Survival.

I feel like I'm already in survival mode... and it's just the beginning!!

We'll start with a graduate school update... I have almost completed my first full week (I have a 2 hour meeting in the morning) and it has been crazy... we were thrown some assignments at the last minute, and there is still not a lot of detail for other things.  In short, things are not organized well enough for how fast time is moving! I'm trying to be like a duck: calm and collected on the outside, and paddling like crazy under the water! A few of my feathers are becoming ruffled, but hopefully the weekend will give me enough time to breath and get them back in place :-)

I have started my placement for the "observation" course.  I am one week in to 3 weeks at a local middle school where I spend two full days a week in the classroom. (did you catch all that?)  I have already learned a ton!! The initial revelations were that I do not yet have my "teacher legs", and making it through undergrad without liking coffee was nothing... I might have to develop a taste for it if I'm going to be up at 545 every morning!
I walked in the first day and the teacher introduced herself and informed me the only reason I would have her as a host teacher was to see what not to do! At first this had me nervous, but I quickly realized she said that because she's not the most orthodox teacher, and she thinks she doesn't do what all the grad school books tell you to do.  I have actually seen a lot of the methods I've learned in school being implemented and her ways of implementation seem to be working.  A lot of what she would consider "wrong" about what she does involves her interaction with her authority.  She is the one who will speak up in the faculty meetings and such, but that's not what I'm there to observe.  My favorite part of her classroom is the respect.  She is loved by all her students, but can be stern and has complete control of the classroom.  That is something I want in my classroom, and it's a very good thing for me to see how she handles the affection and interests of her students balanced with her functional use of discipline.
I did become nervous before starting that I would end up wanting to teach middle school, but, for now, I'm maintaining that's a beast I don't want to fight.  We'll see once I'm in the high school!

Some of my good friends from MC (small group) at church are in the process of adopting (you should check out their blog) and they are having a yard sale to raise money this weekend! If you're in the Macon Area you should come by Normandy Road on Saturday morning and see what wonders you can find!
I've been doing (very little compared to everyone else) what I can to help them get ready, and I'm hoping and praying for good weather on Saturday!

I'm also working on creating some income so I can pay rent! I have to take a math test at Sylvan Learning Center next week to see if I can start tutoring for them... and I'm looking into any flexible (typically nanny or tutoring) job that comes along... say a prayer if you will that God will continue to provide!! I know He has guided my steps thus far, but it is easy to try to follow my own path rather than His :-/  We were talking in MC this week about Proverbs 16:9 (NIV)
In his heart a man plans his course,
 but the Lord determines his steps.  
I'm convinced the Lord has the steps of my life thus far laid out, and He's not going to stop now!! I do however have to remind myself as things get stressful that He is determining my steps, not paving a smooth road...

Title Explanation.

I feel like I should explain my current title choice: Sing. Love. Dance.
If my life could have a moto, this would probably be it... it's based on this song I picked up last summer when I started working for Camp Hawkins! (hopefully you can click here , scroll down and select the blue "click here to download" and listen to the song)

Camp has truly changed my life... as a counselor we are paired one to one with a camper for a week at a time.  Last summer I was able to spend 4 weeks at camp, and a weekend at Matthews Time (more severe campers) This summer, because of my master's classes, I was only able to be at camp for the last week and a week of Matthews Time.  I came into the experience last year with the excitement of a rookie... this summer, I knew a little more of what to expect.  I had to struggle through the beginning of the summer where I would see pictures of camp on facebook and realize I was missing something truly special.  God makes a way to reveal Himself through camp... and most of the time he's so much more obvious than in the "real world".  This summer my camper, we'll call him C, was so much fun to be around and managed to run with the high energy that is "all boys week" of camp (if you've ever been there, you know)! Every week of camp we have a talent show, where the camper can show off some skill from setting the table to taking down the criminals, from preaching to basketball, we have it all!! C was not entirely able to decide what he wanted to do for his talent, and as his counselor, I was responsible for picking up context clues to prepare the Admin for his segment of the show. Early in the week, we were in our daily routine of "music" where we sang and danced to all sorts of songs, and this song, Sing, Love, Dance, was played.  I passionately began the hand motions hoping C would pick them up, but he promptly turned around, danced like a penguin, and said "I like to move it, move it".  I was initially disappointed, but couldn't help but enjoy the moment! Throughout the week, I could say, "move it, move it" and he would know I was talking about Madagascar, but he did not do the dance or sing the song again.  We had no idea what was going to happen for the talent show, but God kept that moment with Sing, Love, Dance in music in my heart and I told the Admin we would dance to "move it" from Madagascar.  The whole afternoon was a prayer without ceasing that C would dance without my assistance in front of everyone at the talent show. As his time came, I looked at him and told him it would be his turn and the song began.  Faster than I could truly realize, C pushed past me and danced the ENTIRE song... almost exactly to what the animals do in the movie (the penguin still being my favorite).  Was God at camp? Absolutely.

C dancing at the talent show!

I'll avoid boring you with any more stories about my personal experience, but rather stick to the bigger picture.  There were a few conversations with close camp friends while I was there about being the "hands and feet" Jesus as opposed to the "bible study" Jesus.  At camp we very much have to be "hands and feet" we continuously wash the feet (and everything else) of the "least of these" as we put every bit of ourselves aside to serve this one person for an entire week.  To think of how exhausted I am after serving ONE person for a week, I sit back and realize how amazing my God is that he will do that for EVERYONE, forever and ever amen.  Then I start to feel a little guilt mixed with a lot of lazy... I think I'm someone special for being Jesus to one person for one week out of the year... or five weeks on a good year... who am I kidding?! I should be Jesus everyday to everyone I meet... but that shouldn't be the "bible study" Jesus talking, that needs to be the "hands and feet" Jesus. in the real world. everyday.

History.

So there has already been plenty of history on the road to becoming a teacher... I'll give the reader's digest version :-)

well, I suppose we'll start with fall of junior year of college... my world fell apart. I realized about the time the love of my life broke up with me, that I was entirely to stressed with 17 hours of upper level science classes, and I was not going to make it to optometry school (my dream since 6th grade).  So I went home for Christmas and broke the news to my parents... Mom was not too excited, but Dad took it well (and I think Elizabeth excused herself from the dinner table to find a happier place).  At this point the news was that I would not be applying to optometry school, I had no clue what I was going to do with my life, but I would still graduate on time with my degree in Chemistry.  That January, I went on my first (of 3) mission trip to the Bahamas with Wesley Foundation and God showed me I was not a failure, and gave me a renewed hope for my future!! 

~~ Let's rewind a few years... I graduated high school saying I wanted to be an optometrist, but I would graduate with a science degree and do anything but teach... ha! ~~

so that January after the trip, I began to look into the teaching possibilities as I was feeling a tug towards the profession I resisted so much.  At Mercer (where I was completing my undergraduate degree) I would need 4 semesters of practicum to graduate with a science education degree and certification... I only had 2.5 semesters left.  I continued that semester and started looking into the requirements of teaching.  The fall of my senior year, I started shadowing a science teacher at a local private school, and confirmed this was the profession for me! In the spring I began to buckle down with plans.  I applied to Georgia College and State University's (GCSU) Master of Arts in Teaching (MAT) program which was scheduled to start over the summer.  I was lead to the master's program because the certification process in Georgia would require some classes, these same classes plus a few more would land me with a master's.  The choice seemed simple.  

The MAT program is offered in one year as a full time student or in two years as a part time student with a full time job.  I began the application process last spring under the impression that the school systems were desperate for science teachers.  Apparently it's not in the budget to hire new teachers, but I am now in the one year program and planning on starting my teaching career next fall.

I was accepted into GCSU and started the MAT classes this summer with "Learning and the Learner" and "Curriculum and Methods".  I finished up the summer with a few weeks at camp (I'll detail later) and a trip home before moving back to Macon to continue classes for the fall!

I think this brings you up to date for the most part, and we'll continue this journey together :-)