Happy Wednesday!  The weather is beautiful – a bit too humid – but I can’t complain.  At least it’s not 30 below zero and windy, right?  I can’t believe that I only have 1 week of teaching left this summer and then I’ll be off to Detroit to start teaching in my own classroom in…

Yes, I love this….well, I love the teaching part!  I really enjoy my kids as well.  On the other hand, Institute work & lesson planning isn’t quite as much fun, but I guess that’s important too! Week 3 of Institute is almost over…and that means just 2 weeks left here in Chicago – I can’t believe how…

I get to get back in the classroom tomorrow – YAY!!!  I enjoyed the nice holiday weekend, but I’m very excited to get my to my classroom and my kids tomorrow – we’ll be learning all about trapezoids and how to find the area of a trapezoid – I can’t wait! It was a great…

Happy 4th of July Weekend!  I can’t believe it’s already July – this summer if flying by.  In just over 2 months, I’ll be in my own classroom in Detroit….I can’t wait!  Well, I’ve survived my first week in the classroom – actually, I loved being in the classroom!  Actually getting in the classroom and…

Three days…that’s all it took – I already think the world of MY students!  They’re wonderful…I just can’t get over it!  Today was already my 3rd day of teaching – that means 3 lessons delivered successfully, 3 days of working on my classroom management, and most importantly, 3 days of connecting with my students.  The…

I picked out my clothes and my lesson was planned down to the minute.  I was up again at 5:43am – weird, I know, but the number on my alarm clock must end in a 3 – ready to go…I wasn’t even tired!  Today was wonderful day – my first day of teaching!  I absolutely…

Yes, I am the teacher tomorrow!  And I couldn’t be more excited!  My lesson plan is pretty much ready and my rules are in place.  All I have to do is make copies of the worksheets I need for tomorrow and decide what “teacher clothes” I should wear, and then I’ll be ready!  Help me…

Happy Wednesday!  Right now, we (the TFAers at Chicago Institute) are sitting in the basement of our dorms, waiting out the tornado warning.  I guess this is a great way to avoid lesson planning, right? This week has really picked up – I’m in various sessions everyday from 7:30am – 5pm….and sometimes later!  Plus, I…

5:43am…thats the time I wake up.  Yes, I seriously have to wake up at the time each day – Monday-Friday, for the next 5 weeks.  I’m in so much trouble!  I am so not a morning person – just ask my Mom!  I need to be ready to catch my bus to the school I’ll be…

Today has been an emotional roller coaster!  After a very early morning, we were off to our hiring fair where various schools had the opportunity to interview TFA-Detroit candidates for the openings their school had to offer.  The interview fair was intense…to say the least!  I had the opportunity to interview with two great schools…

This is a very unique experience…stressful, yet rewarding!  I can only imagine what the next two years of my life will bring.  I can only hope that, over time, everything will continue to fall into place. The last two days have been very busy, to say the least!  Yesterday was filled with various sessions and a…

Today certainly has been busy and I’m certainly getting more used to the city of Detroit and the surrounding area.  I’m not used to the time zone change yet….I’m not tired at night and mornings are difficult…like always!  We spent a large amount of time today in small group discussions regarding diversity and inclusiveness, as well…

Well, I’m here…and loving it!  I arrived in Detroit yesterday evening about 8pm after my long drive from the cities – thanks to my GPS…I would’ve been sOoOo lost without it!  I met my roommate right away and then headed out to dinner with other TFAers – we went to a cool Green restaurant in…

One week from today, I’ll be in Detroit, ready to start the next chapter of my life.  I’m so excited, yet I have so much work today – I’m working on packing up my apartment, cramming for Institute, and saying numerous goodbyes.  It’s still so weird to think that in one week, I’ll be in…

I said I would never, ever blog…just ask my sister, but here I am!  I feel like this is an experience worth sharing with my friends and family – I want them to be there with me, sharing my experiences, as I commit the next two years to closing the achievement gap. I’ll be spending…