This past week I have been spending time with my family in Ohio. It started off when I got dropped off at the Dallas airport. I was supposed to fly to Houston and then to Ohio but my flight to Houston got cancelled because of weather (that has never happened to me before). So, I had to wait in a really long line to get my flight fixed. I didn't think I would be able to fly out that night, but once I got to the front, the lady got me a one way flight to Ohio! I was so excited that I didn't have to wait another day. Earlier that day, my sister Meredith flew into Ohio back from her LDS mission in Riverside California! It was a bonus that I got to see my family and Meredith! .. The only person who couldn't come was Lauren, but she happened to surprise us on Thursday. It was a big family reunion. I just wish Taylor could have been there!
During the week, we all went shopping at some outlet malls close by. We also got Mere caught up on some movies and shows (the last 2 Harry Potter movies, Captain America and Thor in order to see the Avengers, and Downton Abbey). Meredith also wasted no time in getting her hair cut short again. She was tired of her long hair. My Uncle and Aunt, John and Marsha, came down on Saturday to come to Meredith's talk for Sunday. My mommy made her delicious fish tacos requested by Lauren and me. That night we all got to play some Just Dance 3 that I brought. Here are some funny pictures from it:
On Sunday, Father's Day, Mere gave her welcome home talk. It was great hearing her stories, experiences, and lessons she learned from the mission. When we got back, we took some pictures as a family and then ate a yummy Father's Day meal!
Happy Father's Day Daddy!!
On Monday, Lauren treated all the girls to a pedicure! We had a great time together doing that. The Jacobson girls are all very ticklish and we couldn't stop giggling when they were rubbing our feet. Thank you Lauren :)
I have been missing Taylor a whole lot, but we have been able to use Facetime, which helps a lot. I look forward to when I get to see him in three weeks! He has been in Houston for the past week. I had him write what he has been up to. Here is what he wrote:
It’s been a crazy couple of weeks. I started Induction with Teach for America back on June 5 in Dallas (on SMU’s campus) and am now in my second week of Institute in Houston (on Rice’s campus). Institute is essentially “teacher boot camp”. We wake up at 6:00 am every morning and are on the road to our schools by 6:40. After arriving at my school, I am in and out of teacher training sessions until 4:40 pm. It’s a loooong day everyday. But this week it has finally livened up a bit. Monday was my first day teaching, in a classroom, on my own. I teach 4th period 11th grade chemistry from 1:25 – 2:45 at Madison High School (fun fact: Madison is Vince Young’s alma mater!). Actually being able to teach made the day fly by.
Lesson planning is still pretty rough. We have to write 3 versions of our lesson plans before we actually give the lesson. In addition, we had to write management and behavioral plans, along with several visions and many other plans. There isn’t any time to rest! But, looking at the broader picture, Teach for America is essentially cramming two years worth of college education courses, plus teaching experience, into 5 weeks. So I just try to take everything in stride, although it’s tough to keep great perspective when you’re up until 12:30 am prepping a lesson plan.
The hardest part, though, of Institute is being away from young Madeline. We Facetime almost everyday, which is much better than talking on the phone. We won’t get to see each other until the weekend following the 4th of July, when I have a Friday off. That’s actually the weekend leading into my last week of Institute, so it should give me some energy to finish strong! So overall this has been a very good experience. It has taught me hard work, how to function on 4-5 hours of sleep a night (without drinking any coffee, which is easily the most popular food and/or beverage in TFA), and how to become a better teacher. It will all be worth it when I walk into my own classroom in August at Sunset High! Go Bison!
Houston, Texas
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