Thank You's

One of my favorite Robowrangler traditions is that at the end of every season all the students write Thank You cards to all the mentors. Today after school I was cleaning out my old desk becasue I got a new one and I found my bag of them. I sat and read through them again and it was exactly the pick me up I needed. I've been in a funk since school started and I think this will get me out of it. People sometimes ask me why I'm a teacher, or why I spend so much time doing this for the Robotics team. Well this is why:
You are by far of all the people I have encountered throughout my lifetime the one that I feel has affected me the most. You have taught me that nothing should stop you from reaching your goals, and that no disadvantage is insurmountable in any situation. You have taught me many a life lesson, and so much more. I have learned from just watching how you deal with some of the toughest situations I have ever seen someone in that you can always succeed. You have showen me that though life is tough you are never truly beat unless you allow yourself to be. Though this isn't typical of a teenage boy to notice I know that you are one of the strongest women that most anyone will encounter throughout their lifetime. I have nothing but the upmost love and respect for you, you have truly changed me for the better.



I know that only oceans, novels, and the universe are supposed to be epic, but you fall into that category!




I can hardly put into word how thankful I am for all you do for us. You deal with the political school logistics, making sure we all eat, work alongside us, make sure we are OK and so many more things I could write forever. You've inspired me to work harder and never give up, no matter the odds. Thanks for being my big Wrangler. (:-p Simbot reference)




I honestly don't know hot to start this. The more I think about it, the harder it is. I love our talks during academic advisory, girl's day, and I know that I can talk to you about anything. We help each other through the difficult times, and laugh it off after we've managed not to kill anyone. I am going to miss our talks next year, but I won't be too far and I can always stop by to make sure that no one is in danger of getting stabbed :-p You've become a big sister to me, and I can't wait for all the fun times ahead. You're the best, and I love you.




I want to thank you for everything. Every time I have a question you always listen and do the best you can to answer even when you are busy. You stick up for me when I get left out and always make me feel welcome. I love when you see me in the hall sometimes you scream out my name and tell me you missed me. You are a fantastic teacher and have made my time on the team a great joy.




Nothing I could ever say, nor could any words I write down on this paper ever convey just how grateful I am to have you as a teacher, coach, mentor, and friend. You have done so much for this team and we appreciate all the time and effort you've spent to ensure that Team 148 is always at our best. I've grown quite close to you , and I don't know how I am going to handle graduating and moving away from all you people I've come to know and love.




In case there was any doubt, I KNOW I have the best students in the world. I would go to the ends of the earth for them. And I want to thank them for being the best they can be every day and being my Robowrangler family. They help me just as much as I help them.

1 down, 36 to go

Well week one of the 2012-2013 school year is in the books. All in all it could have gone worse.

The first week of the school year for you non-teachers is all about pure survival. If you make it through without a complete mental break down it's a success. I did in fact make it through, and only a little worse for the wear.

One of the posative things about this school year is that in most of my classes I have students I have already had at least once before. This takes of the immediate stress of learning lots of names, and establishing yourself as "the teacher" in the first few days. As a very young looking 28 year old female, whose only 5'2" this has actually been pretty stressful for the past few years. In case you don't believe me there are still teachers in the building that mistake me for a student all the time. Whenever they tell me this they think it's funny, or that they are the first person to ever do it. It gets old pretty fast.

One big change I am going through is that for the first time ever since I start teaching I am not teaching any math classes. To some people this may sound great, but to me it's been difficult for 2 main reasons. The first is that I actually love teaching math. I mean I really love it. And not to "toot my own horn" but I'm pretty darn good at it. I've been trying to pick up some tutoring jobs on the side to keep this part of my life, and also to supplement my income a little. The second reason this has been a weird transition is that the math department at school are my closest friends and confidants at work. Once you don't teach the same classes as they do you start to lose a little of that close relationship. I already feel "left out" for lack of a better phrase. I guess it's just something I have to adjust too and create realistic expectations about. 

But what's great about this year is I have some amazing potential opportunities in front of me that I can't wait to take advantage of. I am in the middle of starting a new part of our robotics program at Greenville using VEX robotics. It is a new adventure for me that comes with a lot of stress. Failure is not an option. For me or for the district. Part of this new adventure is hosting a VEX regional at the high school. While I am not in charge of his effort (thank goodness) I am definitely going to play a big role in the organization of the event. I just want this program to offer an outlet to the students as a way to get introduced to engineering and robotics without the major stress and commitment of the FRC program.

On Friday night we had our first varsity football and game and the robotics team was there in full force fundraising like crazy. I had a bunch of new students come out and it was great to start to get to know them!