March Madness

No this is not a post about the rediculous hype of University basketball. I am simply referring to the maddness of a teacher's life in March! It's seriously nuts. We have festival, One down and one to go. There are celebrations of learning, which I am currently overseeing. Report Cards, IPP updates and starting to think about spring cleaning and yard work. The last in that list is probably the most daunting when you have a 100 pound dog that eats a lot, therefore creates a lot of 'waste' LOL!! Now that the snow has melted back there, it's like a war zone! Enough about crap.
Life is good for us. We continue to love our work. It's a pretty sweet gig. We are planning some more house renovations which include replacing some windows and some landscaping in the front yard. Well, I'm planning that, Brent isn't sold on the idea. ha ha. We are also planning a little Easter get-away to Missoula Montana. We are really excited about it. 
Now for some very exciting news.... Brent has been accepted to the masters program at the University of Lethbridge. It is a masters of assessment and curriculum development which is right up his ally! I'm so proud of him and excited for him to achieve such excellence. I also will get a masters at some point, but one at a time. Brent's program consists of 3 summers for 3 weeks each summer. Then 2 courses during each term of the school year. so it will be a long haul, but so worth it in the end. His goal is to get into administration, someday.
Well, thanks for stopping by! I hope you are happy and healthy. 
xoxo
Jules

95 days

I'm pretty excited because yesterday I counted that there were only 96 teaching days left! Take away a week of camping in Watertown, 2 track and field days and random other things and its more like 87!!! I CANNOT BELIEVE HOW MUCH FASTER EACH YEAR GOES!!  We are deep in the middle of multiplication and solving word problems. Up next on the agenda is division. DUH DUHNDUH! Ha ha
We are so happy with how life is going.

I don't have much else to say today, so goodnight blogger world.
Cheerio,
Jules

Aloha in my dreams.

I am wishing I was in Hawaii, or even that I had a tan like I'd been in Hawaii - thus this post shall be forever known as 'Aloha'.
You know, I forget that I even have a blog and then I read some of the posts (from months ago) and realize that I kind of have a boring life! Here is what it consists of:
 - get up
- get ready and go to work
- teach (which I absolutely love - I'll share some funny stories later)
- plan for teaching
- eat some food
- plan for teaching some more
- take Stanley for a walk (all while trying to stay upright on the very slippery roads because there are no sidewalks!)
- visit with Brento
- do some marking (while watching my shows)
- go to bed
REPEAT

hmmm. I love my life, and I'm not being sarcastic.

On Thursday this week, I had my 21 darling students working on some social notes, which are not my favorite (because it's boring for me waiting for them to write) and I think we all know it's not their favorite thing either, but sometimes a necessary evil. Anyway, we were all a little spent after a gruelling week of academia and we were having a blast. One of my gems, O, (who will probably host a comedy talk show one day because he is beyond funny) asked me if I like my job. Well, let me tell you it took me but a second to respond. I LOVE my job. I get the opportunity to work with young minds and spirits and they truly are amazing! Honestly, the things they think, they way they learn, the kindness they show, the youth and energy they share is so rewarding. Getting a paycheque at the end of the month is a bonus. I am constantly in awe at the compassion and concern they show as we discuss current events happening in the world and within our own community. Really, who else, but a teacher, gets to talk about everything under the sun on any given day? From politics to natural disasters to neuroscience to why a simile can help paint a better picture in a story, to the relationship between multiplication and division and how that relates to 'real life'. How does life get more real than when, as a child, you are learning what life has to offer?! I say again, I LOVE my job. Funny story: E. was finished some work and wouldn't stop talking so I may have suggested some tape to solve the problem so others could finish their work. Well it worked. Suddenly I had a note on my desk asking me if I could draw some lips on top of the tape. Well, how could I refuse such a funny request. So out came the red sharpie and I went to work. Well, the end result was hilarious and we captured that gem in a photo that will surely make the highlight reel at the end of the year.

As for life outside of school, it has been a rough couple of months. Early November we discovered that I was pregnant! We experienced a sense of joy and wonderment as we started to plan and think about a family of 3. However a short 3 weeks later, I had a miscarriage. It was an emotional time and I was happy to have work and directing our school Christmas concert to keep my mind off of it. It was a blessing in disguise that we were so busy. We feel strongly that we will be parents and it will happen when it happens. In the mean time, we are finishing our home and spending time getting our post-Christmas bodies back in shape. We've been hitting the gym and making good eating decisions so hopefully we'll be beach body ready by summer.
Life goes on and we are blessed!
Cheerio,
Jules

I cannot believe that 2 months of school are finished!! Where has the time gone. I totally remember as a kid how it took FOREVER for Halloween and then Christmas to come. As of right now, I'm making halloween costumes for Brent and I. I have also finished casting for our Christmas Play. What the heck?!?! I love my job - I love my students. We have hit our stride and are getting much accomplished. Today we did the most beautiful art project. It is a spooky tree silhouette in black with a beautiful dark sunset behind it with a full moon. I'll try to post a picture at some point, but they turned out beautiful! We have also been learning about Canada. So I realized the other day that my students didn't know that Alberta was between BC and Saskatchewan, that Ontario is next to Quebec. I scoured through the curriculum set by Alberta Ed and realized as well that nowhere in there did it require students to know this! I was appalled. How can these kids not know where we are in Canada, the continent, the world? So we went old school for the week and they had to memorize a map of Canada complete with Capital Cities, correct spelling, and capital letters at the beginning of each word. I haven't marked the tests yet, but I'm hoping they at least know how to spell Alberta correctly now!

We are off to see the movie "Pitch Perfect" AGAIN! It is sooo funny, if you haven't seen it, I highly recommend that you take the time. You'll build a six pack while watching a movie. :) 

Cheerio!

Jules

Week 2

Another week is done. It is Sunday night and I am ready to go for week 3. This will be a hectic week with PD and sub plans on Wednesday, and IPP day on Friday. I am hoping to hear all my kids read this week and set some goals with them for their reading. As for the home front, we are well. We spent a good chunk of the weekend setting up our new turtle tank and stand. It's so nice now! Hopefully they don't eat too many rocks! We also went to the funeral for little Thomas. What a sweet little one he was. His parents are amazingly strong and faithful! It was a good opportunity to reflect on the importance of loving and forgiving everyday. Until next week, be good, play fair and have fun!
xo
Jules

A long time coming...

Wow! It's been almost an entire year since the last post. I am going to try to use this as a journal of sorts. Here is a quick update on our last year:
- Dog is now Huge! We love him and he is just adorable - even if he cries when we stop to visit people on our walks. :)
- Half our basement is now renovated! Hooray for laundry rooms that aren't in the bathroom! Lovely job Wolsey Works. 
- We finished a school year and have started a new one!
- I went to Atlanta for a conference this summer trying to learn how to better teach reading and writing. 
- We spent a week in Fairmont with the Gilson family and it was a very relaxing and fun week. 
- one nephew and one niece have been added to the family. Beau Baker and Nia Haggarty. We love them both!
- We continue to love high school and our students' sports. We go to whichever town promises the most exciting match-up for football, basketball, hockey and baseball. Cheap date nights! lol
- 

I can't really think of anything else. We are happy, we love our lives and our jobs. We are grateful for our health and the blessings that sneak up on us. 

Cheerio,
Jules

unsure what to call this!

Hello world wide web.

I am feeling frustrated at the moment. I am feeling selfish for thinking there are things in my life that I want to have and so many are suffering with the loss of so much. Why must I be selfish?? How do I get over what I want and when I want it, so I can focus more and appreciate the amazing blessings I enjoy everyday! Any advice would be welcome.
xoxo
Jules