Hey everyone!
Wow, once track season started I definitely slacked on my blog! I am so sorry! My 2nd grade class this year was phenomenal and I absolutely loved them! We finished our year strong and they are all going to be great in 3rd grade. They definitely made my last year at Clarksville a memorable one!
And so...as most of you know, I have been a 2nd grade teacher at Clarksville Schools for the past two years. This year though, they unfortunately had to cut me at the end of the year because of budget cuts. Ouch. Yep, it was a hard 6 months and honestly, I cried every night for along time because I just did not want to leave my tight-knit community and all those amazing memories I had made there. I have no idea how to wrap up my time at Clarksville, but I am definitely going to try to do my best.
In order to wrap up my time at Clarksville, I'm going to choose my top 10 favorite memories from this school and community. I have so many more memories than just 10, but here are my top 10! :)
10. MY VERY FIRST CLASSROOOM:
Clarksville School was the first school district I ever taught in and it will always
hold a very special place in my heart.
9. RANDOM THOUGHTS OF APPRECIATION:
In a small school, you often rely on coworkers, friends, and family to get you through those rough times. The amount of Thank You's and notes of appreciation I was given by coworkers and family was unbelievable. You know you're in a great school when you have people always caring about you, when they are so busy in their own lives as well. This random gift card came to me by mail at school and I still have no idea who it is from, but wow, what a generous thought and I can't wait until the day I know who sent this because you lit up not only my eyes, but the students' eyes in my classroom because they had never seen something so random but nice done before! :) Thank you to whoever you are! :)
7 & 8: MY STUDENTS:
Your first class always holds a special place in your heart but this time, I have to say 7 & 8 are even because both of my classes were so great to me! They all had different personalities, interests, ways of motivating, and ways of caring. The amount of quotes I have saved from these two classes continues to make me giggle every day, from "Miss N, you sound like Katniss off of Hunger Games" or "Miss N, you're the best teacher." They were so precious and to know I made an impact on their lives just makes me giddy! I just love my job! :)
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| My 2nd year class! |
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| My 1st year class! |
6: COACHING:
Wow, I knew I wanted to coach someday, but I never imagined it would be so soon. I am so glad God guided me into coaching because it has made me into a different human being, and has also made me appreciate all of my former coaches so much more! I was the COED Assistant Track Coach at Clarksville for 2 years, and I LOVED IT. Being able to make an impact on young adult's lives was remarkable. Yes, they are young adults. They were trying to manage college classes, prepare for college, get good grades, and be involved in COUNTLESS activities and sports. Not only did I get to interact with the young adults but with their families as well. It made me feel more in tuned to the community getting to know adults and their athletes and seeing them throughout town all the time! :)
5. COWORKERS:
Yep, these are my coworkers. My small, teeny tiny staff that I loved so much! Many people will look at this and say "That's all?" Yep, that's all. But wow, did we do work? Talk about a tight knit group of teachers. Of course I saw some more than others, but I always knew that when it came down to it, they had my back and would defend me or help me in any way. And that's what this picture represents. We wore pink for all the pink slips being handed out because of the government's lack of funding. Look at how they supported me as well as another teacher. They fought hard and I can't thank them enough for being so understanding and so caring during this difficult time for me. I will miss each and every one of these ladies so much.
4. MY COOPERATING TEACHER:
Wow, where do I even begin? Anything I say will not be enough to honor this great person that I have come to know so well and become such good friends with. Her name is Tina but it should be Mother, Teacher, Caregiver, Wife, Coworker, and so much more! This lady is a woman of many talents, but her best talent is her caring personality. She took me under her wing like I was one of her own and I cannot thank her enough for that. Any first year teacher will understand where I am coming from. She acted as my second mother when things got rough and I needed a shoulder to cry on or simply exchanging stories of our crazy kiddos who we love so dearly. No words will be enough to show what this woman means to me and I can't imagine any cooperating teacher being as great to me as this woman was. I will miss you so much Tina and you were so great to me. Thank you!
3. A NEW FRIEND:
Jill. Oh gosh where do I begin. First a coworker, now a very close friend. This girl is exactly like me in so many ways. First we are VERY alike because we are both teachers...duh! :) Now, we love to have fun, but know when to be serious. We laugh at each other when trying to be serious in school because we know both of us just want to laugh out loud at what's happening a majority of the time! :) We try not to let things bother us, but when they do, oh boy do we know how to be mad. Do we love our job? ABSOLUTELY. But do we know there is more in life than just work? Yes. And that is what this girl taught me. She taught me how to live my life, even with a full time job. Offering to let me come hang out at her house or go for supper or a drink, a walk when time allowed, or helping her coach Junior High Girls Basketball. The most important thing I will never forget are our phone calls on the way to school and on the way home from school. Not every day, but a lot of times, it was our only time to catch up because kids do not allow for teacher talk time! :) Jill, thank you for letting me be part of your world for 2 years. I came to know how to live life with a full time job and make memories that I will never forget. Here's to many more memories! :)
2. MY FIRST JOB:
Clarksville Schools was my first real, big girl job...like with benefits, IPERS, yep, the whole shabang! :) And man did they treat me good! This school was one of the best, and there is a reason they are still on their own, yep one small tiny teeny town. They work together to make the best things happen and being part of that for 2 years was so cool to see. From being a teacher, a coach, and a citizen, I can say that I truly do know Clarksville and I got to have the privilege of calling it my home for 2 years. Thank you to everyone who made my journey in Clarksville an unforgettable one.
1. OPPORTUNITY TO GROW ON MY OWN:
Clarksville was the small town I was looking for when I graduated. I needed time on my own, to grow up and develop into the person God wanted me to be. I spent countless hours running, walking, and biking around this small town and on it's amazing trails. I knew nobody when I came to this town, and that is exactly the experience I needed once out of college. It made me a stronger person than I have ever been and though there were times where I got very lonely or hated living on my own, I grew from it. I learned alot about myself in these two years at Clarksville that have made me a better person than I was before. Looking back on my time at Clarksville is so memorable and gosh, I will miss everyone there so much, but God has a different plan for me now, and I can't wait to see where this next adventure takes me! :)
A few tears, smiles, laughs, and 10 memories later...
I know it's alot to read, but I needed that. I needed to somehow preserve the memories I made in that small town in just 2 years.
Thank you all for reading..and until next time...stay safe! <3
Stay tuned to my new journey....
I'll give you a hint....
FORMING FUTURES IN FIRST GRADE...! :)
