What is the obsession with flamin hot cheetos?

So I take back what I said when I wrote I don't have any good teacher stories from week one.

I just finished reading the Student surveys that some of my students turned in early and I found one that said the following:

Q: "What is something I should know about you or about how you learn best?"

A: "Every once and a while I have to eat hot chips or I will stop breathing"

BA hahahahahahahahaha

I laughed out loud so hard! Sorry kid, you're not getting hot cheetos for saying writing that. Good try though!

So this is what teaching is?

Two days down 178 more to go!

My original plan was to get home from school yesterday all excited about telling all my avid readers (ha!) about my experience. However after leaving school at 6:45 pm I was exhausted. I have never been so exhausted from a normal day at work! Being on your feet all day managing 150 kids is tiring!

In short, the first two days have been pretty great. The kids are still rather nervous so sometimes participation is like pulling teeth but most are eager to participate and help out in class. I haven't had too many funny teacher moments yet but mostly just random comments from students about wanting to know how guns work and if we can put mentos in coke.

Tonight I get to start reading thier student surveys which are always really interesting. I asked the kids to write out their personal goals and how they are going to meet them this year and I am excited to see what they have to say!

Tomorrow is a short day so the kids are only here until 1:30 so I get the afternoon to plan for next week's adventures! woo!

Pictures of my classroom to come! (It's not quite finished but will be once we have "Big Goal Day")

Ha! Well then that is ALL YOU!

Two days in my school and I couldn't be more excited!

This week we started the first week of professional development on our campus and I finally got to meet the other teachers and get to explore my classroom. Here's my recap:

Yesterday morning I showed up bright and early at 8am and was greeted by an amazingly diverse staff and a spread of breakfast tacos.

(side note: Breakfast Tacos > Bagels any day. This is one major advantage TX has on any other state I've lived in where "free breakfast" consists of bagels or doughnuts, maybe a scone or danish if we're lucky).

After breakfast and a brief announcement or two I was sent off to the office to collect classroom keys then I was off! I entered my classroom to find a MASSIVE science supply closet and a flooded floor. The flood was the unfortunate product of the AC but I couldn't really complain because at least I had working air conditioning. I spent the rest of the day exploring the amazing supplies we had acquired in the last year thanks to a grant and cleaning out my mess of a room. There were textbooks in there as old as me. Really? I think the world of science has expanded slightly in the last 22 years.

Today I returned to school for some meetings in the morning and another afternoon of classroom setup (this time sans flooding). I got to make my first bulletin board. Its a beautiful orange and white....my new color obsessions it seems. I even put up a giant periodic table of elements and some other random science posters. One in particular is of the Body Systems. This includes reproduction of course. My 7th graders are going to have a field day seeing the words penis and vagina up on the wall all the time.

Other than setup I've had a few great conversations with my science department chair who also happens to be teaching 7th grade. She is AMAZING. She has been incredibly helpful and told us to never feel like we are bothering her if we have any questions. She is in the room that connects to mine through the huge supply closet and I can't wait to work together on the curriculum.

All in all in has been a great start to the year in terms of colleagues and resources. I can't wait to finish setting up my room and getting the kids in the class on the 24th!

Pictures to come!

I miss being a foodie....

I guess I can't honestly say I miss being a foodie because I never really stopped being one. Instead, the dining out lifestyle of Boston has been pushed to the side. I no longer spend evenings sitting at an oyster bar deciding between wellfleets and island creeks or sipping cocktails prepared with house infused alcohol and fresh fruits. In Houston I decide between burritos and tacos and sip margaritas....I can't complain because I love all of those things but sometimes I need to be a foodie again!

I've spent the last hour or so researching what's hot on the Houston restaurant scene. I need to bring charcuterie back into my life one pâté at a time. I think my first stop on this return to head to tail eating will have to be Feast. A Brit who worked at St. John's in London and is now here in my new hometown preparing amazing food? Yes, please. I think my only dilemma will be finding someone else who is as excited about eating headcheese and beef tongue as I am. Where's A when I need a culinary adventure??

My final bit of restaurant news - I learned that Houston Restaurant Week is quickly approaching (Aug 10-23). It also happens to fall perfectly over both my birthday and my first teacher paycheck! After having taken advantage of lunching at L'Espalier during the spring restaurant week in Boston I'm looking forward to exploring h-town's culinary landscape. Bon ap!

If you want to know what TX is like...

Recipient of the "Best story of Houston '09 Thus Far" Award

Yes, thats me....ask if you don't already know the "best story." It honestly may be the most entertaining story of my life thus far as well.

This name tag was given to me tonight at our first family potluck with some of the other CMs. The girls of the house gave us all name tags to follow along with some inside joke or silly name derivation. I searched through the name tags not knowing which was mine until one guy said "really jess, you can't figure out which one is you?"

Anyway, it has been an interesting weekend. I've gotten hardcore "boston-sick." I miss my nights at 844 drinking wine and watching silly TV shows or making fun of A's love of SciFi. Houston is great but it is no Boston. Sometimes I need someone to say "YES! Wear that high waisted skirt and v-neck t!" (Though C. tends to do a good job most of the time)

It's weird being so far from your closest friends. I guess this is what "growing up" is but I just want to wander the streets of NYC walking between advertising agencies and restaurants looking for jobs with the girls....merde.

A weekend of having it proven to me that "girls love assholes" and having no girl roommates had made me bitter against this town.