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mylittleSheltie
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Name: Katie
Gender: Female
Interests: people are my passion. jesus is my first love. i'm addicted to literature and coffee. and music, movies, art, theology, philosophy and life as a whole. i enjoy teaching children. i'm not particularly loyal to america. i like having fun and staying up late sometimes. life is good.
Expertise: i'm good at creating chaotic situations. and making people laugh. and cartwheeling.
Occupation: Education/training
Industry: Education/Research
Message: message meEmail: email me
Website: visit my website
AIM:  mylittlesheltie
AIM:  sheltieandharry
Member Since:
7/3/2004
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| Not geographically. Just Internet-ically.
I've been pondering a move for a while, because Xanga has seemed pretty stagnant for some time. My thoughts when I've tried to post have been stagnant.
And so I'm starting again. I have a new blog with a new host, and while I will definitely log in to Xanga and comment, etc., I'll be putting my writing on the new site. I think it will be better and fresher that way.
Please visit me. Subscribe to me if you do Bloglines or something similiar, or bookmark me if you don't, and you can comment even if you don't have a WordPress account. I'm going to try to keep my posting regular there, much more than it has been here.
Xanga's been wonderful. I've loved every minute of it. But I think it's time for a change. See you there.
http://chaiconversations.wordpress.com
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| I really love that quote.
I really love The Office.
I really love my family.
This morning I pretty much followed my mom around and we grocery shopped and did stuff. It was basically the most fun ever. I love my mom.
I like being off for a week.
I like Agatha Christie. And reading a whole book in one sitting.
I like M&M's. And . . . cake.
I like salad too.
And the red Starbucks cups.
Yep, I'm definitely in break mode.
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| Hey, Jude, don't make it bad
Take a sad song and make it better
Remember to let her into your heart
Then you can start to make it better
Sigh.
How can one be so inexpressibly happy at, well, normality? It’s cold again, and this morning I put on my red sweater and my scarf from Spain. I like early November mornings, I’ve decided. The wind nipped my nose as Lydia and I went to meet Ry at Starbucks, where, to my definitive joy, the red cups are back. And I drank a chai tea latte, which warmed me inside as did the dim morning light and sleepy cheerful company.
This is, truly, my favorite season. I love November. Thanksgiving and Christmas are yet ahead, and there is hope for rest and family and joy.
I don’t have to teach today, just planning and a 3-hour in-service. I’m anticipating a great weekend. There’s just one more week left until I get a whole week off to be with my family.
The Beatles remain, to my delight, the soundtrack (at least in my head) for this season.
And any time you feel the pain, hey, Jude, refrain
Don't carry the world upon your shoulders
Well don't you know that it’s a fool who plays it cool
By making his world a little colder
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| After a long silence. At times when I want to write, I don't know what to say. When I do have something to say, I'm so exhausted that it's too hard, and I just fall asleep. And the longer I've left this space blank, the more intimidating filling it has become. It's just so . . . big. And blank. And white.
Ah well. I'm happy and doing well. I'm working hard at teaching and I love it. I've made it through 12 or so weeks of school. Just last week I led a terrific group of 8th graders on a field trip. They were great, and we had so much fun attending a play about Anne Frank and eating at a restaurant together. Thanksgiving and Christmas are in sight. Fall has been a beautiful season; it's truly my favorite. It's been full of cool breezes, my faithful denim jacket, chai tea, and long walks in the evening. Beatles songs have been running through my head ever since I saw Across the Universe. And we have a lovely bouquet of flowers in our kitchen, which makes me immensely happy.
So life is good. Lots of incredible things are happening, and the small details in life are quite delightful at the moment.
Still, sometimes I feel like I have no idea what to do with my life. Even though I'm living, sometimes I still get pensive. I still wonder if there's something more.
But God knows, and he is so good to me. All the time.
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| "Could it be that everything is sacred?
And all this time
Everything I've dreamed of
Has been right before my eyes?"
~Caedmon's Call
I've finished with the second full week of school, and I'm still alive! (Especially considering that last night another teacher and I led a group of 60 highschoolers to the movie theatre to see Resurrecting the Champ, and then we went with them to Starbucks afterward! The reason: I’m sure certifiable insanity can be blamed. Oh, and wanting to give extra credit.)
Teaching is surprising and new each day. I'm never bored. Particularly because I'm teaching junior high, which is the right age bracket for random thinking patterns that far surpass those of any other age bracket. If you think that I’m random (let’s go ride bikes!) you should meet them. “Miss, uh, uh, this doesn’t have anything to do what we’re talking about, but, um . . . etc etc.” It’s adorable.
Every day I am joyfully astounded that I’m even there. I’m astounded by how much I like teaching. And I wonder, “why, God, why me? Why did you put me here, in this tiny school, driving each day to this little town?
He answers me in the infectious smiles of my students. He answers me in the ones who are filled with enthusiasm for learning and in those who are not. He answers me in the delight that wells up inside me as I embark on my commute home and reflect on the day.
He answers me in the little girl who says to me during English class, “I’ve never kept a journal every day, but I’m realizing that doing this can really let off stress and make me feel better.” And I think “YES!! She gets it!” He answers me in the junior high football players who get done with practice around 5, when I’m still finishing up my grading and planning in the classroom. They stop in my doorway. “Hey Ms. Shelt,” they say. “Well, hey there!” I say. “How was practice?” “Pretty good. Hot,” they say. “See you tomorrow,” and they run off. Those little interactions make me smile.
I'm learning how truly sacred this job is. I'm learning how lives change slowly, day by day, with learning new vocabulary words and reviewing grammar rules, and reading stories that illuminate the human condition. I'm learning that I am exactly where I am exactly for now with exactly a purpose.
My students are amazing. I know I can’t ever be the best teacher in the world, and this year I am coming to terms with “okay” as a word describing my teaching skills, but I love my kids. And if I can help them believe that, then I have succeeded.
And today I have rested. We have cleaned the Enclave, I had coffee with my amazing brother, we grocery shopped and I successfully resisted two impulse purchases, and Lydia and Heidi and I went to the Orange Peel and I bought a teacher dress.
A good week. I get to wake up on Monday morning and do it all over again. :) | | |
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