Lauren in NYC

Aggggggggh…

Ok I will write more about induction later (it really HAS been a positive experience so far), but right now I’m SO frustrated! I mailed a package to get to St. John’s LAST WEEK, and for some reason it has been lost in the shuffle. Unfortunately, this package has some important items in it: ie. sheets, pillow, blanket, lamp, towels, printer…

I definitely slept on rolled up sweatshirts last night…hope I don’t end up doing that again! Looks like I need to find some way to get to a Target or something!

Bring it.

Alright TFAers past and present….

What should I be bringing to Institute?

I mean I’ve got the whole clothes/toiletries thing down, but what about things for my summer classroom? My placement is elementary, so I’m assuming that that is what I’ll most likely be teaching this summer. So far all I’ve got is a printer, some paper, extra ink and some stamps that say “Bright idea!” and “You’re a genius!”.

Do I need to be bringing scissors, staplers, construction paper etc etc? Any ideas?

I graduated yesterday…

Bill Clinton was supposed to be our keynote speaker. In fact, it was in the program and everything. Then very complicated issues arose with striking campus workers, and he decided not to come. Then Ariana Huffington was supposed to speak. Same thing. She decided not to come. So…my chancellor spoke. It was kind of lame. But whatever…

I’M GRADUATED.

Today I move out of my LA apartment. My parents, my brother and my boyfriend are all here to help me, but it’s just going to be a mess. Haha…all of my roommates are moving out on the same day. Yikes.

I definitely cried like a little baby last night saying good-bye to my friends. Oy.

Now on to the next chapter…

I leave for New York a week from tomorrow!

It’s my last finals week in my undergraduate college career, and I have a nasty nasty cold. I have about a billion things to do to get ready for finals, get ready for my big move, prepare for institute and with my apartment and work in general. All these things are so not fun when I’m snotting all over the place…Sorry, was that too graphic?

I am thoroughly enjoying reading everyone ELSE’S blogs about induction and institute. I am really relieved to read about corps members becoming friends and enjoying the process. I have to admit that I was (and kind of still am) a little nervous. I already did the whole ditch-your-entire-established-life-and-make-new-friends stage. I am kind of afraid to have to do that again. Also, I’ve heard so many horror stories about institute that I almost forgot that I’m actually going to be able to semi-teach a class! How awesome!

Well anyways….I should probably go back to some more awesome studying of the History of Modern Brazil.

T-LESS THAN TWO WEEKS UNTIL NEW YORK!

Hello LA TFAers!

I’m entering TFA as well (NYC 08 WOO!), but I’ve been living in LA for the past 4 years going to school. I have to LEAVE LA to prepare for my NYC move on June 15th, but I have a little dilemma…

I have this wonderful bed I bought in February that I MUST sell! It would be GREAT if it went to another TFA home!

It’s full sized, comes with iron frame, headboard and footboard, full sized super comfy mattress and bed slats.

I bought it LESS than four months ago for over 600 dollars! Since it’s so new and in such perfect condition, I set my price at $400, but I would be definitely willing to haggle and negotiate!

So if anyone in the LA area (or will be in the area in the next week or so!) is interested, PLEASE comment and we can figure things out!

http://teachfor.us/wp-content/blogs/339/uploads//bedframe.thumbnail.jpg
-Lauren

Oh my goodness…

I am getting so very stressed out, and I haven’t even STARTED yet. I am very excited that I’m going to be a New Yorker and all, but I’ve gotta say that this whole process would be a lot easier if I wasn’t 3000 MILES AWAY until the first day of induction.

No clue where I’m living.
No clue who I’m living with.
Only a vague idea of how New York neighborhoods even work or the commute between different areas.
No clue where I’ll be working or my grade level (For sure cannot interview until induction period.)
No clue what I will get on my LAST or CST tests…I’m a fourth deadliner who absolutely canNOT make it out to NYC this weekend, so I have to take the tests on July 12th.

Also..
No clue when I’m going to get this pre-institute work done. I graduate June 13th, and my days are scheduled from sunup to sundown every day until then. However, I am “supervising” inventory at work this weekend. That basically means i’ll be sitting and doing very little for about 6 hours. Hopefully I can bring my workbooks and do a good chunk of reading then.

Man I don’t want to be complaining right now. This was my decision to go this far away from California, but it would sure be nice if I could just go check out New York for a weekend to just get an idea of what the hell I’m getting into!

That being said….

I really want to get that classroom Jeopardy set. I am an obsessive Jeopardy viewer, and that sounds like SUCH a fun classroom tool.

Hmmmm anyone else check out the boko Relentless Pursuit yet? It’s all about TFA and some recruits as an LA high school.

I’m reading it right now, and I think it’s really interesting. Just interested in any current CMs who have read it and how accurate you’d say it is….

Discuss amongst yourselves…

It’s official.

My mother has started the “my only baby is moving across the country” guilt trip…

So for those of you who are (or were) in the UC system for college, I know you’ll feel me here.

Let me out please.

Every other college end in April/May/etc etc…My graduation is June 13th. I haven’t even taken a MIDTERM this quarter. I keep reading about all these people who are graduating, and a whole institute starts before my finals even do! I am so ready to graduate it’s ridiculous. Senioritis? You bet.

Now don’t get me wrong. I love UCLA. It’s an amazing school, and I never once doubted my decision to attend here. However, I am just ready to move on. I’m getting antsy, especially now that I have plans with Teach for America! I just want to START!

On top of that, I have lost a lot of motivation for my classes in progress. Last quarter I was so good too. I didn’t pull a single all-nighter winter quarter. I actually *gasp* managed my time correctly, studied when I was supposed to and I was done with my many research papers almost a week before they were due.

I knew it was too good to last.

Now I know I’m supposed to be studying the “revolutionary murals of Nicaragua”, but all I can manage is to go online and start looking up lesson plan ideas. I actually got excited to look up classroom management strategies. God, I’m becoming such a nerd. That’s ok…I’ve accepted that idea long ago.

Also…it’s pretty warm outside. In fact, I believe it was 98 degrees yesterday. That makes is REAL hard for me not to ditch class to go to the beach…gotta kick that habit.

So…can anyone tell me what exactly is required of these pre-institute classroom observations? Does it have to be a TFA school? How many? Haha sorry I know I’ll know this when I get my curriculum box thingy, but that hasn’t come yet, and I am IMPATIENT.