Trainee Turned Instructor!

Just wanted to let everyone know that I have officially... become a Jazzercise instructor! Thanks to all of you that have been praying for me and encouraging me to keep on going! I was really nervous this week preparing for the written test and audition, but everything last night went amazingly well. I felt very at peace and had a lot of fun.

Today and tomorrow I will be heading back to Dallas to attend seminars that will help me put sets together, perfect my "moves," and learn the business end of the franchise. I plan to be teaching my own classes in only a couple of weeks! Very exciting! I was telling Ben last night that it is really neat to go after a goal and accomplish it. It has been a very fulfilling process. I am so excited about helping other people achieve personal fitness in a healthy and FUN way!

Countdown Mode

One of the best things about teaching 5th grade is that the end of the year goes by quickly. As 5th graders- (the top of the elementary school food chain!) we get a few extra priviledges. We have a kickball tournament with the kiddos for the last week of school and also have a swimming party on June 4th (June 5th is our last day of school). Truly, we are in countdown mode! In honor of the end of the school year, I thought I would add to my blog a very important list that all teachers will smile and agree with!

You Know You're a Teacher When...
HOW DO YOU KNOW YOU ARE A TEACHER?by Jeff Foxworthy
1. You can hear 25 voices behind you and know exactly which one belongs to the child out of line.
2. You get a secret thrill out of laminating something.
3. You walk into a store and hear the words "It's Ms/Mr.> _________" and know you have been spotted.
4. You have 25 people that accidentally call you Mom/Dad at one time or another.
5. You can eat a multi-course meal in under twenty minutes.
6. You've trained yourself to go to the bathroom at two distinct times of the day: lunch and planning period.
7. You start saving other people's trash, because most likely, you can use that toilet paper tube or plastic butter tub for something in the classroom.
9. You want to slap the next person who says "Must be nice to work 8 to 3 and have summers off."
10. You believe chocolate is a food group.
11. You can tell if it's a full moon without ever looking outside.
12. You believe that unspeakable evils will befall you if anyone says "Boy, the kids sure are mellow today."
13. You feel the urge to talk to strange children and correct their behavior when you are out in public.
14. You believe in aerial spraying of Ritalin.
15. You think caffeine should be available in intravenous form.
16. You spend more money on school stuff than you do on your own needs.
17. You can't pass the school supply aisle without getting at least five items!
18. You ask your friends if the left hand turn he just made was a "good choice or a bad choice."
19. You find true beauty in a can full of perfectly sharpened pencils
20. You are secretly addicted to hand sanitizer and finally,
21. You understand instantaneously why a child behaves a certain way after meeting his or her parents.

A sigh of relief!

I am excited to say I have good news on the Jazzercise front! I taught two more songs today and they went great! I think I am finally starting to ease in to being comfortable on stage. Any time you are put on the spot in front of people there is risk involved--- but hey, how would we experience anything without trying, right? I got two Jazzercise instructor shirts and a new pair of shoes, so now I feel like I'm suited up for the job.

In other news, our best friends Nick and Elisabeth Srader are having a HUGE celebration tomorrow! Nick is graduating from Criswell College!! These two have been our long time friends (aka family) since we moved to Denton over 5 years ago. It has been amazing to kind of "grow up" together as married couples. I'm so proud of Nick's accomplishment and I can't wait to par-tay tomorrow at their house after the ceremony. I am truly blessed to have such a great friend in Elisabeth, and Ben and I are so thankful to the LORD that we are able to share this wonderful weekend with them!

Jazzercise "Junkie" turned "Flunkie"

So I'm writing to blow off a little frustration with myself. I am admittedly a Jazzercise Junkie. Those of you who are into Jazzercise probably understand this term. It is given to those people that attend regularly and the instructors can call you by name... if you aren't there-- they wonder what is wrong!

I decided to turn my passion into something more... I have decided to try out to be a Jazzercise instructor. It may sound easy, but my friends, it is no simple task. Because Jazzercise is a franchise- I actually buy into the company and become a franchise part owner. It will be a great Tax write-off, and investment. Besides the financial commitment, there is a staunch try out procedure. On the weekend of June 13-15th- I will travel to Dallas to audition. There I take a written exam (on exercise physiology and anatomy), turn in CPR certification, take several classes, and then perform 2 out of the 10 routines I have learned ahead of time. These are pulled at random, and you have to teach them to the other people that are trying out, who act as your students.

All of that said, I have spent the last several weeks learning how to teach the routines I thought I knew. It is completely different when you are standing on a stage, listening to the music, many people standing and staring at you for direction. Not to mention I am somewhat of a "spatially challenged" person- and I am trying to say "Grapevine right" when my body is moving left. You also have to make sure you cue far enough in advance that people get the direction- but not too far ahead.

So today I feel I had my first flop as a future instructor. I have been practicing and practicing the routines, and my mentor, Anne, had been preparing me to get on stage and do the real thing for a real audience. When I tried my hand at it today-- well, I have to say I just need to keep my chin up and keep trying. I came home sobbing, feeling somewhat embarrassed and thinking that some of these people might not be too excited about the new instructor joining the team! It seemed that every thing I had practiced flew right out of my head. I know that my "Type A" personality doesn't leave much room for error, but it is hard for me to give myself any grace when I feel there are people paying to have a good workout!! :)

So my husband has graciously offered to be my guinea pig student and let me practice in front of him so I can get my jitters out, and hopefully not feel like such a "Jazzercise Flunkie" next time. If any of you are interested in joining me for some practice sessions, let me know. I could really use the help and experience from my friends.

So if any

Prom Night 2008

So I went to Prom this weekend.

Ok, I went as a chaperone....with my husband....to Centennial's Prom at Southfork Ranch.

As part of Ben's admin. internship he has to do 125 hours of observation. We headed to the Prom and were given the following duties: picture police, and dance floor patrol. The school did a good job of setting up ground rules for the evening. There was a dress code that had to be followed: no really low back dresses, no plunging necklines, etc. Let me tell you there were quite a few unhappy ladies that had to stuff pieces of fabric into their fancy dresses!

Probably the highlight of the night was "helping" couples separate themselves from makeout sessions and back to front dancing (not sure why the grinding is so popular these days?) It was quite funny to think back on those high school days.

I couldn't help but wish I could go up to these young people and tell them not to waste their time, energy, and emotion on empty infatuations, that only end up in broken hearts. Unfortunately- so many of those relationships have such drastic consequences! So many life changing decisions can be made in those moments... I'm so thankful that God protected both my husband and myself from heading too deeply down the path of teenage angst. Watching the kids made me think about starting to pray for my own kids to trust in the Lord of perfect love, and for their protection from Satan in a scary world.

Thankful

I've been thinking lately about one of the things I am most thankful for....

I am really so blessed to have such a Godly, hard-working hubby. Ben is doing overtime right now trying to complete his grad degree in educational administration in addition to the extra hours he constantly puts in as a high school choir teacher. For the UNT program, Ben has to complete 125 hours of admin. observation (outside of his regular day). Not once have I heard him complain.

How lucky am I to have a man who is motivated, willing to make sacrifices, and seeks to please the Lord in his daily walk. I am really excited about our future and all it holds.

Forces of Nature

Thanks to all of you who prayed for a safe trip at Sky Ranch. We really had a great time and the kids truly enjoyed the experience. We had very few hiccups and only a few minor behavior issues. As far as I'm concerned I can mark this year's fifth grade trip a huge SUCCESS! :)



Now you may be wondering why I marked my post as "forces of nature..." Well myself and three of my fellow teachers were part of an experiment at Sky Ranch that involved a zip line and gravity at work! Needless to say my students took much pleasure in watching me walk up to the top of the four story building and zoom off into a huge wooded area. I pretended it was no big deal- but when I got to the top and was having to trust a flimsy looking cable- I was trying to figure out the best plan if I needed to break my fall!



The point was to see how the students could change our speed by adding elements. For example, at one point they had a back pack with a large block of solid rock on my back (we learned I could go nearly 3 seconds faster!).



What was funny was that the third time I went down, the students had to figure out how to slow me down. They had me tie a tarp to my shoe laces and ride (and I quote...), "Like you are a flying squirrel!" down the zip line. I was excited to win the big prize because we succeeded in going the slowest (it took me a whole minute) to get all the way down to the ground. It was fun- and I may have earned a few brownie points with my kiddos--- One can only hope! :)



Other fun camp memories include making the pet llama, Tina, (hence Napolean Dynamite--- however Tina is a boy!) spit on one of the fifth graders, discovering the differences between boy and girl animals with my students, getting into a shouting match with another school over who is the "crunkety crunkest," and watching many of my students eat smores for the first time!



Ok, one more funny story! One of my "precious ones" asked the horseback riding instructor what he should do when his horse had to go to the bathroom. He replied, "Just keep walking... he'll just go as you're riding." His comment? "Well won't he have to squat down on the ground?" QUITE the learning experience, I say!