Stella

She's beautiful. My new running buddy. My new bosom friend.

Andie and I took her for a hike today.

She is a sparkling soul.

And I'm sure she likes me just because I feed her, but oh my goodness do I feel the love.

When I'm not lesson planning...

...I'm havin' a darn good weekend.

Stress

Hiking it out. That is all.

The men in my life

Daddy's flowers. 19 lilies!

The note: "Congratulations on your new home away from home."

I love my Daddy. I miss him and call him all the time to tell him the stupid things I do and think and complain complain complain. And he listens. And he loves me. And he's wonderful.

I miss my nephew and my brother and my PopPop and my uncles and my cousins and my Scott.

So the new story is...

August 15th was the first day of school with children. I felt like I had been put through a blender, so I decided to treat myself to frozen yogurt after school. I stood in line feeling dizzy and ready for that cold fruity goodness to tickle my tongue.

I heard a man's voice from the back of the line, "OK, I'll buy you this, but you have to clean the whole house," followed by a girl's giggle. I laughed. It was cute.

I got my yogurt and sat down in a comfy chair in the corner of the place. When the guy got his and her's, he asked the 6 year old where she wanted to sit and she chose a spot next to me. We talked a bit, the 3 of us. I told her it was my first day of school too. I left with a "nice to meet you."

On September 8th, I was coming back from lunch and trying to open the door to my classroom. An older man asked me "are you a teacher here?" and I replied yes, i'm the new music teacher blahblah... He said his kids used to go to Nava and he was visiting some friends there. We definitely hit it off and left with a handshake.

A half hour later there was a knock on my classroom door. I knew his face. He said, "Uhh...hi...I don't know if you remember me..." and I said "yeah I do, I just can't remember from where..."

"Yoberri," he reminded me, then continued, "You just met my Dad. He told me about you and I was like...I think I know her. I had these extra tickets for Zozobra and wondered if you needed them. My # is on there if you ever need any help...I know you're new to Santa Fe." I took the tickets, thanked him, and went to Zozobra. The next day I texted him, "Thank you for the tickets. They were used well!"

He called and asked me to fiesta it up with him.

We've met up a couple times over the week. He took me to his grandparents' ranch which required the most beautiful drive I've ever seen with views of rocky valleys and mountains. We ate navajo tacos and danced and laughed. He is such a gentleman. He opens doors for me, pays for everything, tells me I'm beautiful...I wonder if he's real.

Well, his name is Michael, and yesterday during 4th grade music class I got a special delivery to my classroom.

Affect/Effect

I know the difference, but I still have to think about it.

Bad day.

I like this blog, because it's like a diary and once I hit "Publish Post," it's like I can move on with my life.

I'm so stressed and sad. After a nutso weekend of no rest and late lesson plans and children who sometimes make me believe that they don't have ears, I'm so beat.

I need to stop letting my kids' behavior and their words affect how I feel about myself.

Today I received comments from children ranging from age 6 to 13, ranging from "You're a good teacher" and "Can I stay here? because I don't want to leave!" to "This class is boring." "This class sucks." "UGH THIS CLASS."

I feel like I've done my very best to engage my choir, but today all I got was sass. Though sometimes I let it roll off my back because actually they're just mad because I make them follow dress code, sometimes I'm like "where the hell am I going wrong?" I gave an extra credit assignment partly asking for feedback about the performance or our first month of chorus. Students groaned and said "Can we be honest?" and I replied, "yes please." I have a few parent phone calls to make tonight...keeeeeep breathing...

There's so many things to do -- order music, send parent letters home about recorder, get that letter translated into Spanish, get a Jiffy Lube, buy stamps, more car stuff, more house stuff, next week's lesson plans...

Tired.

The sun is calling me to the hills but I'm not sure I can get up. The effect of the day has gotten the best of me.

Tired.

Viva la fiesta!

It's true.

Today, 12 of my 20 chorus members sang in la fiesta performance with the high school and other middle schools. These kids who have challenged me since Day One astonished me with their professionalism. They were behaved, dressed nicely, light-hearted...they sang with energy and poise. I was so proud. I had so much fun. I sang and danced more than I should have. I did it...my first field trip and my first kinda-mini-concert!

Some quotes of the day...

From a boy who never speaks ever: "Miss Echols, is that a boy or a girl?"

As I try eagerly to speak on the phone with one of the parents, a girl says to me: "umm..she speaks Spanish." Me: "oh."

Me, to stop this girl from flirting: "Save the poke war for facebook."

Girl on the phone with her Mom: "Estoy con la maestra...la maestra...MAESTRA!"

Andie: "What kind of choir concert was that!?" and "I want to slap you."

Santa Fe is wild. Mariachi. Music. Mountains. Men. Mmmmm. QUE VIVA.

This Girl

This girl just went for an hour-long hike/run/skip/dance by herself through the Santa Fe hills of rocky dirty trails....with hair down and earrings in.

This girl had a spontaneous Cha Cha Slide party with some 5th & 6th graders after class because we felt like it.

This girl overheard some students say "ahh i love this class so much" today.

This girl danced to live mariachi music today because Santa Fe is so frickin cool.

This girl found a 4-leaf clover yesterday.

And this girl now has to write sub plans and complete other tasks...but this girl is lucky.

My Love/Hate Relationship with Everything I am Living Right Now

Yay Games! I love General Music Fun!

Assessment? You mean written documentation of music learning? You mean daily participation grades? Booooo...

The books I have to use day-to-day are only some of the things with which I feel a love-hate relationship nowadays.

Some others...

• Food - It cost money. It puts extra on my hips. But man does it make the day better...
• Money - It buys me food and a home. But I don't make any...
• Running - It's hard. But it makes me feel determined and productive.
• Santa Fe - It's gorgeous and an everyday adventure. But I want to go home.
• Being an adult - I am so free. But bound by responsibility and tasks.
• Music - It's what makes me a human being. But God, kids, just shut up and sing!

I miss Gymboree and everything about NJ and my niece and nephew.

Got all my stuff out of my old house today. Just keeping the key to the mailbox for now. Yay 3-day weekend!

Take Two

A dark photo - there will be more to come, but this is my new bedroom. Gustav Klimt's Kiss to the right of my sleeping head, a beautiful rug and paintings all around the room. My window has a beautiful view of the mountains in the distance. I have my own bathroom, an extra room for working/yoga/whatever I please, washer/dryer, a gorgeous living room with big couch pillows, buddhas, candles, sculptures, paintings, a cute kitchen with decor just the same, and a back patio that looks like the epitome of peace.

I knocked on the door last night and a woman in her 50s with long beautiful black hair and a black dress answered. I knew I liked her. She showed me the amazing house and I knew that I wanted to live there, but I had anxiety because I couldn't remember the rent amount that was posted on Craigslist. Alicia and I sat and talked about music, astrology, and being roommates. She said she'd call by "tomorrow," but that very night she called and said, "From the minute I opened the door I knew you were an angel. I'd like to offer you the space." So I took it.

It's quite a bit more expensive than I wanted to pay but Dad said he'd help me because he's wonderful. If she calls me back, I'm moving today! I will have to be very clean and tidy...but that's a good practice for me...haha...

School is still tough, but again, I learn every day. Even the most experienced, certified, recognized, incredible teachers will have hard classes...and the 6th grade gossip of romantic drama doesn't help anything. I'm a softee, it's a fact, but I must work to be a proactive disciplinarian for when it is necessary. I'm finally understanding what they were telling me in college...teaching is about social responsibility.

Still, I get many hugs every day. I crack up when I walk down the hallway and every kid on their way to wherever has to stop and hug me. I love the "Hi Miss Sunshine!" I get as kids run past when I have recess duty. I love the glow in their eyes when I tell a kid "awesome drumming!" I love their little tails when my widdle ones do the Chicken Dance. I love when a 4th grader tells me "You're so much more fun than our last music teacher!"

So, I take it a day at a time. Set up the skills needed for ensemble. Remove the children who can't control themselves. Hike with Andie and look forward to events like Zozobra and the balloon festival. Move. Ya know...life.

I am so lucky to have such a supportive wonderful family.