All Quiet on the Homefront

Back in June, I didn't think it would be possible to totally forget about school, but I'm proud to say that I have successfully managed to do so in July! The first few weeks of July were insanely busy with work, community and church projects and/or travels. Last week, we packed our bags and headed to the beach for our annual family vacation on the Gulf of Mexico. It was wonderful. As I laid on the sandy beach in the warm sunshine and listened to the waves crashing on the shore as my kids and husband giggled having fun in the background I realized something: I was RELAXED. I wasn't worried about anything. I read a stack of books just because I wanted to not because I had to for a class. I had no idea what time it was, and I didn't care. I wasn't even thinking about anything in particular, I was just enjoying myself and the simple pleasures of life. Times like those are so rare in my busy life. I wish there were more, but I understand that the rarity of those moments is also what makes them so valuable and treasured.

There are only a few weeks--maybe three?--until class begins again. I've tried to clear my work schedule so that I can get a few household organization and cleaning chores completed before the school year begins. Today, I'm trying to organize an easier way for menu planning and grocery shopping (something that I hate to do and always seems to suck away my time). I'm currently reading about Nannygoat's 30 Meals Plan and also checking out new recipes at $5 Dinners. My biggest obstacle is finding recipes that coordinate with our family's lifestyle eating (lower carbs, no refined or processed foods, lots of veggies, etc.). Any of you non-traditional college students have any recommendations on menu planning, healthy eating and/or simplifying grocery shopping?

A Quote for the Ages

I recently stumbled upon an interesting blog called Langwitches about integrating learning through technology. But regardless of whether or not you care about integrative technology, one post listed this quote should capture your attention:

"It is bad enough that one cannot learn anymore for the rest of one’s life. Our ancestors were able to hold on to the education they received in their youth; instead we must relearn every five years, if we want to keep up with the times."

--Johann Wolfgang von Goethe

This quote completely validates my personal learning and teaching philosophy which can be summed up as: "You don't have to know all the answers, you just have to know where to find the answers" and "Learning should be an ongoing, lifelong adventure."

Funny thing is, von Goethe lived in the early 1800s...how much more does this quote apply to our fast-pasted, technological-based world today?

I passed!

Today I was able to access my "unofficial" teacher certification test scores online...and I passed! I'm breathing a big sigh of relief because I would have been totally embarrassed had I not passed!

I'm a little uncertain of what I have to do next and I can't find out until I call the state's department of education on Monday. If I understand it correctly, it will happen like this:

1. I must be reviewed by a panel for licensure (Teacher Competency Review Panel or TCRP). I understand that it's not in-depth, but an approximately 15-minute interview.
2. TCRP forwards recommendation to state department of education, I pay any required fees and I am given an initial teaching license. I think that means I might be able to teach this fall, but I'm not certain.
3. I must complete a certain amount of professional education. In my case, I must complete six hours. The amount of hours varies from person-to-person based on their working/professional experience within the field they will be teaching. (In other words, I couldn't be a florist and just walk in and get a teaching certificate.) I can complete this after licensure. I think I will be completed with this portion of the requirements by December having taken one class in my master's studies this summer that should meet half of the requirements and the other class to be taken in the fall.
4. I must take the OPTE (Oklahoma Professional Teaching Exam) which assesses a person's knowledge about skills needed by educators in order to teach successfully. I can not take this test until after I receive my initial license, but I must complete it in order to receive a five-year teaching certificate. I plan to complete this test this fall.
5. Like all first-year teachers in the state of Oklahoma, I must be assigned a "mentor" during my first year who will regulate my progress and (I assume) be available for guidance.
6. When I complete my graduate studies, I will also have to take the certification test for Library Media Specialists. Additionally, I plan to take the English certification test since I was an English Ed major as a "traditional" student.

I'm pretty excited and much relieved. I will be calling the TCRP as soon as possible so I can get my interview set up (hopefully this summer) and send my resume to our local school administrators. I feel like I'm finally making progress!

Summer Vacation

"Vacation is having nothing to do and all day to do it." --Robert Orben

According to this quote, I haven't officially started summer vacation. Even though my days are still busy and full, at least it's not filled with course work! I'm trying to catch up from being gone but so far, softball games, appointments and birthday parties have prevented me from doing so (yesterday I hosted a tea party for my daughter's 7th birthday--it was fun, but time consuming). I'm thinking I might be able to find an hour to hang out at our backyard pool today. Maybe I'll mow the lawn this afternoon and get so hot that the cold water will be irresistible to me. Here's to hoping!

Home Sweet Home

I'm home again and summer school is over! I'm SO glad that I did it--definitely worth the time commitment to get nine hours (nine tuition-free hours at that!) completed. For now, I'm going to focus on SUMMER and enjoy a little time with my family.

Time to Wrap it up

For almost three weeks we've had a great time at summer school learning, laughing and enjoying one another's company, but I think we've finally reached our threshold. It's clearly time to wrap it up here. Everyone is beginning to get cranky and sensitive. There is a lot of whining, complaining, and finger-pointing going on. People are starting to sweat the small stuff.

Personally, I find it amazing that we've lasted this long. Usually, when you get a bunch of women together for weeks on end, the drama begins before the end of week one--lol!

Like I've said before, I'm really glad I had this experience, but I will definitely be really glad to get back to my home, my family and my life, no matter how crazy it all may be. :)

Great Resources

Summer school has left me with a variety of valuable tools and resources, including:

• a new circle of friends and acquaintances for networking, brainstorming and who can help me survive the rest of grad school
• a list of electronic resources and online tools of which I had no previous knowledge
• books that I can use to create lesson plans
• ideas or "lessons learned" from other teachers who have "been there, done that" so that I don't have to
• more university contacts that I can turn to during grad school (for help) and beyond (for references)