Currently, I am unwinding from an eventful week!
Monday marked the start of school for freshmen here at Red Cloud. They came for a day of orientation, in which they were introduced to faculty, agenda books, and lockers! :):) (oh, and each other) :) This day was particularly exhausting for me, as I was in charge of morning ice breakers and afternoon games! We had a good time, and I really think it helped the freshmen feel more confident coming into the new school year, and I have included some pictures below of one game involving newspaper, tape, characters (often faculty), and imagination!
Ms. Leah (art teacher) dressed as a cow!
I was also dressed as a cow- oh, and trust me, the girls were more enthused than the picture reveals! :):) (I think they're camera shy)
And we have a mermaid in our midst!
Yeah, um...well, my housemate John (theology teacher) is actually hiding under the newspaper here- pretending to be a...boat? (who thought of these games, gosh!)
This group made a cowboy...trust me.
My housemate Mike (English teacher) is dressed as a clown...perhaps one of my favorite characters! (one freshman took off his size 15 shoes for "clown shoes" :)
They dressed Sarah (Red Cloud graduate, teaching computers) as a princess...quite beautifully, I might add.
Ian (Full-time Substitute) is dressed as a flying witch- oh, the ingenuity of freshmen boys! :)
The following pictures are of the Annual First day of school Class tug-of-war competition!
Finally, this is Wendall (science), Katie (library and Spanish), Danny (Science), and Ian
So the days have flown by... whew! I am currently celebrating being here for one month. I feel quite at peace with my surroundings, and although I may be suffering from a case of poison ivy/oak...the itching does not diminish my happiness of seeing the stars on a late night hike! :)
The first day w/ freshman was an eventful day- and I remarked to my friend Jackie (Kindergarten aid).... "can it be that I feel both exhausted and invigorated when I'm with youth?" and she graciously agreed with me. It is a phenomenon I am grateful for, b/c the invigoration I experience allows me to continue the high energy tasks involved with student activities. The first day of school was a bit chaotic, w/ students changing their schedules all around, etc.... but I finally have a solid class for weight training. 5th period is with 5 girls, and 7th period I have 14 boys in my class! Whew! You can imagine the focus it takes to keep that many boys on task in the weight room! I love it though, I really do!
On Tuesday I also had my very first official bus run! I dropped off a whopping 4 students! :) This will not be typical, but they had a volleyball game, which takes many of the girls from my bus run (I take students home after the "after-school" sports and activities- around 5:30pm). The following day I rode as Katie drove the bus (we share a run)...and she dropped off 16 students- plus a nice 4 mile drive on a wash-board gravel road! :)
In addition to preparing for homecoming (by ordering materials, brainstorming ideas, etc.) I have also been coordinating student council elections (coming this Thursday), holding my first student council meeting, preparing sheets for weight class, and organizing my budget and supplies in the office. On Thursday I also subbed for two classes, in addition to being a spotter for the Cross Country meet, dropping off 8 kids on a bus run, and line judging for a volleyball game! It was quite the day.
This past Friday I traveling to Martin to watch the guys' first football game, and although they lost, it was fun to be a part of the crowd again- as it has been awhile since my last HS football game! :) Many of the guys are in my weights class, and they all were hoping I would come...so I have a feel that my Friday nights are taken for quite awhile... :):)
All in all, it has been wonderful meeting the students: being a part of the faculty is weird- I have to maintain certain boundaries that are new to me, especially trying to figure out discipline when I have a fairly easy-going personality w/ youth. Hmmm, I'll figure it out, I suppose. And truly, I just adore spending time with my students- Lester, Ken, Jake, Mike, Zim, Dave, Billy, Bobbi, Charity, Saige, Ida, Amber, Jeremy, Andrew "tooky", Jeff, and the list will go on, I'm sure. It is a pleasure being accepted and respected by them so early on- and I hope to further my relationships with them, so they realize I truly care and want to learn from them...
As I wrap this up, I must remark that the past month has been a wonderful experience of "cultural habituation" in which I find myself loving my surroundings, and anticipating each day's new adventures.
Thanks for listening. You are appreciated. :)
Much love and peace, Emily
2 comments:
Glad to see someone taking interest in the community. Some one should drop Wendell a note to invest in a wig, or at least a hat.
Ha, that's funny- Wendell perhaps would appreciate the kind thought. :) I don't know who you are, but thanks for commenting! Emily
Post a Comment