My burst of creativity for the year

So, we all know that I am not very artistic. I tend to be the idea person, and I surround myself with people who can actually make it happen. There is just some disconnect between my head and my hands, much to my dismay. So when something I have an idea about actually come to fruition by my own efforts, I get pretty excited about it. Thus, I present to you: MY BULLETIN BOARD.

This is even more funny than usual because one of my biggest fears about the year I taught third grade was having to put up bulletin boards! Luckily, I had the amazing Brittany and Emily to help me out then, but here at the Boys and Girls Club, I am on my own. We meet in a church, so what I do to the walls is a bit limited. I only have one small actual bulletin board that is attached to the wall with hooks, so I have created a couple of "fake" ones, just the paper attached to the wall with tape. The illusion is remarkable. ;)

I had one giant wall that was screaming for something, but I just couldn't figure out what. The staff and I had training in Knoxville last month at a club, and one of the rooms had a couple of clocks on the wall showing what time it is in other major cities, and I thought, "Hey, I could do that even better!" So here is what I came up with:

I know it is a bit blurry, but you can see the idea. I put up two maps, one U.S. and one World, and then lined the clocks along the top. I have to say, I am pretty proud of my title:

:)

The times I have are L.A., Chicago, New York, London, Baghdad, Beijing, and Sydney. When the kids first came in and saw it, their minds were totally blown. "What do you mean it is night in China? That is ridiculous!" said one first grader.

So there you go. My artistic zenith for the year.

Meanwhile, I sent of my first completed application to George Mason University in Arlington last week. Eeep!




And yes, the ticking clocks do DRIVE ME CRAZY. When I am in here alone working, I have to crank music up so I don't hear them. :)

*Sniff, sniff*

So, I am sick. Is anyone surprised? I didn't go to work today, since supervising kids is pretty much the worst thing to do when one isn't feeling 100%. My Mom is also feeling under the weather, more so than me- she was diagnosed with bronchitis this morning. Dad is in Memphis working, so she and I are taking the opportunity to be lazy and mopey. It is pretty nice.

Things have been pretty busy at both of my jobs lately. I have been averaging 45 kids in my room daily for homework at Club, so my classroom management skills have been exercised thoroughly! Friday and Saturday we have all day training in Knoxville with Clubs from Tennessee, Kentucky, and North Carolina, so hopefully I will pick up some good tips. I really really love the staff I work with. They have been so thoughtful and willing to jump in wherever needed. This is a HUGE BLESSING. I was actually thinking the other day about how I am living what I thought was my "worst case scenario" after coming back from Haiti, and it really could be way way worse.

Bath and Body Works is. I mean, again, it could be way worse, but I am looking forward to being done with it. It's retail, and I am just not a fan. Again, I work with some pretty great girls there as well, so that makes it easier.

As a little plug, the new candles are AMAZING. Way better than Yankee Candles! My new favorite is the Caribbean Salsa:

What a good little corporate shill I am. :)

I get my LSAT score on Monday. Yipes! I am pretty nervous about it. During the test, I thought I did pretty well, and found it easier than most of my preparation material. But of course, that could be a sign that I did really well or a sign that I totally bombed it. We will all find out on Monday. Meanwhile, I am working on finishing up my applications. I am just ready for it all to be done and decided, but I never was great at being patient.

Sad news- I thought I was going to get to come to FL for a few days in May, but I misunderstood the meaning of "The Boys and Girls Club Summer Shut-down." Apparently, that just means that we will have no kids, and that we will be working that whole week. So, just kidding. I am not sure when I will get to come, but you can bet that it will be not very long after Titus Sivyer makes his appearance. :) I am very very excited that I will get to take a couple of days off to celebrate my best buddy Kim's wedding in May, but she has not gotten the memo that she should live in Florida, so the blessed event will take me to Mississippi.

I guess that's all. This isn't very eloquently worded or exciting, but I did want to give a little update. Let me just say that I LOVE HEARING FROM PEOPLE.

HINT, HINT.

*Sniff*

Favorites

So, I know that as an educator, I am not supposed to have favorites. But I can't help it. And I know all you teachers/people who works with kids feel the same way.

Well, these are my favs. They are twins that just turned 6 yesterday. For privacy's sake, I can't say their names. But when I asked Little Lady how being 6 felt different, she said "It is really different! I feel like I am 8!" And Little Guy has the cutest, squeakiest voice I have ever heard. Plus, apparently to Little Lady, he "has a ridiculous wink." It is true.

Ridiculously precious, that is.

:)

LOVE.

The Ghost of Life Presently

So, my present. This is actually a good day to write this because I am slightly annoyed about today.

When I first came up to Tennessee, I spent a couple of weeks in mourning in bed. I had no desire to do anything. And then I had to pay bills and was left with $25 in the bank. So I got it together and started applying for jobs.

A couple of weeks later, I was hired as a seasonal associate at Bath and Body Works. Not my ideal choice, since I haven't had the greatest experience with retail, but it was a paycheck. I guess I did ok because I have been asked to stay on as a core associate. This store is one of the busiest in the nation and they hired 100 extra people for Christmas, and only 10 get to stay, so I am pretty glad. It really is an alright place to be. Its funny, almost all of the employees are very precious and sweet and Emily-like, which is not me. As a tip, the new Bali Mango lotion is AMAZING. :)

A couple of weeks after that, I got two job offers to choose from. The first was a partial-year secretarial position in the human resources department at Dollywood. The office staff was super nice and loved hearing about Haiti. Then, I was offered a position as the Education Director at the Boys and Girls Club in a neighboring town. I went back and forth, but ultimately decided to stick with what I know and take the job at the Club. I am very glad I did.

I am slightly annoyed with it today, however. When school is closed, we are open full days. And there have been LOTS of inclement weather days. Everyone says winter isn't usually like this, but I don't believe it. IT IS MISERABLE. This morning, I got a call from my boss telling me that school was closed. IT IS NOT EVEN SNOWING AT ALL. IT IS SUNNY OUTSIDE. Blerg. Winter break this year lasted 21 days with all the cancellations, so we had lots of long days.

Working at the Club has been interesting. Definitely a different demographic than my private school kids. :) The last Ed Director was an older guy who let the kids pretty much do whatever they wanted, which is not me. So I have had some issues with kids resisting my authority. But I've managed to win almost all of them over. Every day with each age group, I do a read-aloud (its funny, the kids always groan when I pull out the book, but by the end of the first page they are HOOKED) and some kind of educational activity. I also have my room open for the first couple of hours for homework help and computer skills time. So for all who accuse the Club of just being babysitting, it isn't. I am really growing to appreciate this organization. It is a bit overwhelming to know that I spend more time with these kids each day than their parents, and I don't take that responsibility lightly.

Between the two jobs, I usually work 7 days a week. It is pretty exhausting, but its good. I feel blessed that I was able to relatively quickly find good sources of income.

The only catch is that I don't really have any friends. I genuinely like the people I work with, but haven't really spent any time with anyone outside of work. Angie Shaffer is here, but with our schedules we rarely see each other. So I spend my time hanging out with the folks and the dogs. Which is ok. I am trying to look at this time as a time of quiet and peace for my soul.

Next post: to the future!