Summer Reading

My summer reading can be divided into three categories: books for fun, educational books and graduate school books. Here is what is on the agenda for reading this summer. :)

Books for fun!

1. The Story of Edgar Sawtelle by David Wroblewski
2. In the Fall by Jeffrey Lent
3. Roses by Leila Meacham
4. House Rules by Jodi Picoult
5. Mercy by Toni Morrison
6. The Help by Kathryn Stockett
7. 90 Minutes in Heaven by Don Piper
8. A Thousand Splendid Suns by Khaled Hosseini
9. Beatrice and Virgil by Yann Martel
10. The Forgotten Garden by Kate Morton
11. The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho
12. The Joy Luck Club by Amy Tan
13. True Colors by Kristin Hannah
14. Three Cups of Tea by Greg Mortenson
15. The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins
16. Columbine by Dave Cullen
17. Stoner by John Williams
18. Death Comes for the Archbishop by Willa Cather
19. The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexander Dumas

Education Books:

1. Do I Really Have to Teach Reading? by Cris Tovani
2. Adolescent Literacy by (many researchers, all fantastic)
3. The English Teacher's Companion by Jim Burke (assorted chapters, not the whole thing)
4. Several books that the school I'll be working for next year wants me to read
5. Current research from the reading/literacy journals I receive :)

Graduate School Books:

1. Handbook of Orthography and Literacy edited by Joshi and Aaron
2. A Different Mirror: A History of Multicultural America by Ronald Takaki
3. Diversity and Multiculturalism: A Reader by Shirley R. Steinberg
4. Plus whatever books are necessary during my second 2 summer session classes

Combine all of this reading with the following summer activities:
1. Actually studying for graduate school and completing assignments/projects/presentations/tests
2. Puppy classes with Jack (and just spending time with him)
3. Working out 5 or more days a week
4. Spending time with family and friends
5. Planning lessons for next year and getting my classroom organized

I'm going to be one busy girl, but I love it!

I'll post my opinions about the books I'm reading, so if you are interested in good reads for the summer, just ask me.

-Tracey

The Reason is You

Once upon a time, there was a little girl who grew up loving school. She loved everything about school. Buying and organizing new school supplies, getting new books, teaching her classmates...everything. She fought a deeply-rooted desire to teach thinking there was something better out there (did I mention she was a bit naive as well). Finally, she realized she couldn't fight it any longer and the passion she felt for her students and teaching took control. She became a teacher.

Days are tough. She spends hours upon hours grading papers, grading projects, grading tests, grading, grading, grading. She spends hours planning lessons, planning assignments, planning conferences, planning, planning, planning. She repeats herself incessantly. She must be firm and tough everyday, hiding her weaknesses. She goes to sleep exhausted at night just to wake up extra early the next day to repeat the cycle again. What keeps her going?

The warm embrace from a student who just realized he made a high enough grade to pass for the semester and graduate. :) A student who comes by her room everyday just to say "hey". A student who high-fives her because she got the grade she wanted. A student who stops everytime he sees her just to chat about what is going on. Students who light up when they see her. Students who share their lives with her. Students, students, students.

:)

It's not impossible, but is it a challenge? Yes.

Summer! My summer is going to be a challenge, but so worth while. I just went through my "summer reading pile" (you know, what all English teachers do over the summer). There are 19 books in that pile. Some are small, but many are big. Can I read all 19 books in 10 weeks? I'm sure going to try. Additionally, I am taking 12 hours of master's classes this summer that all require reading of their own. Oh, and I want to read some more education books to get me prepared for the fall. Yea, I can totally handle this. I'll update about my progress and see how much I actually get read between now and August 12 (my first day of work!).

Workouts with the trainer are going fantastically. He is tough and kicks my butt every week, but I am getting so much stronger. I weighed myself the other day to find that I have gained weight. However, my clothes are looser, my muscles are stronger and I look great! So, I'm perfectly ok with gaining weight. From the beginning, weight loss has never been a goal of mine. Our workouts are twice a week (30 minutes of tough weights and 30 minutes of tough cardio). I also want to start taking a yoga class and a step class this summer. Add that to my marathon training and my goal of "being hot" by 23 will be perfectly attainable. :)

Puppy classes are amazing! Jack is learning new skills very quickly and I couldn't be prouder. He has mastered "sit", "watch me" and "fetch". He can walk nicely on his leash. Now, we are working on 3 new commands and a few other things. He has been sick lately, so I'm trying to get him well. He's a champ, though. Oh, and much to my dismay, he has learned how to jump up onto the couch by himself. Now, nothing is safe from him.

-Tracey

Jeremiah 29:11

Jack and I have a secure future, one that is unbelievable! Several good things happened this week. I found out I got a 4.0 this semester in my Master's classes, making my overall GPR still a 4.0 (WHOOP!) and I got offered and accepted a new job! This job came about quickly and is perfect for me.

I was feeling very stressed and disgruntled at the fact that I hadn't received a job offer yet. I was simply told to keep waiting. Hopefully, something would come up. I decided that waiting would not due for me, so I took matters into my own hands. I sent dozens of emails to principals and schools in the local area asking about jobs and letting them know that I was available. One school contacted me back saying they would love to have me come in for an interview. I accepted the interview and went in the next day. The day after the interview, they called me to offer me the position! :) Of course, I accepted. I will be teaching middle school English/Language Arts and could not be more thrilled about it.

This gives me the security I was needing. God pulled through and gave me just what I needed. I have a job (teaching!). I have a 4-month-old puppy. I own my own house. I'm a landlord. Life is good.

-Tracey

2 weeks of VACATION!

I'm officially on summer vacation for the next 2 weeks! YAY! I will be working for those two weeks, but thankfully, I am teaching seniors. Tomorrow we are reviewing for their last unit test, Tuesday we will continue reviewing and Wednesday they take the test. Then, they will be reviewing for the final while watching a movie until Tuesday. On Tuesday and Wednesday of the following week, they have finals, and then I am done. :) So, needless to say, my last two weeks at work will be relatively easy.

I won't start summer school until June 1st, so this is my summer vacation. I spent this entire weekend sending emails to school districts (19 emails total) mentioning my interest in working for their district. Let's pray someone bites and I get some more interviews and an offer. I am choosing not to stress over this anymore because it isn't worth it. I have sent emails, applied and done all I can to make myself the best candidate. :) I'm keeping my hopes high. Jeremiah 29:11

Also, to prepare for my future job, I am studying to add a few more certification areas to my name. I'm reading educational research journals and research-based education books. :) I'm trying best prepare myself for next year and love reading books on the subject.

Besides the obvious job hunt, I am enjoying working out with my trainer, training for my marathon and playing with Jack. I'm also trying to read as many books for fun as possible. The rest of my summer vacation will be spent with family and friends, watching movies, playing wii and just plain relaxing. :) I hope it's a LONG two weeks.

-Tracey

Training for me, training for Jack

This past week Jack and I both starting working with trainers! :)

My trainer is a personal trainer. He holds small group (4-5 people) sessions in a gym in his backyard. He is a great person, very nice and extremely encouraging but man, is he tough! He kicked my butt on Tuesday (my first workout). I left the hour long workout (30 minutes of cardio, 30 minutes of weights) in a complete daze. I felt queasy, weak and stumbled to my car. Then, for the rest of the week, I could barely walk and stairs were my enemy. On Thursday, the workout was much easier (or so it seemed). I was still sore for a few days afterwards, but the soreness is slowly working its way out of my body. I am acutely aware of muscles I didn't know I had. I have 11 weeks left of the program and am excited for my body to start chaning, my endurance to strenghten and my muscles to tone. My marathon training is going well (I'm up to 2 miles!) and the workouts with the trainer will only help my running get better more quickly.

Jack's trainer is a puppy trainer! We decided to enroll in a class, so we could both learn how to train him properly. He will learn a bunch of commands in the 8 week class. I'm so excited for what the trainer has in store! The first command we learned was "watch me". This just gets Jack's attention and focuses his attention on me. He learned this command within 5 minutes and was able to hold his gaze on me for 6 seconds without breaking (which was more than any other puppy there). :) I'm so proud of my little man. The goal by the end of the class is to have him "watch me" for 30 seconds without breaking. He can totally do that. :) He really is a great little puppy and learns things so quickly.

Besides Jack's training, he is still working on potty training and a few other commands. Potty training is going great. He always asks to go outside now and the only time he has an accident is when I don't pay attention to him (so it's my fault). :( I'm working on it too. Jack is fantastic at fetch! He can also go get a specific toy if I ask him too (his hippo, giraffe or ball). I love that he is so smart!

So, we are both working with trainers and it's tough! Wish us luck!

Tracey

Book Updates

So, what have I been reading lately? Many great, wonderful books and a few not-so-great books. Here is my updated list of books I've read since Spring Break.

The Glass Castle by Jeanmette Walls (very good and unapologetic)
The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society by Shaffer and Barrows (crazy title, but amazing)
The Last Song by Nicholas Sparks (typical Sparks, sad, intriguing)
Post-Mortem by Patricial Cornwell (hard to get into, very scientific)
Savor the Moment by Nora Roberts (I'm obsessed with this series, so I loved it!)
Eat, Pray, Love by Elizabeth Gilbert (one of the greatest books I've read in years)

I guess I've been in a lovey kind of mood lately because most of these books are exceptionally romantic. I'm not really sure what the reason for the trend is, but I'm enjoying my current reads. :)

-Tracey

Little Bear's first groom

Jack and I both had an interesting experience yesterday. Jack got his first groom! Now, I have never had a dog that needed regular grooming, but toy poodles have hair that grows quickly and need grooming often. He will probably need to be groomed every 5 or 6 weeks.

Here are before (left) and after (right) pictures of the appointment. :) Enjoy.

God uses our passions to speak to us

I am passionate about teaching, books and people. These are pleasures in my life that I cannot get enough of. In the past week, God has used my passions to help answer my prayers. He is so good.

So, about a week ago, a book was released that I have been waiting for. Yes, I am the kind of person that gets excited about books being released the way some people get excited for movies to come out in theaters. I had waited MONTHS to read this book and it was finally here. Only problem, I couldn't find the book anywhere. I went to Barnes and Noble. Nothing. I went to Hastings. Nothing. I went to Wal-Mart. Success. Seriously, bookstores? Wal-Mart beat you out? Disappointing, but at least I got my book. Here is where the suprise answer comes from.

However, I must digress a little at this point. As many of the people closest to me know, I went through a very difficult time in my life. This difficult time has been going on for the past year and a half. However, 2010 has been the turning point where my life has begun to make sense again and I have never been happier. It has truly been a blessed year. Anyway, during this difficult time, I sought out books. Being as they have always been important to me, I thought they could help. If I could only find a book that detailed my troubles and showed me that I would be ok and could make it through the tough times. I prayed on it. Constantly, I asked God to point me to a book (other than the Bible) that could help me. He didn't answer. Not then, anyway.

As I stood in Wal-Mart grabbing that one book I had come for, I look over and see another book on the shelf. Other than the fact that a movie is about to be released on this book, I know nothing. In fact, I haven't even paid attention to the movie trailer. Yet, something in me yearns for this book. I grab it and go pay for the two books. Two days later, I finished the book I went to buy and decide to start reading this new book, Eat, Pray, Love. It is PHENOMENAL! This book very closely depicts my own struggles during the hardest time of my life. The book is eloquently written. It is unapologetic and real. At times, it seems as though I have written chapters in the book. They are so real. The emotion is captured in a way that makes you feel the characters pain.

I have rarely in life been so emotionally connected to a book. I have loved many books in my life and have developed long-standing relationships with those books, but this one is different. This one is real. It is my story, my journey, my self-discovery being played out in someone else's life.

The second way God has used my passions to help me in my journey is through music. Those who know me well also know I love to sing, although I may not be the best singer out there. I have especially grown to love Christian rock and the music played in church on Sunday morning. Well, this Sunday, my worst fear came true during worship. They played, gulp, Amazing Grace. Beautiful song? Yes. One of my favorites? Yes. However, this song was played at my Pa's funeral four years ago. Now, when I hear that song, I can't help but think of my grandfather. It makes me sad and I tear up. I bawled my eyes out in church (strangely, the only place I cry these days). For the rest of the day, I felt hurt, wounded and not like myself. However, my wonderful roommates understood the pain. As I was crying in church, my roommate laid her head on my shoulder as if to say, "it's ok".

That's exactly what these two events, hearing the hardest song for me to listen to and reading a remarkably true story about pain and loss, have done for me this week. I know that I am not alone. I am surrounded by amazing people: family, friends, roommates, mentors. These people are here to help me as I discover the woman I want to be. A woman who trusts God and follows Him. Pain and hurt are part of life, but they can be resolved with God's love and the love of the people in your life. That's what I have learned. I thank God for reminding me of these important lessons.

-Tracey

Summer is right around the corner, so what am I doing? Making goals.

Being the very goal-oriented person that I am, I have decided it will be nice to make a list of goals to accomplish this summer. I have been thinking about this for a while and have decided on the best set of goals to go after. By the time August comes around, I will be an even happier and healthier person.

First of all, I will be taking 12 (twelve) hours of graduate courses this summer. That's four classes total! I will be quite busy with the work, but I am very excited. Taking these classes will ensure that I will graduate next August with my M.Ed. :) Hooray!

Secondly, I will be conducting some of my own research beginning this summer. I will be working with a few professors at the university. The details of the research are still in progress, but I am excited to learn about the process and gain some useful knowledge for the future. During the Fall, I will be able to continue working on my research project (for credit!) and will gain more insight into the process. (I know this is very nerdy, but for me, it is perfect and fun!)

Thirdly, Jack is being enrolled in a puppy training course offered by PetSmart. I have decided that it will be a good way for him to socialize while learning some basic obedience tasks. It will be a good way for me to learn how better to train him as well. We are both ready and Jack will do great. He has already begun learning commands like "sit", "fetch", "come" and "stay". He does not always respond and treats only sometimes encourage him. However, we are working on it every day and he is improving. He is also improving on his leash training. He gets a walk almost every day and every day he does a better job of following and letting me guide him on the leash. Potty training is also going very well. Now, he goes to the door and asks to go outside when he needs to go potty. Again, he is not perfect. He only asks about 90% of the time. He LOVES to be outside, so sometimes he asks to go outside just to play or chew on sticks.

I have also learned a valuable lesson thanks to my roommate. I have bought toys for Jack and he has been given toys from other family members. He plays with them just fine. However, yesterday, my roommate gave him a plastic water bottle to chew on and he LOVES it! He has been playing with it and chewing on it non-stop. The first bottle actually has been replaced and he is now on his second one. I guess I've learned that bottles are betteer (and cheaper) toys for him.

Finally, I will be getting into better shape this summer. I began training for a half-marathon about two months ago. I had to take a week off (which hindered my progress) due to the tonselectomy. I have been working hard (though I can work harder) and am now up to running two miles! That's an improvement. :) While the marathon training is going well, I want to do more to get my body feeling good. I have decided to take on a workout challenge that includes strength and cardio training. The program is small groups working with a personal trainer and the price is very reasonable. The program lasts for 12 weeks and participants workout twice a week together. I'm eager to get started and see how this program helps my marathon training as well as my body feel better.

Besides the above-mentioned goals, I want to spend a lot of time this summer with family and friends, hanging out and enjoying the time off from work. I might even like to take a few trips around the state, to the beach and to visit family. This will be a fun summer and I'm excited for the challenges it brings.

Tracey