Thankful

It's been a whole minute since I have taken the time to write a post.  I'd love to say that I've been busy traveling the world and solving world peace, but that is not the case.  I've been working and spending time with friends and family.  And to be honest, I quite like it that way.

Yesterday ended the my first semester as a full-time teacher. I literally have no idea how we went from August to December so quickly.  I feel as if each year flies by faster and faster.  This has been the most incredible year.  I absolutely adore the people I work with and where I am working.  I could not have asked for a more friendly and supportive group of people to be surrounded by.  I feel so thankful to know all of them and call them friends.  My students have given me some of the most incredible memories and experiences.  One of which was my own wedding that caused quite a bit of amusement at the Junior High.  Thank you for that, students.  (To clarify, it was a fictional wedding, but planned and very real to some of my students nonetheless.)

After recent tragedies that have struck our country, people often seem to put things into perspective.  However, this horror that struck Newtown, CT is something that baffles me.  As a teacher, I see so much potential and life in my students.  I can't imagine how or why someone would want to take that away from a child or family.  During this time, my heart breaks for the small community and I am sending many, many thoughts and prayers their way.

This past six months I have traveled to see friends, spent time with family, and spent a great deal of time teaching and coaching.  As cheesy or lame (you be the judge) as it sounds, this is exactly what I want to be doing.  I can't imagine myself doing anything else.  I feel as if that's a good sign because if I could see myself at another job, my career choice might be in question.   Luckily, that is not the case.

As this year comes to a close, I am very proud and thankful for the number of changes that have taken place in my life.  I am looking forward to what the coming year will bring.  This has been a year filled with many learning experiences.  The old adage, " You live and you learn," rings so true with me.  If you aren't living life to the fullest, you aren't learning.  Next year, I vow to live more and learn more.

Learning Daily,
Annie

Coming to terms with the end of...

Volleyball season.

It's been two weeks since the end of my first season as a coach.  Two weeks ago, my high school team lost in the second round of state playoffs.  My sweet, talented, second-year team made it to the second round of state playoffs!  For the first time ever, a second-year program made it to the playoffs and HOSTED a playoff game!  Before the season began, we had 3 goals:

1. Have a winning record.
2. Make it to State Playoffs.
3. Host a playoff game.

It's incredible to say that we accomplished all three goals!  I came into this job, and was so excited to begin my career as a coach!  I was so excited to be coaching along side my high school coach, who has always been family to me.  He and his family have always been such a part of my life since high school.  He and his wife have been the best possible mentors this year as a teacher and coach.  I have no idea what I would have done without them.  When it became official that I was going to be coaching this year, he told me, "Now Annie, I know you are competitive and live for winning, but this is a second year team... These girls are just learning the game.  You are going to have to tone it down a little."  I was prepared to... in a word... lose.  I could not have been more wrong.  I have never met a harder working group of girls.  They are true athletes.  We ended our season 19-16.  With losses to 6A schools.  Seeing as we are a 4A, second year team- we were inevitably going to get beat by teams that were better than us.  These girls played their hearts out, they learned the game, and they wanted to win. This past season was one of the best experiences of my life.

During the season I was team-mom, team-pharmacist, team-watergirl, team-therapist, team-baker, team-motivator, team-chauffer, team-entertainer... you name it.  And I wouldn't change a thing.  I loved every second of volleyball season and can't wait to begin another.  I owe a huge thanks to all the players, parents, coaches, families, and anybody who helped one of my dreams come true.

This is me, coming to grips with the end of volleyball season.  It's not going very well.  Love my team.

Learning Daily,
Annie

Why, you ask?

Many people (namely my non-teacher friends) ask me pretty regularly, "Why do you want to teach?"  Aside from the next to nothing salary, helping to raise 80 pre-teens, teaching that math and correct grammar are important, and so on... I can understand why people ask.  However, for those of us who are teachers, the answer is easy.  We teach because we want to make a difference.  We want to see that lightbulb go on for that student.  We want to make the math-hater warm up to the idea of pre-algebra.  We want to see these kids succeed in and out of the classroom.

To those of you who know me well, it will probably come to no surprise that in my classroom, I call my math "Crazy Lady Math."  I'm loud, have funny songs/phrases to remember things, have goofy posters in the room, and so much more that drives my kids nuts.  Crazy as it may seem, they score pretty well on their tests, if you ask me.  So until I can tell that it isn't working, "Crazy Lady Math" it is.

Below are some of the reasons why I adore my teaching/coaching jobs.

- I had one girl who was struggling with math at the beginning of the year.  She came to me and asked if we could start tutoring sessions after school.  I sent some information home for her parents to look over and discuss when we would start.  A week later, the same girl came up to me and said, "Ms. Goodwin, I don't think I need a tutor anymore."  I proceeded to ask her if she changed her mind or found a friend to help her study... Her response, "Well, I've never liked math because no one has ever made it fun.  I'm getting what we are doing in class now because you make it fun."  I COULD HAVE CRIED I WAS SO HAPPY

- My theme song on test give back day: Chumbawumba's "Tubthumping"  For those of you who have trouble recognizing the title of the song, it has the famous chorus, "I get knocked down, but I get up again.  You're never gonna keep me down."  I teach my kids that if we do poorly on one test, there will be another one to make it up on.  No need to beat ourselves up and get upset about one test.  Another perk of this theme song is that I have successfully introduced a new generation to one of the 90's worst songs.  Ahh, sweet success.

- To be honest, these kids are just plain funny.  I've gotten drawings of "banana cars" on my tests, excuses for why homework wasn't finished, and so much more.  If only I could give bonus points for having a creative imagination.

- In one class, I was teaching 'the four step plan.'  With 'the four step plan,' you use the same four steps to solve every problem.  While teaching the lesson, I asked a student what the next step was... His response was LITERALLY as follows, "I'm sorry Austin's not here right now, leave and message after the beep and he will get back to you.  BEEEEEEEEEEEP!"  Priceless.  I was so impressed and surprised, that I left a message at the beep and called on the next student.  Touche, Austin... Touche.

- Coaching has been one of the biggest blessings in my life.  I teach 8th grade, but coach high school volleyball.  And nothing can lift my spirits more than a text from a player saying, "You're the reason I love volleyball!" or "Thanks for believing in me tonight!"

More to come!

Learning Daily,
Annie

It's been a hot minute since my last blog update.  I hate that I haven't had the time to blog, but I literally haven't had the time.  Starting right after my last eventful post, things began to take off.

In July, I began my career as a coach.  I am currently the assistant high school volleyball coach.  This has been the best adventure I have been on.  I have been to two rounds of volleyball camp, junior high practices, junior varsity practices, varsity practices, home games, away games, tournaments and MUCH more.  It has been so much fun to get back into volleyball.

In August, I began my life as a teacher.  I cannot imagine loving my job more than I do.  I love teaching pre-algebra.  I love teaching 8th graders. I love my school, my fellow teachers, and everything.   It has been the biggest blessing in my life.

I have funny stories and more below for you!

"Ms. Goodwin!! Come look what I just did!" (I come running over, hoping that one of my students just solved a two-step equation independently...) "Look!  I wrote my name backwards!"  (Walk away...)

Please see the answer to number 27...

... God is the answer, but not in this case.

"Is there a Mr. Goodwin?" (HAHAHA)

More to come!
Learning Daily,
Annie

And the Memories Begin

Well faithful blog readers, this is a rare and special occasion. I am blogging twice in less than 24 hours. I hope I don't get any of you too excited because I highly doubt that this will occur frequently.

Today, as you know, I moved out of my Starkville apartment and into my new apartment. I had the most amazing help from my parents and some of my very best friends. Big props to the parentals and my MVFs (most valuable friends). Mom and Dad- the move wouldn't have been possible with out you. Thank you! Lauren- you will always be my dad's favorite. I think you have earned a higher position than me in his will. And I can't thank you enough for you help loading, unloading, organizing, brain power, and friendship. Casey- your organization, encouragement, handiness, and hulk-like muscles were the biggest help. Davis- I strongly believe my dresser would not have made it to my second story apartment without your help and strength. My dresser is not moving from this apartment for a long time, possibly ever considering how hard it was to maneuver up the stairs.

As I hoped for in my last post, memorable stories have already occurred in the new apartment. Moving my furniture into this bad boy was memorable enough to last me a life time. Lauren and Casey so wonderfully decided to stay with me on my first night. We unloaded the truck, ate dinner at my parents', made a Walmart and wine run, and were organizing. As our night was winding down (roughly around 12:15 am) I walked through the kitchen and smelled gas. Immediately, I asked my friends to validate the smell and my sanity. They smelled it too. My normal instinct at this point would have been to call my parents. However, they were most likely deep in sleep. So, we called Casey's parents. We told them the story and asked what our next move should be. Casey's dad, who is a firefighter, suggested that we call the fire department and have them check for a gas leak. He said it was normal and happened pretty regularly. Great, I thought. Not only have I been clanging up the stairs all day, moving furniture across the door, hammering nails into the wall, but now I was going to have a firetruck come to my apartment in the middle of the night- sirens blazing. Not off to a fantastic start of making friends with my new neighbors. Naturally, I had Casey call the fire department because I was very busy in my state of panic. Needless to say, 10 minutes later a huge firetruck (with lights and thankfully no sirens) arrives at my apartment with 4 smoking hot firemen. I answered the door, explained that I just moved in and what our concerns were. They were very helpful and understanding. And did I mention they were smoking hot? As one of the hotties was running carbon dioxide tests, the fire chief was looking around my apartment and asked if I had any smoke detectors installed... After a long, awkward pause I attempted to explain my complete lack of smoke detectors. Apparently these modern marvels are $5 at Walmart. They are now the first thing on my to do list for tomorrow. As they were checking I'm sure they were appalled at the amount of fire hazards created by boxes, appliances, trash bags, and the likes. They continued to run their tests... And found nothing. However they were nice enough to explain that we probably did smell gas and did the right thing by checking. You would be proud to know that all three of us twenty-something girls conducted ourselves with grace and maturity in front of the hotties. However, as soon as they left we began gawking and swooning. Only to discover that said hotties were waiting outside the door. And likely heard every word we said. My luck is fantastic (not). I'm still not sure if they were making us feel better or actually found something, but they returned to my apartment to let us know that they ran more tests outside and think they found what we were smelling.

All of this occurred in the first 24 hours of the lease for my new apartment. Needless to say, I'm sure more stories will unfold. Thank you to Lauren and Casey for staying with me tonight and being absolutely amazing.

Lessons learned today:
My new type of men- firefighters.
My new struggle- meeting men under the wrong circumstances.
Typical Annie Problems.

Learning Daily,
Annie

Home Is Where the Heart Is

I dedicate this blog to my roommates.  The official roommates: Lauren W, Laura Kay, Lauren R, and Morgan.  The unofficial roommates: Hannah Grace, Casey, Victoria, Brooke, Chelsi, and anyone who should have claimed 503D on their tax returns.

Today I literally have all of my belongings in my living room of my Starkville apartment and am getting ready to move to my big girl apartment!  As exciting as it is to officially be moving to the next chapter, it is also really sad to be leaving such a huge part of my life behind.  Starkville has my heart.

During my four years at MSU, I've lived in 3 places- Griffis (Nerd Alert), the Kappa Delta House, and 503D (x2).  Each place has memories that I couldn't forget if I tried.  As I've been packing up the apartment that I've lived in for two years, I've found myself getting very sentimental.  This should come as a shock to no one.  Sentimental might as well be my middle name.  Anyway- with all its struggles, I have truly come to love 503D.  Our sweet duplex has had its fair share of problems.  And by fair share, I mean more than enough.  Some include, but are not limited to- Harry Potter's room (yes, we have a cupboard under the stairs), closets that can't fit more than 3 hangers, 3 different air conditions, complete lack of air circulation to the upstairs, holes in the wall, wobbling fans, 2 different dishwashers,  and much more.  

One point of extreme pride and embarrassment for 503D is that it is possibly the only house in America that has one of the original microwaves installed and still functioning.  Not only can this microwave not fit a large dinner plate inside it, but somehow the microwave door was installed upside down.  That irritates this OCD girl beyond belief.  Another charming feature is that the upstairs shower, aka my shower, was built by midgets.  It had to be.  I've always been a tall girl, and currently stand at six feet tall.  The shower head is literally at my shoulder.  I consider it a miracle that I have not fallen to my death while showering.  On the bright side- my limbo skills are now something to brag about.  503D has always been the underdog, always has a struggle.  One of the greatest struggles has been with our washing machine.  When Lauren, LK, and I moved in we had a washing machine that was possibly older than all of us combined.  But it worked.  So we didn't complain.  Until one day, it didn't.  We called the landlord to bring us a new one, and so the struggle began.  They found us a brand new one, but they had to take the door frame off of our back door to get it in our house.  They replaced it, and we thought we were on our way to clean clothes once again.  However, with our new washing machine we couldn't open our back door.  This presented quite a fire hazard and was frowned upon by most of our visitors.  Strangely, the three of us didn't think this was a huge issue.  Once again, the door frame was removed, our new washing machine taken away, and we were given another washing machine that was even older than the first.  It works, but has to be propped up by Lauren's College Algebra book in order to remain level and drain properly.  Struggle McStruggle.

This completely quirky and dysfunctional apartment has given me so many memories and laughs.  Sometimes, you just have to role with the punches.  And usually, you can get a pretty good story out of it.  For some reason, I'm going to miss this odd apartment more than I can say, but I can't wait for my new one!  I'm sure there will be many more stories to tell.

Learning Daily,

Annie

Ohh, we're half way there

The title of this post gives tribute to one of the great philosophers of our modern age, Jon Bon Jovi.  "Ohh, we're half way there.  Ohh, living on a prayer."  We are half way through the summer.  Crazy, huh?  It feels like just yesterday I graduated.  In the course of the past month and a half, so many changes have happened.

The most significant- I got a job!  I have a teaching position at a wonderful school district as an eighth grade math teacher and assistant high school volleyball coach!  I literally don't know if I could be more excited.  The teaching position is the one I have wanted since I started the teaching program at MSU.  I know that pre-algrebra and algebra one sound like death to most people, but I literally love math.  I know, nerd alert.  I've accepted my nerdy-ness and moved on with life.  I can't wait to hopefully instill some passion for math in my students!  I am also INCREDIBLY excited to become a part of the high school volleyball program.  Volleyball has been a passion of mine since the fourth grade.  I can't wait to coach volleyball.  However, one funny occurrence has already happened.  While it causes some embarrassment, I feel that it is necessary to share it with you, my dear blog readers.  

Setting: High School Gym

Time: Annie was last for the first summer practice (No shock.)

I wore my hair down.  For any boys reading my blog, I did not have my hair in a pony tail.  I normally would have worn my hair in a pony tail, but I wanted to present myself a coach and not a player.  I sat down on the bleachers to put my shoes on (because heaven forbid I wear my volleyball shoes on the outside pavement.).  Well, not long after I sat down.  One of my sweet players came to sit next to me and asked if i was trying out of the team.  PARDON?  I politely told her, "No, I'm actually graduated from college and am the new assistant coach."  Needless to say, I identify with this sweet player of mine.  I literally would have done the same thing.  

I am very excited to be entering this next chapter of my life.  I am so excited about my position, the school I am a part of, the district I am joining, and so much more.  I feel so blessed to have all of this come my way.  I can't wait to share exciting stories of math trials and triumphs and well as volleyball trials and triumphs. 

While this part of my life is set and ready to go, so much is still up in the air.  I am currently looking for a place to live, roommates, furniture, organizations to become a part of, and so much more.  Lots to look forward to and keep you updated on!  So much to do and so much to learn!  

Learning Daily,

Annie