Change of Plans!

I received an email today, and I will be teaching 3rd grade instead of 2nd grade! I am so excited about this news! I was in a 3rd grade classroom last fall and couldn't have loved it more! Having an experience in the grade I will be teaching will be a huge help as I start my first year! My aunt also just retired from 3rd grade and has given me many things from her classroom! It is all working out perfectly!

Speaking of 3rd grade, I just want to mention how wonderful my own 3rd grade teacher was! Mrs. Sarah Ann Evans was such a blessing to me in school! I learned so much, and she is a huge part of me wanting to become a teacher. She had the perfect balance of being fun and meaning business. I can only hope to be half the teacher she was!

Just a little heads up of what my schedule will be like the next few weeks. I move in on Saturday. (woohoo!) New teacher orientation is Monday, July 29th-Wednesday July 31, and all teachers start August 1st. Kids start August 12th! I will see my classroom for the first time on Monday!!!!!! I literally cannot wait! I will be posting pictures and telling you all about my first day this time next week!

It's Not "Goodbye", It's "See You Later"

Well, six days left in one of the best places in the world. Auburn has been so gracious to me the past four years, and I am definitely leaving here a better person. I could not have imagined a more perfect college experience. I had two wonderful jobs with the best bosses, and I was constantly surrounded my people who loved and supported me in my endeavors. Not to mention all the friendships I have made! While it is sad that I am leaving this place, it is also so exciting to see what is next! Bittersweet.

The beautiful Samford Hall. 

My sweet six year-old that I babysit was out of town this week, so it gave me some time to pack. Let me just say that I HATE packing. The good thing about packing is getting rid of things I don't need. I filled many many trash bags full of things I didn't need, and it felt good!!! That being said I still have all of this from my room:

And that's just from my room, kitchen boxes not included. 

I said not "goodbye" but "see you later" to one of my dearest friends Friday. Amber and I had all of our classes together junior and senior year, and we taught across the hall from each other last fall. She has moved to Charleston for Teach for America! We will be teaching in similar situations, so I am excited for us to share experiences and encourage each other along the way! I've always wanted to visit Charleston, so what a better reason to go than to visit a friend!

I said "see you later" to many of my best friends earlier in the summer, but that doesn't make this week's "see you laters" any easier! Thankfully the sweet friends I will be parting with this week will still be in Auburn this year, more importantly only an hour and a half away from me! It will be a fun week of babysitting and eating at all my favorite places with some of my favorite people! Let my last week in Auburn begin!

A Dream Come True

"Trust in the Lord with all your heart, do not depend on your own understanding. Seek his will in all you do and He will direct your path." (Proverbs 3:5-6) This has always been my favorite Bible verse, but I truly learned the importance of it this summer. 

I graduated from Auburn in May with a B.S. in Elementary Education. I have wanted to be a teacher for as long as I can remember. Both of my grandmothers and several aunts are teachers. I also had the most fantastic teachers in elementary school. Props to Barkley Bridge for setting such a great example of what elementary education should be like! 

The job search this summer was very slow. I was starting to get a little worried when it was the middle of June and I didn't have a job yet. A sweet friend encouraged me to look into Fulton County Schools (in Atlanta). I did so, and that same day I had three interviews set up. A week later I had accepted a 2nd grade position at Brookview Elementary School, Home of the Pandas! My sorority mascot was a panda, so you can imagine the excitement I felt knowing I could decorate my room with pandas!

My parents went with me this weekend to find a place to live! I will be 20 minutes from school, 20 minutes from grandparents, 2 minutes from my dad's cousins, and 30 minutes from an aunt and uncle (all depending on traffic, of course)! I am so blessed to be surrounded by so much loving family! (Not to mention its just an hour and a half from Auburn!)

It is going to be a crazy two weeks, but I am so excited for the next stage in life!  My heart is so full knowing I will have a classroom full of second graders needing all the love and prayers I can give them! I promise to do my best keeping my blog updated with lots of pictures and fun stories from 2nd grade!