The ending of a chapter marks the start of another!

Wow...a whole month has passed since I blogged! I will now hopefully have more time because today was my last day student teaching.  It was definitely a bittersweet day! I will admit that I cried most of the way home, and my heart felt as if it had sunk deep into my stomach.  I am going to miss it so much! The last 20 months since I started the program to obtain my teaching certification has been challenging to say the least. The program itself was not difficult, but it was a challenge to balance motherhood and family responsibilities along with school work. 

I want to share my student teaching experience with you.  I was placed at a great school, and there is absolutely no doubt in my mind that God hand-picked the three teachers that I was fortunate enough to get paired with.  These three women are amazing people and great teachers. I learned so much from them! They pour their hearts and souls into teaching, making every single minute of instruction count.  I wish everyone could see how hard teachers work and everything that is involved.  I personally had no idea until this experience.  You rarely have a chance to sit down, you scarf your lunch down in 5 minutes, you sing, act and perform all day, then leave exhausted.   By Friday afternoon, I was usually too tired to do much of anything. I am by no means complaining, just trying to provide a realistic picture of what it is truly like and the hard work that it entails.

I fell in love with all of my kiddos, but for some reason I seem to have a very special place in my heart for the ones that really struggle and come from less fortunate homes and circumstances. In first grade, I really had the opportunity to see tremendous growth from a couple of students.  It is amazing how much students can grow, going from not being able to read to reading, in just five weeks.  There are few things more rewarding than witnessing that kind of growth, especially when they are trying so hard.  What is even better is when they realize their growth and you see that little smile on their face.  Ahhhh, I get teary eyed just writing about it... I can do nothing but be thankful that God led me down this path, to this school, and then to these children.  I KNOW that this is what I am meant to do! I am not going to lie, teaching is hard work and there are times when it is frustrating.  I think it is much like parenthood...it is HARD, exhausting, frustrating sometimes, but the rewards (like when your own child tells you they love you or wraps their little arms around your neck) outweigh all of that.  In the classroom, the rewards are the growth, the hugs, the experiencecs, the student's work, and knowing that not only did you make an impact on their lives, but they made an impact on yours as well that make it all worthwhile. 

I can't believe that I am now COMPLETELY DONE... no more deadlines, lesson plans, papers...it definitely feels odd.  Now, it is time to enjoy time with my family, at least until Sean is done working in NOLA.  We leave for the beach Wednesday morning for a week...I hope I'm not bored after that. I graduated college in 2004, worked full time at AT&T for 6 years immediately following graduation, and then started the alt cert program at UL just days after leaving AT&T.  It will be an adjustment to not have a job or be in school (or both! HA!), but I know this time and opportunity is precious!  We will be in Lafayette until the last weekend in June/first weekend in July, and then Sean starts in New Orleans on July 2nd!!! We were in NOLA this weekend and I hopped out at the French Market to buy my teacher's candles (but then she wasn't there selling them this time so I had to run to the little store on N Peters to get them)...I have been buying these candles for years!!! Check them out on Facebook- French Quarter Candles...nothing like them. They are all made fresh each morning with local "ingredients" and named with "New Orleans" names like French Quarter Quartyard (my fave!!) and Garden District, etc..  Anyways, it was Jazz Fest so the French Market area was bustling...people were sitting everywhere at outdoor sidewalk cafes and there were live jazz bands set up at restaurants. That is exactly what I love about New Orleans.  It's still hard for me to believe that we not only get to live in that great city and experience all of the sites and sounds that it has to offer, but we can just walk out of our front door to it!!! I am beyond excited for this new chapter!!! More to come on the beach and NOLA later! :) Thanks to everyone that has supported and encouraged me throughout my journey the last 20 months!!!