Finally, a thunder storm. And other adventures of a TFAer

Family and friends: I signed a lease. I am now the proud renter at the Bel Air http://www.belairhouston.com/. It's pretty crazy, but I figure, hey! I can afford it!  And I am going to want to come home to someplace that makes me happy and relaxed, and this DEFINATELY makes me happy!

On another note, I'm sitting in a coffee shop, writing lesson plans and watching an EPIC thunder and lightning storm take place outside. Here is where I am > http://www.agorahouston.com/. The coffee is yummy and the atmosphere is really great too. 

Oh yay! It just started raining! God I miss the rain. I think I have to go stand in it for just a second after I'm done writing.

I can't believe i am into my third week of teaching. Institute is almost over, and I will be home on the 11th. I have to figure out how to sell all of my stuff, so if you are in need of a bed, mattress set, bookcase and big comfy chair, let me know.  This also means I have to buy all of this stuff here. Shoot. 

Ok, back to lesson planning! Only a few more left!  

I miss you all!

P.S. Thank you Vicky and Paul for the great letter/card/book. All three mean so much to me and I know that I will use the book in the next few years.

Cheers,

Danielle

week 2 down, 3 more to go

I think I can count myself as one of the lucky ones. I've survived week 2 - my first week of teaching in Institute, and I did not break down. Not one single tear was shed.  Unfortunately, I cannot say the same for some of my peers. This week was HARD. We were sleep deprived, struggling with classroom management, and dealing with printers that were busy, out of paper, or not working properly. 

I was in bed by 1 each night, which is also early compared to others here. My roommate went to bed at 3 one night, and we have to wake up by 6.  We know that this life is unhealthy, and we complain. But I keep reminding myself that we are not the first to go through this and that those before us survived. And really, this isn't about us - it's about the kids. We have set Big Goals for the kids at our schools, and we need to meet them. It's unbelievable the amount of help they need. They are so far behind, and it's literacy that will really make the difference. 

Ok, enough with all of that....

Good things that happened this week:

1. Welcome celebration when we got back to campus after our first day of teaching

2. Found a roommate

3. Washed my laundry

4. Sat by a pool today

5. Turned everything in on time

6. My Co-Lab rocks.

7. Happy Hour last night.

8. Skype

9. My packages from Wyeth and Mom. (thanks!)

10. Sleep

Thinks I miss terribly:

1. real coffee

2. weather

3. Urban Growth Boundry

4. zoning

5. I-5, 405, 205 and 26. It's that simple. They each go one direction, you only have to switch to one or two to get from one side of town to the other. You should all see how the freeways are set up here. Google it.

I'm too tired to write any more. I'm going to bed. 

love!

Update!

This is where I live! North Moody Tower

This is what greeted us the first day at Dogan! Go Dolphins!

Well, I'm sorry this has taken so long, but to put it simply - I've been BUSY!  Typical day at Institute goes something like this...

5:20 Wake up

6:00 Breakfast

6:58 On the bus (and you BETTER be on the bus or it will LEAVE WITHOUT YOU!)

7:15 At Dogan Elementary School

8-4:00 SESSIONS (And teaching starting Monday)

4:30-7 Sessions in the only "Spare" time I have... this will hopefully stop soon

6-ish Dinner?  SO SLOW

7-10:30 Planning...

11:00 Sleep?  

But other than the crazy schedule, I'm having a blast. Some people think that just because I was an ED major, all this stuff would be easy (I was hoping that would be the case) but it's far from the truth. I am learning so much. One of my friends' mom put it really well - we are learning how to drink from a fire hose. So true!

I start teaching on Monday - I'll be teaching 4th grade Science. The students I'm teaching are mostly ESL (English as a Second Language) so vocab will be really important. My teaching group (called a Cooperative) is really awesome. There is a girl who went to UT Austin, a woman from Atlanta, and a guy from Portland who wen to school at San Diego. We all get along and work well together and I'm excited for our students and the goals we have set for them. 

Houston is a CRAZY city. I'm trying to get used to a lot of new things here, like no zoning and the disparity between the rich and the poor. The freeways are also pretty nuts. GPS systems get confused because they think you are on one freeway that is right next to the one you are really on.  On that note, I will need a GPS. It's crazy. Oh and drivers are nuts! I've seen so many accidents in my one week here. 

Ok, back to lesson planning!

Love!

Pictures...