Keepin' it Classy

Keepin' it classy (pun intended) ain't easy...

but it's necessary. Some co-workers say, "you have to find balance. Work cannot be what determines your day, your feelings, your life..." While I agree that I can't let my students' behavior affect the way I feel about myself and my life, being in this new position in my professional life is so important to me that I refuse to stray far from the mindset of "how can my students and I achieve musical success?" It's exhausting. I go to bed, wake up, eat breakfast, go to work, go to other work, go home, go on hikes with Andie...all thinking about my lesson plans, my students, and what I can do better.

"I just want to do so well," I said, crying. "Well...that's a lot better than saying 'I just want to do so average,'" said fellow co-worker.

My chorus has given me the hardest time. The disrespectful back-talk has sent me over the edge some days and I'll admit I've silently left crying a few times. I'm in communication about discipline procedures.

I see that chorus class every morning, then head to Nava where I teach 3 more hour-long classes per day. This is a total of 16 groups of kids between Kindergarten and 6th/7th grade. My biggest frustrations with the littles are that they touch and kick each other, and there's only so many "Why do we keep our hands and feet to ourselves?" conversations I can stop my lesson to have, and only so many "You sit there for the remainder of class because you can't control your hands" moments I can handle in a day.

Despite the behavior frustrations, I love all my kids, and there are some very sweet and wonderful classes at Nava that make me so proud I melt. As my facebook status boasted, last Friday a 1st grade girl raised her hand to say, "Teacher...I love you." Also the 6th graders for some reason call me "Miss Sunshine" instead of Miss Echols (I don't know why), so I just tell them "well don't make me turn into Miss Cloudy Day... *serious face*"

It's so hard to be a teacher, and I guess I'm a little obsessed right now...but I'm glad chorus is still in my life as it always has been, and general music is just SO FRICKIN FUN. I love lesson planning and thinking about new ways to make music together. I was given this music curriculum from the district (some of its tools, cards, and posters are seen in my classroom pictures) and it's really wonderful. Fun games for all.

Stress is every day. Homesickness, sickness, responsibilities, lessoning, living...but things are well. I'm smiling pretty much. I've got Andie to talk to, hike with, and try things with (we went to a really good yoga class last weekend). I just really miss Scott and my big brother and sister and Daddy and Anna and aunts and my Lex&Ba&Erin&Jess&Deidre and my everyone.

The sky is still amazing and beautiful, even during monsoon season. The rain makes hikes muddier and feet wetter, but it feels healthy when some days are so hot.

I've been kind of depressed as I think that my goal was to run a half-marathon this September, if I were to have stayed in Jersey. Of course, life had to change, I moved across the country to a much higher altitude with different conditions and a different schedule. I guess it can wait, but I'm quite frustrated at the delay.

Umm...there's a lizard on my window screen right now...