This year has been incredible. I have had many great moments that I will remember forever. I would like to take a look back on 2015 and everything that happened.
January: I started the second semester of my junior year. This included education classes such as Social Studies Methods, SIOP, Language Acquisition, Foundations of ESOL Instruction, Math for K-6 teachers.
February: I sprained my ankle. This was not fun. I have never sprained my ankle, but now I really know what it feels like. It was not fun. I was dropping something off at someones house, and they live on a hill. As I was leaving I decided that instead of walking down the sidewalk a ways to find the steps, I would just walk down the hill. This was a big mistake. It was a steep hill and I slipped, my ankle sliding out from under me. This happened right after I decided to start running again and training for a 5K. I wrapped it, iced it and kept it elevated and it got better.
March: I traveled to Florida to visit my grandma for Spring Break. This was such a fun trip and so good to be able to spend time with her. We did some shopping, visited downtown Disney in Orlando, saw a movie, and went to dinner with my aunt and uncle. I wish I would have been able to stay longer.
Oddly and frustratingly enough I re-sprained my ankle again at the very end of my trip to Florida. This time I was getting into my grandma's car at a friends house and slipped on the grass out front. This time hurt almost as bad as the first. The next day I flew back to Colorado to visit my parents for a few days and I saw a doctor there who told me to just keep icing it and wear a brace and it will get better.
April: My mom came to visit me in Salt Lake City for the weekend. We did some shopping, saw my school's production of Godspell (which is my mom's favorite musical) and went to my school's lacrosse game.
I also did my first Griffin Gear Up retreat as part of my OPA position in the Westminster office. We stayed up in the mountains with 15 soon to be first year students and it was so much fun! It was so wonderful to be able to see what I had spent months planning, come to life.
May: I embarked on a Mayterm trip to the Hopi and Navajo Indian Reservations in Utah and Arizona. This trip was so amazing in many ways. I not only got to see some breathtaking scenery and visit some incredible schools, but I made some really good friends and met some wonderful people. I learned so much about the Hopi and Navajo culture and also learned a lot about myself. I will definitely remember this trip for years to come.
June: June was not super eventful. I took a classroom management class that met once a week, and the rest of my time I spent exploring Salt Lake City and finding fun things to do. This included visiting Gigal Gardens, the UP house replica and going to the pool.
July: My parents came to visit me for the 4th of July weekend. I loved being able to see them and spend a day and a half with them. We went to the rodeo, and farmers market and watched the fireworks at the park. On July 5th I turned 21 years old and I celebrated by going around the city doing 21 random acts of kindness. This, along with my Mayterm trip may have been the highlight of my year. I loved being able to do nice things for other people, and the reactions were priceless. I definitely want to do more random acts of kindness in 2016.
I also took two TESL classes that were five days a week for two weeks each. I had the opportunity to teach at a summer ESL school and it was a lot of fun.
August: My dad and I drove to Grand Tetons National Park in Wyoming. The drive was just breathtaking. We got to drive through country I have never seen before. We spent a few days at the park exploring, rafting down the river and just taking in the beauty of it all. This was such an amazing trip and I am so glad that I got to take it with my dad.
I also started my first semester of my senior year. I began Math Methods, Science Methods, Language Arts Methods, Acting and Portfolio.These turned out to be great classes that I just loved.
September: My mom came to visit me again. This time she had a few bike races that I was able to watch her compete it. She won first place in her time trial which was so awesome and second in her road race. We also did some shopping, went to a painting class, and threw a surprise party for my roommate and best friend.
I also applied for student teaching and graduation this month. This is when the process of trying to allow me to student teach in Monument Valley began.
October: I started at my methods placement, which was a 6th grade classroom. This was a challenge for me since I generally enjoy working more with the younger grades (kindergarten is my favorite), but it ended up being more fun then I thought. The kids were such a crack up and I loved all the stories they would tell me each time I would go in. I taught 6 lessons total, some of them a few times, and I gained a lot of valuable experience from doing that.
I was officially approved to student teach down in Monument Valley the end of this month.
November: I went home to visit my parents for Thanksgiving. Although I had seen my parents semi-recently, it was still nice to be able to be home since I hadn't been home since May.
December: I passed my last Praxis exam in order to student teach in the spring. I also finished my semester receiving all A's and a 3.9 GPA. I traveled home for winter break. This break has been really relaxing and I have enjoyed getting to spend time with my family.
These are the big moments that happened this last year. I can't wait to see what will happen in 2016. I know some things that will be happening such as student teaching and graduation, but there is a lot of other things that can happen in the new year. And I am open and ready to receive them!
Happy New Year!