Youth Conference

One of the many perks of being in YW (laurels, to be exact), is going to Youth Conference.  I LOVED Youth Conference growing up… a full weekend to hang out with friends, and everything is planned out for you.  Having had such great experiences with YC in the past, I was actually really excited to go this year as a leader (although I was confused for a young woman way too many times).  And, it did not disappoint.  Everything was planned out so well, and the kids really did have such a great time.  

For YC, we went to an old high school in Superior, AZ, which is now owned by somebody from our stake.  It's "Superior High School," and it hasn't been in use since 2002.  The high school was in great condition though, and accommodated everybody who came (we slept in old classrooms).  We did all our meals outside, played plenty of games in the gym, and stayed up until 3 am on Friday night (curfew wasn't until 2 because of all the games/movies going on).  Needless to say, I was exhausted Saturday night when we got home.  

"Minute to Win It" game (it lasted about 10 minutes, before all the kids decided to pop the balloons :)

Getting dance instruction 

Friday night dance, and hot chocolate outside

The sleeping arrangements… Courtney and I shared an aero bed.  We slept pretty awesome :)

More games

This activity (above) was pretty funny to watch…the kids are like a big link

The girl leaders, and the whole group

Perspective

I know it's been a while since I've really written anything on this blog (mostly just pictures), and who knows if anyone still even reads this anymore, but today I had an experience at school that I just don't want to forget.  It probably doesn't mean anything to anybody but me, but for me it was what I needed. Today for Music my kids had a sub.  I dropped them, and many of the kids recognized him from other times he had subbed at the school.  When I returned, to pick them up, the sub just raved about the kids, and kept going on and on about how good they were.  He continued to say that they work great as a time, and really worked well together.  When I asked him how many points they earned (3 points possible), he said 3 without even thinking about it.

This got me thinking… If somebody can enjoy my students that much, why can't I enjoy them all the time?  Why do I have such a hard time appreciating their talents, and good behaviors.  It gave me some perspective, and really made me take a step back and think, do I really make the classroom a place where the kids walk out excited, and do I appreciate them to the fullest?  I definitely don't do that now… I find myself constantly frustrated with my class, not necessarily the students, but the class in general.  Whether it be because of a chatty day, not getting to all the curriculum, or having so many kids confused that I don't know what to do with myself, I am constantly feeling defeated in my classroom.  Now, I understand that the Music teacher only had the students for 30 minutes, and I would probably be a hero too if I only had them for half an hour, but it still made me feel a little guilty for not really loving my class like I could/should.

Teaching is a hard profession, and it's just getting more and more difficult with the Common Core being implemented.  I always admired teachers while growing up, and I went to school to become a teacher, but it's just so different than what I imagined.  It genuinely is hard work.

Anyway, sorry for the rambling… Just wanted to write about the "perspective" I gained today :)

October Happenings

Living in AZ, we don't get much of a "fall."  Our fall includes temperatures in the 80's (sometimes 90s), and no leaves changing colors.  It makes it difficult to do things that are fall related, but we still managed to do a few fun things this month (with the help of friends).  

First, we did pumpkin carving for FHE a couple weeks ago.  The pumpkins went bad in about 3 days, but Tyler did a great job carving one for us :)

Playing with Lincoln before carving

 Our finished product (pumpkin puking)

The 4 different pumpkins

 Finished the night with ice cream & pumpkin bread

Something else we did this month was go to the AZ State Fair.  We went with the Saagers, and enjoyed a LOT of food (donuts, deep-fried oreos, kettle corn, and chocolate covered bacon-NASTY), people watching, the petting zoo, one ride (everyone but me), and some other fun things.  

 Right when we got to the fair, Brad was selected for this "Secret Circus" act, and was given the nickname, Stargazer.  It was pretty hilarious, to say the least.

I love some good, fair kettle corn :)

 This stuff was disgusting!

Last week we also went to a murder mystery party.  Courtney put the whole thing on, and all we had to do was dress our part, and bring a side to share.  Needless to say, we go the easy part...Courtney did most the work, and did an awesome job.  I was Lulu, and Tyler was Dr. Al, and we were both old (I was a widow and Ty was a bachelor) characters.  We both sprayed our hair gray, and I wore old women reading glasses, and Ty wore a gray mustache.   At the close of the party, it was revealed that Courtney's character was the murderer.  

Last Saturday was our ward's Trunk or Treat.  We didn't dress up, but we did go and support :)  The Banners brought their ferris wheel from their backyard, and after all the kids rode it, the BIG kids (aka Brad & Tyler) had to ride it too ;)

Normally we're not big Halloween people, but Brad's mom puts on a huge Halloween party every year, and we were invited, so we decided to have an easy costume, and make a night of it.  The house was incredible, and definitely the best-decorated house I think I've ever seen.  And the food...wow, the food was great :)

 The boys losing at ping pong 

 Some of the decorations...

 More decorations...

Wow, if you stayed for that entire post...good job!