August 2012 - A New School Year

Moving onto a new season.....Fall 2012!  This fall has lived up to the busy expectations we had for it!  As I began my new school year (my 6th year teaching....time flies) in a new grade level (moving from 2nd to 3rd grade), I knew this year would be an adventure.  I won't bore you with all of the gory details, but the bottom line is that I had the opportunity to "loop" with my class this year.   That means that I took my 2nd grade class from last year, and moved up to 3rd grade with them.  I have almost my entire class from last year (minus a handful of kiddos that moved away, and I received some new students since our numbers went up this year).  It's been a really neat opportunity to see my students learn and grow over a two year period.  It's pretty amazing to track their growth over this length of time, and it has been really satisfying to see the fruits of my labor.  I've always tracked and noticed my students' growth before, but it is really exciting to see their continued growth this year.  Anyway, I've really learned a lot, and I'm grateful that I was able to do something like this.

Karl's school year has been busier than ever.  He is a senior at UCA (the University of Central Arkansas), and will graduate in May with his degree in Athletic Training.  Just to clarify....NO, he is not getting a degree to be a personal trainer (not that there is anything wrong with that)!  Athletic training is a growing profession in the medical field, and is absolutely perfect for my husband.  If you know Karl, you KNOW what an avid sports fanatic he is.....everything from football, to basketball, to golf, and beyond....my husband eats, sleeps, and breathes sports.  Well with athletic training my husband will have the opportunity and privilege of working with athletes.  Basically (in a nutshell....and I'm sure I'm not doing this explanation justice) Karl will be working with athletes preventing and rehabilitating their injuries.  It's very similar to physical therapy (just for athletes).  His long term goals include getting his masters degree in either sports administration, sports medicine, or a few other options.  We have been working on grad. school applications since Thanksgiving, and needless to say we have an adventure ahead of us in the very near future!   Here are some photos of Karl "in action" this fall:

                   

I'm really glad that we got this picture taken, HOWEVER, we both look exhausted, because we ARE. :)

Thanks for stopping by!