Precious Teaching Memories

Year 2 of teaching has commenced. I've been teaching for about 2 weeks now (I think). I have all freshmen this year in algebra 1. They are awesome! I had this same group of kids when I student taught at ER middle school. It's cool to see how they've matured and who they've become because when I had them as 7th graders, they had no clue who they were!

So I have a boyfriend now. He's one of the football coaches at the high school. That being said, I have a lot of football players in my classes. They are always asking about him and talking about me and him. It's hilarious! One kid told me that if Dallas ever hurt me that he'd take care of him. I love that my kids are so protective of me :) They're presh.

Today was a really crappy day so I want to just document a couple of fun memories I have already had these first two weeks...

1. As I was talking about negative numbers one day, I don't know why, but I said "negative numbers have to be protected by parentheses... they are like pregnant women! You have to protect the pregnant bellies!" So one of my kids said, "so negative numbers are pregnant women?" Hahaha it was hilarious! But my kids will never forget that they are supposed to protect negative numbers with parentheses... always.
2. I had a student offer to buy me a milkshake. Well actually I messed with him last year about owing me one and he randomly came up to me this year with money saying he was going to buy me one finally. I told him it was a joke and he continued to say that even though I have a boyfriend now that he'd really like to buy me a milkshake... oh my.
3. I had a student dub me as the "duncanator". Not so sure how I feel about that nickname.
4. This year I have a service learner in one of my classes and a kid that hangs out in my class 4th block just because. Both of them keep telling my students how great a teacher I am and how much they loved my classes last year. It just really makes my heart warm because I know that I made an impact (maybe). Or at least I hope so. Hunter is one of the kids and he literally tells them every day how much fun he had in physics and how they all need to take it when they become juniors and seniors. One day he even said, "Miss Duncan's class is the only class I ever learned anything in... like ever." Now even though that makes me question the quality of our school (yikes) it does make me happy that I am doing what I love and maybe even doing it somewhat well.
5. One of my freshmen today told me that my class was his favorite class and that I was his favorite teacher. I joked with him saying "I bet you say that to all your teachers" and he got real serious and said "no Miss Duncan, like really. I do love this class." Again. These are sweet things God knew I needed to hear on a day like today.
6. When I got home today, I had a facebook post from a girl I had in physics last year. She is at UT Knoxville this year as a freshman. Now Jessie has a pretty funny sense of humor so her seemingly sarcastic post made me smile, because I knew she meant every bit of it. Here's what she said... "Ms. Duncan, I would just like to tell you that stupid manipulating equations thing that I was sure was an epic waste of time just helped me figure out a Chemistry 120 problem. I was about to give up when I decided to make it into a formula and then manipulate it. If it wasn't for you I would've never gotten that question right!" I started tearing up when I read this.

I just know that God is working through me and even though I get frustrated with my kids and they drive me a little batty, we do have fun and I enjoy the memories I get to make with them every day. I just really hope I am having a lasting impact on them.

Thankful for days like today,

Katelyn

Kansas City 40 hour road trip!

I have no idea what we were thinking when my friends John, Brooke, and Nathan decided a 40 hour road trip to Kansas City was a good idea. It was definitely a quick weekend! It really was a good weekend despite the total 19 hours of driving... yuck! It was the last ballpark of the summer for me. I was so relieved to finally have reached that last trip for the summer! It went by so quickly! I feel like summer just began and it's already almost over.



So about Kansas City... I had a blast! The ballpark was really cool and I loved the fans! They were passionate. I mean I guess you have to be when there is really nothing else out there in the middle of nowhere! We had a good time. They had some delish frozen custard at the park and there were these amazing fountains behind the outfield that really added to the unique atmosphere of the park!

What was really cool was the fact that they had just hosted the all-star game! They a lot of cool all-star game stuff left! Banners and everything we still hanging up too!

It was also really fun to get to know some of Brooke's friends. We stayed with her friend Emily. Brooke is from KC so I'm really glad she got to go back home. That's always a good feeling. This was a good trip to end the summer baseball extravaganza!

In the end I have to say that I really liked Kauffman Stadium! It had a really fun baseball town type feel to it. I was surprised. I didn't think Kansas City would really be a baseball town, but I think it turned out to be one of MLB's hidden treasures... to me at least!

I'm thinking Philly, D.C., and NYC next year?? I guess I have plenty of time to plan that out!

Til then,

Katelyn

Cleveland and Pittsburgh ballparks... CHECK!

I took a trip last week up to Ohio to visit one of my best friends, Heather! I flew into Cleveland and we walked around part of the city! It was so fun! We ate at the Hard Rock and had a blast just hanging out and catching up! Later, we went to see a Cleveland Indians game. We went and watched them play the L.A. Angels. It was cool. I tried to get a ball at batting practice before the game, but these stupid kids kept yelling at one of the players and he wouldn't throw anything to us. The field wasn't my favorite, but it was a cool atmosphere. We had pretty good seats too. They were in the corner of the left field line. After the game there was a cool fireworks show in downtown Cleveland! We went and watched it. It was fantastic!

The next day we went to Pittsburgh to watch the Pirates play the Astros! We had amazing seats on the first base side for this game! We even got to eat Hibachi at this game for dinner. It was good! I really liked PNC park. It was super nice! We really had a good time at this park! I just love baseball so so so much! We had an interesting time driving back in a massive thunderstorm, but we made it back safely!















The rest of the week was fun! We had a great 4th of July celebration and enjoyed time with Lindsey and David as they came and visited with us. I am thankful that I got to spend time with such amazing friends!

I only have 1 more summer trip left on my ballpark tour. I'm heading to Kansas City this weekend! I'll update as soon as I return from that trip!

Katelyn

4 more ballparks, CHECK! 30 Before I'm 30 Update...

I went to Boston to stay with a dear friend and mark Fenway Park off my list. Originally I hadn't planned on going to Boston this summer, but with my tax refund check I figured why the heck not?!

I flew up to Providence, R.I. and Kelli and her dad picked me up! I worked at Disney with Kelli so it was SO good to see her again.

We did a lot of fun things while I was there. We stayed at her nana's house in Cape Cod, went to the beach, got to see a friend from Brazil that worked with us at Disney (who we thought we'd NEVER see again obviously), saw Plymouth Rock, but the best was going to one of the nation's most historic and iconic baseball parks... Fenway Park: home of the Red Sox!

It was such a fun atmosphere outside the stadium in Yawkey Way! Kelli had talked me into wearing her "Green Monstah" shirt, but of course I wore my Braves shirt underneath!

It was so cool to think that I was sitting where people had sat enjoying the same sport as me 100 years ago! They still use the old-style hand turned scoreboard in left field. And of course there is the infamous Green Monster wall in left field! During the game it was just so fun to be part of the Red Sox nation, even if only for 1 game.

I got to see Big Papi hit a home run which was pretty sweet! We sang Sweet Caroline just like they do every game at Fenway and I also got a "Fenway Frank." Overall I LOVED my Fenway experience, but then again, who wouldn't?!

The next week, my family went to Chicago and Milwaukee. I was so excited about this trip because it was going to mark 3 ballparks off my list! Chicago was really cool. We'd never been there before so we explored the city. We hit up a ballpark each night! It was exhausting, but really neat to say I've done!

The first park we went to was Wrigley Field. This was definitely a big landmark! Getting to see Fenway and Wrigley within a week of each other was definitely something I will always remember! Wrigley was really cool! It was such a historic ballpark. I was really excited to see the original marquee sign out front.

Even though I'm not a big fan of history, I do love baseball history! Another cool thing about going to that game at Wrigley was that I got to see Boston play the Cubs there! Two of the nations most historic teams dueling it out in one of the nation's most celebrated and historic ballparks! It was truly a dream! Big Papi hit one out at that game... this means I got to see him hit bombs in both Fenway and Wrigley. Amazing!

After going to Wrigley, we went to U.S. Cellular Field the next night. Before we hit that up, we explored the city a little bit more. I even got to stand on the glass ledge at the Sears Tower! It was so cool!!

U.S. Cellular field is home to the White Sox. The neat thing about the game we went to was that it was the Chi-Town Classic, the Crosstown Cup, the battle of the Chicago baseball teams!! So cool to see the passion for baseball in this one city!

U.S. Cellular Field was alright, but it was in a sketchy part of town and just not very appealing to the eye. The fans weren't all that exciting either, but we did get to see a lot of home runs hit in this game!

 It was crazy windy at that game! We had seats up at the top and it was incredible how big the gusts of wind were that blew through! It was hard to stand up when you were walking up and down the steps! I guess it held true to its name: the "Windy City."

Our last stop on our tour of the ballparks for this trip was to Milwaukee. We went for the day to explore the city before the game. There is absolutely NOTHING to do in Milwaukee. We couldn't even find a restaurant we recognized. However, their ballpark is fantastic! I loved Miller Park! It was really cool and the retractable roof just added to the look of the park! Even though Wrigley is so historic, I think Miller Park was my favorite out of the 3 we visited! I even caught a ball at batting practice!

We got to see several former Braves play while we were there. Yunel Escobar and Kelly Johnson both played for the Braves but now play for the Blue Jays.

We saw a ton of home runs hit in this game too! Overall for the 3 games we saw, we saw 15 home runs hit! That's incredible! We also didn't get
to see the home team win at any of the ball parks... kind of sad. The fans at Miller Park were more into the game and more fun to be around than the other two parks. I think we were able to get more into the Brewers game because we sat closer to the field as well.


These 4 ballparks were a great way to kick start my summer! I am enjoying this journey as I race to see a game at all 30 ballparks before I'm 30. Right now my count is at 10! I'm a third of the way there and I'm 24!! Still lots to visit and plenty of memories to be made! Next on my list for the summer are Cleveland and Pittsburgh in a little over a week when I go visit my friend Heather in Ohio!! Super pumped!

Living out my dream,
Katelyn

Ready, set, SUMMER!

It's been quite a while since I've written because just as my last blog said, things were getting crazy. And it hasn't slowed down since! My softball girls won the county tournament!!! I was SO proud of them! We beat Greenbrier, FINALLY. It was different winning as a coach. I didn't feel like I had a hand in it really because I didn't get an at bat or catch a fly ball. It's still exciting. Just a different kind of exciting.

My students all took their EOC's. My algebra 1 babies did SOOOOO good on theirs! I was proud! Algebra 2 did alright, but honestly that test is oober hard and I would probably struggle to do well on it.

My seniors finished up their exams and in physics all I had left was 5 juniors. It was a sad little class, but we still had fun and finished up the book. My other classes got to do a couple of projects and watch a few movies before the year was over.

Graduation, prom, senior night, baccalaureate... all that fun stuff came and went as it does every year.

School ended with changes at our school. Whether good or bad, things always change and it's how we're going to handle those changes that help form who we are. I'm still deciding how I am going to deal with some of the changes...

I turned 24 and got to celebrate the evening with all my best friends before driving with my sissy down to Chatt. From there we drove the next day to DISNEY!!! We enjoyed such an amazing sister vacation!

I got to feed 2 squirrels at Universal!!! SOOO exciting since I love squirrels way to much for my own good!

I got to see one of my old roomies from Disney, Jackie, for the first time in over a year! Such a good reunion!

We went to all 4 parks, the universal parks, downtown disney, and visited some of the resorts. It was sad seeing all the places I used to go daily. I miss the heck out of that place! We ate SO much and I'm pretty sure I gained 10 pounds... yikes. We came home and the magic ended, but we both still love that place more than words can say (even at the age of 24 and 22...).

When I got back from Disney I had a wedding the next day. One of my co-workers had a cute wedding out in Cedar Hill. It was fun to celebrate with her.

The next few days I had to unpack and transition from one trip to another.

I had inservice so I stayed with Heather in Smyrna for a few days. The inservice was SO awesome! It was one of the best I've ever been to and I learned a lot about how can integrate these awesome calculators into my classroom instruction.

During that week, the Monday and Friday I was at home, I worked TN kids at home. That's a food program for kids in our county during the summer so they can get good meals they otherwise wouldn't get at home. It was fun to play with the kids and just chat. I hope to get to go back more this summer!

I came home from Heather's and got ready for Boston. My roomie took me to the airport that Saturday and I headed off!

I'll save that trip for another blog...

Crazy busy,
Katelyn

My Ridiculously Crazy Life Right Now

Exhuasting. That's probably the one work to describe my last several weeks. I have been completely mentally, emotionally, and physically exhausted. I'm constantly trying not to be late to school because I stay up late to finish school work (which doesn't get finished). Softball has been NUTS trying to be the head coach as well as teach my 3 different classes and teach them well (which I've been failing at here lately). My kids are ready to be done with school which makes it even harder to motivate them. I'm equally as ready to be done though!

Softball has been a blast, but still exhausting. Not sure if I've mentioned it before, but it is more emotionally and mentally exhausting than being a player EVER was. I want to crash after each game we have. We just finished our regular season yesterday so I get a 5 day break while TCAPS go on since I can't practice them during that. I slept for almost 11 hours last night. It was MUCH needed though. I'm ready for the season to be over, but I know like everything else, once it's over I will miss it. We only lost 2 games in the regular season, both to Greenbrier! I told the girls they WILL NOT beat us again. Hoping that my girls can step up and prove that they've got what it takes to beat Greenbrier (because I know they do).

School has been good. I had another evaluation last week. It went really well. Now I only have 1 more (thank goodness). I'm currently reviewing my algebra kids for their EOC. Reviewing is hard because there is so much to review and it's hard to know where to start with such little time! Physics has been fun though because I don't have an EOC so I'm just picking and choosing what I want to do from the book. We're having fun with it I think! Here's so videos and pics from some of the fun projects we've been doing!

Egg Drop Project

 

Tower of Power

 

I think they enjoy my class (hopefully). And maybe they're learning just a little bit too. It's been a trial run of a semester for me, but I've almost made it through my first semester of teaching physics. I can only get better! I have such a great group of kids! We knock heads occasionally, but I think they know I'm hard on them out of my love for them!

We had an assembly on the football field yesterday that was a mock crash scene. It was scary intense. They had the state troopers there "arresting" the drunk girl and the EMS and firefighters were on the scene putting the "dead girl" in a body bag and life flight came to "get the critically injured driver". I was an emotional wreck. I just hope my kids see it as a wake up call that they could end up like that if they make stupid decisions. The drama club and our no drinking/texting while driving group did a great job organizing and role playing during the crash. It was much needed especially right before prom next weekend.

Speaking of next week, I have to chaperone prom. It's going to be nuts. Still don't have a date but whatevs. I just figured it would keep my students from hitting on me (the 3 of them that are constantly making my life awkward).

Next week is my last week to prepare my algebra kids for their EOC (end of course) test too. I am worn out and I know they are too. I just don't know how well my algebra 2 kids will do because it's a pretty tough class that encompasses a lot of material! Next wknd is going to be crazy again so I'm going to try to enjoy these few days of peace. Thank you Lord for a job that I enjoy (despite the stress) and kids that I love and would do anything for.

Thankful,
Katelyn