I did it! I made it through my first day at the middle school. I observed an 8th grade teacher there last semester for 4 or 5 days and it was not nearly enough. Despite what many elementary educators and even colleagues have to say, I really like the middle school aged kids. As long as you can understand and accept that the infamous attitudes are only their means of testing you and the rules of school that confine them, then you can overcome that and help them reach their potential. Especially in the urban districts, the three grades of middle school are crucial for the community's youth and can dictate whether or not they will succeed in high school or even enter the high school. I'm so happy to have the next six weeks to not only learn from these students and my cooperating teacher, but also to do what I can to help these students realize that "their best" is not even 50% of what they're capable of achieving...and that goes for pretty much everybody.
When I woke up this morning I had no idea I would feel like I do now. I tried thinking about how many students I'd be meeting today and how I'd introduce myself, but I wasn't about to pretend like I didn't notice the flurries being blown this way and that by the icy winds. I didn't even have to turn on a weather channel or check my phone for the weather. I'm pretty sure Facebook proved today that it could instill some job insecurity in TV weather reporters! Anyway, even if I had the blinds closed I'd still be able to feel what was going on outside as inside the apartment was around 50 degrees. Val and I caved two days ago and turned on our heat however it actually hasn't turned on. Thanks to a text from the former tenant, we are both now aware that our heating system isn't exactly...efficient. Thanks for the heads up Noah! Oh well. There are plenty of worse things than inefficient heating and our situation only means we get to cozy up next to each other and start making hot cocoa earlier than we would have otherwise!
Winter may have beaten Napoleon, but it sure as heck won't stop me! Oh. Not a fair comparison? You mean...it's not even winter yet?? Crap. Well what I'm trying to say is that I still got my run in: a quick out-and-back 5 miler towards Highland Park right outside of New Brunswick. I embedded a 200 meter, pretty elevated hill into the run that I sprinted up and jogged back down three times to tire out my legs a bit so my last two miles would need a bit of pushing to complete. Yes, it was/is cold, but if you can dress appropriately you really do kind of run out of excuses--pun intended.
So I'll leave you tonight with that bit of advice. Many people want to start exercising and the cold shouldn't stop them. If you are one of these people and don't have access to a gym where you can exercise, then all you have left is the great outdoors. Dress warm! A good pair of gloves and a headband are must-haves for me. My most recent purchase, though, that has become a life-saver so far has been some running base-layer tights that I just bought about a week ago. Under Armour? Erhh. Nike? Try again! How about a brand called Layer 8 that Marshall's carries. What I've seen cost upwards of $50 only cost me $12. See yourself running out of excuses the more I continue? I sure hope so.
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Today's run: 5 miles with hills
Pre-run fuel: Truthfully, a tiny Halloween package of three rainbow mini-Twizzlers that one of my former 1st grade students gave me when I went to drop off my good-bye goodie bags I promised them. Hey...vegans can have a sweet tooth too, right?
Post-run recovery snack: Small handful of raisins and pumpkin seeds
Dinner: Finally finished Val's soup; mostly beans were all that was left. Also, green beans, cauliflower w/ hummus, and quinoa mixed with split peas with a bit of pasta sauce for some added flavor.
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