Jumping into the Real World - Head First

I just finished University. Since 2:30pm on Wednesday I have been trying to come to terms with never having to write a paper, stress out about a test, or try to get together with a group again. It is almost surreal. For the past five years I have worked towards my Bachelor of Education and just have to complete my nine week APT student teaching. Come May, I'll be done everything and be on the other side of the education fence. In May, my life can finally start and sometimes that terrifies me. If you know anything about teaching in Edmonton, it can be difficult to find a job. What if I can't get a job? What if I run out of money? Are we moving somewhere? Do I need to buy a car for substitute teaching? There's all these questions with no answers yet. There's no program sheet to follow for the next 4 years. Sometimes I have to remind myself that everything will be okay. If you're in the same boat as me, here's some thoughts to pick you up. 

1. Your Job is NOT Your Life

I picked teaching so that my career could fit nicely into the life I want, not the other way around. With the pressure of finding a teaching job, sometimes I loose sight of this. My life will continue to be great with or without a teaching job. My career will never define the quality of my life. I can be just as happy working elsewhere until I can get my foot in the teaching door. 

2. There's Jobs Elsewhere

Even though Edmonton can be tough, there are teaching jobs elsewhere. If you are willing to move, there are positions. As a side note, if you are in a serious relationship like myself, have this talk! Who's moving where when you are trying to find jobs? Are you willing to give up a position to stay with your SO? Are they? It doesn't matter what your answer is, because every couple is different, but you NEED to discuss it!

3. Find What Matters in Your Life

Use this as your motivation. You may not get a call back right away. You may find yourself subbing or working another job for quite some time. You may feel disheartened and feel like you can't do this. It's not meant to be and all that jazz. Stay strong. Use your family, your friends, your love, your hobbies, your passion and remember what you stuck through 4 years of University for.... to have your own classroom. Keep going. It will come. 

It takes a certain kind of person to want to be a teacher. It takes someone who understands that times will be tough, but the effort is worth it. It takes someone who understands the balance between discipline and compassion and to know when their students need either, or both. It takes someone who is willing to stay for intramurals, concerts, staff meetings and numerous hours of prepping, and can still come in the next morning with a smile. You chose this degree for a reason. You know you have these qualities and this passion for children. Keep that in mind. Keep that close to your heart. Keep going. 

I can't tell if I'm tearing up from this or from Father of the Bride, which is my Netflix choice of the day. I hope if you are having any of the same feelings, this post helped you see more clearly. 

-Vanessa xo

Boardgames Review

An Easy & Fun Way to Ruin Friendships

It is so cold today! I am still waiting for blood to return to three of my fingertips from my walk home at 11:30... and yes mom, I have put them into hot water. I'm fine. I had one of my finals today and now I'm procrastinating studying for my last final on Wednesday (did I mention my last final EVER!?) This weekend we had some friends over to play boardgames. We own some awesome ones.....and some heartbreaking ones. Boardgames make for a nice evening in... or can lead to one of you sleeping on the couch. Either way, I thought I would review some of the games we have. 

1. Dominion 

I love this game! There are a ton of expansions to get for it too. It's for 2-4 players. The point of the game is to build yourself a deck of action cards that work off each other. Action cards can let you attack the other players, give you more actions per turn, give you more money per turn, or get more action cards for free. You want to use your action cards in a way that lets you buy coins. Once you have enough coins, you can buy victory points. Whoever has the most points at the end wins!

Pros: Easy to learn, endless card combinations to play with making each game different, and you control your own game (mostly).

Cons: Only has up to 4 players which you may not see as a con but for us it is usually not enough.

2. 7 Wonders

This game is the newest addition to our tiny collection. It is another card game. Each player is given a wonder and the goal is to build your wonder with the resources on the cards. You can also set up science cards, military, extra points, and cards that help you trade with other players. All the different cards give you points that are added up at the end. The card play is a little different in this game. Each turn you choose one card to play in your hand. You then pass your hand to the player next to you and it becomes their hand. You have to be able to build your wonder without helping others build their wonder. 

Pros: Up to 7 people can play, and there's multiple ways to rack up points.

Cons: A bit more difficult to learn, your strategy can be messed up by other players.

3. Times Up

This is a "party" board game that really has no strategy. It is a lot of fun and provides a lot of laughs. It's similar to charades but 3 times the fun (I should be a spokesperson for it). You play in teams and everyone uses the same deck of 40 cards. Once you agree on which side you're playing (we usually just do a vote) you can start the game. There are three rounds. The first round you are allowed to say anything except the word and you cannot skip cards, so if you are having difficulties you are just going to have to keep guessing. The second round you are only allowed to say one word and the third round you can not say anything. You can skip cards in both these rounds. The same deck is used for all three rounds so you want to try to remember what the cards say as they will come up again. For example:

If the card said "Captain Hook"

1st round you would say "Villain from Peter Pan"

2nd round you would say "Pirate"

3rd round you would show a hook with your hand.

Each turn your team has 30 seconds to get as many cards as you can. Points are added up after each round.

Pros: Tons of people can play because you can have however many people on a team, gets people to try and be creative (one of our friends said "Dances around like an asshole" for Frosty the Snowman), there's cards everyone will know and cards with people you have never heard of before which keeps an even playing field, and there's enough cards to play multiple times.

Cons: A lot of people won't let Jordon and I be on the same team as we are too good together :(

One con for all these boardgames is the expense. They are pretty pricey but if you are looking for something that will provide many nights of fun, I would highly suggest these three!

-Vanessa xo