I lost my heart in Arizona...

"You're going to Phoenix."

Arizona? I've never really traveled west of the Mississippi, except for that one trip to Denver.

Who knew that living and teaching in Arizona would change my life?

ACE did.

Where else would I have rallied the students to wear yellow to celebrate Roald Dahl's birthday?...

Or baked 6 giant cookies shaped like Arizona for students to frost to demonstrate knowledge of the different geographical parts of the state?...

Or had parents help me create the magical world of Narnia for our novel read aloud?...

Where would my heart have grown so many sizes because I had fourth graders who were eager to learn, live, love, and pray - students who challenged me to learn and love more?

And had school parents (now friends) who did the same?

Amazingly, the Salesians (the sisters this time) had found their way into my life again. And, we had Holy Cross priests too. It was the best of all worlds. And it was mine to be a part of for three years. Leaving SJV was one of the hardest things I've ever had to do because I was ingrained in the community, and my heart belonged to each of the students I had taught (and those in sign language club too).

Thank you, SJV, for supporting me as a first (and second and third) -year teacher. I learned so much from my colleagues and from my students. You helped me develop and polish my craft and gifts. You were an unbelievable home away from home. Thank you for welcoming me into your school and hearts - a piece of my own heart will always be with you.

Fourth Grade Refresher

Can we say deja vu?

I subbed in one of our fourth grade classrooms (actually, it was my old room) this morning for writers' workshop and religion class. While the students were far from perfect (there are some little chatterboxes, I can tell you), they were eager to learn.

Writing was fun because the students were writing "I Am" poems as their last addition to their poetry portfolio packets. We used a model poem from my previous co-teacher, so that was pretty neat! With only a few exceptions, the kiddos set to work writing their own "I Am" poems for about 10 minutes. After that, I saw each one's writing stamina meeting its match, so I called them back together. They each shared one line from the poem they had written: "I am a big brother," "I am a sports player," and "I am a hockey player" were some of the lines they chose to share. It was a fun close to writing.

On to religion...(Well, we did a quick shake it out energizer first.) I believe I actually ended up teaching a religion lesson plan I had planned back in 2012 - go figure. It was about the Nicene Creed and the 4 Marks of the Church. It's some dry material (in comparison to some Church teaching or events surrounding Pope Francis - of whom we did speak briefly today!), but the fourth graders managed to focus and seemed to enjoy reading about and coming up with symbols for each of the Marks.

The time passed quickly, and soon their teachers returned, and it was time for me to go. It was so refreshing to be with younger children, even if it was just for that one hour. At the younger grade levels, there is more of a sense of love for learning, while many middle schoolers seem to have (at least outwardly) lost that sense of joy for school.

I am grateful for that hour today - it makes my 8th grade class (epic failure) not overshadow my whole day. :)



On a church-related note: Pope Francis spoke to Congress and visited with the homeless in DC today. While I wish I could have watched (in person or via livestream), I am glad I could read about these things tonight instead.

For.The.Win.

The 10 girls on my fourth grade volleyball team exude so much joy. And they bring a smile to my face with their enthusiasm and energy. (Sometimes they're a bit over the top and dramatic, but I'll take it...and I'll usually laugh right along with them.)

The girls did well tonight - they won a game and lost a game - and they took it all in stride. We've been working on serves and passes, and, wouldn't you know it, they did pretty darn good in both areas.

I believe it does the heart good to spend time with younger kids - the innocence and fun-loving attitude along with the willingness to work for improvement all add up to time well spent (especially as a coach). Our season is nearing its end, but we'll be back again in the fall. Bring it on, dolphins. Volleyball for the win!