READ!!!!!!

You can follow me at www.downlowes.wordpress.com

We moved due to the iphones. We want to be able to blog from there.

New Job, new week.

Here we go. On to a new week of a new job and new hours. I hope it goes well. I got a job at a company called Belden doing PR and Marketing which is my major. I hope I enjoy it and have a good experience from it. We need the money and so it will be good for us to be able to save and pay back. I am so excited for Trent this year, he has been the soccer coach for the middle school team. He is SO good with them and yet the boys love him as well. I love all the boys and they are so respectful. This past week we finished up tryouts and then held practice. I attended at least three practices. I am so sad to know that I won't be able to help as much as I'd like but we are doing the right thing. :) Good luck to KMS this year. Win REGION! PS if anyone is willing or knows anyone to make donations, we are accepting for the team. :) They get no funding so we are busy trying to get sponsors.

More news. A guy from Trent's mission Henriod and his wife were accepted to TFA and are moving to Memphis! AHHH I WILL HAVE A FRIEND! She already knows that she has to be my BFF and live right by us! I am not needy at all. I am so excited for them to move here and get to know them better. Also I went out this weekend with some girls from Trent's TFA group. One girl Karen who teaches at his school was the one who initially invited me and we had a blast. Got our nails done at a place called NailBar on the Island. It was quick, average price, and just a nice relaxing time. After that Karen and I went to the mall and I got some good old girl time. We shopped and talked, and I wished I could buy everything. Go figure. It was a lot of fun. So thanks for a good night out Karen. I needed it!

My dear Grandma is honestly one of the STRONGEST people I have ever met in my life. I had found out through the grapevine she was sick but no one would tell me how only said to call her. So I gave Grandma White a call. White is her last name, and yet in public we all forget and say, "Oh the White women are so strong." Many people probably think we are talking about race and yet, it's just the family name! So I call her yesterday afternoon to chat, and I ask how things are and she pauses and says well I guess I broke two ribs. WHAT THE HECK? My grandma is 86, how she broke two ribs and went 4 days before she saw a doctor and yet is still up and moving and VACUMNING I do not know. She shocks me every day. I just hope one day I will be as strong and faithful as she is. What a wonderful example she has been. I was fortunate enough to spend quality time with her and my Grandpa this summer on the Cape while I was there alone and husband was in Atlanta. It was amazing. I love my Grandparents and are so proud and thankful for all they do for me. Also glad I have the "white" genes, and as she tells me pioneer stock in my blood. Thanks GMA.

Will write more soon about subbing but for now it's Memph time.

Tough...to tougher.

Well we found out about TFA. It wasn't good. Wasn't pretty. There were tears and emotions of frustrations and confusions. Things happen for a reason. I was sad because I really wanted it and we had prepped ourselves for acceptance not denial. Thank the lord for Memphis Teaching Fellows. I am very excited I am in a great program with great leaders that will help me to become a good school teacher. So for now, I will be teaching middle school. Who knows where. I will be staying in Memph Town for 5 weeks for training like they do in Atlanta for TFA and get to be inside of the schools in the summer. It will be an awesome opportunity and I am very greatful for it. We had a few family/friends get into TFA. CONGRATS! Sincerely I am happy for you. Mad I didn't, but happy you did! :) I will be looking into getting my masters this upcoming year. Wish me luck on that. School and I will be best friends.

On another update, I am still subbing. I love it. I love the kids and the reactions I get. We had Monday off together and got to relax then Tuesday I was back to the grind. I loved Jen Kozin's kids. They were hilarious. I asked them where they wanted to go to college, (majority of the kids were black in my classes and juniors or seniors,) one girls said Ole Miss.

B: "who said tha?"
Girl raised her hand and said me.
B: Girl they racist over thure. They tried to hung my cusssin when he goes thure.

I was in shock. I didn't know how to respond so I just told them that's not appropriate and to look forward.
The KAPLAN teacher didn't show up for the second period and they begged me to not go get her so I didn't, instead I threatened them to stay in their chairs or I would. They were angels! :)

I loved her classes and will be back next week. As for today and the rest of the week I will be at Trent's school. KMS. I love their school and the classes. Thankful for a good day and a good job. :)

Thanks for everyones support these past few months.

kids kids kids.....

Well recently I lost my job like I told everyone so now I am working as a Substitute teacher. My first day was high school history classes. I got there couldn't find where to park, was so stressed by all these high school boys that towered me, and nervous if they were even going to listen to me. I went inside waited five minutes...ten minutes....fifteen minutes.... then I finally see a secretary I tell her I am a sub and am just reporting to her and finding my class. She tells me I am in a portable and honestly I was relieved because then if I needed to yell I could and it wouldn't be a big deal, or if they were to loud no one would think I was being killed. I walk out to portable, students are walking by looking at me like why is the stupid girl standing in the cold and not going in the portable because it was locked. THEN I wait....five minutes....ten minutes....fifteen minutes... then someone arrives. I can barely understand him. He finally tells me that the heater is broken in the portable so for the 15 minutes you were standing outside in the freezing you could have been in the auditorium where you will be spending your day with 3 other teachers. AWESOME. NOT! I was in for hell. The kids didn't have books, paper, binders. NOTHING. So what did we do. We sat. I took roll at the beginning and end and asked the other teacher what to do and he said let them sit there and talk. Wow. MCS really? So I let them sit there. It was like watching Freedom Writers. VERY segregated and a lot of dirty looks to the teacher up front. One girl wouldn't shut her mouth. So I stood up and said do you want to take a seat or should we wait the entire time for you to finish your time? I thought she might hit me. I finally told her to shut her mouth and sit down or I will write her up. She shut up and turned around. I had a total of 10 kids "escape" from the auditorium that the other teachers were guarding. Don't ask how. I would tell them and yet they just sat there. This is why the school system needs help.

3rd grade was a whole new world. It was a lot of fun. They all drew me pictures, gave me hugs, and wanted to be my best friend. A nice change! They were pretty well behaved. Some devil children but overall not bad.

7th grade boys are demons. They are funny as hell. BUT DEMONS. I taught at Trent's school for one of the other TFA teachers. It was fun. The first class was all boys. Some knew I was Trent's wife and so I used that as leverage. I was strict because I know how KMS runs and didn't want them walking all over me. They told me I looked like Katy Parry and Kim Kardashian booty. WOW. Thanks boys. Great compliments. :) A bigger girl with a few mental challenges came in the room and the boys were immediately in teasing mode. I silenced it but then they shouted something I didn't hear and she turns in the class room and did the biggest HISS I had ever see. I was trying sooo hard no to laugh. But it was hilarious. The boys made me laugh all day. Telling me I had pretty eyes like the ocean blue. Like the rich Carribean oceans. I wonder if they know most islands are third world??? The second class was angels and then the third walked in. It was all girls and ONE boy. This boy S was a DEMON at first. Demanded to leave so finally I got another teacher and let him go. I was done. Later in the day he decided he loved me and was silent and very well behaved with the all boy class. The girls...HATED me. They thought I was a major bitch. Which maybe I was but really? Did you expect different? Pain in the butts. The boys just wanted help. They wanted attention. I felt bad they don't always get that so I am glad I was able to have fun with them. I love teaching and can't wait.

Then we taught KINDER world. oh hell. Little children are what make the world laugh. They wouldn't behave so I decided I would make up Officer George. I told them if they didn't behave he'd come get them. One little boy, A, came up to me and said Miss Lowe, is Officer George brown? hahahahha what do you say. So I said Well yes he is but his partner Officer Johny is white. So there are two officers. He was so happy there were two. I wonder where they come up with this. They cried very easily. Which SUCKED. One little boy was slightly autistic but you would have NEVER known. He was adorable I love him. Honestly I was sad to leave him. They also asked me if I was Henry's mom. He was the only hispanic child in the class. Why in the hell they related that who knows? Always makes for entertainment.

I am soooo excited to teach next year and excited to find out if I got into TFA. Only 6 days to go.

What a day!

If there is anything I have learned it's that working hard and being social pays off!

Friday I had an hour long conversation with the President of the bank I was working at. I got a call today saying that he was very impressed with me and wants to find a position for me at the bank. What a relief and perfect way to start my day. I also will begin subbing tomorrow! So wish me luck. 2011 is looking up!