New Job Update

I recently started professional development for my new teaching job at a charter school on the west side of the city.  So far, I am TOTALLY loving it.  That is actually a serious understatement.  I am loving everyone that I work with, I am loving the methods they are training us to use, and I am loving being able to successfully put into practice some strategies that I learned in college.  To make a long story short, I learned about "Reader's and Writer's Workshops" while I was in college.  These are unconventional teaching methods that have proven to be very successful at improving reading levels and comprehension.  Galapagos (where I work) uses these methods and I am so excited to be a part of it.

I really feel like this new job was a great fit for me, and it is making me a better teacher every day.  I am sure I will have my share of challenges, but the support that the staff has offered is unbelievable.  The professional development opportunities that have been offered and will continue to be offered are meaningful and helpful.  I feel like I have grown so much in the past 3 weeks, and I am so excited to see what will happen once I really get into the year.

I truly miss my past school, and I definitely get sad when I think about my students or see other teachers posting on facebook about what they are all up to together.  They were an amazing staff as well and I was truly blessed to be part of their staff last year.  Still, I feel like I am in the right place at the right time for Roger and I, and also just for me as a professional.  I am growing so much, and I love that my beliefs about education fall so closely in line with the school that I am currently a part of.

I am loving Chicago life!

Honeymoon

Our trip to Jamaica was SO amazing in SO many ways!  We truly had a blast and can't wait to go back soon (perhaps for an anniversary trip).  If anyone is looking for a fun vacation to go on, I would HIGHLY recommend Jamaica!

We spent most of our time enjoying the beach and relaxing at the swim up bar, but we had one great day where we went on an excursion.  Brady, Kelly, and Kevin gave us money as a wedding gift specifically to be used on an excursion.  So, we went to Mystic Mountain in Ocho Rios and had a day of fun!  We rode a lift through the rain forest to the top of the mountain where we saw AMAZING views.  After reaching the top of the mountain, we rode a Jamaican bob sled ride (think the movie "Cool Runnings"), then went ziplining through the rain forest.  Holy moly, it was awesome.

We lucked out, because the other excursion that we thought about doing was "Dunn's River Falls" which is pretty much just climbing this HUGE waterfall.  Luckily, it was right next door to Mystic Mountain and they work together!  So, we only had to pay $6 more to be able to go to Dunn's River Falls too!  That experience was AWESOME!

We ate dinner at the resort every night in one of their many fine restaurants!  Our favorites were the Oleander Room, Tokyo Joe's, and the Stewfish Grill.  It was truly an awesome time and I would recommend Sandals Montego Bay to anyone!

So much to update on... later...

Hello all!
I'm so sorry I've been so bad about blogging. The problem is, I have TOO much going on to blog about! In the last two weeks, I've gotten married, moved to Chicago, and started a new job! Nuts! For now, I am just going to attach some of my favorite wedding pictures.... I will be back with a MUCH longer update very soon!