On My Mind...

(1) Sundays. Although we love our new church home, it's been a long time since I woke up on Sunday actually wanting to go to church. My weeks are long and I've been tutoring on Saturday mornings, so usually my first thought on Sunday is: "But I could sleep in..."

(2) Babies. I'm not ready to have a baby and that's okay. Yes, I'm only 23. Yes, there's plenty of time to think about kids. No, I shouldn't be worried about it. Yes, I'm enjoying the time alone with my husband. I know these things! But, unfortunately, it doesn't change the fact that I have to remind myself at least once a week.

(3) Student comments. CCA progress reports go out next week and each Middle School student receives a comment from each of their teachers. I appreciate the importance and impact these comments can have, but they can also be stressful. Kudos to our principal who is planning to read each one before they are sent. We're thankful for his support!

(4) Christmas... *Sigh*. Sure, I love the Christmas season. I love seeing the pretty lights and decorated trees. I love singing Christmas carols and celebrating the birth of Jesus. I'm looking forward to time away from work and traveling to see our family and friends. BUT. I am a terrible "gift giver." The idea of deciding on and buying gifts, wrapping them, and making sure they get to all the right people is very stressful to me.

(5) Friends and distance. We are so thankful for the friends God has already blessed us with here in MA. But we have many friends back in the South and it's hard to keep a strong relationship with all of them.

(6) Facebook. Why is it addicting? Why do I feel the urge to check it once, twice, even three times daily? I don't post very often. I haven't updated pictures recently. There's no one that I really uses Facebook to stay in constant contact with... So why the pull?

(7) Rest and hobbies. Currently my hobby is work or maybe a logic puzzle on my phone... Neither of which prove truly restful. I have a day off tomorrow and already I have a mental list of errands to run, laundry to wash, grading, etc, etc... But I know myself. If I don't get those things done, I'll sit around lazily and wish that I had the energy to go do them instead of taking the time to rest. It's a vicious cycle really... There has to be a better way.

This post evolved into a list of mostly negative feelings. I don't think that I write all of this in a spirit of complaining or whining - I simply wrote what came to mind. I have a lot to be thankful for and a lot of good things going on in my life right now. I'll plan to write more on those things soon.

Early Twenties

I've decided that this is a strange stage of life. There are several reasons, but I've decided on two main categories. Being a 20-something is strange in the sense of relationships (with family/children as a sub-category) and it is strange regarding career paths or choices.

In regards to relationships: Many of my 20-something friends are not married and not dating. A handful are engaged or about to be. Then there's my category - Adam and I have been married for just over a year, together for nearly four years. Obviously there are subcategories within these - some friends are very happy where they are and some are anxiously waiting for their relationship status (pun intended) to change.

Sub-Category in regards to relationships: Of those who are married, a few already have kids. Kudos to the Chapmans, the Pools, and others who make it look so easy ;) The decision (I use the term loosely) regarding when to start a family is one that I (wrongly) assumed would come naturally. I realize that for some, this decision was made for them. We serve a sovereign God who holds the power to do such things and it's awesome! But for some of us, this decision can be daunting, emotional, etc. Not everything is black and white.

In regards to Career: We are all over the place in regards to career. Some of my friends are in masters programs while already working in their chosen fields. A few are in masters programs so that they can work in their field of choice. The rest of us may or may not have a masters in our future (personally, I'm still on the fence) and we may or may not be working in our field. A small number are still trying to figure out what the field is!

Me? I'm one of the lucky ones. I went to college with my mind made up to teach high school math. God completely turned my heart towards middle school during my last semester of school, but other than that I still wanted to be a math teacher! And here I am - 23 years old in my second year of teaching middle and high school level math. I love it and I thank God that He has given me the opportunity to do something that I love so much.

I realize that this is a random post. But Adam says that's why I'm blogging instead of writing a book! It's all fair game. God has put each of us in unique situations designed to make us more like Him and wherever you are (in whatever stage of life) you can be assured that this is part of His plan for you. That's what it means for Him to be sovereign.

Back to School

School is finally underway and our lives have been crazy busy for the last couple of weeks! I was so thankful that yesterday was Friday, but I also found myself thinking, "Where was Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday?!" I felt like I blinked and it was the weekend again!

The first day of school for CCA (my new school) was September 4. I was so ready to meet my students and finally get started! In all of my classes, I spent most of the first day telling students a little bit about myself, learning their names, encouraging them to get to know each other, etc. Many of them have been going to school together for awhile, but they were several new faces as well. For the students new to CCA, I told them that I was learning right alongside them and we would figure it out together. The first thing I noticed about my students is how polite they are! So many of them say "Thank you, Mrs. Gosnell." or "Have a great day!" as they leave my classroom. It's so sweet and I was very impressed! My favorite part of the first day was after school... At least five people (including our Head of School and my Principal) stopped by my classroom specifically to ask how my first day went. It was such a sweet blessing!

I spent the second of class going over my expectations - what I expected of students in regards to behavior, how they enter and exit the classroom, grade requirements, etc. We also worked on a post-it activity where students had an opportunity to share what they expected of me! Here are some of my favorite responses for students' expectations (direct quotes):

• "Frequent here-and-there math games..."
• "Fun, not that much homework, helpful, give candy!"
• "To make sure no matter what I know everything about Geometry I need to know."
• "Not to give us busy work but more of the stuff we need to know. You (I know you will) make us all feel equal. Love us 4ever (and ever)!
• "93% or above on a test as a class average = ice cream party. Not to be strict, but just enough to make us learn but still enjoy class."
• "Helping us actually understand geometry. Don't give up on us please!"
• "Every day we will learn something new. Help us study. Reasonable amount of homework."

I have my work cut out for me :) My kids are great and I'm truly enjoying getting to know each of them. We have an awesome school year ahead of us!

Life Numbers

I teach the Math portion of an SAT class on Tuesday and Thursday nights. It's a two hour class, so I try to do a "Brain Break" about half way through. Yes, I know it's a cheesy name - I teach Middle School, give me a break :) (Side note: Any time I do something weird "I teach Middle School" is a great excuse!) Anyways, I used for our first "Brain Break."

Life Numbers...
1) Think of three numbers that are important to your life. A special year, a jersey number, the month of your birthday, number of times you've been on a certain vacation, etc.
2) Write your name and those three numbers on one side of a note card. Write their descriptions on the other side.
3) I pick up the cards. Then I read the numbers and descriptions in no particular order. The group has to guess which number matches each description.

Students seem to like it and it's a great way to learn a few things about the students!

Prayer for My Students

Abba,
Please bless each of my students - right now, wherever they are. I pray that as they wrap up their Summer that it is a fun and restful time. I ask that You would bring them back having prepared their hearts, their minds, and their bodies for a new school year.
Put Your hand over their homes and their families. I pray for strong relationships with each parent and support for their student and learning.
Calm any anxiety that each student may have about returning to school - I pray that past hurts will be forgiven, that struggles will be overcome, and that Your love will sustain them through any trial.
Bless their relationship with You. Wherever they are in their Spiritual walk, I pray that You would draw them closer to Yourself. Teach us how to glorify You through math and school work.
We desire to honor You. We praise You in advance for all that You will do this school year.
Amen.

Back to School: 2013-2014 School Year Goals

This is my attempt at goal setting for the new school year. I saw this form on another blog. You can see her version here: Sarah Educating.

Stop

• Second guessing myself. Especially during lesson planning, I wasted a lot of time flipping my decision form A to B back to A again! This year I'll try to just stick with something :)

• Stressing about "finishing the material" - my new school uses a Math Mastery program that I think will help me focus more on my students' understanding and less on "Oh my gosh, I have to finish chapter 3!"

Continue

• Loving students! I can't wait to meet "my kids" for this year!!!

• Bellwork. (My kids named this "Energizer Bunny Work" last year; I can't wait to see what this new group will name these assignments.) These assignments helped my routine tremendously. And this year, I plan to focus these assignments mostly on past concepts that students should have already mastered.

Start

• Math Notebooks - Most of my students had a notebook for notes and assignments, etc, but I never looked at them or held them accountable for it. I'm really excited to get more involved this year and to have students use them more actively during class!

• More consistent parent communication... Ideally, I'd like to e-mail the HW assignments out at the beginning of the week, so parents can help hold their students accountable. That's a perfect world though; we'll see how it pans out.

• Structuring my test writing process. Again, I think the Math Mastery program will help with this. They're fairly strict about what my tests should consist of.

Abba, please be with me and each of my students as well as all teachers and students this school year. Thank you for providing this position to me and gifting me with the ability to teach. May You be glorified every step of that way!

The Gosnells Move to Boston: God Gave Me a Teaching Position!

You've probably heard the saying, "God can make a way when there seems to be no way." I've always believed that was true, but now I've lived it! When we decided to move to MA in April, I immediately began applying for teaching positions and researching what I should do to transfer my teaching license. I was told that I would need to take two tests. Only after passing the first test could my license be considered "ready for review" by the MA Department of Education. This review process could take up to 33 weeks! Q: Can I be hired as a teacher during this time? A: "If the school is desperate enough..." I was so discouraged. I remember getting off the phone and breaking down in tears. I went ahead and began the process, but as I did I prepared myself for not being able to teach in the Fall. I started thinking about any other strengths I had and what else I might be good at.

I applied for several teaching jobs in the South Hamilton area, but they all required a MA teaching license and some even required a Master's degree. I applied for other positions as well - daycare provider, receptionist, administrative assistant, etc. A couple of places called me in for interviews after we arrived, but for one reason or another, nothing fit our needs.

Fast forward to last week: Adam's admissions counselor suggested that I contact his friend who is an Upper School principal at a private school nearby. The school had a Middle School math opening and they asked me to come in for an interview right away. I interviewed on Friday, July 27. By Wednesday, they had offered me the position. We had a short business meeting on Thursday and I mailed my Saturday morning! God is SOOO good!

A few specific praises:

• My position includes three sections of 7th and 8th grade PreAlgebra and two sections of Geometry.
• The principal and administrator who interviewed me are Gordon-Conwell graduates.
• The school is only 20 minutes away from our home.
• The principal reminds me of my principal in Arkansas, whom I highly respect and love dearly!