Strange Mother's Day Gift

What a fantastic Mother's Day yesterday! I got up, went to church, and enjoyed a great day of worship with my church family. Then we went over to my MIL's house to give her a Mother's Day gift: We put up her cucumber trellis so that she can start her garden. No cards, no flowers, just sheer hard work... with SWEAT!

Now she knows how much we love her! She was THRILLED! My mother in law is certainly not the gift giver kind. When you look up "practical" in the dictionary, there's Norma's picture! We learned very early on, that "flowers die, candy makes you fat, and cards are just a waste of paper" (of course, you have to say that in a near whisper Southern accent for it to have the same impact).

It was a successful Mother's Day.

Afterwards, we came back home and my boys got to work on MY Mother's Day gift: a homemade pool heater.

 

My guys toiled and toiled away all afternoon; cutting, sweating, hammering and whatever else one does to make a homemade pool heater. By the early evening, we were ready to put a fire in the hole and try it out!

Now I know how much I am loved!!

Another Teaching "test"

So my first big teaching "test," if you will, was to pass the Praxis I. It is a test much like the SAT's. Basically, they want to see if you are a big dummy, or can actually lead a group of young minds down the path to academia. I was not at all worried about the reading and writing part (which I aced by the way... yay me!). I had sleepless nights and anxiety over the math. I worried so much that it was the ONLY thing I studied. "I just need a 174 in math, just a 174 to pass..."

I eeked it out with a 174 exactly! Whew! The first hurdle had been crossed.

Now, I'm facing the Praxis II. This is the "content knowledge" portion of the test. Now, they want to see if I actually KNOW anything about the subjects in which I will be teaching. After all, how can I teach something I know nothing about?

As an elementary school teacher, I will have to teach the same group of 25 or so children all of the subject areas.

That includes math.

So, I'm back to anxious nights of waking up in a cold sweat while screaming about fractions and probability.

I've got 5 weeks to study, and hopefully I will only need to take this test once. Then I can concentrate my efforts on taking the Language Arts Content Knowledge portion of the test to get me certified to teach middle school.

Where I'll never, ever have to do math again! :)

Last Day of School

Today is my official last day of school for the spring semester of 2011. Whew! It was a hard couple of months between roles of wife, mom, AWANA Youth Leader, Cub Scout Tiger Leader, and student (My goodness, I'm exhausted just reading that!).

I have 2 weeks of no school (but all of my other duties are still in full swing!), and in 2 weeks I start the first of 2 summer courses. Luckily, by the end of June when my 2nd class kicks in, my first class will be done, AWANA will be done, and cub scouts will be done for the year! I don't know what I'm going to do with myself!!

Oh wait, yes I do... I have to STUDY FOR THE PRAXIS II. Yes, the dreaded content knowledge. I need to take the Praxis II before November, so before I begin school again in September, I really want to have that exam behind me. I can't study for that, AND take 5 classes PLUS resume all of my previous roles.

It'll be worth it... It'll be worth it... It'll be worth it...