HOME!

I'm home! I've been back in Stratford for 2 days and I already feel rejuvenated. Home and family are an awesome healing power.

My trip back with Maggie was mostly uneventful but incredibly enjoyable. It was really nice to spend some alone time with my cousin and re-connect. It has been a long time since we've had a chance to talk and enjoy each others company so thoroughly. We shared many laughs and created many memories that will put a smile on my face for years to come. We decided to make a list of things and animals we saw along our journey. Here is that list:

1 live dear
Many (too many) dead dear
1 prairie dog
1 turkey vulture
7 trains (moving)
Lots and lots of road kill
Lots and lots of tire pieces
16 abandoned cars

We traveled through 3 provinces and 6 states. We laughed, we cried (due to laughter), we prayed for our lives (Chicago was crazy). All in all, it was an excellent adventure with one of my favorite cousins and I will cherish our time together forever. Thank you, Maggie, for being an excellent travel companion.

"Together, we will dream, believe, strive, and succeed!"

I have officially survived my first year of teaching!

It seems like just yesterday I was writing a blog describing my first day/week of teaching and now .... it's over ... for the summer. It's amazing how much I learned in just one year. Although at times difficult, I would not change a thing from this past year. It has all made me a better teacher and a better person.

Thursday night was graduation. One of my students said to me, "Ms. Greensides, now that the year is over I can tell you ... you really are a good teacher. I learned a lot from you about English and stuff." I had to hold back my tears.

A teacher's first year is the toughest ... it can make them or break them. What I realized is that this is truly what I was meant to do. I was born to be in the classroom. I was born to be a teacher.

Room 131

Today I cleaned my classroom. I took everything down off the walls. I emptied my desk and I cleared my book shelves. I then piled it all into my cabinets for safe keeping over the summer. It's amazing how different a classroom looks once you have stripped away all of the learning. All you are left with is an empty shell. I found myself looking around at the blank walls and the empty space and I couldn't help but imagine what it will look like next year. I'm already taking mental notes of how I'm going to decorate and how I will attempt to get the students' attention. I also couldn't help but reflect on the past year. Before I left for the day, I stood at the doorway peering into the classroom and I was remembering what I was thinking and how I felt eleven months ago when I first stepped into the room. I remember feeling a tad overwhelmed (OK, more then a tad), scared, and hopeful. Today, I felt proud, excited, and ... hopeful. My first year of teaching is coming to an end and although at times it felt unbearably difficult ... I survived and my students survived. Together we learned some valuable lessons ... some curriculum based and some not. We shared laughter, anger, frustration, excitement, and shed a few tears. So, today I cleaned my classroom. The walls are bare and the shelves are empty ... but ... the memories that I made will forever linger.

Girls Day Out

Yesterday I went to P.A. Some people might think that we are crazy ... driving five hours each way is not something most people will do just to get away. It was; however, totally worth it. Here is a breakdown of my Saturday:

*woke up at 5:21am
*picked up at 6:15am
*drove to P.A. Arrived at 11:00am
*visited the liquor store ... stocked up on necessary liquids to survive the next 2 weeks
*ate Wendy's = delicious!
*watched movie: "Sex in the City 2" = fantastic .. perfect "Girls Day Out" movie
*went to Shopper's Drug Mart ... shopped
*went to Safeway ... shopped. Picked up my favorite pickles ... seriously the best pickles in the world.
*stopped at Tim Horton's
*drove back to La Loche ... arrived at 10:00pm

This was an absolutely fantastic day with the girls! It was a much needed de-stresser at the end of the year and provided me with what I need to get through the next couple of weeks. Thank you ladies for the wonderful conversation and the many many laughs.