Revelations

No, not talking about the book in the bible. I like to think-a lot. I enjoy planning and figuring out the details to anything and everything!

Teaching
This past week was the first week that I have truly considered not teaching and questioning the last 5 years of college. Teaching is no longer the fun, creative process it used to be. Don't get me wrong, it is still fun most of the time and you still need to be creative-but in different ways. You have to plan your lessons around the curriculum chosen for you, there are kids that don't have parental help or support, you have to progress monitor a handful of kids, pull kids out of class to test them on reading and math skills, kids are going in and out of class for interventions....the list goes on.
It has taken some reflection and talking with Phil to realize that teaching is what I'm supposed to do-even if it isn't the 'funnest' thing all the time. =]

Grad School
Grad school was never in the plans for me. I never planned on continuing my education, I figured 5 years of college was enough for me. Another reason I didn't want to do grad school was that I didn't like any of the programs I knew BSU had. Last week I started doing some research and found out that BSU offers a masters of educational technology. After reading up about the program I knew it was for me. Not only can I get my masters, but I will also be a certified technology integration specialist.
Grad school isn't super expensive on it's own-but on top of my massive undergrad loans, it is just outrageous. After doing some number crunching, I have realized that
A. I can't afford to NOT do grad school. We won't be able to pay student loans right away, even if I got a teaching job right away. I have to stay in school to keep my loans in deferment. Once I have my masters degree, I'll make more money-leaving me able to pay my student loans.
B. Though I MUST do grad school, I canNOT PAY for it. As I already mentioned, my student loans are HUGE. Let's just say my monthly payments will equal to paying on a really nice, expensive car...I will be applying for scholarships and grants to pay for tuition (if you know of any good scholarships, please let me know). I have also applied for a graduate assistantship position. As a GA I will get a tuition waiver (AKA free school) and get a nice stipend for the year. We are hoping and diligently praying that I will be offered a full-time GA position for 2 years (the time it will take to complete my degree). If this happens, I will also be looking for a part-time job to help pay my bills. The stipend will then be used towards my undergrad loans, leaving my loan payments MUCH more do-able.

Weight
If you have read my older posts, you'll see the post about how I have let myself go since moving to Boise. I have a plan set in place to get myself back into shape and more importantly, healthy.
I will begin the HCG drops diet next week (if everything goes as planned). This is a strict diet, only allowing 500-550 calories a day. The good thing is that this only lasts for 3 weeks. After the 3 weeks, you are allowed 1400-1600 calories a day. I should finish up this diet right around spring break.
After the diet is over, I will continue eating right (hopefully my appetite will have changed and I won't want the bad food anymore). I will also be working out very hard.
Here are my goals:
-Lose 20 lbs through HCG by spring break (end of March)
-Lose another 10 lbs by graduation (May 14)
-Lose the last 10 lbs by my birthday (July 27)
Yep, you read that right, I want to lose 40 lbs in the next 6 months. I believe I can do it, and I really hope I can stick to my plan.

That's all for now.