BKD Withdrawal

It's officially been one week since I departed with my dear ol' BKD,
and I have severe BKD withdrawal.
It's like an addiction. The more I tell myself not to think about how amazing my summer was, the more I think about everyone and everything from Denver. One memory here triggers something from there, from my homestay, to the students, to the weather, to the staff, to just everything. And I try to bother myself with things of the upcoming year, but I just keep thinking about BKD all the while.

Maybe it'll get better once I actually get back to school. Hopefully. Time can only tell.

But I'm actually kinda scared about my student teaching experience. Because although BKD was an awesome experience, I'm trying not to hold that has the regular, expected  teaching experience. But I still want to hold on to making learning fun and exciting. I mean realistically kids HAVE to be at school and don't choose to be there, so why shouldn't I make it fun for them, in the process of teaching them something. I don't want to think that I know what I'm doing then completely bomb ya know. I mean I'm very sure everything it going to work out in the end. They always do. So I'll  try not to worry about Student teaching,
instead I'll probably continue to think about BKD, even though I probably shouldn't.

that's all, just a random little post.
peace
a-sauce (no calls me that here, which is also very weird)

Life without BKD

It's manageable....but I just think about it all the time.

This Monday was horrible! I didn't know who I was. It's like I went from being this teacher to now this person laying in the bed all day, I just didn't understand. Without BKD, I felt like I had no purpose, like I have no one to teach, no yellows buses to yell at, no BT pledge to repeat, no staff meeting, no spirit clap, no students, no lesson plans, no nothing.

But I'm slowly getting it over it as I'm coming to the realization that I'm a college student going into my senior year, and I have to plan for it in like 3 weeks, when I usually take a whole 2.5 months. So that's like the hectic part I suppose.

I just really miss BKD, it's a hard reality coming back to life just being a student.

But I think I'm going to make this my teacher blog, I'll eventually change the title, maybe not, but I'll update here about how I'm progressing in my profession so yeah. Keep reading, I am not finished!.

That's all.

peace
A-sauce

Last post in Denver......

SAD :( man my journey is coming to an end. I seriously can't believe it. I just remember coming out into this situation so hesitate, not knowing exactly what I was getting myself into. But truly, this has been a life-changing experience. I've learn so much about my self mainly,  I WANT TO BE A TEACHER! ahhhh. Finally, I got some type of clue what I want to do with my life. This whole summer was a validation of what I've been saying I wanted to do since senior year high school. But to finally put into practice was so amazing. I just felt so comfortable in that teacher role, like it's totally made for me and mine.

And I'm totally gonna miss all my students. They were my 1st students there's no way I could ever forget them. Man, best students ever, even if they didn't alway do well with the material or do what I told them to do,  I still love them ultimately. Who would've known that these 17,18 teenagers would have such an impact on my life this summer.

I'm totally gonna miss all the staff as well. Tomorrow is my last day with them. It's amazing how even though I was only out here for about 2 months, I feel like I've known some people for so much longer, and that's really, really amazing to me. Like I wish I could bottle some of them up and take them with me back to Illinois, because I know we would have so many good, funny times.

I'm just gonna miss that Breakthrough spirit, and I know for sure my student teaching experience will not be as fun, but I'm hoping just as rewarding. This summer just made me want to go straight into teaching, forget about this last year of school, but I totally gotta go through this so I can get my degree and certification, poo-ey.

I'm excited to go home though, and see my family, and eventually make it back to E-town and see all mis amigos, gosh I wish you guys would've went through this experience with me. It was just so great.

I definitely want to come back to Colorado one day, maybe as a teacher??? idk. Probably not, but who knows at this point. I definitely want to come back and visit the Denver area, and of course the Breakthrough community, where ever that will be in the future. Will I return next year? I don't know. But I heard something about a Chicago Breakthrough, if that happens  I'll definitely get involved with that for sure.

Well, that's really all I got this point, this is probably my last post on this blog in Denver, unless I randomly update tomorrow night, my flight's at 6:00 am so who knows....
peace.
a-sauce.

Last week with the kiddos

I haven't really thought about, that I'll probably never see any of my students again (unless I come back next year), cuz if I did think about it I  would probably cry for awhile, so I'll deal with that when the time comes (This Friday).
For now it's just my last week, and I'm just hoping to make it the best, by being excited everyday and teaching system of equations like my life depended upon it. Just wanna go out with a bang. But I'm really gonna miss my students, they were my 1st students. Gosh, anywayz lets move on.

On Wednesday, I went camping along with 27 STARS students and the other STARS teachers and 2 admin (Christine and Jackie). It was my first camping experience, and I must admit it wasn't that bad. Probably for one I didn't have to set up a tent by myself (it's actually pretty simple). I didn't have to worry about food (admin brought and COOKED food. Omg those hamburgers we delicious and that potato salad. omg!). All I had to do was be with the students pretty much. We left that wednesday after lunch (well about an hour and half after lunch. See one of the superheroes (previous students of the program hired to help out everywhere basically) got fired, because she was doing inappropriate things with a student, which is a no, no. and anywayz the admin had to have an emergency meeting about it, to fire her so yeah). Back to camping we stayed until about noon on Thursday.  It was a lot of fun. Those students are a trip. Funniest thing from the trip (warning kinda inappropriate) one of my students, yells out 'TITTIES!' so hilarious.

also the boys got the girls back from the sleepover, by concocting this militaristic plan to wet the girls with water. One of the boy teachers, got all mad at the girls, saying there was inappropriate (such a BT word) behavior and that some of the boys were missing, because the boys and girls were separated. anywayz after saying Scott for a second time all the boys ran out and squirted the girls with water, SO Hilarious. The boys were so happy! They stayed up for about 30mins singing this song that was a ridiculous mess about how they wet the girls. But that was like the second highlight of the camping.
Overall again I had a great time, and can say I've officially been camping now.

Also this Friday was YO! which stand for Your Opportunity. This was just a time to get students to think about their future, including high school and college and careers. There was a portion where all the students got the opportunity to be interviewed, which I think was really great. You know you don't get that opportunity when you are in the 7th, 8th grade to practice interviewing. usually you gotta bomb a few first. but that was really kool to see.

There's alot other things I could talk about but I'm just gonna stop here. Need to go to sleep soon for my last week.
oh, here's some pics from the camping trip.

(team-building activity that the students failed at)

(waking up in the woods *rocking the red bandanna*)

(really the mountain are so beautiful)

 ( i was standing on a tall rock thingy)

(it was this rock thingy)

Alright that's it. 

peace. 

Asauce. 

I suppose I should update now-ish

though SO much as happened, there no way for me to recount accurately all the great things that have transpired since the last time I updated.

Teaching
Is pretty great. I can definitely say the original beauty of it as worn off, of course I still enjoy it, but it went from a point from being 'fun' to being WORK. but teaching the kids are great, even discipling them it pretty fun as well. I love how I can get total silence in a class, just by getting very serious. But my goal for these last two week teaching is to make it as fun as I can , and just teach them something.

so we had the sleep over this friday, which means I spent 24+ hours at Kent Denver. It wasn't as bad as the former people made it seem, maybe it was because I didn't participate in the boys' pillow fight, which was pretty crazy. But i did end up staying up until 3:30am (mind you I woke up at 6:00 am) to only be awaken 15 later by screaming girls throwing water on the boys, luckily I didn't get wet, some of my co-workers weren't to luckily.

I also experienced my first (couple) Red Bulls. I had so much energy, but I didn't seem that hyper, it was really fun though we had a dance for the kids, it was pretty great, music blasting. And all the teachers had to be Bouncers to prevent inappropriate dancing, which their wasn't too much off. It was a really fun dance though.

We also had a talent show on Friday ( i mean it was a long day) and it was the BKD awards,  so every teacher was a celebrity. I was originally supposed to Cedric the Entertainer, but then the last minute I changed to Cleveland Brown, and here's what I did.



Yes Justin Beiber. Amazing.

So what else has happened? Oh this week I did a Micro Madness, which the fun time of the day. I did Improv Acting. It was really kool even though I only had 2 students in for M-Th. But then we did again on Friday, and got more kids. I'd never led a Improv before, so I just did some games I found online. But it was fun and laughter ensued.

And I'm going camping AGAIN on Wednesday with all the Stars Students, so this should be interesting. This time though I actually have sleep outside in a tent. and stuck with about 35 14,15 year olds.

Alright that's it.
I really don't know the next time I'll update, I can't predict this things.
peace.
Asauce.

Guess it's about time for an update...

It's been about a week....

Things are going pretty well. I'm fully immersed in teaching and Breakthrough. I love it! 

I think teaching is what I'm gonna do with my life. Being the teacher is so GREAt! and I just love my students so much, and I just love the program. 

Funny thing happened this friday though. On the previous day we learned/reviewed AREA, so I basically had the students "build" my cousin Q-sauce (from Barb B Que sauce) fence for his walrus. Each group got a different shape rectangle, trapezoid, circle, and triangle. But the shape had to have 24 square feet. So for my first class, we went outside, and what did we see>: A SNAKE, a gardensnake. So of course all the students (esp. the girls) were freaking out. But then one of the boys, is like taking a yard stick ruler and picking up the snake, playing with it, while I'm steady like "BUILD your fences!". any ways the snake starts moving, get around the bottom of a small tree, and the boy is still playing with it. Then its starts hissing. And that's when I was like let's go back inside. It totally made my day though, because you definitely can't lesson plan for that. Btw I did know that there was snakes back there, the admin had told us early to be mindful of that. But I hadn't seen any snakes since we had been there, so I didn't think nothing about it. 

Also I definitely took pictures of the snake

(see my student with the yard stick playing with it, I guess I wasn't making better by taking pictures of it)

(cool shadow picture)

. 

Sometime last week, I think it was Wednesday, it was like celebrity dress up day. and I was eating lunch with this students who were Indian (not native american) or is the term South East Asian. Anywayz they were telling me who they were dressed up as, and they were like differently celebrities from Thailand. It was really cool, for them to be so open with me to share they're culture and language. And it make me realized how diverse the program is. Like there's Blacks (including Africans), Latinos, Mulisms, Asians, Middle Easterners, you wouldn't think Denver would be so diverse. And not only is this program culturally diverse. The students are at all kinds of different levels. Like I have students within my 18 member family, who know everything I'm teaching and those who are struggling. It's quite amazing. I didn't think this program would be this diverse.


Also I can officially say this now, I actually feel apart of the Kent Denver Breakthrough family. Last Wednesday (my mom's bday), I had to give Vision, and vision is where a teacher stands in front of the students and gives their vision for the day, what they would like people to do. It's highly motivational. And I talked about people who gave up something for us to be here. And I don't I felt something. It was really cool. And it just let me know not only can I be a GREAT teacher, I can motivate my students to be something and to Do something. But as I was saying I feel so much apart of the family. It's great when students I haven't even met (we have about 200 students) say "ASAUCE!" it so kool.

I think that enough updating. Wait I did want to mention that I played the trumpet on Friday. How on earth did this happen you ask? Well friday was Olympics Day so families were competing against each other. And Christine had the idea for opening ceremony and it involved me playing the trumpet. Of course I didn't bring one with me, but she go so I played it. Even though I really didn't want to play my trumpet in front of everyone, I did it and it was fine. That's one thing though we are trying to get the students to do, step outta their comfort zone, do things they never did. So as teachers we have to example. Otherwise I probably wouldn't done it.

Okay that's really it.
Hope you read all that if you didn't, BOO!
until I update again. Same time next week? Idk.

Peace.
Asauce.

Week 1. Done.

I meant to update earlier this week, but I was too busy. Even last night I was going to but then I fell asleep at 9 something, I guess my body can't handle stay up late, hence I am up at 7am in the morning on a Saturday  typing this. Nah, actually it can I was just dead tired from the day. 

Friday was Spirit Day which equal tons of screams, jumping, around acting crazy, and basically having fun. First week overall was great though, so much happened I can't really type it all here. But I finally met the kids they are pretty awesome individuals. As I've said before they have been in for 2 years already, and they pretty much love Breakthrough otherwise they wouldn't be back I suppose. My family (Family 9!) like every other family split up into two groups, by how they performed on their english and math test. My first class of the day I love, these are the lower achieving students, but the other groups not so much (mainly because they think they know everything).

 But I feel really comfortable in the teaching role. For some reason I thought I would be really nervous in front of the students, but it's not like that at all. It's also kinda awesome because I can kinda do what I want in the class for the sake of learning (i.e., doing random things). The one thing that I don't like is lesson planning. it sucks. I guess it good though because you always need to be prepared, because honestly some topics I could wing, like come up with problems for, but others I definitely could not. But I  think it's great to have a game plan otherwise we would definitely get off subject real quick. 

What else can I say....

Phone calls we have to do weekly phone calls to parents, which was interesting. All the parents I called were happy that people call to say good things. I'm just glad none of them are mean or nothing like that. 

Um that's pretty much it. I just kinda find something to do this weekend. I"m thinking about exploring Denver. 

peace

Asauce