A Peek into Mrs. Denny's 1st grade class

On this Labor Day weekend I decided to take some free time to update my blog. I recently said I'd update with some pictures of my FIRST classroom. Well here they are!

Bucket Fillers, How We Get Home, What Time Is?

 Teacher table, Calendar Math, Rules, Schedule

 Class Library with my favorite WKU chair

 Library Again

 The HollyWORD Wall (still have to add the words)

 Jobs of our Cast and Crew

 Student Work

 Mrs. Denny's STAR students (bulletin board outside my door)

 Learning Targets and turn in buckets

 Front of my desk. The Mrs. Denny sign was made by my wonderful husband. He held this when he picked my up from the airport coming home from Germany. 

 My desk!

 Super proud of this picture! Hard work does pay off!!

 First day outfit! 

As a first year teacher I am experiencing many firsts! I am teaching a group of 23 rambunctious first graders and love each and everyone one of them. I can't wait to see where this year takes us and see how much they grow. I thank God each day for giving me this job and for all of the many blessings. 

Until next time (when I have some more free time!)

Mrs. Denny

First-First-First

Well... today is the day. It is my first day of my first ever year teaching and it's all happening in FIRST grade. It's hard to believe this day is real and a part of my still doesn't. But I know that in about an hour that feeling will be gone as 25 bouncing first graders walk through my classroom door. I am beyond excited and not quite as nervous as I thought I would be (that will probably hit in an hour!). 

I haven't updated my blog in a while so here's to hoping I can manage to do so once school is in full swing.

I'll let you know how the day goes and add some before and after pictures of my classroom tonight. Wish me luck! :)

-Mrs. Denny

I GOT A JOB!!

I have been back in the USA for almost three weeks now, but it doesn’t seem like that. It seems longer and I don’t know why. I am so happy to be home, but do miss all of the people in Germany. I have been so busy since I got home. I can only describe my time as a whirlwind of experiences. My husband, Jordan, and I have been busy visiting family, playing tennis, and I’ve been interviewing for jobs.

For those of you that don’t know my husband and I are in the process of moving to Lexington from Bowling Green. We have lived in Bowling Green for the past four years while we attended WKU. My husband has decided to get his MBA at the University of Kentucky, so we will be moving closer to home. We are sad to leave but excited for the new chapter in our lives. Speaking of excitement, I received some very, very exciting news today…. Let me just tell you about it!

Early this afternoon I was busy packing the bathroom when Jordan came running in screaming, “Hannah your phone is ringing and it’s an 859 number!” He did this because I have been waiting on some phone calls from a few schools in Lexington. I quickly answered and to my delight on the other end was the voice of a principal from a school I had just had my second interview with on Saturday. Needless to say, I was so excited, but nervous at the same time. The principal told me that the school was very interested in me, but she wanted to check with some of my references first. I gave her the home number of one of my references, and she told me that she would be in touch with me in a few days. I was so excited when I hung up, but I tried not to get too excited because I knew that the job was still not a for sure thing. I then called my mom and told her what had just happened. When I hung up with my mom the reference that the principal had just asked about (one of my cooperating teachers during student teaching) called. I talked to her for a few minutes and then got a beep from the principal. I wasn’t sure why she was calling back to soon, but couldn’t wait to find out. She called me back so soon because she wanted to OFFER ME THE JOB!! Yes, you read that right!! And of course, I ACCEPTED! I was so happy that I could hardly control myself. All of my dreams were coming true! Everything is still in the process of becoming official though. The principal has to send my recommendation for hire to the superintendent and he has to approve . The principal did tell me that he has never rejected anyone, so let’s just pray I’m not that one, HA! If everything goes as planned I will be teaching 1st grade. I am beyond excited and feeling so incredibly blessed! GOD has truly been in control of this entire process and I couldn’t be more thankful for it. It is just so crazy the way things have worked out because of God. Let me just explain.

During student teaching I was selected to attend a Leader in Me Symposium in Bowling Green. (Quick FYI on the Leader in Me) The Leader in Me is a wonderful program being implemented in school systems all across the world. It is based off the 7 Habits of Happy Kids book by Stephen and Sean Covey. It is a great program and has done wonders in many schools. At this Symposium I attended I overheard a woman say that she was from Lexington. When I heard this I thought to myself, I should introduce myself to her. At this time I knew that we could possibly be moving to Lexington, so I wanted to ask her about the application process. I somehow found the courage and introduced myself to her while she was getting a glass of water. To make a long story short this woman that I bravely introduced myself to will soon be my new boss… She is the principal at the school where I will be teaching 1st grade. I am just so glad that I was brave enough to introduce myself to her, and I know that it was all because of God. But His amazing wonders don’t stop there. Let me explain to you now about our new apartment.

Jordan and I had been searching high and low for the perfect apartment, and we weren’t having a lot of luck. We thought we found the place and almost paid the application fee, but something stopped us. We decided to search some more. We drove to Lexington to see what we could find by just driving around. We were driving on Man O War and I saw some bright yellow “Now Leasing” signs, and I thought “well, let’s check that place out.” As we pulled up Jordan and I both thought, “this place is too expensive.” The apartments had a pool, gym, tennis court, and a a garden. But Jordan decided to just walk in and see how much while I waited in the car. I decided to wait in the car because I really didn’t think we could afford to live there. Jordan came back out and told me to come inside. Again, to make a long story short, we signed the lease a few days later. We loved it, and all of the amenities made it even better. Now to explain why this part of God’s wonders is so amazing… this apartment is only five minutes (5 turns) away from the school where I’ll be teaching. The CRAZY thing is when we decided that this was the place where we wanted to live we didn’t even know that the school was so close. We didn’t find out the school was so close until a few days later when I went for my first interview. I mean can you say amazing!? God led us straight to that place for a reason!

All of the things that have happened, happened for a reason. I am such a firm believer in “everything happens for a reason.” I always have been, and always will be. God is always in control, no matter how big or how small. I am so thankful for all HE has done for me. I can’t wait to start teaching. I have always wanted to be a teacher and I can’t believe that in a few months I will have my own classroom full of energetic first graders. I give all the glory to God!

Tomorrow we will finish packing and then it’s moving day on Wednesday. We will be really busy these next few days, but we are so excited!

Until next time!!

Homecoming!

Flying back to the states was so much smoother than flying to Germany. Our 8 hour flight from Germany to Canada went by so fast. I think it was because this time we had seats by the window and sat next to a very nice Canadian man. When we arrived to Canada we had a four hour layover, but we didn't mind because Canada was nice enough to provide free WiFi. It seemed like no time before we were boarding our plane to Nashville (the closest airport to Bowling Green). When we landed in Nashville Emily and I were so excited we couldn't contain ourselves. I can't even express in words how happy I was when I walked through the airport and saw my husband. I dropped my suitcase and rushed to him. He was holding a sign that he made for me, but I didn't even see it because all I cared about was seeing his smiling face! It felt so good to be back in his arms again. 4 weeks is a long time, but absence truly does make the heart grow fonder. Being away from him for so long really made me remember why I love him so much and appreciate all that he does for me. :)

Today, is May 12, 2012.... and that means it's graduation day! I CANNOT believe it! Jordan and I are both graduating today. It took us both 4 years to finish, and I couldn't be prouder of us. When we began college we made it a goal to finish in 4 years, and I'm so happy we were able to accomplish it. It seems like yesterday the two of us were walking across the stage for our high school graduation.

Garrard County High School Graduation 2008

Today one chapter of our life ends, but another one is about to begin. God is so good and I am beyond blessed for all the great things HE has done in my life. I owe it all to Him and couldn't be more thankful. Here's to the future and everything else God has in store for my life. 

Final Days in Germany...

Can someone please tell me how time goes by so fast? This is a question I am always asking myself and others. Experiencing first hand just how fast time goes by I’ve come to realize that it really is important to live every moment as if it were your last. It seems like yesterday when I arrived in Germany, and today I find myself sitting in an airport waiting for my plane home. I am just in disbelief! When I signed up to student teach abroad I thought that four weeks would seem like a lifetime in Germany. However, after I arrived and saw just how busy I would be I realized four weeks was hardly long enough. Overall, I can describe my time in Germany in one word… adventurous! Every day that I woke up in Germany was a new adventure. I never knew what to expect and that is what made it so fun.

My host family (Ursula and Nesrine) were simply the best! I couldn’t have asked for a better family to stay with. They treated me so special and took such good care of me. I am forever thankful for them and all that they did for me. I plan to go back and visit them one day. I put a lock with mine and my husband’s name on the bridge in the city where they live (Telgte). I hope to go back and visit them one day and show my husband our lock. (Putting locks on bridges and throwing the key in the water is very popular in Europe.)

Josef Annegarn Schule was an amazing school to teach at. I was so fortunate to be placed at this school. The faculty was one of the best groups of people I have ever worked with. Everyone at JAS gets along so well and works together for one common goal, the students. I loved seeing the teachers collaborate so that I had something to compare to in the states. Collaboration is very important in school systems and I feel like I learned how to better collaborate because of my time in Germany. It is much more difficult to collaborate with someone who doesn’t speak the same language as you and who has very different teaching styles. I am so thankful to have been given this opportunity because I learned so much that I know will benefit me in the future as a teacher.

I also learned so much from the students! I loved every single student I worked with at JAS. They were all so welcoming and loving. I was scared at first because I didn’t know what to expect and was afraid the language barrier would be a problem. I should have never worried because I never had any problems. The students speak English so well! I was so impressed! In Germany they begin learning English at a very young age, and I believe this is the main reason why they are able to speak so well. I would love it if schools in the USA would teach a foreign language at an earlier age than high school. Who knows, maybe one day?!

On my last day at JAS I was so sad to say goodbye. I prepared some cards and red towels for the classes I taught, and to my surprise they gave me several great gifts. I was so touched by the thought they put into the gifts. I was given several cards, pictures, a coffee cup, chocolate, and two key chains. Also on the last day the school decided to send the students home early for the last lesson and had a goodbye party for me and Emily. A lot of the teachers stayed and we ate some great food. It was so nice to have one last goodbye with all of the teachers. Emily and I were both given signed German flags and JAS t-shirts. I can’t wait to wear mine!

Germany was simply amazing. It is a time in my life that I will never forget. I am so blessed to have been able to spend four weeks there teaching and learning. Most importantly, I thank God for allowing me to go and for keeping me safe every step of the way. I would also like to thank WKU for providing the opportunity, and JAS for opening their school to me with open arms. I also want to thank my wonderful husband for supporting me every step of the way. There are so many people who helped make this trip as great as it was. I will never forget all that I learned or any of the people I met. I just know I’ll be back one day and I can’t wait!

Up next for me is graduation! WOW, I can’t believe I’m saying that. 4 years of college flew by! I’ve enjoyed my time at WKU so much. After graduation I have my first interview for a teaching position. I’m praying things go well! Stay tuned!

Now, I’ll leave you with some of my favorite pictures from my time in Germany.  

 Christina (teacher at JAS), Principal of JAS, Ursula, Viola, Me, and Emily on our last day.

 Last day with class 6D! Great group of students!!

 Picture a student drew for me!

 Last night with Ursula and Nesrine

 Berliner Dom

 Statue man in Amsterdam

 Last day with class 7C

 Eiffel Tower

Out for ice cream with Ursula and Nesrine, I will miss them SO much!

Je t'aime Paris!

PARIS… last weekend I spent 5 days there. Yes, five days! Let me just say it was a dream come true. I feel like I’ve always loved Paris, but during my time there I realized just exactly when my obsession began. I don’t know why I hadn’t realized this before, but I’m glad I did. (Okay, so it is quite embarrassing to say, but I’ll share anyway.) When I was younger I loved the Mary Kate and Ashley Olsen movies, and my favorite just happened to be “Passport to Paris.” I can remember watching this movie hundreds of times. I think from that point on in my life I’ve been in love with Paris. I took French for three years in high school and was in the French Club. My freshmen year at WKU I took French again. I just love the language. I was so fortunate to have such great French teachers. My high school teacher was one of the best teachers I’ve ever had. I learned SO much from her and I’m so thankful. In Paris, I was able to understand and speak more than I thought I could. I think I could have even spoken more, but it is quite scary to do! It is so fun to know another language, and I hope to continue learning French so that on my next trip to Paris I can speak even more! Hey, this just gives me an “excuse” to go back!

Paris was everything I had ever dreamed of. The “City of Lights” is truly spectacular. Things started a little rocky for Emily and me though. When we arrived we found ourselves in the African Village of Paris, which we knew we would be in, but it was not what we expected. It was certainly different than anything we were used to. Let’s just say, we stood out, ha! We made our way to our hotel which was just a short walk from the Metro. We checked in and walked up three flights of stairs to our room. As we were walking up the stairs we were both a little scared. This hotel was certainly a “cheap” hotel. The saying is certainly true, “you get what you pay for.” Needless, to say we decided there was no way we could stay in this hotel. We made our way back downstairs and politely asked if we could have a refund. Thankfully, the man was so nice and was happy to give us a refund. We then proceeded to walk down the street to find another hotel. God was definitely watching over us because the hotel we ended up staying at was literally 20 feet down the road from the first one. I saw a sign said that said “Nouvelle Hotel” and decided to just walk in and see how much it was. The man, Kamel, greeted me with a big smile and told me the price. He allowed us to take a look at the room to see if we liked it. We did! We went downstairs to pay and he discovered that we were student teachers and gave us a discount on the room. We were so happy to have made our way into this hotel and to have met such a nice man. We took the “lift” to our room and unpacked. Next, we decided to go get something to eat and to see Sacre Coeur. We ate at a lovely Italian restaurant that Kamel told us about, and then we walked to Sacre Coeur. We decided to be adventurous and walk up the steps to the top of the hill that Sacre Coeur is on, instead of taking the lift. When we got to the top we were exhausted. I think we walked up 1,000 steps! Sacre Coeur is beautiful and we were so happy to be able to see it a night. It overlooks the city and so we had great view of Paris at night. Breathtaking, is the only word to describe it. Have a look.

 Sacre Coeur at night

 Paris at night

Je t'aime Paris!

After seeing Sacre Coeur we went back to our room and went to sleep. The next day we planned a trip to see the Louvre. I was dying to see the Mona Lisa in person! We didn’t have to wait in line too long at the Louvre, but it was extremely busy. The Louvre is huge and one of the most visited places in Paris. When we got inside we decided to make our way to the Mona Lisa first. As I expected, there was a huge crowd of people around her, but it wasn’t hard to get to the front to have an up close view. As I was standing in front of her I kept saying to myself, “this isn’t real… I am not really standing in front of the actual Mona Lisa.” But it was real and I even got to take a picture with her. 

After we were done staring at the Mona Lisa we made our way through the Louvre as best we could. It’s quite overwhelming to be in the Louvre especially if you don’t really know where to go. We did the best we could and saw as much as we could. My favorite things to see were the statues. I am amazed by giant-hand-carved statues. They are truly a work of art. I can’t imagine being able to make such masterpieces out of stone. I wish I knew more about Art, but sadly I do not. I enjoy looking at it and appreciate it so much, but I’ve never taken the time to learn a lot about the history. Maybe one day I will, and then I’ll make my way back to the Louvre! (Hey, it’s just another “excuse” for me to go back to Paris!) Take a look at some of the art we saw in the Louvre. 

Pyramid entrance to the Louvre

Mona Lisa!

Wedding Feast

Dying Slave by Michelangelo

Don't you want this tub in your bathroom?

My future castle! 

After we were done marveling at all the art in the Louvre we headed to see some other “touristic” sites that were nearby.  We could have easily hopped on a Metro, but we decided to walk because it’s so much nicer to walk and see all that the city has to offer. As we walked we stopped at almost every souvenir shop along the way. We wanted to stock up on gifts for our family and friends. After walking quite a long way we made it to Saint Chapelle. However, the line was so long that we didn’t get to go in, and we didn’t even really get to see it because there was a lot of construction going on. Next, we saw La Concierge, but also did not go in and didn’t get to see it very well because of construction. Finally, we made our way to NOTRE DAME! Notre Dame is my favorite place in Paris. The Eiffel Tower is a given favorite for everyone, but to me Notre Dame is just simply spectacular. Unfortunately, the line was extremely long and we didn’t get to go inside. Instead, we sat outside and soaked up all of it’s beauty. Emily and I kept joking that we were looking for Quasimodo, but sadly we never found him. 

Notre Dame

Gargoyles

Side view of Notre Dame

Saturday:

I was so excited for Saturday’s trip. We were going to Les Catacombs (the Catacombes). I learned about Les catacombs in my French classes, and even did a presentation on them as well. When we arrived to Les Catacombes we came across a crepe stand. I had been dying to eat a crepe since I got to Paris. I was so thankful we found one, and it couldn’t have been more perfect because we were able to take them to go. The line to Les Catacombes was extremely long, so we enjoyed our crepes while we waited (which was for a total of 2 hours). For those of you who don’t know the Catacombs are an ossuary in Paris. Years ago Parisians buried the dead on the outskirts of the city. Eventually, the graves were overcrowded and disease began to spread because of the decaying matter. The city tried several things to fix the situation but nothing worked. At a later time, it was decided to move the bodies/bones to the underground quarries. In the most simple terms, this is how the Catacombs were formed. There are over 6 million Parisians buried in the Catacombs. It was quite eerie to be below the city of Paris looking at bones, but it was also exciting. Some of the arrangements of the bones are truly works of art. 

 Arrete! C'est ici L'Empire de la Mort -- "Stop! Here is the Empire of the Dead."

 It was kind of weird posing for pictures in front of the bones.

Next on our list of Paris sightseeing was the Luxembourg Gardens (Jardin du Luxembourg). I told Emily I wanted to eat a baguette in the gardens, so we did. The funny thing is that it was a McBaguette! Yes, there was a McDonalds across the street from the gardens, and we said “hey, why not?” It rained while we sat and ate our McBaguette and was freezing, but we didn’t care. The gardens are beautiful and have everything you could ever want to do. There is a carousel, tennis courts, basketball courts, playgrounds, etc… It’s the perfect family fun place. I hope I can take my future children there one day. 

 McBaguette

After walking around every inch of Jardin du Luxembourg we wanted to go shopping. But this time it was not for souvenirs for our family and friends…. It was for us! We had been wanting to buy a Longchamp purse since we got to Paris. We have seen them everywhere, and couldn’t resist the temptation of having one. We made our way to La Galleries LaFayette to try and find the store. We were shocked when we finally did find the store. There was a LINE just to look at the purses. We were in awe. I had never seen a store like this. There were people everywhere and everyone wanted one of these purses. Emily and I didn’t even know how much one was, but we had to wait and see. It turns out the purses are a lot cheaper in Paris than they are back in the states. We each bought one! We were so happy with our new purchase, but so ready to go back to the hotel. It had started to rain and we were exhausted. 

Sunday:

Sunday was our last full day in Paris. I couldn’t believe the time had passed so fast, but that’s how my whole trip to Europe has been. For this day we saved the best for last…. the Eiffel Tower. I was so excited to see the Eiffel Tower that I could hardly control myself. We had seen it a few times before this day, but just from a distance. It is completely different when you see it up close for the first time. It is massive! As expected, the line was extremely long, but not just because of the fact that everyone wanted to go to the top. It turns out that one of the lifts to the top was broken, therefore there was only ONE lift to take thousands of people to the top. We did have the choice to walk to the top, but we were too tired. Believe me if you ever see it up close you will want to take the lift too! We waited in line just over two hours before we finally made it to the top. As I looked out over the city of Paris, standing on top of the Eiffel Tower, I was in disbelief. It was incredible, and I couldn’t believe I was seeing it with my own eyes. It turned my stomach to look straight down at the ground because the people looked like ants! Total I think Emily and I were at the Eiffel Tower for five hours, but it was worth every second. 

 Gustave Eiffel: creator of the Eiffel Tower

 We had to wait even longer than normal because there was only one lift working.

 Going to the top!

 GO TOPS!

 Kisses!

 3 Goggles for UK!! Go CATS!!

 Our photo shoot in front of the Eiffel Tower.

 Our photo shoot in front of the Eiffel Tower.

After the Eiffel Tower we wanted to see Arc de Triomphe. We took a metro to get to it because it was a pretty long walk and we were so tired. Arc de Triomphe is amazing just like everything else in Paris. To see it up close you have to go underground because the traffic is crazy around it. We stayed just a few minutes looking at it, and then we were headed to get something to eat. We hadn’t eaten since breakfast because of the all Eiffel Tower excitement, so you can believe we were hungry! We had some great food at a little restaurant back near the Eiffel Tower. It felt so good to sit and eat. After we finished we decided to end our night with a boat ride down the Seine River. This was something I have always wanted to do, and what better time to see the City of Lights then at night! Unfortunately, the weather had changed and it was freezing outside! Despite the cold, we loved it! The boat ride took about an hour and took us past all of the major tourist places in Paris. After the ride was over, we were ready to go to bed. BUT… then I realized it was only 20 minutes until the Eiffel Tower was going to “sparkle.” Once every hour at night the Eiffel Tower sparkles all over. I had to see it! We patiently waited in front of a restaurant, and when it began I was as happy as a child on Christmas morning! It was beautiful!! I was so happy we got to see it! 

 I look like an ant!

 Boat ride on the Seine River

Monday we slept in a little, and then made our way to the train station around 10:00. I was so sad to leave, but so thankful for the great time I had in Paris. It was truly a dream come true and I am counting down the days until I return. Je t'aime Paris! (I love Paris!)