My fairy tale proposal

Taking a break from the student teaching posts for a minute...

I HAVE TO TELL YOU ABOUT THE BEST THURSDAY EVER.

As most of you know, I've been dating Mr. Kyle Koning quite seriously over the past year. We'd talked marriage plenty. My family loves him, I love him, and everything was pointing towards marriage. I knew it was only a matter of time until he proposed, but I wasn't sure if he was capable of surprising me.

But, oh, he did.

I was driving home from Trinity for Easter weekend on Thursday.

My dad called to see how far I was - normal.
He said we were going to go out to dinner - normal.
My best friend, Jess, decided to go come too - normal.

I got home, and Jess and Mom were there waiting.

Asked where dad was, Mom said he was held up at work - normal (if you know my dad's job, this is normal)
Mom told me to brush my hair - caught me off guard, but yeah, okay.
Set off for the restaurant, where dad would meet us - normal.
Dad was going to be late - okay.
Pulled off the road to go to my favorite park - ummmm... okay, sure.
Started walking and talking with Mom and Jess - okay

Kyle pops out from behind a tree - what.
I spot Dad with a camera - I told Kyle that when he proposed, someone HAD to take pictures... OH MY WORD. I KNOW WHAT'S HAPPENING.

So then the love of my life held me and quoted Lord of the Rings to me about spending his one life with me rather than a thousand eternities alone. Then he got down on a knee, called me by my full name and asked me to marry him.

Response: "Yes, of course!"

So with my best friend and my parents watching, as the sun set with brilliant hues of pink, I got engaged to the man I'm going to spend eternity with.

Is this guy good, or what?

Going Up

 **student teaching week 15**
This past week improved quite a bit from the previous two weeks. Though the kids were still talkative and occasionally disrespectful, I felt better about the week and I think the kids enjoyed, mostly, what I was teaching. This week I was introducing the students to Poe, which is the next unit we begin. Despite my nerves about it, once I found a mystery story to read, I was excited to go through it with the students. And the students seemed intrigued, too, and after the first day some even read ahead to find out the ending. I could hardly discourage that, although I encouraged them to keep some details a secret. The story ended up taking the whole week, which was unexpected, but actually allows for me to have more planning ahead for the week to come. In the end, I'm more excited about the Poe unit than I was a week ago.


Another positive that came toward the end of the week is another new behavior system, which my cooperating teacher was planning to implement in the last unit of the year anyway. It involves Class Dojo, and marking when students display a negative behavior. My teacher and I discussed which behaviors need to be cut down, and what consequences we will enforce. It was then explained to the students, and has already been implemented. I'm hoping this also improves the students' behaviors or reinforces what's appropriate for the classroom.


I am hoping these next three weeks remain on the higher side as far as good behaviors and fun with the students. I want to have positive relationships with these students, and I love it when I can laugh with them. I want to end this semester on a high note, including with my students. With only three weeks left, I am leaning on God's strength to carry me through.

We're Getting There

**student teaching week 14**
In light of what I wrote about last week, I'm going to start out this week just listing some of the positives:

• 2 days this week, I taught only 3 of the Language Arts classes and the advisory class because the first two classes were taking PARCC testing in the morning. While this had some negative effects as well, easing into the morning just silently watching kids take a test was a pretty nice start to the day
  
• my cooperating teacher had me implement a system she's used before to get the kids to be quiet quicker – hold up a timer and time how long it takes. If the class gets to 5 minutes by Friday, they all have a lunch detention. It did seem to work better for getting them to get quiet quickly, and no class got to 5 minutes
  
• CST traveling company performed A Midsummer Night's Dream for us Friday and it was fantastic
  
• Friday we were able to go outside during advisory class because it was so gorgeous and sunny
  
• some students in 4^th hour commented on Friday how I was a nice teacher, which was good in light of some other comments I'd been getting that day and the previous day
  
• I didn't feel as behind on my planning as previous weeks
  
• I was in bed by 12:00 or 12:30 most nights
  

I'm not going to go on to list negatives because no one wants to read a list of complaints, and really my footing seemed surer this week. However, I will go on to give you a window into some more portions of my week.


This week we continued our Shakespeare unit, though it was basically the last week. Monday's lesson went all right, because it was mostly reviewing who all of the characters of A Midsummer Night's Dream (AMND) are – it does get confusing! I also showed some clips I found on youtube of some of the scenes, which is how Shakespeare was intended anyway – to be seen. The kids were pretty talkative on this day, though, but I started the new timer system. However, advisory did not go well. The students wanted to go to the gym, like we do many days, but I was told to just keep them in the classroom today while my teacher finished with the PARCC students. They had an assignment – check their grades, make a plan for how to improve them – and then just had quiet time to read or work. However, most of the students didn't want to stay in the classroom and were pestering me most of the class. One student kept getting up and going to walk out the door, but then would come back. However, eventually, he ran, saying he was going to the gym, and slammed the door in my face. I stepped into the hall and he was nowhere in sight. Just at that moment, my cooperating teacher was coming down the hall and I told her. She called the office just before the student returned. He told the principal he was going to go to the bathroom, but he was given a consequence anyway because he had not indicated anything to me other than that he was gone. However, this student continues to challenge me (and honestly, most of the teachers). He has taken to calling me by my first name, mostly to get a rise out of me, which is why I show little reaction. He also refused to listen the rest of the week in advisory and told me repeatedly this week how all the students dislike me. Thankfully, I have a thick skin in regards to his comments and am also aware that he's just trying to get to me. But it doesn't exactly feel nice either.


Tuesday's lesson was a flop, really. I was trying to do a jigsaw activity with an article about what Shakespeare used as sources for some of his characters and plot points of AMND, but few were understanding what to do, even after it was laid out step by step on the board, and they refused to go with the groups I split them into. As a reflective teacher, I realized by last hour this was going nowhere, so switched up some tactics and worked through the article as a whole class instead.


Wednesday improved. We watched portions of the movie version of AMND and looked at specific, important quotes to try to decode some of the language. Most students appreciated watching the movie clips and that kept them quieter.


Thursday was better still. The students were assigned a short writing piece – 2-3 paragraphs – arguing why Puck is the protagonist of the play. We first discussed who they thought might be the main character, and why. Students seemed engaged in this, and then I explained that we'd be specifically considering Puck as a protagonist (as required by my teacher). After laying out the guidelines for what I expected, including explaining setting up quotes using the analogy of an Oreo, students got to work and worked on this again on Friday.


Friday was by far the best day – students worked for the whole period, we saw the play, and it was a sunny day. However, I got more comments from a couple other students that I was not being nice to them and was only ever picking on them. These came after I had circled the room a few times, reminding them and several other students in other areas of the room to stay on task and get to work. Now, I know that I was giving other students reminders to stay on task and so I wasn't singling them out, as they claimed. Additionally, I never raised my voice to them, only redirected them away from conversation. However, as a reflective teacher, with about 4-5 students in the week making comments about either disliking me or thinking I was mean or unfair (one student had similar comments Thursday because I wouldn't allow him to eat in the room and I was telling him to quit talking numerous times), I couldn't help but wonder if something in me this week was more harsh than usual, or if this was the students just getting defensive and I was in the clear. Most of me says, after thinking about it, that because I've started being more firm and giving stricter consequences, students are reacting. I would need a third, adult opinion about my behavior this week, though, because maybe there was something I wasn't seeing in how I interacted with students. Yet, the attitude I display for students will be something I will keep in mind going into this week.


We're beginning Poe this week, and it honestly has me quite nervous. I'm supposed to be teaching them the biographical information about Poe and other background material, and then after Easter starting “The Raven.” Poe is someone I have learned very little about as a man himself, and the last time I read “The Raven” was junior year of high school. To add pressure, my teacher is a Poe fanatic and was describing how she had to plan and provide materials for the other Reading and Language Arts teachers because she wants this unit done “right.” As a positive, I do have the long weekend to think about “The Raven” and we are only easing into Poe this week because Reading isn't ready. Yet, MAP testing is also throwing a wrench into plans because a) my students take them Thursday then the following Tuesday and Wednesday and b) the teams decided that instead of shortening all classes to just change which classes we see each day. So with break in there, there are some classes I don't see for just under a week, so I can't plan anything big that they will forget when they don't have class or anything that bridges the weekend. On the plus side, working with this schedule at least prepares me for standardized testing schedules when I'm a teacher!


I have 18 school days left at this placement – 2 four day weeks and 2 five days weeks. At this point, I don't know when I'll be transitioning out of full-time teaching – if that will be at the end of April, at the end of the Poe unit, or if I will be teaching 6 classes right up until May 9. I'm just taking it a week at a time, trying to do everything that's needed, no matter how much time that takes. I'm hoping that soon I will have time to actually enjoy my last weeks with my friends, with the Trinity community that has meant so much to me over four years, before graduation and we all spread to different parts of the world (literally... I have friends going global), even if that means just an hour a day that I take a breather from schoolwork and planning.


In this week of Holy Week, I also hope to be filled and reminded daily of what this week means to our faith. Thus, though I may not be getting spiritually filled at school, I pray that I be granted time to filled with special activities on campus this week that will then allow me to pour out an extra measure of love in the classroom.

Take a Deep Breath

*student teaching week 13*

 Though we had just returned from Break, the schedule immediately threw us, teachers and students alike, back into the thick of things. We started the Shakespeare unit, which is a combined unit for Reading and Language Arts classes. The unit will culminate in a performance of A Midsummer Night's Dream at Central's auditorium on the 11^th. In Reading, they're reading an abridged version of the play and Language Arts is supposed to supplement that with information about Shakespeare, the language, the time period, or reviewing material they need more exposure to because they aren't understanding it in Reading. The unit has actually been going well, at least on the Language Arts end, so far. I had a feeling these students would not see the relevance of Shakespeare, and being a Shakespeare fan myself, I wanted to find ways that Shakespeare might be fun for the students. I gave them an in-class project to show how many stories we watch on film or read in books today were based on Shakespeare, in order to bring more relevance to Shakespeare. We did an activity with Shakespearean insults because it's part of the more fun and humorous parts of Shakespeare and his language. Though there's still students who choose to grumble, overall they seem to be enjoying the lessons I teach thus far.
It is, however, strange for me to not be reading the play in conjunction with what I teach. I like these lessons; however, to me it would make more sense if I was also reading the play with them. That is where these lessons have true value – in connection to the text and performance. It also, apparently, is hard for the students to make that connection between Language Arts and Reading still, despite the fact that in reality it's all the same subject. Some students made comments questioning why the teachers are all wanting to talk about this play; I explained that Reading is connected to Language Arts, and we're helping each other out, but they still aren't sure why it's covered in two classes that they view as wholly separate. Another student told me I shouldn't have chosen to give them homework – and a quiz on that homework, per what my teacher constructed – on Midsummer since they are learning it in another class so already know some of the answers. I explained to him again that's the point – we want to continue to integrate these classes together and emphasize what is taught in each.
One challenge, however, is PARCC testing. This is the test that is supposedly taking the place of ISATs next year. On Monday of last week, we had a training for the test. Then the test happened on Friday, and continues this upcoming Monday and Tuesday. This wouldn't be that big of an inconvenience, except for the fact that only two of my classes are doing this test, during 1^st and 2^nd hour. Students in the following 4^th, 5^th, and 7^th hours don't do it all. So I have to carry on with lessons for them, but it has to be lessons that it won't matter that 1^st and 2^nd hours miss. It's a weird schedule to work with. However, I've been able to find some filler activities on Shakespeare that are valuable but unnecessary to all classes.
Honestly, this placement is starting to wear me out. I'm staying at school after other teachers have left, working on plans the night before I teach them, then grading, grading, and grading some more. Ideally, those plans would be made during the weekend, but weekends are for me to apply for jobs and work on classwork. I'm stressed about the fact that no one, in all the applications and feelers I have out there, has contacted me for interviews, despite the fact that I have been applying since January and others have had many interviews and even have jobs. However, I'm hoping this will turn around soon. I've finished grading narratives (and rewarded myself with a customary Cadbury crème egg), so I won't have that to do every night. I am nearly 2 days ahead on the plans for the week, so hopefully that pattern will give me some space.
In addition to the hope I have, I have good friends. All of this busy-ness has kept me from making a lot of contact with my friends. But this weekend I spent some meals with some close friends on campus. During those conversations, one friend stopped me and asked me to tell her three positive things about school. I did, and she's made it her mission to find out three new positives each day. She told me she doesn't want to see me coast through the next five weeks or grow negative. I know I need that accountability or I may start losing heart and focus. I do love what I'm doing; I love the topics I teach, and I do have some fun with my students. I still feel called to teaching. I just needed good friends and reminding to smile about that.

Pulaski, ISATs, Lessons, and Challenges

**student teaching week 9**

Has any of my Michigan family and friends heard of Casimir Pulaski? Yeah, I didn't think so. Until moving here, I hadn't either; even then, I knew he had a street named after him, so must be kinda a rich guy or something. And he had a holiday named after him. Even after a Facebook friend posted a status with the history of Pulaski day, I'm still not sure why kids get a day off of school for the holiday, but that's how my week started.


So, starting Tuesday, it was ISAT week at Central (again, Michigan, think MEAPs or whatever is the new middle school standardized test). This was probably the part of the day that was least thrilling for both staff and students; however, it is important to these students' futures so was taken very seriously. My task during this time, as someone who was not legally allowed to proctor the exam, was to pass out calculators and scratch paper, keep an eye on the students, walk around, and make sure they weren't going on their iPads. Students filled in their bubbles and put some of that practice we did last week to use as they answered extended response for both math and reading tests (who knew you could write an essay for math). Obviously, I couldn't make comments at the time but it appeared when I read a couple students first sentences as I walked around that they were off to a good start, so that was encouraging. However, I did note one thing that could've been done differently in practice considering the test. For the reading extended response, students had a few multiple choice questions they had to answer first and then with the remaining time they wrote the extended response, and all of this was done in 45 minutes. Last week, Ms. Lynch gave the kids a class period to read the passage and plan, then a timed 45 minutes to write. Though I think this was good to give them time to write, if we're trying to get them to practice the timed aspect, I think the time should've been modified to be closer to the conditions under which they would actually be writing. It's just a note to tuck away for when I'm a teacher and helping students prep for any testing.


After two and a half hours of testing, the rest of the day was compacted into the same amount of periods with less time for each. In these periods, students read narrative writing examples, marking them for ten different elements including several types of figurative language, dialogue, and imagery. The reason behind this exercise is to prepare students for starting their own narrative writing next week, when they'll have to use all of those elements themselves in their writing. Figurative language, dialogue, and imagery have been the topic of study for weeks so students will only need to be reminded rather than taught what these all mean. I think having students work through examples themselves was a really great choice, because it just continually reinforces the concepts in their mind and gives them time with models before they then go through the practice themselves.


This exercise took up Tuesday-Thursday, then Friday we discussed plot pyramids. Thursday before I left, Ms. Lynch mentioned she was thinking of having me teach some of the periods the lesson Friday. I came in Friday and she asked if, after shadowing her first period to see what she wanted to explain, I would take over the following six periods. So here I was, jumping in! It was a pretty straightforward lesson, but I did have some fun with it. Ms. Lynch had mentioned using the analogy of a roller coaster with the plot pyramid, but hadn't brought that out much in the first hour. I, however, grabbed that analogy and hammed it up. The students probably all think I'm pretty dorky, but I say “yup that's me!” I am passionate about Language Arts, and yes I will do goofy things; but those goofy things are what students will remember. For the most part, they paid attention and didn't disrespect me much, which is one of the concerns with this class. I even taught the seventh hour, which is the most difficult because many kids have behavioral issues, are low academically, or combine those two. Plus it was a longer period than the other six. So though I used the roller coaster example in this period, I also used other examples, making up a rough story on the spot and explaining what I might write for each of the parts of the pyramid as well as pulling in Remember the Titans. For the most part, the students participated and were attentive, except for about three students who are consistently causing issues in the classroom. However, Ms. Lynch did have a talk with one of the students about respecting me more and when I brought in Remember the Titans, one of the other students who was causing problems latched onto that and didn't make as many off-topic comments. It will be a daily toss-up with this period, and actually most of the other periods, for how the day might go behavior and respect-wise; however, that's teaching in general – you never know what to expect out of the students. Yet, my teacher told me before I left that she thought I did a really good job and to not let some of the students get to me. It was nice to have that support and encouragement.


Now Monday it begins – it's all me, all seven hours! We start the narrative writing itself, and my teacher has already provided general materials that she has given me permission to tweak, use, or toss out and use other ideas. I'm looking forward to how the lessons will go; I think it's a really interesting unit and has the potential for a lot of fun for the students. After all, it's pretty much just writing stories, which, if you ask me, is more engaging writing on its own for the average student than, say, research papers. However, the nerves about what the students behaviors might be like, in all the periods, weighs on my mind.



Early in this week, I was listening to the radio and heard the song “Let Them See You” by the JJ Weeks Band. The chorus says: “Let them see You in me. Let them hear You when I speak. Let them feel You when I sing. Let them see You, let them see You in me.” And I just felt convicted that this was the mindset with which I was supposed to approach that day, and this placement. It is different, and I won't be having my faith explicitly supported by staff or students. In fact, I've already found my values don't line up with the values of others there, including staff members. But God is leading me “where my trust is without borders... wherever [He] would call me” (“Oceans,” another song I heard on the way home that same day that's also become a challenge to me). And as he stretches me, calling me to this class where behavior management is a daily challenge and I feel slightly isolated, He is calling me to show them Him through what I do. Ready or not, here I go, to shine His light.

Welcome to CMS

*student teaching week 8*

This week was adjustment week. I am living again with college students in a small apartment. It isn't expected that meals are shared. I went from high school classrooms to middle school. I don't get free lunches from school anymore. I can't name every student in all six periods yet. I don't even know who half the staff are. I went from the West Michigan bubble to Chicago suburbs. I don't get to teach much literature anymore – just writing. I went from a Christian school where I was filled through weekly chapels and devotion time and free to discuss topics from a Christian worldview to hearing people in the classrooms and hallway bashing Christian views and daily using inappropriate language. Now, I'm not trying to complain because really Christian school kids aren't immune from the same vices, I'm open to teaching in public or private schools outside of the bubble, Central is a good school, and I'm starting to find my groove here. But the fact of the matter is this week was all about adjusting and still things haven't quite settled all the way yet, both at Trinity and at Central.


Okay, so now for more about what's going on in eighth grade at Central.

First, a quick brief facts about the school itself. The grades at Central Middle are 6^th-8^th. The place is bigger than NorthPointe, though. I'm figuring out my way around, but it isn't as simple as my alma mater or NorthPointe. I'm in the eighth grade Language Arts class, and teach periods 1-5, break for lunch, then teach 7^th period before getting a break for plan periods – which usually include meetings. It's quite a marathon. Technology-wise, I'm once again blessed. All the students have their own iPad, but they must pick it up before school and can't bring it home. In the Language Arts classroom, they also have chrome books (like netbooks, made by Google) that they leave in the classroom but work with when writing. I got my own chrome book and iPad as well. Though this technology is really useful, it's also the first thing students use to disengage from the class. It will be something I will have to be aware of and try to make sure it's being used productively.

Now, into the classroom. The students were ready and waiting for me. Apparently my cooperating teacher, Ms. Lynch, has been telling them that I was coming and they've been asking all sorts of questions. They wanted to make sure I was nice. It was sweet, and I'm trying to show them my personality as much as I can. Also, Ms. Lynch has been really good about getting me involved right away. On the first day, she had me introduce myself and the rest of the week she had me walking around, conferencing with students on their writing and I graded almost all the students short essays. This class, as briefly mentioned, is separate from the reading class, so the focus is not on reading but on writing and grammar. It's weird for me to have the two separated, but completely normal for these kids. When I said I was going to teach Language Arts, one student asked why I wouldn't want to teach reading; for her, Language Arts isn't reading. I told her I could teach reading too, as could Ms. Lynch, and she was shocked. I'm going to have to get used to using separate vocabulary for referring to the separate classes.


The first couple of days the students did an exercise that I thought was really great and something I may keep in mind. They watched a one minute clip from Mulan, and had to then write a descriptive essay, using figurative language, dialogue, and imagery, all which they have been learning about. Apparently prior to this they did the same with a longer Lion King clip. It's a good idea for writing, I think, because Disney movies are so loved, so it's fun for the kids to engage with that and write about it. Also, since I ended up grading most of the short essays using a rubric the teacher provided, I got to see their writing and there are some really impressive writers in this grade! It makes me excited to read and work more with them.


The second half of the week was ISAT practice (for my Michigan readers - like MEAP, but the Illinois version). Students practiced the multiple choice section as well as the extended response. I again walked around while students wrote, keeping them on task and coaching them on their responses. Since they won't get this help on the actual test, the goal was to give them the coaching now so hopefully it will help them improve on the test. This helped me to continue to get to know the students, and for them to be comfortable around me, which will be a great help in the weeks to come.


However, I am already aware of some challenges in this placement. First of all, there are a lot of students with different behavioral or learning needs. My teacher has been good about briefing me on these different issues, but it's definitely going to be a struggle to remember what student needs what, figuring out how to manage the classroom, and motivating the students. Second, there's a lot of small routine things I'm not used to. We have to stand in the hall between every class. I have to make sure all the students in homeroom get lunch cards. Students can't get zeros without the teacher notifying the parents, nor do they (seemingly) get docked for late work (I'll see how true that is when I really get into the grading). I have to do bus duty every day. Once I get my swipe card, nearly every door I encounter (besides the classroom) I have to swipe in to enter and swipe out to exit. Students get detentions at lunch, and I have to sit with them as they serve their time. I have to fill out referrals if I do give out a detention. There's more, and my teacher is nice enough to make a list, but these are things I didn't deal with previously.


As we head into ISAT week, I have a couple of goals. First of all, I would like to meet more of the staff. My teacher eats lunch in the room, and so I usually do too, but I miss out on that community time during lunch. I want to know more people, because I appreciated that additional support when I was at NPC. Second, I'll be getting more ideas of where my plans are headed for the next couple weeks, so I am to really get more ideas nailed down for where I am going from here.


It is an adjustment being at Central. I had such a great placement previously, which is a blessing. However, I am looking forward to what this placement will teach me, especially about dealing with students with different behavior needs. Also, my worldview and perspective are different than many of the students and staff at the school, and that will affect how I interact; hopefully, it will shed a positive light on my beliefs. As I teach these students, I trust that God will give me the strength and I hope to shine for Him.

Goodbye Mustangs

*student teaching week 7*

I remember being nervous about this placement and freaking out about it the night before I started. Now, my heart was breaking as I pulled away from the parking lot Thursday afternoon. I had no idea seven weeks could feel so long but so short; so brief, yet so impacting.


It was my final week of teaching the NPC Mustangs. And it was a bit of a crazy week, but it ended really well.


Monday I continued my stint of teaching (or supervising) all seven classes (my cooperating teacher was training for leading a group of students on a Europe trip later this spring, so I took over supervising her French classes in addition to the English classes I already was in charge of). The freshmen were simply finishing their final drafts, so weren't too much of a problem. The seniors discussed “Ozymandias,” and actually got into a lively discussion about celebrities who, like the statue, had fallen from prideful heights. It was encouraging to see them connecting to their homework and having so much participation. Though Monday didn't prove too much of a problem, I was ready to have my cooperating teacher back so I could a) have a plan period again and b) to have someone to support me after some challenges the previous week.
Then I got the text – she was stuck due to a canceled flight. Having finished my unit, and not being sure of what unit was next, I came up with a plan on the fly. The students took part in four stations, each with a different Language Arts related activity. I was proud of myself for thinking up this idea, and actually had a student comment on how she was impressed as well. To add to the challenge, Tuesday morning there was a two hour delay, so I had to plan for shorter classes as well. Hey, if nothing else, I have definitely learned to be flexible with my plans in this placement! Wednesday marked the return of my teacher and a phase out of my duties in that classroom.


The senior class, meanwhile, finished their Romanticism unit and I wrote and administered my first full-blown test. I gave it on my final day there; however, a very small percentage of my students actually took the test that day. First of all, not everyone was there, being the day before mid-winter break. Second, with so many tests that day, they had been given the option by my cooperating teacher to opt out until Tuesday. Those who did take the test did okay; for those that didn't do as well, it was because they hadn't taken responsibility for their studies. I felt I had given them the supports needed; they had received a study guide and gone through a review activity, and the questions came straight from that. I also asked those who were there to fill out a post-assessment about their feelings and impressions of the unit; however, with so few in the room with me, I didn't get a good representation of the class's reactions.


My final day was a good way to end. I had brought candy and wrote the class notes. In the freshmen classes we also had cookies to share. I wish I had been able to say goodbye to more of the seniors and staff members, but many students did come and express their appreciation and say goodbye to me. Now, I just have papers – loads of papers – to grade before I head off to Illinois on Sunday to start my second placement with the Central Middle School Twisters.



This placement at NorthPointe was incredible. Never before have I felt so supported by the staff as a whole in a placement, and especially supported by my cooperating teachers. I also felt connected to each of the students, and have many fond memories, funny stories, and lessons learned that I take away as I leave this placement. I didn't know when I began just how much these seven weeks would mean to me. It really felt like a place I belonged; I was a staff member, I was trusted, and the students really became my students. I come away from this placement with more confidence for the future, with things to continue to work on, and a greater love for what I'm doing. Now, on to the next step and the next lessons God has in store for me. But I am incredibly grateful for all the blessings he showered on me through this time at NorthPointe.