Is it April Yet?

April. I can't wait. I might name my first daughter April. Why? Because graduation is in April!
This semester has been rough. I knew going into it that it was going to be probably the roughest semester in my schooling so far. No kidding!
God has helped me a lot this semester though. He knew exactly who I should work with in my pre-student teaching.
I get to work with some awesome kids and an amazing teacher, Brooke.
I love the kids I work with, it is great to see them every day.
Brooke has been one of the people that has made me think I can make it to April. She has taught me so much. I think I have learned more from her than I have the whole time in the Special Education program! She is also hilarious and extremely fun to be around. I hope I can connect with kids and have fun at work like she does.
There are moments when it is so much to take in, when the kids are misbehaving or not listening and I have thought,

"Uh oh! Did I pick the right major!?" 

But, there have been times when a student's eyes light up because they understand something, or they are excited to tell me something that happened, or proud to tell someone else they are my student. In these moments I have thought,

"Yep, this is definitely where I'm supposed to be." 

Those moments are much more powerful.

Heather

School is rough for me at times. I get frustrated because I'm a bit of a homebody. I enjoy learning, but I have been known to complain about school. During the Spring Semester of 2012, I was in a Math 1020 class at 7 o’clock in the morning. During that time I was experiencing high levels of anxiety about anything and everything. Going to school was really hard, especially so early in the morning. But, God had not forgotten me. He knew I was struggling. He sent me an angel friend who helped me get through the semester. Her name is Heather. I still remember when she sat next to me the first day. She said something like, “Well, I’m Heather, what is your name?” Right when you look at her you can tell she is a fun and kind person. We bonded quickly. It was not a rare occurrence for us to burst out laughing during class and miss some of the lecture we were supposed to be taking notes on. At times we worried that we drove the people around us a bit crazy. Heather made me laugh and made me feel like myself (anxiety has a way of stripping your identity from you). Some mornings I would feel like I couldn’t go to school that day, but I would remember my friend Heather was going to be in my first class, and I could go. One time, a girl who sat in front of us asked where Heather and I had met. I said, “In this class.” She said, “Seriously? I thought you had been friends for years!” I know God had her sit next to me so she could be a friend at this time in my life. She is one of the kindest people I have ever met and I am grateful for her friendship.

Math Class

During my sophomore year at Weber State University (Spring 2012 semester), I was having quite the struggle with my anxiety. It was really hard to go to school each morning. There were times I would cry in class, with my head down, hoping my classmates couldn't see. It was hard, but God sent me people to help me. One class I had was my problem solving math class. It was hard, but also a lot of fun. (I like math). On the first day of class, I sat down next to a woman who looked like she was in her thirties. We were both a little bit quiet (as many people are on the first day), but as the weeks went by, we started to talk and get to know each other. I learned about her kids, her pets, she was also a special education major, etc. We grew to be very good friends. I would enjoy seeing her each class day. I learned quickly that she was very smart and always went the extra mile on her assignments. Having a dear friend in my class made it easier to deal with my anxiety that semester. I learned that God is always looking out for us and sends us people who can help us. Thank you Michelle!

This was our textbook from the class. It is one of the few I didn't sell back because I enjoyed the class so much thanks to Michelle, my teacher, and the other people I made friends with.