Bonjour!

Wayne and I are in Paris, the first leg of our 3 1/2 week European excursion!  Yesterday was our first day, and after meeting up with Christine and Grace, we went on a bike tour of Paris by Fat Tire Bikes, which was a great way to get orientated with the city, see the sites, and learn a little history.  We were going to walk around Champs Elysees and stick around for the lighting of the Eiffel Tower, but after a long day of traveling, we were dead tired.  (I actually was falling asleep on the bike tour... a different kind of falling asleep at the wheel). 

This morning, Wayne woke up sick!  We'll have to postpone Versailles, as we think it best he rest up and get better for the rest of our trip.  So I took the morning to explore our neighborhood.  We're staying in this really cute little apartment in the Latin Quarter on Rue de Savoie (doesn't it just SOUND cute?).  Actually, I was looking for the grocery store that's supposed to be just a few streets over... I never ended up finding it and after much meandering, I wandered into a bakery and came out with a pain de chocolat (chocolate croissant), pain au fromage (cheese bread), and pain brioche (brioch loaf).  Not a bad morning, afterall!

Please, get better soon, Wayne!


On the plane ride over.  Wayne with his new Kindle, me, studying up on sites and restaurants!

Our apartment from the outside.

our cozy living room





view from the loft, where we sleep

the kitchen area is right behind the white doors





My first Parisian pain de chocolat!

Teaching the Von Trapps to Sing

The hills are alive with the sound of music… and not just because it’s summer break and I have Grey’s Anatomy streaming on Netflix, but because I’ve emerged from my first year of teaching as a stronger, more confident and capable educator.

What a year it has been.  I remember when I first started… I was a doe-eyed, naïve, idealistic, guitar-wielding nun from the convent... oh, wait.  Scratch that last part.  What I mean to say is, I was a deer in the headlights, facing 120 inquiring (and not-so-inquiring) minds every day, and I had no idea what I was doing.  It was frightening.  I still don’t completely know what I’m doing, but I have at least one year’s experience under my belt.  And beyond the curriculum, the classroom management strategies, and the professional development, I have witnessed the power of relationship building, and what it can do for the classroom.

I had my independent Liesls (“I’m 16 years old, and I DON’T need a governess!”), impossible Friedrichs, mischievous Louisas, incorrigible but lovable Kurts, the seldom but always appreciated nose-in-the-book Brigittas, and the well-behaved Martas and Gretls.  I had 120 of them, and it was cowboys and Indians when I first started… when they were testing me, and I was going insane, and there was no work getting done in the classroom.

But what a transformation. 

I guess it just took time, and also very purposeful relationship building… talking to the Liesls about their boy problems, encouraging the Friedrichs and Kurts to step up when they were afraid or didn’t want to do their work, joking with the Louisas, and showing them all that I genuinely cared about them.  And that has made all the difference. 

By the end of the school year, the Von Trapps were analyzing poetry, critically reading and responding to newspaper articles and other expository texts, and experiencing, understanding and acting out Shakespeare!  I am SO proud of the strides they have made, and even more, the effort they put forth into deepening their minds. 

And what a transformation in myself, as well.  I can now genuinely say that I enjoy teaching and am starting to carve out my niche in the profession.  I love my students and helping them see and reach their potential.  And instead of ending each day thinking, "I can't wait until next year... when I don't have to do this anymore," it's now, "I can't wait until next year... when I can do it again and do it better!" 

It is ironic that now that I have finally embraced the profession, I don’t know if there will even be a “next year.”  I’ve been pink slipped, of course, and with the potential $40 million budget cut next school year in our district, the prospect of being rehired looks bleak for me.  I did have a very encouraging “we’re-letting-you-go-but-will-do-our-best-to-rehire-you” meeting with my principal before I left, but in the end, it comes down to dollars and seniority, neither of which is on my side.

So I don’t know what will happen come August and September, but whatever happens, I take comfort in the fact that God is orchestrating this symphony.  Nonetheless, I am so thankful for this past year.  If nothing else, it has helped me better understand my husband and what he goes through every day.  For now, I will take this time to relax a bit, unwind, and celebrate that at least for one year, I was able to teach the Von Trapps to sing. 

my next thirty years

my anthem for the day (except the part about the drinking!)...

My Next Thirty Years
Tim McGraw

I think I’ll take a moment, celebrate my age
The ending of an era and the turning of a page
Now it’s time to focus in on where I go from here
Lord have mercy on my next thirty years

Hey my next thirty years I’m gonna have some fun
Try to forget about all the crazy things I’ve done
Maybe now I’ve conquered all my adolescent fears
And I’ll do it better in my next thirty years

My next thirty years I’m gonna settle all the scores
Cry a little less, laugh a little more
Find a world of happiness without the hate and fear
Figure out just what I’m doing here
In my next thirty years

Oh my next thirty years, I’m gonna watch my weight
Eat a few more salads and not stay up so late
Drink a little lemonade and not so many beers
Maybe I’ll remember my next thirty years

My next thirty years will be the best years of my life
Raise a little family and hang out with my wife
Spend precious moments with the ones that I hold dear
Make up for lost time here, in my next thirty years
In my next thirty years

I think I’ll take a moment, celebrate my age