Hey friends! Well, it looks like I have been in DC for a week, which is crazy considering the amount of stuff we have done in such a short amount of time. I'll update you on the last few days. First of all, school is going well so far. I love Wilson High, the students are so diverse, so funny, and the teachers so dynamic. There does seem to be, however, classroom management problems. On Thursday, my first day of observing, my mentor teacher Mrs. Thompson had control of the classroom for the most part. At one point Mrs. Thompson was talking to me and a little wad of paper hit her in the chest. She immediately jumped up, stuck her index finger in the air, and with a very concerned/angry tone she said "Someone hit me with a spit ball!" It really took all of my energy not to laugh. Anyway, besides some moments where her voice had to be raised etc, Thursday went well. I already have things assigned for me to teach!
On Friday, my teacher was absent and there was a subsitute. The substitute decided to turn the class over to me while she sat back, and in turn, the students decided to see how far they could push me. I didn't appreciate it. The classes were taking quizzes during the whole period, so I basically just had to hand papers out and keep people from cheating. It turned out to be a difficult task. I'm already learning that the way to go here is with tough love. There was a particularly obnoxious group of boys in one class; when I went to stand by them to make sure they knew of my presence and wouldn't cheat off of each other, one boy said "I can't read my own handwriting." (They could use their notes) Fed up, I said, "That's not my problem." That surprisingly got a good reaction. haha Anyway, I'm learning slowly but surely and I'm excited to get more into the student's minds.
Friday night we went to my BYU director's house and spent the night so that we could go to Harper's Ferry and Gettysburg the next day. Here are some awesome pictures:
Harper's Ferry. This is where John Brown led a riot and started big momentum towards the civil war, civil rights, etc. This is also where Storer College is, the first college to allow all races and genders.
This is at Harper's Ferry where the Potomac and the Shanendoah meet. These are the lovely ladies that make up BYU's DC student teaching. Jamie, Me, Chanel, Leigh, Naomi, Katie, Melanie, and Mindy.
Jefferson came here, stood on a nearby rock, and claimed that this was the most beautiful view he had ever seen. I can't say I don't agree.
Me, Leigh, and Naomi under Jefferson's rock.
Gettysburg! Let me explain something...Gettysburg is a lot of landscape and small monuments for soldiers and leaders everywhere. That being said, I'll just give you the gist.
View from Little Round Tope, the ultimate point of advantage.
The castle/fortress on which we stood to get that view.
Us with our war faces and these studly reenacters. As Mindy said, their uniforms (or something) smelled like they had been crapped on. The photographer claimed this pictures was going up on Facebook too. Sweet!
Picketts Charge, the scene of the end of the civil war!
Alrighty, on to Sunday. My ward boundaries are really small, everyone lives within 5 minutes of each other. The problem is that there are like 300 of us and the closest building to fit us all is 30 minutes away which requires a car. Well this Sunday, Tyler was nice enough to give us a ride to church in his Jeep. Not too great for the hair but we do have a nice scenic view of the Potomac all the way to church...
Nala and Polly Pocket enjoying the ride.
Sunday night there was a free symphony concert on the lawn of the capitol. It's still so surreal to be able to say I live here and can be a part of such unique experiences.
They played stuff from the 50s, the Star Wars theme, ET, and a cool piece about Abraham Lincoln. And then came the rain...
My roomates and I, and the boys we came with were just standing there getting soaked until our fellow student teachers found us and made thier way down the lawn like a Chinese dragon under a clear plastic tarp. (My hair was straight at the beginning of the evening) They covered us and saved us!
I hope you can see that I am having a blast and that the fun stories will keep coming. I miss all of you who are not here, and am constantly keeping you in my thoughts! Aren't you dieing in anticipation to know of what adventures Memorial day will bring?
Kayaking on the Potomac. Yes, that's the Washington Monument and the Lincoln Memorial in the background. No big deal.
The water got shallow at one point and we bottomed out. Jamie jumped out and saved the day!
