November Update

Hello family & friends! It's been too long! This fall has been a crazy, busy, and life-filled season for both of us.

Brian is doing well and looking studly in his new glasses courtesy of our optometrist friend Ketan, who finally helped convince him to get new ones.

His second year of residency is going well, too. There is much more responsibility, but he's taken it in stride and is confidently taking care of the area's youngest. It really is amazing to hear all of his stories and to realize how freakin' smart he is (don't tell him I said that--can't encourage him too much, you know).

As for me, the fall has been a litany of things: wonderful, stressful, educational, tiring, and yet encouraging. Even with 5 years of teaching experience under my belt, it is always difficult to start a new school year in a new place--especially with a new-to-me content area and curriculum--but difficult doesn't equal bad. I love my school, my students, and my colleagues; I've learned a lot about myself, my teaching style, and my content; and I've been blessed with lots of invaluable support to help me along the way. I'm slowly figuring out what needs to be done to make it all work, and it's definitely been getting better/easier as I go. It's just hard sometimes to be the "new kid," ya know? Especially when you're like me and want to do it right/well the first time. But, as with many things in life, I have to learn to take it in stride since "being new" will be happening many more times in the future as we continue our military moving adventures. I find this quote to be extra relevant and motivating when thinking of these types of things:

Happiness does not come from doing easy work but from the afterglow of satisfaction that comes after the achievement of a difficult task that demanded our best.  Theodore Isaac Rubin 

With all that said, I'm tired but I'm happy. And I'm continually encouraged by the hard-working, dedicated educators that I work with--today especially. We went as a staff to a study group through the San Diego Area Writing Project (SDAWP), and got to collaborate with other area educators on how to improve student writing. We put ourselves in our students' shoes, writing on six different topics,  and had to be vulnerable enough to share what we wrote others. It really makes you think about the process students go through as they are learning to write--not to mention how difficult it can still be even for grown people who have been writing their entire lives. My particular study group will be focusing on digital writing (which is what prompted this slightly disjointed post) and I'm excited to see what our readings and discussions will bring about in terms of improving students' digital writing worlds.

Ok, that's all that my brain can produce for now. Until next time, friends. :)