Their HEEEERE!

Oh dear.... on Thursday, the children came with their parents. I met the children for a brief moment and my assistant took them while I spoke to the parents. After one time, my swagger came on and I was moving right thru it. I always get nervous when speaking in a group but it was good. I saw that there will be some children with issues but I will take good care of them. If you know me at all, you know that I am big on behavior. I give those that need it the extra loving that they need. But I am excited.

My assistant and I seem to be on the same page of just getting things done. She took stuff home this weekend to get done and we are making it happen together. When I left on Friday, I felt like to theclassroom was ready for the children on Monday. The only thing left to do is get the lesson plan ready to go. I need activities for the first week of school. Til next time!

Ya Don't Say???

If you have followed my blog as I have, you may have noticed what I just now came up with.
At the start of this blog, I wrote mainly about school, how excited I was and how exciting yet challenging it was. But now it has been all about the accomplishment of having my classroom and all of the excitement surrounding it. Well just as my blogging about school has suffered due to this new excitement so has my school work. I am a PHOENIX! I really am. Rising from the dust of my life, past decisions and soaring to new levels and new heights is who and what I am. Some way, some how I have to merge the two together in a manageable way. I am finishing this! I am not quitting and I will succeed! I am extremely thankful for these opportunities and I am certain that this is MY TIME! This is my time and I am not giving it up for anyone!

The juices are flowing...

I am getting more and more excited as the days pass. I am moving around in my classroom figuring things out, getting acquainted with my colleagues and I am excited. Like most new teachers classrooms, my room is ill-equipped and we are looking for materials to provide for our children. Today I met lots of people (although the staff is not nearly as big as SASA) but many new faces and I learned a few things today:
1. Pastor Dave does everything in the church He plays the oragon, he sings, prays, does the blessings, runs the computer equipment all while offering us God's Word.

2. Just like youtube there is a teachertube ( www.teachertube.com ) ready to share lesson plans and such with teachers.

3. A substitute teacher that subbed for me @ SASA teaches Language arts in middle school.

4. My assistant Ms. Linda is a lefty just like me

God is GOOD... AMEN!

My a-ha moment

Today was the orientation meeting at my new school. A very casual, laid back an around the table meeting where the administration met with new staff and faculty. I start by saying that I think that I will be a great fit to this school and I could be here for a while, but that's up to God and His plan...

During this meeting all of the preliminary stuff was discussed, expectations, computer use, report cards, parent meetings and moving the school forward with it's certifications and its plan for the future.

Some where in that meeting while they were discussing something that didn't pertain to my grade level (yes, MY grade level) my mind wandered off and a ray of sunshine just filled my spirit and screamed YOU ARE A TEACHER..... I couldn't stop smiling. Thinking back, the administrative person facing me kept looking at me funny but I didn't think anything of it. She probably though "Uhhh-ohhh this chic is losing it!" but I don't care. I was grinning from ear to ear. God has truly blessed me and I am so thankful for it.

While all of this grinning was going on, and this self-operated intercom system in my soul was rejoicing, one side of my brain was freaking out. (I am left handed so I will blame it on that side, the logical side...) It began to freak out about the curriculum, the first day, all of the unknown stuff that I could freak out about. (I need to know what to expect.) But it was a good freak out, a well deserved one but a good one. This position cant throw anything at me that I cant handle or cant figure out! I am confident and I will succeed and above all things, it will give glory, honor, adoration and praise to the deserving one, My Father, My Lord and Savior. Amen!

"THE CHILDREN ARE COMING, THE CHIIILDREN ARE COMING!!"

The dash is about to begin. I am in a state of excitement, nervousness, happiness, anxiety all of that and more. I watched football last nite and the best way I can think to describe the state that I am in is to take a description from sooo many football movies that I have watched. The feeling that I am having is very similar to when the football players arrive at the field on game day. The lights are not on-but they no that they are coming on; the fans are not there-but they know that the fans are coming; and all seems to be still around him except for the thoughts running through his head and the feelings shooting through his body.

This is how I feel. I have attempted to prepare in the best ways that I can. I have set my classroom up early, I have started looking for books and planning material everywhere I could think of. I am extremely happy, nervous, anxious and excited ALL at the same time!

I will be back to work in few short days. It is still two more weeks before the children come but I know they are coming! Again, preparation, preparation, preparation fills my head. And when I feel like I am as prepared as I'm going to get, then in comes more anxiety, excitement and nervousness. But I have to find my Zen-full place and my calming space.
God blessed me with this opportunity and he would have never given me something that I couldn't handle or something that I was not prepared for! Thank you Father for my opportunity and I will make you proud to call me your child!

My Testimony....

This blog was created to share with my followers information about my struggle, my goals and my accomplishments. Well, I have accomplished one... I recieved a Teaching opportunity in a Preschool program. This program is very simular to the program that I am coming from. It is actually its direct compitetion! Everyone in the administration seems very nice and genuinely excited that I am coming on board. This seems like it is going to be a very good experience and I am happy for it!

Leaving somewhere is always a sad thing to experience but when you walk out of one door you walk thru another one. When I left The World Bank, I thought I would never be happy again. Two of my very bestest friends were left there when I left and I thought that we wouldnt keep in touch and that I would never find friends as fun and important as they were. But we are keeping in touch and we are still very close (we were actually together this past weekend)

But alas, I did find a friend Ms. Howard... Hopefully we will keep in touch with one another. She was awesome with the children and she just embodied what a Teacher is.

I am sad that we will part ways but if God will allow it, we will stay in touch. I am also sorry to leave some of the other friendships that I have made here too. But again, one opportunity comes and another goes away. But I think it will be on peoples personal attempts, effords and actions to determine if we will stay in touch or not!
Im excited but saddened as well!

*Now to write the curriculum, own my school, start my clinical psychology practice and many other things...until next time!

The Good Times.......

G.W.O. Girls Weekend Out!
This is what we call our time together. My girls! We met through working together at The World Bank. I immediately cliqued with them. There was no second guessing it. We had such fun times working together.  And I don't know when we started G. W. O. But I do know that this is our fun time. There isn't fancy Carribean trips or Loundon biking adventure but we do come together stay in a Holiday Inn and enjoy a splash park. That's what we enjoy. My friend Frenchie has a daughter Symone tthat is growing up soooo fast. I thnk it is important for us to get together. But what I thought about while preparing to meet them was how important it is for us to be there for one another. Personally, I have been faced with some challenges that I had to deal with on my own. I could have called my girls but people aren't always available when u need them to be. Also, our time together is so short, I need the conversation and information to be positive and fun.... an outlet for me!  But coming together once a year is unacceptable and as friends, we need to call and check up on one another, have lunch or dinner everyother month or something. We have to do more to take care of eachother.

Love u guyzzzzz!!!
Tomika