Why I love and miss Oregon

Have you ever heard of the website www.textsfromlastnight.com? Well, the premise is you send in texts messages that you either received or sent, maybe while intoxicated. The funniest of funniest end up on this website. You can search for texts from your area by area code. Well, I was killing time last night when I couldn't sleep, and ran across this one... "I just fired a shotgun out of the back of a pickup going 60. I'm going to miss Oregon".  I nearly fell on the floor I was laughing so much! If there is a better snapshot of an Oregon stereotype, I don't know what is. Well, maybe this one: u know ur in oregon when the cop tells u to keep the beer cans he made you pour out so u can recycle them.  Oh yes, that is PRICELESS!

Other news... I was in MY classroom today, getting a lay of the land and signing paperwork!  I completely forgot my camera and really wanted to take pictures, but I'll do that later this week. But take a look at my commute::

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Without traffic, it takes about 15 minutes. But let's get real - this is Houston. The only time there is no traffic is at 3 AM. So I will be expecting a 30-40 minute commute each way. And those who know me know that driving is not my favorite activity and there is one point on this commute where I know I will be pretty stressed out. It happens on my way home, where I switch from one freeway to another. The closest thing I can relate it to is the 405 split in Portland. But instead of over a mile of warnings of which lane to be in to go on either I-5 north or South, there is no signage and cars come to a sudden stop. On the freeway. Where the posted speed is 60 mph and the agreed upon speed is closer to 70. I nearly had a heart attack today. I've learned what lanes to be in to make this transition as easy as possible, but that still doesn't make it an enjoyable experience.

I cannot explain how excited I am to get started in my classroom. The teacher I am replacing is a TFA alum and she left me with TONS of resources. I got my paws on a textbook today, so I can start to look through that and figure out how I want to arrange my units. I also got the low-down on my salary (larger than I was originally told. yay), the computer I will be given, and the cell phone that each teacher is given and how to set boundaries for your students and calling you. I think I will set a "text-message only unless it is an in-depth question" rule. Oooh, and I need to go to a fabric store and buy some cool fabric to decorate my classroom boards!

Aaah, I need to go grocery shopping. I guess I need to eat something besides waffles and ice cream sandwiches!

The ball is rolling!

Well, after that last (and short) post, I guess it's time to fill in with some more information about my new trabajo (job)!  

I interviewed one week ago today at KIPP Houston High School, and walked away from that interview feeling excited about the opportunity to work at that school, and confident in the interview. I mean, the principal took me on a tour of the school, and I felt like it was more of an orientation to the school at that point. Good sign, right? Well, on Monday, I had a job there! I start teaching on August 17th (just 3 weeks away)!  Again, I'll be teaching 9th grade geography. I'm pretty excited because I'll be focusing on the world history during this class, and that will allow many opportunities for students to work on their writing. I really want to stress the importance of writing in my class, and would love to do a writing piece each unit, focusing on persuasive and analytical writing!  I'm just picturing my students, while studying Asia, writing an analytical paper about the issues in the Middle East, or writing a persuasive paper about the AIDS epidemic in Africa! It is going to be such an exciting year!

Oh man, I seem like a complete geek right now, but that's okay. 

I go in on Monday to fill out paperwork and sign contracts. Hopefully then I will get key information, such as whether or not there is a standard curriculum I must follow, access to textbooks, past exams, etc. What's cool about KIPP is that the school already has a built in motivation program. There are certain phrases I must have posted in my classroom, which I'm excited to break out my scrapbooking skills and make them look really great.

So what else has been going on in my most exciting life you ask? Well not a whole lot, to be honest. I've been working on my tan at our pool, and seeing more of Houston. We have gone to a bar that has a great view of the downtown skyline that is just a few blocks from our apartment. There are two bars - one inside on the main level, and an outside one on a rooftop. It is so great at night!  

My roommate, Jessica, has her room all set up, which I wish I could do. I'm waiting until I get paid to get furniture, since I am flat-out broke. I still don't know what I want to do as far as a theme... I was thinking Mediterranean inspired (white, blues, greens, yellows). I've been looking on craigslist for desks and headboards, just to get an idea of what's out there. There are some really cute, little desks. The headboards are a little harder to come by. There is a really cute on at Ikea, here. That's not too bad for a bed, right? Well, I'm looking for it on craigslist!

I'll post more pictures soon! When I go to my school on Monday, I'll take photos!

I love you all and miss you!

Cheers,

D.

EMPLOYED!

I just got off the phone with my new principal!  I am now a 9th grade Social Studies teacher at KIPP Houston High School! More details to come!

Interview! YAY!

Hello to anyone reading this! (Hi, Mom!)  

I had an interview today to teach 9th grade World Geography at a charter school here in Houston. I know that I have been asked by many people about how TFA places us, so here is what I understand of the process. TFA accepts a certain number of corps members based on how many people they think they can find jobs for. TFA then acts as the middle man, seeking out positions and setting up interviews. Through TFA, I was told that I had an interview, and if the principal choses to hire me, he will tell TFA and then they will tell me. When I do have a job, it will be with a school district, not TFA.

Whew!  Anyway, this position that I interviewed for sounds AMAZING! It was at KIPP Houston High School, part of the KIPP charter schools. KIPP stands for Knowledge is Power Program and was started here in Houston but is now all across the United States. It was started by two TFA alums and has grown since! You can read more about it here.  Anyways, I would be completely blessed to work at this school! It is in a great building, and the principal spoke very highly of his staff and students. What was really great was the amount of support that new teachers get!  This is pretty much a dream job and if I get it, I may not come home for a while!  

So keep your fingers crossed for me!

In other news, I'm getting to know my new home! Houston is actually a pretty amazing place, once you get passed the poorly designed road and freeways system and lousy drivers. There are lots of cute neighborhoods and lots of fun things to do!  I can't wait to explore more!  The neighborhood around my apartment is really nice. I finally found a grocery store and gas station that was close by, and am excited to learn more!

I hope I have an update soon about a job!

Love

Going broke... moving = expensive!

Oh man, furnishing a house is EXENSIVE!  But more on that later... First a bit about my road trip here!

After Exactly 36 hours in Portland spent frantically cramming most of my belongings into my tiny car, I set off on my epically short road trip to Houston.

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As you can see, I took a detour to Spokane to pick up Wyeth. We spent an eventful evening at Priest Lake where we thought someone was going around and looting cabins. Then on Tuesday morning, we left early and headed east. Our GPS got confused and took us to Bozeman (not our original plan) but that was great since Wyeth has a lot of family out there. We decided to stop by and say hello to his grandparents. Wyeth was trying to figure out just how he would get over to see them before the heads to Sweden, so this was a great opportunity. Turns out his cousins were in town for dinner, so we decided to join them for some authentic Chinese cuisine. Wyeth's cousin, Chris, brought his girlfriend to Montana. She is from China and cooked an amazing spread. Seeing this opportunity for Wyeth, I insisted we spend the evening there with his family instead of forging on down the road.

The next day we drove through Montana, Colorado, New Mexico and hit Texas. Along the way we saw lots of farms, some hilarious signs (strong winds exist, avoid windshield damage), the most spectacular lightning storm, and some abandoned missions. We heard some TRUE country music (one sang about how he hopes someone will take care of his dog, Jake, should he die before he wakes). We saw such beautiful parts of the country! We stopped just west of Amarillo and caught up on some sleep; around 1000 miles in one day makes anyone tired!

On Thursday, we drove right on through Texas! I saw it change from desert to whatever it is called here in Houston. There were oil drills and wind generators in the same fields! I wish I could have gotten a picture of that! Speaking of oil, gas is super cheap down here. I think that's because the oil is drilled right in the back yard. We arrived in Houston around 10:00 pm and were again exhausted! Sadly, I had to take Wyeth to the airport early the next morning. Hopefully he can come visit again before he heads across the pond!

So on to that expensive part... When i had to furnish Big Love (the name of my college house), it was pretty easy since there were six of us to contribute things. But this time it is just me and Jessica, my roommate. So we are purchasing things on the cheap and acquiring what we can. Today she bought a couch and chair for $499.99 from Cort Furniture. I'm waiting to do my room until AFTER I get my first paycheck! Hah!

Well, an impressive thunder storm is right on top of us, pouring down rain, thunder and lightning. It's really beautiful but is delaying our couch and chair from being delivered!

On Monday, it's back to teaching stuff for me. We start what is called Round Zero on Monday, which is just the term for the time between Institute and the first day of teaching. We will be working on learning our curriculum and making unit plans and assessments. I'm not really sure how that will work out since I still don't have a placement. It's been a little frustrating since my last two interviews never took place. By no fault of TFA, the principals both left before I got to the interviews, making them impossible to hold. I just hope I get a placement soon. I brought all of my teaching books and can't wait to use them again!

HOME

Home for one day! I flew into Portland last night so that I could pack up my car and drive to Spokane where I will pick up Wyeth and start the trek back to Texas.  I woke up this morning and made coffee and enjoyed it in the cool morning air on the deck. It was the most perfect thing in the world!!!  Mom and I spent the day packing and repacking my belongings so that they would fit into my escort. I'm having to leave a few boxes of books behind (tear), but everything fits!!!  It really is a miracle, if you think about it. I think I found grandpa Jim's secret to negative matter. It was a running joke that the only way he fit all of his tools into his tiny tin toolbox was because he knew the secret to negative matter. What ever happened to that tool box? I bet uncle Pat has it. That seems like something he would have.

Dad picked up a used GPS for me so I can make my way across country and around Houston. I hope that I won't need it to much once I get down there. What I am scared of though are the other drivers. They are CRAZY!

4th of July celebration!

Happy 4th of July! Above is one of the pretty fireworks that went off over Houston. Houston has the largest from-land fireworks in the USA. That doesn't surprise me. 
Clay Walker performed at the free Freedom over Texas celebration. He was pretty good live, and I was the only die-hard country fan in my group. I had to represent.
Houston downtown skyline. So pretty!
Houston + Rio Grand Valley friends at our new apartment. We had such a good time.
This is Jessica, my housemate!
And this is my bathroom!
... and my kitchen!
And this is what the pool looks like on a typical Saturday afternoon. Beerpong in the pool?
So this was actually good news - the water had been shut off because of flooding on two of the floors in the dorm I am staying at. TFA sure has great sense of humor.

I miss you all so much and am really starting to settle down here in Houston. I can't believe it's been nearly 5 weeks since I've left! I come home on Saturday and then will begin the epic drive to Texas in Rita with Wyeth.

XOXO

Danielle.