Big lights will inspire you, let's hear it for New York, New York, New Yooork!

In case you haven't already decoded Jeff's encrypted messages about being "In the Empire State of Mind," it is official that we are going to NYC next year. Jeff got into Columbia University for dental school, so we will be there for four years. Jeff got an email yesterday and received his packet in the mail today. We still are in disbelief but extremely excited! Jeff didn't even want to tell people until he officially received his packet in the mail because he said it just didn't feel real. He's worked very hard and he deserves it. After talking about it since the acceptance, Jeff is confident this is the school he wants to attend for dental school. President Cecil O. Samuelson talked to Jeff's pre-dental class last winter semester and advised them all to apply to at least one school they didn't feel qualified to attend. Columbia was Jeff's school that fit into that category. I guess President Samuelson was advised to do that from his dad, which resulted in him applying to Johns Hopkins and getting accepted. It was advise he continued to follow as he searched for jobs and applied to teach at Duke Medical Center and was given the job. Jeff decided it sounded like good advice, so he applied and got in! It's not going to be cheap, but it definitely will be an experience we will never have again. Let's just say in our excitement we've heard Jay-Z's "Empire State of Mind" song over and over and over again. The next step is for me to find a job. I am excited that I get the chance to teach again in an urban environment since that's what I went into teaching to do. I guess it worked out better than we could have ever imagined it would.



So anyone want to come visit us next year?



Can you believe that will be our home?

Do you want to know why my skin is so beautiful...

So I was talking about teaching in Washington, D.C. to my students. I was telling them that the class was a lot different than ours. They noticed that the students all had dark skin and they said well some people in our class have dark skin but not skin that dark (I don't have any African American students in my class, which is pretty typical for our entire state). One boy started pointing out who had dark skin. Some of the people he pointed out were white but had dark complexions, but others had dark skin because of their parents diverse nationalities. I said we are lucky that we have so many different and beautiful students in our class. This girl comes up to me and says "do you want to know why my skin is so dark and beautiful?" I asked her why and she informs me that her grandparents are Italian. I gasped and said, "Oh so that's why. I've been wondering why your skin was so beautiful!" She grinned and said, "Yep that's why it's so beautiful." Super, super cute...

Crying in Class

So yes...I started to cry in my class today. Not sobbing crying, or even tears running down my face crying. But if I hadn't stopped myself, I am sure it could have gone that far.

It's no secret that I have one interesting student in my class. Because of his unique (cough, cough) personality, most other students stay away. However, the girl that I have him sitting next to is an angel. I have always thought she was very nice and pleasant, but the more I see her interacting with him the more I think she's simply magnificent.

Today in class she was his partner for centers. She was so patient and really tried to help him focus. Every time she read a word, he'd do his usual quirky thing and say "What?" She'd repeat it and emphasis her pronunciation. The interaction went a little something like this:

Her: "Clock"
Him: "Huh?"
Her: (slightly louder) "Clock"
Him: "What'd you say?"
Her: "Cl-o-o-ck, k, k" (slowly enunciating each sound)
Him: "What?"

Well you get the point. Sadly that was not the end of their conversation for that particular word. But what really brought me to tears was her intuitiveness.

He didn't want to do his vocabulary, so I tried to convince him it was sooo easy. He doesn't enjoy writing, so he didn't want to write any vocabulary words. I knew that my learning objective wasn't to see how well he spelled the vocabulary words but was to see if he knew how to apply the words, so I told him all he needed to do was draw lines to the words instead of writing them. The girl noticed I said that and she turned to me and said, "Oh, so we don't have to write them?" He turned to her and said matter-of-factly, "Oh, no no no. You don't have to write them. Just draw lines to the words." I leaned behind his back and while see was still looking at me I mouthed "Write it" as I moved my hand in a writing motion. She nodded slightly. I told him, "But you know some people can choose to write it if they want to." She turned to him and said, "Thanks for telling me, but I think I am going to choose to write it." Then she looked at me and smiled. What seven year old actually is discrete enough to do something like that? Any of my other students would have responded with something like,"Teacher I can't hear what you're saying," as I was trying desperately to conspicuously mouth my directions.

It was after that moment that I started to cry. I just walked away, but I truly felt blessed to have her in my class. I think sometimes when people going into teaching they forget that the purpose of teaching isn't always to change students' lives. I have learned a lot from my students and I know I still will. Some have really touched my heart and show me the type of person we all should be a little more like.

This student is truly a kind soul.

Start spreading the news, I'm leaving today...

I want to be part of it,

New York, New York!

So Jeff's already on his way to UNC and will be heading off next to interview at Columbia in New York City, UNLV in Vegas, and UCSF in San Francisco. Holla!

Jeff's big fat black rain cloud

So the UNC news was a little too good to be true...Jeff saved up to buy both of us All Sports Passes for the BYU football games. Sadly, the UNC interview falls exactly on the same day as the BYU vs. Florida State game here in Provo. Jeff was so upset he looked up the other two interview days for UNC to see if he could reschedule for a later date and oddly enough...they just so happen to be on the same day as the other two big home games for BYU. Jeff feels that his sacrifice of missing such an important game should automatically earn him a spot at UNC. And as for me, welp...oddly enough I am a basketball fan that will now be attending the Florida state football game without Jeff. Lame. Way to rain on our parade UNC...