Spring Fever

With all of the ups and downs of the past year regarding my career switch-from applying to several alternative certification programs around the country, to interviewing with Texas Teaching Fellows and taking my state exams, to applying to a dozen districts in the Austin area, waiting to learn my fate in the coming budget cuts may be the most unnerving.  It will be bittersweet to have made it this far, and complete my certification, yet find myself unemployed.  As nearby districts like AISD make their cuts, the competition for available positions will increase and I could easily find myself fighting for a waitressing job like I was last summer.

Spending my spring break in Austin, remembering why I fell in love with this city last year, is helping to keep me calm.  My mom arrived Friday and Joshua and I had four days to show her the best parts of this city.  We took her to Kerbey Lane Cafe the first night and drove her around campus and the strip of Guadeloupe, a highlight for her was the Party Barn, the drive-thru liquor store.  On Saturday, we walked the growing number of booths of the farmer's market and listened to the live music while enjoying a fresh baguette and hummus from The Mediterranean Chef.  Then we headed to South Congress where we wandered through art galleries, vintage shops and more before savoring crepes from one of the many amazing food trailers Austin has to offer.  We went out to take in the circus of 6th Street for the start of the South by Southwest festival, and mom loved it!  We danced to live music at Friend's and Joshua got his locally brewed beer at Lovejoy's.  We capped the night off with fried goodness from Whataburger, mmmm!

Yes, when people visit Austin, they find themselves eating and drinking a lot.  It is hard not to indulge in a city filled with such culinary creativity.  On Sunday, Joshua and I showed mom some of our own inspiration with cornbread waffles for breakfast, along with apple compote and Joshua's French press.  I took her to the Ladybird Johnson Wildflower Center where we walked a few miles and took in the rustic southwest landscape and some gorgeous spring color and smells.  The bluebonnets were vibrant, and the Mexican plum trees smelled incredible.  Next up, we took Geppetto to the dog park at Auditorium Shores where he barely escaped from an overly excited, mud-covered spaniel.  Once he was worn out, we headed to Whole Foods on Lamar where we had trouble decided what to treat ourselves to.  We sat outside and talked until dusk, then we realized we should get home to Joshua.  He was starving, so we ended the night with pizza from Conan's and a movie-Blades of Glory, to end our night with laughs.
 

We slept with the windows open every night and woke up to sunshine and the sound of birds singing, I love spring!  On Monday, mom and I slowly made our way to the capitol to join the other spring break tourists for a tour and a little history lesson.  As if the Texas capitol didn't already look big enough, I learned that most of it is underground, making it the biggest state capitol by far.  Joshua picked us up and we headed west to Lake Travis for sunset at The Oasis, which a few of our friends recommended.  It was a spectacular view of the lake and the sunset, and with more decks and tables than I have ever seen before, we were not surprised to learn that it is the 3rd largest restaurant in the US.  So, it is true, everything is bigger in Texas! :)

Tuesday, we slowly got ourselves together and my heavy head told me that all of this time outside has not been welcomed, my allergies were kicking in.  Of course, the bottle of pinot grigio last night while we watched The Fighter, probably didn't help.  Mom and I took Geppetto for a walk around the neighborhood and Joshua made his famous Pad Thai for lunch, yum!  On the way to the airport, I took mom to Toy Joy to see all of the cool toys and enjoy some homemade cubano/vanilla softserve.  Just a few more tasty calories for the road, which she seemed to like as much as I did.

It was hard to say goodbye to mom, but I am so glad that she was able to stay as long as she did and she had the chance to fall in love with this city too.  Showing her around reminds me that moving here was a good decision, and this last year has been a positive experience, no matter what happens with my job.  Taking risks and setting high expectations brought me to a career that I love in a city full of new tastes and sounds and sights to discover.  I look forward to taking in as many more as I can in the coming days of South by Southwest with Joshua...Wu-Tang Clan, Kanye, vegan cookies, mmmm, can't wait!

Second Semester Snow Day

The school year is flying by, and I find myself already one month into my second semester as a teacher.  It has been an eventful 2011 already, and I am starting to feel overwhelmed.  At work, new challenges are coming my way, reminding me that teachers must be unfailingly flexible and patient.  Many students were out with the flu, some for a week at a time.  I have managed to stay healthy somehow (fingers crossed)!

 I am now a co-sponsor  for the student council, which means meetings every Monday and Wednesday after school, plus extra little projects like our upcoming anti-bullying week.  In addition, lots of professional development is scheduled this semester.  I have had at least one day of meetings or seminars every week, and have several more coming up in February.  It is all very helpful, and it all counts towards the required hours for my certification.  The difficult part about taking a day away from the classroom is planning for a substitute, it is a surprising amount of work to set someone else up to do your job.

The final months of my certification program are ahead, which means finalizing my portfolio and completing all of the paperwork the state of Texas requires of me.  I am excited that shortly after my birthday, I should have my teaching certification!  Unfortunately, this has become a stressful time to be employed by state or local government, due to the shrinking budgets everywhere.  Austin Independent School District has already cut 450 jobs and is looking into closing over a dozen schools.  Our district has told us that cuts are coming and they will inform us once any decisions are made.  We are much smaller than Austin, however jobs will certainly be cut, it is just a question of how many.  I am trying to focus on just completing my program right now, just concentrating on what is in my control.

Up until this past week, the winter here has been very mild.  These pictures show us at the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center on Sunday when it was in the 80s!  We are scoping out ideas for my mom's visit during spring break.

It has been getting colder since Monday, with temperatures below freezing for nearly three days now.   A dusting of snow last night led to all of the schools, universities and government offices to be closed today.  I am very glad to have been saved from driving to work on unplowed, unsanded roads with a bunch of people not accustomed to driving in the snow.  It was like a skating rink on most of the roads until everything started melting this afternoon.

Joshua continues to improve his cooking, spoiling me with homemade goodies.  We have been on a Pad Thai kick lately, along with Ahloo Gobi, seitan sausages, chocolate pecan waffles, and Pho asian noodle soup.  Mmm, yum!  Geppetto hates the cold weather, but loves the fact that we are spending more time than usual snuggling with blankets on the couch.

"Stress"

As a first year teacher, I have a series of seminars to attend care of my district's human resources department.  We have already had our first three, and they have been much more helpful than I anticipated. We have subs for the day, and we learn new strategies, and we get to talk with other first year teachers at our grade level and just vent our frustrations.  It is amazing what a relief it can be to just vocalize what you are going through...in fact, talking to friends is one of the stress relievers that we learned at the last seminar.

During the unit on stress and anxiety, we all took a test to gauge our stress level over the last twelve months.  There is a long list of life events, each assigned a points value, and you add up your points to see what category you fall in.  I was reminded of the roller coaster of emotions that the last year has been filled with.  Wedding, moving cross-country, changing careers, and losing grandma were the big ones, of course. Then there are other things that I tend to forget count, like the health of family members, job security, a new work environment, and trying to make new friends.  By the end of the test, I was left unsure how to feel about my score that was quite literally, off the charts.

All of us first year teachers had to come up and paste dots on the bar graph to represent our score, and my dot was off the paper, up on the wall.  One comforting thing was that I was not alone, there were a handful of other dots joining me off the paper.  It reminded me that everyone checks the box yes for most of the things on that test at some point in their life.  We all go through good periods and not-so-good periods...maybe I should be looking forward to the positive period that has to be coming my way.  The other comforting thing was that I also scored pretty high for job satisfaction...so I am putting myself (and Joshua) through a period of mental anguish with my decision to switch careers via Texas, but I am enjoying it somewhat?

This brings me to another one of the stress-relievers from the seminar that I realized I already take advantage of whenever appropriate, laughing at yourself.  It's true, stepping back and realizing how ridiculous you are/life is can relieve some pent up anxieties.

Ok, it's after 10, way past Mrs. Fallin's bed time...

The madness and mayhem

After a few hours of training, I began to get overwhelmed...after a few weeks, it was ridiculous.  I was simply keeping my head above water in the beginning, trying to find my bearings.  


A few months in to my first year as a teacher, I am getting a system down.  I know my responsibilities and I try to get them done a little better and faster every week.  Continuous improvement, a concept that Trek and John Burke taught me well.   It is the hardest and the longest that I have ever worked, though I wouldn't change any of the decisions which we made over the last year that got us here.  I love the challenge of teaching, and I find it invigorating to have a job that changes from day to day. 


So what does being a teacher entail?  Don't you get to leave at 3:25 every day with no worries?  Don't you get all those inservice days off?  Not a chance, I am working more hours than I ever have before...last week was my hardest yet, and I figure that I clocked 65-70 hours of work and commuting.  My current motivation is the week-long Thanksgiving break, when I can finally have time to clean my apartment and organize my life.


My responsibilities include creating lesson plans (each plan includes 12 categories to be filled out for each day of the week) for each of my three classes (ELA, French Explorers and French I).  I also have to create or photocopy or find any worksheets, rubrics, flashcards, games, tests, quizes or other materials necessary for each lesson.  Each class gets a new seating chart every grading period, or as needed if there are lots of problems.  Every 2-3 weeks (halfway through each grading period), progress reports are mailed out and report cards go out every grading period or 5-6 weeks, and it is my responsibility to get all grades entered, with comments, by the deadline for each of my 6 classes.  I am always checking my e-mail to keep up with messages from parents, teachers, and staff.  Students with behavior problems get phone calls or e-mails to their parent or guardian.  Every week, I have a meeting with my department, and a meeting with just my fellow 6th grade ELA teachers for planning future lessons.  Every other week, I have a meeting with the 6th grade teachers to discuss specific student issues.  Every grading period, I meet with the English department head, and my mentor.  Every month, there is a faculty meeting.  I have 6 professional development all-day meetings for first year teachers in my district spread throughout the school year.  There are also several other professional development days for all faculty throughout the year.

In addition to all of these school and district requirements, I have to complete my teacher certification by attending meetings 2-3 evenings/month and completing regular homework assignments.  Every 6 weeks, I am observed by formal observers and my principal.  At the end of the year, I will present the portfolio that I am slowly building in order to earn my certification.


I am also taking on more work by teaching a homebound student 2 days/week after school (extra pay!) and next semester I will be the co-advisor for student council.  I really want to get to know some  students and be more of a role model.  It is actually hard do to this as much as I would like during class, simply too many students and too little time.


So you can see why I don't spend much of my down time keeping up with my blog. :)  I try to spend evenings enjoying time with Joshua, Geppetto, and even Loki and Bartleby.  Usually laundry or some housework is squeezed in, some mindless TV online, and some good food a la Joshua.  Sometimes we catch a football game at Conan's, our favorite pizza place where we often have the TV to ourselves.  Our weekends are spent relaxing as much as possible, exploring new parts of the city, talking long walks, doing errands, going to the farmer's market, and maybe seeing a good concert or movie.


We saw Dave Matthews Band on a Friday night in September.  The show was in Houston, so Joshua picked me up right after school and we ate dinner in the car.  We arrived just in time for the opening act, and we saw an amazing show.  I crashed on the way home (way after my usual 10:00 bedtime), and Joshua got us home safely.

Two weeks later was the Black Crows at Stubb's downtown...I had bought us tickets for Joshua's birthday, and we had a blast.  They even performed with a few local legends, including the keyboardist for the Rolling Stones. A few weekends later was Austin City Limits Festival, thousands of people were in town and it was nuts just trying to drive around.  We saw one of the bands, School of Seven Bells, perform at a club called The Mohawk.  We took the bus downtown, saw a great show outside under the stars, gawked at all the crazy hipsters, and then enjoyed a nice fall evening on our walk home through the UT campus.  The music scene in Austin is truly authentic, one of a kind, and, along with the cuisine, is our favorite part of the city.  After the show--how about a veggie dog with sauerkraut and a pickle or some popcorn tofu and homemade soy softserve?  It definitely feels like a musician/vegan foodie paradise to us sometimes...hope this isn't just the honeymoon phase.

1st quarter of middle school

Wow, how has it been nearly three months since my last post?  It feels like not that long ago I accepted my dream teaching job at a medium-sized middle school in Hays County, about 20 miles south of downtown Austin.  We were depressed and desperate after a summer of job applications and resumes with not so much as a returned phone call for a response.  On Joshua's birthday, I came home from my student teaching with a cake, determined to remain positive for our first birthday in our new city.  Around 12:30, I received a call asking me if I could be there at 3:00 for an interview.  I quickly absorbed the entire contents of the school's website, ate lunch, and practiced interview questions while Joshua drove.

After a very stressful 23 minutes with the assistant principal, the head of the English department, and the athletic director, it was over and my head was spinning, replaying all of my answers.  I was afraid to lift my arms too high when I shook their hands because I felt like I had been sweating enough to leave rings under my arms.  Another agonizing week passed before I heard back from the assistant principal--he had been working out some details with the HR department, and it was all taken care of, could I start training on Monday?!  It took getting my ID badge and signing up for my benefits a few weeks later to make it feel official, I was a 6th grade English teacher/6th-8th grade French teacher!  

I could not have asked for a position closer to what I wanted--French is great because it is an elective without an official course map to follow.  I have the liberty to make my own lesson plans, in the order that I see fit, following only an outline from my fellow Hays school district French Explorers and French I teachers.  I get to encourage kids to take an interest in the world outside of Texas and teach them about the diverse cultures of the French-speaking world.  English is also a great course because it is a core class (along with math, science and social studies) and it is the core of the core classes, reading and writing are the basis of learning, so it is a really important  course to teach.  It is also good to have an essential class like ELA on my resume because it shows that I can handle teaching the basics.  

After two weeks of training and lots of hours spent preparing my classroom, school started...students showed up in my classroom and listened to what I said!  It was nerve-wracking at first, but I quickly adapted and have been steadily improving for the last 10 weeks.

Tanya's Tasty Visit

We had our first house guest over the weekend!  Tanya arrived on Friday afternoon, and our first stop was the flagship Whole Foods.  We were overwhelmed as always at the amazing grocery store, and ended up with tacos and a grilled tofu panini, among other treats.  Back at home, we relaxed in the a/c with Joshua, then enjoyed his yummy taquitos w/ a side of grilled zucchini and roasted kale chips for dinner.  Next up was drinks and live music at The Saxon pub on South Congress St.  We listened to the talents of Rocco DeLuca and more, then got sleepy and headed home, with a stop by Toy Joy for soft serve.  

On Saturday morning, it was banana-pecan waffles and more relaxing...as you can tell this was a food-centered weekend.  Tanya and I left Joshua to hit some of the many vintage stores of Austin, thinking that the frequent a/c in the shops would make the forecast of 107 degrees with the heat index somewhat more tolerable.  We had fun, but the temps kept us moving slow and we were soon enjoying refreshing beverages at a retro place called The Snack Bar.  A few courses later, including seitan satay and rosewater-pistachio cake, we developed the strength to face the outside again and made our way home to Hyde Park.  The energy sucked from us, we hung out in the confines of the a/c for a few hours before  going out for dinner and drinks.  Only one round of frozen coconut drinks at the Hula Hut on Lake Austin, and we were ready for bed.  

We treated Tanya to a breakfast platter before her flight out just to top off the weekend calorie-intake and got some great and much-needed photos of the gnome.  Thanks for being our first visitor Tanya and for bringing us some normalcy and positivity to our crazy Austin summer.

"The Waiting is the hardest part"

Tom Petty said it best with this song.
















Joshua and I have been in Austin for 2 months now, unfortunately still unemployed.  I completed the 6 week summer training program for my alternative teacher certification and worked as a student teacher in two summer school classes.  From mid-June to July I was in a pre-K/pre-1st ESL classroom on the south side of Austin.  It was overwhelming at first, but I caught on and was teaching lessons after the first week and working a lot with them in small groups.  From mid-July until yesterday, I was working with 9th grade ESL students, many of them were refugees from Myanmar, and a few from Congo and Iraq.  They worked very hard to get the right answer, the difficult thing as a teacher was to show them that knowing how to find the answer is more important than the answer itself.  The teacher told me and the other volunteers that they made incredible advances over the summer in literacy and fluency and she wants us to come in and work with them during the school year if we are able to.  I would love to, but of course, finding a full-time job is the priority now and she certainly understands that.

Last Thursday, I had a huge break through in the form of a call for an interview!  Now I finally know that I am doing something right with my cover letters and I do have a chance of getting hired as a teacher.  It was a huge wave of relief, then frantic panic as I only had 2 hours to prepare for the interview.  Since then, I have been waiting, staring at my phone and my inbox, hoping for a positive response, nothing yet.  I continue to apply for other positions, though with an Austin district hiring freeze, the possibilities are few at the moment.  I am also looking for part-time positions in restaurants, have had a few interviews, but no luck yet.  Joshua and I are learning the unfortunate reality that this is a very tough city and a tough time to get lasting work.

We keep trying to stay positive.  When one of us gets down, the other tries to boost their spirits.  We are a great team and good things are bound to happen if we are determined.