The end of waiting

I've gotten so used to the waiting;  the countdown calendars and just "a few more days" became my normalcy. Now, I am sitting in my, or rather, our apartment wondering what to do when the waiting is over. What a strange feeling to finally have what you want after nearly 4 years of waiting. Now we have this whole life in Denver, Colorado of all places. We will both be teaching and figuring out how to be adults, you'd think the latter would come before the former.

Here are a few pictures from the last two weeks. We took an amazing wildflower hike in Boulder to see the sweat peas and prickly pears in bloom. We have also been making delicious, but over garlicy hummus weekly!

A Teacher's Summer

After surviving TFA Phoenix Institute, you'd think I could sit back and relax. However, in reality I thrived on the constant buzz of lesson plan due dates, OSAT tracker edits, and thinking of my kids constantly. Now I spend this lazy Saturday in bed, as I watch  a year spread out before me. A year full of new students, hundreds of lesson plans, a challenging role as advisor, and the sobering realization that these students cannot succeed without teachers willing to sacrifice everything for them. The year is unfolding before my eyes with hundreds of items on my "to do" list, but where to begin?

In 30 days, I will be teaching 11th and 12th graders English at an Early College/Big Picture High School just north of Denver. The school is a hybrid that supports students in community college classes, while simultaneously preparing them for the real world through the authentic Big Picture model. My staff is incredibly enthusiastic and my principal is one of the most inspiring people I've ever met. Yet, how am I going to stand up in front of a class in a month and teach them about Frankenstein or how to analyze a poem? Passing the English Praxis does not qualify me as a literary expert, yet I need to earn my students' trust and help them to enjoy reading.

It is going to be a challenging year, but I know it is worth it. On a side note, here is a picture of our bedroom in Denver...9 windows!