...a new beginning...

Wow. School is right around the corner. So far I have had computer training, new teacher orientation, and one day of in-service. I have spent probably a good 6-7 hours just cleaning out both personal and professional items that the teacher I am replacing left in the room. It has been crazy! It is nice to have Kathryn and Randy here now to help me decipher what is important and what can be pitched.

Today I was able to meet a lot of new people. Every single person I have met at Rockford Christian has been so nice. I love the administration, the teachers, the maintenance staff, and just everyone! They all seem so supportive and have gone out of their way to introduce themselves to me. I am super excited to see where this year will go!

I have 4 more days of in-service, and while I still have a lot of stuff to get ready, I am ready for the kids to just get here! I am ready to become a bona fide teacher!

In other news, I finished Robinson Crusoe. In the end, I was able to find important themes and ideas in it. Defoe critiques the economy and money. By have Robinson Crusoe on the island, he pinpoints how worthless money truly is and that the only reason it has value is because of the worth our society has placed on it. RC also deals with morality. He is extremely conflicted when it comes to dealing with the savages. While he disagreed with what they did, he was unsure whether killing was justified, considering they had done nothing to him. Finally, and most obviously, RC deals with religion. We continually see him growing and changing in his faith and also ministering to Friday. His insights on struggle and opportunity within a Christian mindset is pretty interesting.

That being said, I will never read that book again. I have since started 1984 by George Orwell and am currently loving it. I am only 50 pages in, so I will wait to begin writing a critique, but I can't wait to get even deeper into the book. So far, many things are horrifying--mainly because the main concepts are present in this day and age (mostly to a lesser extent, but still). Life is creepy. Whoa!

I'm not sure how much personal reading i will get done now that school is starting. I need to start focusing in on short stories and grammar and composition. Oh life from the other side...