Hello friends and family!

First I would like to confirm that I am, indeed, alive and well. I'm sure a few of you were wondering about it since it has been about two months since I have posted anything on here.

I have been a teacher for a full month now! I can't believe it.

Progress I have made so far in my teaching:
-I have already made about a million changes to my syllabus. When I created the syllabus everything was hypothetical: the students, what I wanted to expect from them, the materials I required, etc. Now that I have met the students and have worked with them, I have noticed how inaccurate my syllabus really is. So there's that... but, hopefully by next year we will have a much more accurate one :)
-Pacing was my first and has been my biggest struggle. Periods are 43 minutes long, which doesn't leave enough time to do a whole lot. I have learned to not only think about each period as a lesson, but figuring out if I need to spread the lesson out in two or three days in order to give them enough time to practice the skills themselves. I already feel like planning is a million times better than it was that first week, but I still have SO much further to go. That is one thing that I am realizing is the greatest and worst thing about teaching- teachers are constantly learning and adjusting. It keeps things fresh yet makes it hard to settle in to things.
-The students. I love the students! They are hard working and respectful, for the most part. :) The area we are working on now is diminishing and eliminating the talking while I am giving classroom instruction. I continually have to stop talking and wait until they are quiet. At the end of last week I was very stressed about this because one of my biggest fears in the classroom is that I will lose control of it. I talked with many of the veteran teachers here who have great classroom management skills and they have been so generous in sharing their thoughts, advice, and recommendations. We have made baby steps this week and have gained little victories here and there... I am thankful for that!

There have been so many moments where I have felt completely overwhelmed with what is being asked of me. Many times, I feel inadequate and inept for the tasks of the day. It is at these times that my quiet times with God are crucial. He gently reminds me that He is with me. He has provided colleagues and co-workers that have been such amazing resources, mentors, and constant encouragers for me.

Isn't it incredible how God always has our back? Just when you think you can't keep going, God steps in and leads you through it. I hope that encourages someone else out there, because I have to remind myself of that every day.

I love you guys so much and am thankful for your prayers and support! I will try to not let two months go by again before I post on here.

Lean on God today. He will not disappoint. :)

This is a picture of my roommate (Melissa) and I on our 'hurricane day' where we got off school for a pretty mild storm by the time it came through here.