Early Summer 2015: I was incredibly honored to have been named Teacher of the Year for my district. As the year was wrapping up, I was busy filling out and putting together my portfolio as an applicant for the Oklahoma Teacher of the Year. In the midst of that whole process (and it was a process), all teachers in my building were asked to pack up their entire classroom to make the move to our BRAND NEW BUILDING!!!! So exciting!!! I as also able to attend World Music Drumming Level 1 at my Alma Mater in Stillwater, meeting some AWESOME new friends and drumming to our heart's content!!
WMD Level 1 @ Stillwater
Mid-Summer 2015: As I completed my Kodaly National Certification in 2014, our class (of 21!) was not about to let the next summer pass without a reunion... Hence, Kamp Kodaly 2015! We gathered together in Norman, OK, to watch our wonderful classmate, Scott Sexton, present "From Africa to Oklahoma" to the current levels students. It was a great kick-off to our weekend! Once he finished, we had a few snacks at Chelsea's, met for dinner at our favorite Mexican restaurant, and spent the evening folk dancing!!! The following morning, we gathered for a "round table" of topics, and discussed how we could open it up to all Level 3's for this next year! It was AMAZING, and I cannot say enough wonderful things about our class and instructors, Sandy Knudson, Bev Anyan, Casey Gerber, and Joy Nelson.
Late Summer 2015: We are told the new building will not be ready in time, so all teachers then UNpacked their boxes back into their old rooms. (They are now aiming for a move over Fall Break.) In the mean time, I was named a Rising Star for the OkTOY Program!!! There were quite a few music friends chosen as their district's T.O.Y. and we represented well!
My wonderful parents
The most supportive husband in the world!
August-October: New year begins (with a post of my favorite activities coming soon)! However, being that our school has (and is) growing, I am seeing most classes as doubles. Not ideal, but I do feel like I have the hang of it. To help remedy this, the PE teacher (the wonderful friend she is) and myself have been given a (mostly) FULL-TIME AIDE!!! Heidi is just about PERFECT! She is my ideal sidekick in that she is so artistic! She's been instrumental in making my lessons come to life this year, and I hate that I'll be losing her soon, as she'll be on a new adventure with her hubby out of state.
October-Present: Still in the old building, with a possibility of moving over our Christmas Break. Yes, there have been a few (....) construction mistakes along the way, but there is an end in sight!! We are all so ready to be in our new space - even my music room is connected to the auditorium and stage!! I was able to design the entire room myself (which was fabulous, as well as intimidating), but, despite any windows to the sun, I am so excited to get my students over there!!
Here's a sneak peek of post coming to you soon!!! Thank you for reading!! :)
