation explaining some district policies and insurance benefits.  This is all the stuff that makes me think that being a grown up is just really bad luck.  Luckily I still have my parents who will help me become a grown up by helping me navigate banking, insurance, and everything else that comes along with the territory.

View from the front of my classroom

In addition to all that, I have been working on getting stuff set up for our apartment.  It's complicated by the fact that we won't actually be able to get our keys on our move-in day because we have training all day in Dallas.  This is where all the problem-solving and critical thinking skills that I kept talking about with all of my students come in. 

And yes, I have been having some fun.  One of the girls I'm staying with has family in the area and last night I was able to go with her to her home.  All I can say is that authentic Mexican food and family is the best.  Such a treat after 6 weeks living in the dorms.

Well I suppose I should get back to that studying now.