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!

Our First Wedding Anniversary

One year ago, Adam and I experienced one of the best days of life. One year ago, our friends and family loved on us and supported us as we began a new stage of life. One year ago, Adam and I made a covenant with each other and with God to love and cherish each other 'til death do we part. One year ago, we said "I do." It's been an amazing year. I love you so much, Adam, and I pray for many more years together!!!



Adam and I spent yesterday in Boston proper. We had no schedule and no plan... just a short list of possibilities. The weather was pretty cloudy, so it was a cool day. We had such a great time! We drove in and parked at the Boston Common Garage which is located next to the Boston Public Garden. How cute are these "swan rides"?!

After seeing the Public Garden, we visited the Boston Public Library. It's HUGE and very beautiful. The John Hancock building is near the public library and it's also very impressive. There's also a large courtyard where we had lunch from a stand. I had a hot dog and Adam had "the true Boston experience" (according to our server) by eating a hot Italian sausage.

We then took the "T" to get to Harvard Square. The "T" is their Subway. They didn't ask me, but if they had I would have gently reminded them that the word "subway" begins with an "s"... just sayin ;) Adam did a wonderful job navigating us! The T was very busy and a little scary when it makes the screeching sounds. But it's relatively cheap and of course a great way to avoid driving in the city limits.

At Harvard Square, we visited the Curious George store and the Harvard bookstore. We also had ice cream at "J. P. Licks". (For the record, Curious George will be at the Curious George store next week. I wish we could take our nephew!)

I feel like I'm leaving things out, but this at least gives you a glimpse into our day! We also saw the U.S.S. Constitution museum, and the Constitution Marina (pictured below). We love being near the water and I especially enjoy seeing all the boats!

We took the picture below before having a bite from our wedding cake topper today. Let me just tell you, this poor cake survived for a whole year in our freezer... which included a two day trip in a cooler to Massachusetts. This cake was a trooper! But, alas, it's just a cake, people... It didn't taste very good! Haha. So we enjoyed the tradition, but chose not to indulge in very much of the cake ;)

Leftovers + Experiment = Success

I had NO idea how dinner would turn out tonight. We needed to finish some leftover taco meat, but we were missing a few "taco essentials"... And I just didn't want tacos :) So I used Pinterest to gather a few ideas and set out to experiment on my own!

First I boiled some macaroni noodles - in hind sight, there were probably too many noodles, but hey it was an experiment that turned out edible! I'm not complaining :) After they finished, I strained them, put them back in the pot and added the taco meat. Then I added a can of Rotel (undrained) and a cup of shredded cheddar cheese. Lots of stirring took place and, once it was all heated through, dinner was served! It was pretty good and my husband had two servings. I consider that a success!