My educational goals...

To paraphrase what a teacher in our school recently said, "In Minnesota we have two seasons, winter and testing. This year those seasons seemed to run together." As I sit in a room with students who are taking these annual state-required tests, I question my decision to become a teacher. I have been a student for a long time and I haven't even started my teaching program, yet. So you might ask, what keeps me motivated... Well, it's certainly not testing. Testing (and not just state mandated testing) is my least favorite thing in the world. I am a terrible test taker. I get nervous, lack confidence and second-guess everything! This has so much to do with why I am an online student. So now comes the fear of starting the teaching program, TESTS. See, I already lack confidence :( Oh well, I know that I can do it, it's just going to take time and dedication to my schooling, sadly that means I have to miss out on family time occasionally but I have to remind myself that it's only temporary.

Back to testing and why it's ridiculous...teachers don't teach students because they want to see how well their students can do on a test. Teachers teach because they love working with kids and finding new ways to challenge their abilities. There were teachers that I absolutely loved while growing up because I truly learned some cool things. Trust me, if I've retained information from Mr. Worley's random trivia and Mr. Dhyrkopp's late night tv episodes that he always shared with us, then it definitely made an impression. Mr. Ebeling never failed to enlighten my inquiring mind about anatomy and physiology but I'm pretty sure geometry, government and chemistry took a few years off my life.

So why am I'm working to become a teacher? Because it's so natural for me. I've been "teaching" for years, just in different ways. I've taught kids how to make better choices and to look for alternatives to drugs, alcohol, etc. I've taught adults how to work with difficult kids and how to restrain students who get out of control. I've taught classmates scrapbooking, using interval training, stretching sore muscles, baking a pumpkin pie and casting a fishing rod. I've taught friends everything from biking, strength training, running, and pushing themselves to work harder. So it became obvious to me, why not do what I already do??? I just have to dedicate more time to it, not just so my students can do well on tests but so they can have the confidence to rock every test they take. Trust me, there are a lot of bad examples of teachers out there. I'm not referring to anyone I work with or anyone of my own teachers but having worked in schools for as long as I have, I've learned exactly who I don't want to be.

I don't want my students to be unsure of when I'm joking with them and when I'm not, teasing and joking is appropriate, crude sarcasm is not. I don't want to get so stuck in the "benchmarks" rut that I don't take the time to educate my students on important life lessons. I don't want my students to ever get the impression they can dictate what happens in the room (unless positive behavior is awarded with positive outcomes). I do want my students to feel challenged. I do expect them to show respect to everyone in the room. I do want my students to walk away at the end of the year feeling a sense of accomplishment.

I have no idea what age group I want to teach. I still haven't heard yet if I've been accepted into the teaching program I've applied to, but I do know that with support from my family, friends and co-workers, eventually...I will be a teacher.

Count Your Gains and Losses

People often asked me, "So how much have you lost?" Don't get me wrong, it's a great thing to hear, but I think the more important response is how much I've gained.  You see, I didn't start my weight loss as a goal to lose a certain amount of weight, what I started was a lifestyle challenge.  It wasn't just about the weight and fitness, it was about the goals for making our lives better. There are many things that push me to work hard and find reasons to keep going. One of my most inspiring items from my past is a picture that I came across a few years back. It was taken when Riley was a year and a half, so approximately 8 years ago.

 

Then and now...oh what a difference a few years can make :)  

 

In no way would I want you to believe that I (or we for that matter) have lost all that weight in a couple of years. There were many ups and downs in the last 8 years. Following a second baby, a different job (one that allows me time for myself) and following Matt's car accident, I knew that we needed to make our lives better in every way possible. So for the last 5 years, we've worked hard and have gradually gained a lot of things. Matt has gained an education  in the wind field (and is currently pursuing his bachelors in management), I am in school with the goal to eventually get my bachelors in education and we have recently moved to a new state and community which has enabled us to gain so many new friendships that it makes us feel like we never truly left home.

 

We greatly miss our hometown and the many things represented by it.  We are fortunate to be close enough that we can buzz home for the weekend to catch up with friends and family. However, moving here has given me the chance to prove to myself that I have changed and progressed in many ways. I have ventured out of my comfort zone to meet new people and developed new friendships. One of my biggest fears about moving here was the likelihood that I would end up living a hermit lifestyle and gain my weight back. I believe it's very important for others to realize, I didn't do this on my own. I wouldn't have stuck with Insanity, biking or running if it weren't for my friends who were my accountability group. We pushed each other and looked forward to our next butt kicking. Now that we've gotten settled in up here, I've found a few friends who thoroughly enjoy a good butt kicking as well. If it weren't for them I wouldn't be where I'm at today.

 

So I guess the morals to this week's lesson are as follows: 1) Don't be so focused on what you're losing to appreciate everything you're gaining. 2) Take healthy risks and step outside your comfort zone. Even though you may not get the result you want, you're bound to have learned something from the experience. 3) Find a support group. You don't need someone to give you affirmation or a pat on the back for every good thing you do but you do need someone to hold you accountable when you're slacking off and taking it too easy on yourself.

A Woman of Many Hats

I have been blogging, somewhat privately for a few years but thought it was time to take it public. I've had friends ask why I don't blog when I give them recommendations, suggestions and general encouragement. I never had a good answer other than, "I do, it's just not public." My family and I started a blog about 2 years ago to help us set and maintain goals to be healthier. Unfortunately, I'm pretty much the only one that still posts to it so I thought it was time to branch out and see what the rest of my friends and family thought.

In the last few years, I have set and met many goals. The majority of these are health related but as a whole, I have become a much better person (at least in my own opinion). I have lost a large amount of weight, I have become dedicated to live a healthier life, I spend more time focusing on what's best for my family, I have gone back to school with the goal to finish my bachelor's degree (something I started nearly 16 years ago), and I have become a better friend.

So, the main reason for my blog is to document my life better. I set a resolution this year to journal. Needless to say, I've pretty much failed to this point. I have many reasons to journal, some better than others but overall, because I have a pretty awesome life. I'm blessed to have a healthy, happy family. I have lots of advice, suggestions and drive to help people become healthier. I love watching my children grow but hate that I don't remember the "funny" things they said or memorable moments that I want to cherish forever. Most of all, my main reason for blogging is because I want to share my best and worst moments with you so you can learn from my mistakes. Some days my blog may be about the most dreadful and horrible workout (knowing how good it was for me but despising it at the same time) and other days it may be about the perks of working with Autistic children (they truly do say the darndest things). So welcome to my life in a nutshell and I hope you can come with me on my journey. I will do my best to make it interesting and please feel free to comment, post, etc. as it will help me to know what you might like me future posts to be about. 

Thanks~Emily