My Pappap

My grandfather, my Pappap W, died early yesterday morning. He was 91 and had a great life. His wife of 64 years is still alive. My Aunt lives with them, and so they've been able to stay in the house they had built back when my mom was about 8 years old. The community now is thriving with young families and big box stores have popped up everywhere. But they moved there when it was primarily a farming community.

I've never lost a grandparent before. I know I'm lucky, that at 28, my first grandparent only just passed. But I can't help thinking of all of the things I put off that he won't get to witness. He won't be there when I walk down the aisle. Heck, if I get married, my future husband won't even get to meet him. If I have kids, they'll never know their great-grandfather.

My Pappap always had a military haircut, and I always loved to pet his hair. He'd always yelp and say, "Hey! You're messing up my hair! I worked hours to get it it like that!" He told silly jokes and took naps in the chair in their living room. He was always cold and wearing cardigans, even in the summer.

When I was little, my sister and I would spend a week with my grandparents. We would go to McDonald's, create a restaurant in their kitchen, and make "Ladies" and "Mens" signs for their bathrooms. My Pappap never minded forking over ten cents for the sandwich he made himself. When we went to the North Park pool, he never went in the water, just sat next to the pool in a lawn chair, growing ever darker, and telling us he'd get in when the water wasn't wet. We always giggled and tried to explain that was impossible, but he never budged.

Pappap loved coffee and hot tea. He loved to eat raw onions with his sandwiches. He was on oxygen for the past four years or so, owing to his emphysema. But to this day, every time I smell a pipe, I think of the ones he gave up when I was young.

I can't picture their house without him there. I can't imagine holidays without his presence. I will be thinking of him on that distant day if I ever walk down the aisle. I love you Pappap. Rest in peace.

Numero Uno

So, today I conducted my first lesson. All by myself. For 7th graders (as opposed to my classmates). And I survived! Yay!

I was nervous all morning, knowing that I would have to do it. But my CT taught the lesson to our other class yesterday, so I knew I was just doing the exact same thing she had already done. Plus, my CT was super supportive, telling me to just concentrate on the academics and she would handle any behavior issues.

So I took a deep breath and...just did it. And it went well! We moved one rather boisterous student to the front row, and he turned out to be the most eager participant. My CT hasn't actually done a whole lot of discussion in the classes, so I was afraid I would have to pry responses out of the students.

We have this super cool tool in our classroom called an ELMO. It's an advanced overhead projector, that rather than just projecting the transparencies will project anything, including a text book or novel. So I prepared the questions ahead of time, and was able to fill in the answers on lined paper as we came up with answers as a class. And I could put the novel there to show students what page or paragraph we were referring to if they couldn't find it.

All in all, it was a great way to start. Our other class had terrible behavior on Friday and Monday, so I'm glad I had the "easier" group of students to help ease me in. And I probably won't be totally alone until next week at the earliest, which is great.

One of my classmates is telling me about how her CT is heaping all of her work on my classmate, and I feel so bad for her, since my experience so far has been great.

I have so much more to share but no time to do it at the moment. My computer isn't dead yet, so hopefully I'll be able to update all of you more often and get back to reading your blogs - you have no idea how much I miss them! I confess that I tried to access a blog from school and it was blocked. Oops! But hopefully I'll have more time later this week. Thanks to all of you for hanging in there and being so supportive!!!

Quick Update

Okay, I just want to tell all of my followers and all of those that I follow - I am reading all of your posts, I promise! I have not had time to finish my catching up yet (good Lord, has it only been a week??) but I will do so. Life is just crazy right now. Love me anyway :)

First Impressions

So I started my student teaching assignment on Monday. Not sitting at a computer daily is definitely going to affect my blogging time, so be forewarned!

Day 1
On Monday, I was a little nervous about starting student teaching. I had a bad cold all weekend, and my sleep schedule was completely off, so I didn't get a ton of sleep the night before. Fortunately, my cooperating teacher had called me on Sunday to remind me where to park and what to do when I arrived.

I found the school with no problem and arrived early. My cooperating teacher (CT) was already in the room, and she gave me a place to put my stuff and we went to a meeting. Our schedule is as follows (7 periods total): Periods 1 & 2 - prep, Period 3 - cover 8th grade lunch, Periods 4 & 5 - 7th grade class, Periods 6 & & - 7th grade class. So we have two classes for two blocked classes.

My CT introduced me to tons of faculty and staff, and everyone was very friendly, although I know I'll have trouble remembering names. There are 4 7th grade classes and the curriculum is very strict - we're all teaching the same thing and there's not a lot of wiggle room in the lesson plans. This is my biggest concern so far...when I start to write the lesson plans, I am worried I'm not going to have a lot of input, and that not having that input will lessen my experience. The good thing is that there are 3 other teachers we can work with to discuss the curriculum and determine what has been successful and what doesn't work.

My CT did not introduce me to the kids on Day 1. She wanted me to just observe and for them to ignore my presence in the classroom (which they did). I was nervous about major behavior issues, especially b/c she had warned me that her second class was a little rowdy. But they just took a little longer to settle down, and the only issues were really with kids talking during class. I can so handle that!!

So Day 1 went well. I definitely took a lot in!

Day 2
Yesterday I did more or less the same as the previous day - just watched. We had to cover a class during 2nd period b/c the regular teacher was absent, but my CT was very lax with the kids - just handed out a worksheet and let them work together.

During our lunch coverage, a fist fight broke out between two students, which was mildly traumatizing for me. Violence scares the crap out of me - I don't know that I could ever jump in and break up something like that. Plus, it was between a boy and a girl, and the boy punched the girl in the face. And I mean punched - I could hear it from where I was standing. But my CT and the security guard who is always there during lunch were great. They reacted quickly, separated the fighters, and took them to the office.

On Day 2, my CT introduced me to the class and said that we would be team teaching for the rest of the semester. She didn't identify me as a "student teacher" just in case the title had a negative connotation for the kids. She also put the students into alphabetical order so I could start to learn their names. I have about 50 kids total, which really isn't too bad. And some names I already knew (the ones that were corrected frequently the day prior).

I handed out index cards to the students and had them write down two things: something they wanted me to know about them, and what their favorite thing has been that they've done in class so far this year. Of course some kids said that they hadn't liked anything yet, but most of them picked good things. One kid wrote that he wanted me to know that he was good looking. Lord!!! I wanted to thank him for writing it down, since I wouldn't have been able to tell otherwise.

This was a great intro for me b/c it allows the class to slowly get used to my presence and gives me the opportunity to help my CT with behavior corrections, if they're doing something and she doesn't see it. Some of the kids want to call me Ms. C, instead of my last name - that's funny to me. It's so weird to be addressed by my last name!

Day 3
Today was another good day. I spend the first two periods observing other classes, which is a requirement for student teaching but is something I would probably want to do anyway. I saw my last period class in their first period, which is science. And then I saw a combined group in Spanish during second period. The Spanish teacher I observed is very young, and he told me that it would be a great class to see for behavior. I totally stereotyped and was afraid the kids would be OOC for him, but he was great. He spoke very authoritatively and was completely able to control the students.

Our first class was very well-behaved today. My CT gave them an activity where they were working independently, and they just got right too it. That was encouraging for me to see. The second class of course was not so focused, but they were okay. The more I watch, the more ideas I get about what I can do with them. I just worry that the curriculum will restrict me too much. So we'll see!

Overall, I'm pleased with my placement so far. Everyone I've met has been wonderful and has offered to help in any way they can. They're so excited to have student teachers (there are two Art student teachers from my university as well). This just reinforces to me how crappy our student teacher "placer" is at my school - she could have easily been placing student teachers here every semester and they would be thrilled to have them. The science teacher I observed this morning told me she has actually asked for them in the past, but has never had one.

Holiday Highlights

For the past two and a half days, I was overwhelmed with family and Christmas, but definitely in a good way. I look forward to Christmas every year, and always try to yell "Stop!!" as it flies right by me, but I had a fantastic few days.

Some highlights:

1.) Aiden, my cousin Missie's 6 year old, telling our cousin Ben (18) that he was a boy on the outside but a girl on the inside. LOL. Last year at Thanksgiving he called Ben a girl b/c he had long hair.

2.) While I was drying my hair the following morning, my cousin Missie's boyfriend reached his arm around me and in his hand was a beautiful ring - he was proposing to her that night. We all adore Jason and are so happy to "officially" welcome him to the family!

3.) Since it was too warm and rainy to ice skate (again!!), we had breakfast at Pamela's, a great diner. They have old pictures all over the walls of Pittsburghers doing various things - grinning, playing baseball, etc. All candids. I took pictures of most of my cousins next to some funny pics and wound up with great results: Ben grinning next to a freckled, youngster showing off missing teeth, Amy imitating a Betty Boop pose next to the pinup cartoon. I promise to share these with you as soon as I have time to upload the pics!

4.) Mass...I don't attend church regularly, but when I do go I always have a strong sense of nostalgia. I attended Catholic schools my entire life, so we went to mass a lot during school. Every time I return, it's like old home week, knowing the songs and mouthing the prayers along with the priest.

5.) The little girl in front of me playing with her hair, and then comparing her hair with her aunt's. She would stretch out a strand of her own, bring it close to her aunt's hair and wrap the two pieces together. Adorable.

6.) Reliving memories from when we went to Vegas in May with my cousin and our family in my Grandparents' basement while drinking homemade Bailey's. My cousin Erin turned 21 a few short weeks before we went out west and one night was particularly memorable.

7.) My Grandma showing everyone a picture of one of the doctors she used to work with, and his family. She pointed out all of the kids and then pointed to the youngest child: "That one was a mistake, she just came along after all the others." I was crying, I was laughing so hard.

8.) My crazy aunt Nancy buying all of the girls ridiculous one-piece pajamas. They're all maroon, long-sleeved, and shorts instead of pants. Hard to describe, but hilarious.

9.) Teasing Jason for having Missie in his phone as "Baby Girl." I kept harassing him, asking him if he proposed to her as Baby Girl.

10.) Being with my parents and sister on Christmas morning. My parents went all out and got us big gifts this year, which they never do. I got a Bose iPod sound dock!!

11.) Watching my mom open her gift from my sister and me. We got her a mother's necklace with our birthstones in it (aquamarine for Mary Beth and peridot for me). And then watching her show off her new necklace to everyone later that night!

12.) Watching Mamma Mia! with my mom and sister Christmas afternoon.

13.) Playing Mario Kart on my sister's Wii that she received from my parents. And I'm an idiot - when she opened it, I thought my parents just got her a game. I didn't realize until well into the afternoon that they actually bought her the console. Duh!

14.) Seeing the family on my mom's side. My cousin Luke was there first with his twin daughters, Morgan and Lidia. They were the entertainment all night.

15.) Having a braunschweiger sandwich for Christmas dinner. I used to love this meat but haven't had it in years. Yum!!

16.) Watching Morgan & Lidia eat cupcakes with bright green frosting, turning their tongues, teeth, fingers, and everything they touched green.

17.) Seeing the gift that I bought for our exchange be stolen repeatedly! Everyone buys a $15 gift and we pull cards. The first person picks a gift and unwraps it; the next person can unwrap a new gift or steal the gift that the first person already opened, and so on. I bought a picture frame that has "Family Ties" written on the bottom and four or five spots for pictures. It's pretty big. My sister finally wound up with it.

All in all, I had a great Christmas. Tonight is the party with my friends, and we do a gift exchange like the one my family did last night. Tomorrow is another party, and Sunday is the last regular Steelers home game! So it will be a busy weekend, as usual.

The Time Has Arrived

Tonight, my Christmas celebrations begin and I can't wait! My cousins and I are spending the night together and also picking up one of us from the airport (keep your fingers crossed that she is not one of the many people who is delayed!), then tomorrow we will ice skate. Tomorrow we will be with family all evening, and then Wednesday is the actual day.

I can't wait to see everyone open the gifts I got for them and I hope everyone likes what they receive.

I'm so lucky to have such wonderful family and friends, and my newly expanded blogger friends. I am definitely thankful for all that I have and I hope that all of you have fantastic holidays as well.

So stay safe and have wonderful celebrations with your family and friends.

Caitlyn - I love you, and we will miss you so much, but you know that we will call and harass you enough that you'll be wanting to be left in peace. Have a great first Christmas with Taylor and know that we're thinking of you all night and all day!!

Airport Musings

Observations from my recent aeropuerto adventures....

Why do they still sell pleated jeans? They're not cute on anyone. Yet, I saw a fatherly gentleman sporting them proudly, with a tucked-in turtleneck almost the same color as the wash of the jeans. The pleats were displayed to their full advantage. It wasn't okay. It still isn't. If stores would just come to a consensus and manufacturers wouldn't make them anymore, it would save so many people from making such an obvious fashion error.

I watched a pair of college-aged lesbians for awhile, as they were sitting right in front of me. One spoke loudly on her cell phone about how some of her friends were hooking up, and needless to say, it caught my attention (and the attention of most surrounding gates). And, when did "college-aged" get so young?

Anyway, these girls were still in the stage where they were trying to shock all of us old fogies at the gate, and made a point of liplocking every time one of them went to the bathroom or had to get some food. It just made me laugh. Also, it was clear that one of them was more masculine than the other...but someone should tell her that to be truly effective, she should stop wearing jeans made for girls.

I think that stores need to be banned from airports. Every time I fly somewhere, I'm compelled to stop at Nine West and buy shoes. This day was no exception - not only did I buy them, but I immediately went to the bathroom and put them on. I love them! But they eventually started to pinch my toes - I think Nine West has changed their sizes. I'm normally a solid 8 1/2, but when I've tried them on lately, they've been too wide so I've opted for the 8...and then they pinch my toes after awhile.

Speaking of shoes, boots. The boot trend has been around for a year or two now, and every other female that I saw at the airport sported pants or jeans tucked into their boots. I'm not anti this trend, but it's not okay that every woman under the sun thinks she can pull it off. So many women seemed to think that they were being fashion forward and so thought they could get away with a clever combo of boots and pants - not so much.

Women should be required to take a test before purchasing boots, especially boots with the fur. Anyone over the age of 35 should be automatically eliminated (maybe younger than that). Even fur trim should be severely restricted. If a woman does not pass the test, she should be required to take lessons on the best type of pants to tuck into boots and locations where this look is appropriate.

(For anyone wondering...I have never, myself, tucked my jeans into my boots. I don't think I can pull it off. I think it looks terrific when it's done correctly, but the plethora of examples available at the Pittsburgh, Chicago, and Indianapolis airports reinforced my thought that only certain people can make it look good.)

I suppose my people-watching and fascination truly translates into criticisms of what everyone else is wearing. LOL. Hey, I was entertained!