Teaching and starting grad school

Hello all! Well, it's been a challenging week, but I have learned a lot. Not least importantly, I've learned that no two teachers, whether they have been teaching for two semesters, two days, or twenty years, are alike. I've also realized that - surprisingly - attaining perfection in one's first week as a Teacher's Assistant/Instructor and graduate student is pretty much not possible. On one hand, that lesson is liberating...on the other, it's depressing! Ha.

Michael left Chicago Friday the 21st of August, which was extremely rough. I haven't lived alone really ever, and after having finally gotten used to being married and together all the time, to have him go right before I started my first week of teaching was pretty brutal. I've gotten slowly used to it, but it is still so hard to come home to an empty apartment. The apartment, however, is really darling and the perfect size for one, so it isn't like I am squished :-) It's very close to Oak St. beach, which is one of the coolest places in town and where the Chicago Air & Water Show happens each year. This year, we happened to have just gotten into town that week, so we were able to enjoy that.

The biggest challenge, when I'm honest, has been organizing my time...and managing to concentrate. There is a constant feeling that I should be doing something - and, not surprisingly there is always something that I could be doing! So I've found that I really need to tell myself to rest every once in a while. However, I am trying to workworkwork through this coming Thursday night, as Michael is arriving at 8:30am to O'Hare on Friday and I don't want to be overly-distracted the entire weekend he is here! Pray for good weather...today is absolutely stunning, but I want to be able to do the farmer's market at the end of my street while he is here and it won't be nearly as fun in the rain!

Like I said in the last entry, please refer to my Facebook for some pictures - unfortunately I haven't gotten many of the school/other TA's...strange, there aren't many photo-ops when you are all completely stressed over learning how to lesson-plan!

God bless all of you, and I continue to ask for your prayers for strength, calm, and coherence.