goals

every august, i have lofty goals for the coming school year.
i tell myself, my husband, my teacher friends and just about anyone else who will listen that i intend to leave at a 'reasonable hour' every day.
and, somewhere deep down, i actually believe i can do it.
then, reality sets in.
and my goal becomes wishful thinking.
the initial goal to leave my classroom at 5 is a distant memory as i try to really leave by 6 or 7.
and when matt is away in korea, it gets even worse and i let myself stay later - justifying that there's always stuff to do in b-07 and it's better than being home alone.

with all that said...if i don't start leaving earlier i just may go a little crazy. i'm realizing that staying at school til 7 or 8 is too much for me (duh!). eating dinner late is no help in my quest to maintain a healthy diet. getting home late = going to bed late = tired/cranky mrs. roberts in the morning. i've started to notice that when i don't give myself time to relax and just be - i'm not 'ready' to be there for my kiddos.
all the planning/copying/grading/organizing in the world means nothing if i'm not alert and mentally ready to be there for my learning lions all day.

i'm sure this is basic stuff to most people.
but it's harder for me to come by and i want it to be true in my life.
as much as i love my job, my students and my classroom - there needs to be more to me and who i am.
being at school for 10-12 hours a day will leave no room for other things - and the thought of that makes me sad.
so...i'm going to try to make the effort.
to make some time for me.
to try new things with all my new-found free time. :)
to spend time with the people i want to love most.
to do things around my house.
to enjoy my job...but also my life.

this fall, i'm setting a new goal.
the new goal will not be a specific time - because i know that there will be 'those days' that i need to stay late.
the new goal for this coming season (and the school year to come) is to seek and find balance in life.
wish me luck, friends. :)

house.school.life.

after being told by some loved ones that my last post was a major downer (sorry 'lamaro'), i figured i'd lighten the mood at 'golly gee' with a brief update on the last month. :)
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we've been in the house for almost two months and it's starting to look like a place where actual people live. :) i think i'll be able to say this for awhile...but we're still working on the house. it'll probably be a never-ending cycle of renovation, repair and beautification.
despite the work to be done, we're enjoying our humble little abode and are loving the freedom to dream big...and wait until we have the money to follow through. i'll try to upload some of the pictures off my camera and post them soon.
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school started at the end of august.
honestly, the first two weeks were really rough and i was having some serious concerns about the year to come. i've been told that i should never compare one class to another - so i'm working on that this year. last year, i had a great experience with my 'super cheetahs'...and i'm hopeful that this year with the 'learning lions' will be a positive experience, too.
one struggle is the fact that 75% of my students are at a level 1 and 2 in their english ability, which means they are still developing their vocabulary and skills of the english language. this can mean that i ask a question and am faced with a deafening silence and many blank stares. at first i was a little frustrated (not the best reaction)...and now i'm aware of their struggles and am trying to work with them at their level. it's growing me as a teacher and helping me to be more patient and creative with this group. they are a sweet and helpful bunch of kiddos and i'm eager to see where this year takes us. :)
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besides the house and the job, life has been swell. we've been lucky enough to have plenty of quality time with great friends and our families - it's nice to be close enough to see the people we love often. we're also going to start helping with the junior high youth group at our church.
they made an announcement a few weeks ago...it sounded like a good idea...we inquired...we signed up...i hope that it is a good fit. :)
i think it'll be fun to interact with older kids, have some fun and help them to learn more about Christ at the same time. i just hope they like me...funny how junior high insecurity never goes away, even though i'm a full-fledged 'grown-up'.
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ideally, my posts will be more frequent. realistically, i will be lame and post once a month. i know some blogs i read have done a 'picture-a-day' format...maybe that can be in the cards for october? i do love all things related to fall. if anyone wants to do that, let me know - maybe we can do it together and maybe it'll keep me accountable. :)
i'm off to staple practice books for my students to read tomorrow (darn me and my procrastination) and then go to bed to ready myself for another day with these kiddos. :)
happy week friends.