Far too long...

So I realized that the last post I wrote on here was at Christmas time, over 3 months ago!!  I guess it's about time I update you on what is new and fabulous in my life.  Where do I begin?

The most exciting thing for me right now is that I am going to be an aunt for the first time within the month.  Olena is due April 28th and looks just too darn cute.  It really looks like she just stuck a basketball under her shirt, she is so tiny everywhere else.  I've gone back and forth on whether I think it will be a boy or a girl but here is my official prediction as of right now: I think it will be a boy, born on May 1 and let's say a weight of 7 lbs 8 oz.  Not really sure about the weight but we'll see how accurate I am on everything soon enough.

Secondly I am still seeing Jon and things are going great right now.  He's away again, but he only goes away for a week or two at a time so it's not too bad.  It's always nice having a reunion once he gets back too.  :) We've been dating for almost 5 months now, which seems kind of crazy.  The time really has gone by fast.  Sometimes I think about it and can't believe I've been in a relationship for that long.  Aside from Diego this is the longest relationship I've been in.  We'll see where things go.  It does worry me a little because I know he won't stay in Winnipeg forever.  I hate the idea of having to leave my family someday (especially now that I'm going to have a little niece or nephew here).  Somedays I think it would be okay and I'd enjoy a new city but other days I wonder about it.  Another thing I worry about is finding a job if I were to move.  I am so close to having permanent finally (fingers crossed this is the year) and if I move I'm back to square one again.  Actually even further back than that, as I will have no connections and have to take courses to be able to teach there.  I might actually end up pretty close to you Krista.

Other than that I am enjoying school this year.  I have a fabulous group of grade 6 students who make me smile and laugh each and every day.  I love going to school and I love being around my students.  The school I am at has a great feel to it. Just walking down the halls, you feel welcome and cheerful.  It's a very positive place to be.  Right now we are getting ready for our Spring Musical.  The grade 6s are acting in it and I have been helping out with practices every lunch hour.  The musical is called On the Radio and it takes you through the decades from the 1920s up to the 1970s.  The songs are really great and in between each song are skits that relate to the decade.  I can't wait to see it all come together.

I hope I am back at this school again next year and that I get my permanent contract.  This week my principal is evaluating me on 3 lessons he will come in to observe.  Tomorrow is my first one and then I'll have one the next day and then the day after that.  I am a little bit nervous but not overly so.  I am pretty confident that things will go well.

My spring break was great as well.  I headed down to Grand Forks for some shopping with a few teachers from my school last year.  I am so blessed that I am able to keep in touch with teachers I have worked with in the past and have made some lasting friendships with many of these teachers.  It was a great couple days with some wonderful ladies and a great way to spend part of my week off.

Well hopefully my next blog post will come sooner than 3 months down the road.  I'm sure in a months time I will be wanting to share some pictures of a very special little baby with you girls. So stay tuned...

Art Study for Next Year- O'Keeffe

An idea for an art study next year.  A couple years back I did a short art lesson and activity on Georgia O'Keeffe.  I recently came across this quote from her while looking on Pintrest and it reminded me of the activity I did.  Thinking I might do an artist study next year and focus a few lessons on O'Keeffe.  Below are some of her works of art and then the exemplar I used for our class art activity (I found this idea online).

We talked about the use of warm and cool colours and some students used cool colours for their pictures while others used warm colours.  This lesson allowed us to talk about warm/cool colours, line and abstract art.  After looking at some other ideas online I'm excited to try out something different and a little more creative.  I've never been really creative when it comes to art but love some of the ideas I have found online and that my teaching partner last year showed me.  Hoping to have a much better art program for my kiddos next year.

Here are some more interesting art activities based on O'Keeffe I found:
http://www.artforsmallhands.com/2009/09/in-style-of-georgia-okeeffe.html

http://www.deepspacesparkle.com/2011/10/31/okeeffe-flowers-art-project-for-kids/

http://littleblogfish.blogspot.ca/2012/03/our-schools-georgia-okeeffe-art-lesson.html

http://thecraftyninja.com/georgia-okeeffe-art-lesson/

Well there are a few ideas I can use for next year.  I'll try to plan out a few ideas for some other artists and put them together as well.  Not sure which of these I will use but it's nice to have some options.

The Circle of Courage

Today I attended a PD entitled "Reclaiming our Youth" with speaker Dr. Martin Brokenleg.  He was such an amazing speaker and although the session was over 6 hours long I was captivated by him the entire time.  He spoke about working with At Risk Students but according to him all of our children are at risk today.  I was shocked to hear the average child watches 7 hours of TV a day.  That is the average, meaning that many children watch far more than that.  The average mother spends 3 minutes a day having a real conversation with her child (not including giving directions, yelling at her child or making demands of them but actual back and forth conversation).  The average dad spends 40 seconds a day having real conversations with their children.  According to research most juvenile delinquent acts take place between 3:30 and 6pm.  The time between when children are done school and parents arrive home from work.

It is so important for parents today to be there for their children, encourage them, talk to them and let them know they are important, valued and belong.  Every child should have an adult that makes them feel special and believes in them.

Dr. Martin Brokenleg spoke about the Circle of Courage, a model that encompasses 4 core values: Belonging, Mastery, Independence and Generosity.  Children who live in an environment that promotes courage  (which contains these 4 values), can be reclaimed and find success in life.  

I am so excited to be attending a two-day PD next month for a program based off of the Circle of Courage model. I look forward to hearing more about this model and how I can use it to make a difference in the lives of the children I work with every day.

If you are a teacher or a parent you might be interested in checking out the website www.reclaiming.com and search the journal section for some research based strategies for working with today's youth.


It is not enough to teach the mind but we must also teach the heart!