It's hard to believe 4 months have come and gone so quickly. All I can say is this - I miss the 60610 terribly. I miss my cooperating teacher and her unconditional kindness and support, I miss my neighboring teachers and the laughs we often had, I miss my roommates and the nights we shared being unsociable loners [or caring, over-invested interns who consistently "took their work home with them"], I miss the city, and I miss my kids [all 34 of them]. It's good to be home, though...It truly is.

I could try to put into words the extent to which I appreciate my time in Chicago, but I'm thinking that attempt would fail miserably. I struggled, I fought, I failed, I cried, I cared, I succeeded, I marveled, I loved, and I've grown stronger. Chicago was nothing short of an incredible experience, one in which I'm certain the Lord guided.

Graduation has come and gone, leaving me back in Detroit preparing to embark on my 2nd and last student teaching experience in early childhood. Things are still a bit ambiguous at this point - I have yet to receive my start/end dates, or placement information - but I should be receiving information soon.

After the summer? Whew, this has been interesting. Simply put, I've learned to let go. It is in my nature to find a path [one which has meaning, intrigue, and a challenge] down which I can head with passion and reverence. For as long as I've wanted to be a teacher, my desired path lead me to New York City. Why New York? Culture? History? Diversity? A mild fascination? What attracted me most to this particular city were the little details under the umbrella of all these things, as well as [on a greater level] my desire to teach in an urban setting. I honestly do not have a straight answer here. What I've learned, however, is the importance of listening, rather than planning. I organize [I say this lightly, as I am fully aware of the mass of boxes in my living room that have yet to be unpacked]. I color-code. I list. I plan. With this said, it was quite difficult [quuuiitteee difficult] to relinquish that control and allow my life to head in a natural, God-guided direction. More details to come :)

So, I'm moving on to another blog. Hopefully I will be able to discipline myself enough to keep it updated!


http://betsymorton.blogspot.com/

8 More Days.

Some student teachers who are, simply put, excited to teach :)

Student teachers at the final CS dinner. They gave away Mock Awards. We didn't win any, so we all went up to the mic unannounced to introduce ourselves and present awards to our supervisors . We gave them Golden Butter. It was awkward and great :)