i'm going to be a long term sub, i'm going to be a long term sub!

yes, that's right folks.  starting tomorrow (today is veteren's day so there is no school) i will be a long term sub for an assortment of english special education classes for an undetermined length of time (one of my goals tomorrow is to find out just how long i will have this position).  i'm a bit nervous but excited at the same time.  today is going to be spent preparing for the first few days so that i have rules and procedures and all those important things teachers need to have.  should be an adventure! 

wow, i'm really not very good at keeping this updated anymore.  it seems like life has not only been happening but that it has sort of run away from me.  i guess that's okay but it's sort of strange how it's already november and i don't feel at all like it should be.  i've been working fulltime as a substitute teacher (i think that was in my last post) and i sort of go through cycles with how i feel about the whole thing.  while on one hand it is nice to not have to worry about lesson planning or grading, on the other hand, i really miss getting to build relationships with students and teachers.  sometimes i'll see students more than once and at one of the schools i've worked at, students notice if i haven't been around for awhile but it's not the same as having your own classroom with a consistant group of kids who come in every day.  and so the job search continues.  in other news (but still related to teaching) i have offically begun the process of adding an English endorsement to my teaching certificate.  i took the content test on saturday and am trying to figure out how i can take some classes at north park as long as we're here.  should be an adventure!   

i've also been learning a lot more about myself, who i am in God's eyes and how that affects the way i live my life.  i'm learning to be okay with the fact that i mess up.    i must say, it's been pretty exciting! 

dan and i also took our very first vacation during fall break!  we ventured up to door county, wi, stayed in a bed and breakfast and spent 3 days jaunting around the penninsula.  what a grand adventure!  here are some of the highlights of our trip:

 
one of these things is not like the others....

it's troll time baby! 

whitefish dunes state park.  gorgeous! 

dan and i at the top of old baldy--the tallest sand dune in wisconsin! (100 ft. above lake michigan)

the vacation was wonderful and much needed for us.  maybe we'll do it again sometime. :)

overall, things are going well.  hopefully i find a full time job soon but at least i'm able to work!

and now, for my first post in nearly 3 months.....

things have been going well over all.  the job interview i mentioned in my last post never happened.  the school called a few days before it was supposed to occur and said they had filled the position. *sigh*  well, at least they let me know before i got there.  the position at hyde park was the only interview that materialized out of my months of job searching therefore i am now subbing full time.  it's not so bad though...as a displaced teacher (i'm a chicago public schools teacher without a school) i get to keep my benefits, am guaranteed work every day, and am at the top of the sub ladder.  i've mostly been at the same school too which has been nice and mostly it's been fine.  the last two days however were kind of rough.  yesterday was the first time in all of the teaching i have done where i have been literally scared for my safety and today (as well as yesterday) i was called a b***h among other things.  What kind of world is it where everyone is okay with the fact that substitute teachers are often just paid to be abused by students this way?  it gets my goat, that's for certain!  anyway....the job search continues.  here's hoping something full time comes my way.  anyone need a history teacher? 

it is sort of starting to feel like fall though and that's exciting for me...i think fall is one of my favorite seasons.  i love the transition from the hotness of summer to being able to wear long sleeves and get all cozy.  it's fantastic! 

but i have a kitchen full of dishes calling my name *pauses to listen* and they're getting louder so i must depart.  hopefully it won't be so long before the next one!   

maybe this summer i'll be better at updating.  maybe.  let's get through the end of the school year first. (yes, we ARE still in school, believe it or not)

anyway.

i'm not usually one whose feelings are expressed in music.  i mean, i like it and all and occasionally i find songs that i can realte to, but it doesn't happen very often.  however, i heard a song yesterday that entirely expressed the desire of my heart.  this is what i've been longing for and praying for. (it's by a group called poor bakers dozen)

Can I know this deity
Can I know all the love that he has for me
Can I know him in all of his sovereignty
The Creator in all of this majesty

I want to know you

Get caught up in legality
In the trappings of religiosity
But underneath those garments of white you'll see
No one's sitting on the throne that's inside of me

I want to know you

I wish this world were more clutter free
'Cause maybe then you'd get through to me
And in that moment of clarity
I would see that it all is just vanity

I want to know you

Just like a bride and a groom to be
Can I know my Savior this intimately
And can I maintain my fidelity
To this groom who loves me so jealously

I want to know you

i got flowers today from one of my students.  when i asked her what they were for, she said "it's mother's day on sunday!" 

i didn't have the heart to tell here i don't actually have kids. 

it's okay though--my students are like my kids, all 109 of them...