It's been a while since I've updated this blog. Meaning, it's been 80 million forevers, a
baby girl, and a move home to Alabama.That's right, we got the heck out of New Orleans and
transferred residencies back home. That new school I worked for? It was great...until I got
transferred into another school that was completely different six weeks into teaching and I
found out I was pregnant like right before school started and the situation that I was
transferred into was not a good one.
Deep breath...okay. This post in not about me surviving that year in NOLA. I should
mention though that everything worked out and I got a job that I currently have had for two
years (really? two years!) in an amazing system in Alabama. Seriously...it's the best. I
couldn't ask for more. So let's get down to the nitty gritty.
First let's talk about what it's like to get in at the very beginning. Unfortunately, I can't
speak to what things are like when they are interviewing and trying to get into medical
medical schools (and I'm thankful that I don't have that experience every single day), but I
talk to you about what it's like starting in their second year. The first thing that comes to my
mind is this test called "Step 1". It's basically the devil in computer form. It also determines
their entire medical future. Seriously. A score that isn't in the range for your intended
specialty changes your whole future. If you don't have a good score on this test, you can
basically kiss any competitive residency goodbye. Because of this, Elijah (my husband)
went into a black hole studying for the test, as does any other second year medical student
(otherwise known as MS2). He came out okay, but some specialities were eliminated for him
because of his score.
If you are lucky enough to make it through second year, third year is a
beating with an entire year of rotations to help them decide what specialty they should
choose for residency. Seriously so thankful he didn't pick surgery. He was gone from dawn
to dusk and then some during that rotation. He was exhausted too. Any of you who are
married to surgeons, hats off to you. He actually like Ob/GYN rotation a ton, and then did
an elective in pathology where he eventually matched.
4th year brings some peace...except for the fact that you have to travel basically the
entire year to residency interviews that you might or might not enjoy. We interviewed all
over the place. California, Utah, Texas, Alabama, Florida, North Carolina. Then you submit a
rank list which is supposed to be a "mutual selection process" but let's be honest...if they
don't want you, you ain't going there. I mean, you do have some power too, (you can rank
programs you don't like lower than others but every medical school in the country will tell
you that it's better to match than not to no matter if it's not a program you like) but they
have the power in the situation because they have their choice of candidates and you are at
the mercy of who invites you to interview. All of this culminates into Match Day in March.
That turned out to be a dark day for us. More about that later. You open an envelope and
find out where you matched that day. Most places do it one of two ways...1) You open the
envelope in front of an audience and announce or 2) you all get envelopes and everyone
opens them together. It's excruciating to wait.
Thanks for stopping by the blog for this post. Next week, I'll cover residency and our
match story. It's kind of emotional.
If you are a doctor wife at any stage, I want to encourage you to find the Facebook Group
that is for doctor wives in your city. So many cities have them! It's a way to get involved in
the community and make friends.
The Truth About Being a Doctor's Wife (Part 1)
Sunday, February 2, 2020
Hello all!
As July 4th has come and gone, so has the freedom that my teaching brain has had. Every year I always say that after July 4th, I will go back in the classroom and start working. Well, this year had to be a little different for me...my school won't be open to teachers until the last week in July which leaves me with (wait for it) just 12 weekdays to get my classroom ready for the kids to come back to school on August 10th! Ugh! There is so much to do! Luckily, the principal that I work for knew that I would have a ton of professional development in late July and early August so my time would be limited so she opened up my room for me at the beginning of June and let me come in a few days a week to clean and organize, and decorate to the best of my ability with the limited time I had. So after we returned from Disney, I came in and took 5 of the longest days I could manage and cleaned, bulletin boarded, organized and moved furniture as much as I could before they shut the door on me. While I'm being forced to stay at home, I have been trying to laminate (you can find mine here the pouches here), print, and put together as much as I possibly can before I go back. Here are some of the products that I've been loving as I put stuff together and additionally some things that I have sitting in my TPT cart waiting for the sale.
1) Freebie Motivational Posters
These FREE and ADORABLE motivational posters are so cute! They will look adorable when I put them up in my classroom. I can't decide if I should laminate them or just leave them be and put them up in my room the old fashioned way. Even though I teach 2nd, I thought I would leave the link to the blog as well just in case you wanted some more inspiration!
A Burst of First Blog
2) Back to School Flipbook
I'm pretty sure that at this point, Maribell Sheehan should just grab a direct deposit slip into my back account. I've bought so much of her stuff but this is by far my favorite product! It's an editable flip book that you can put together easily for parents with all the information they need about your classroom! I'm in LOVE with how easy and simple it is. I also saw Pocketful of Primary talk about this product, but I started using it two years ago (?) and won't go back. Astrobrights+Adorable Fonts=Impressed Parents!
Maribell's Blog
3) Teach Create Motivate-Class Slides with Timers
I bought these at the end of the year last year with the intention of using them this August. I'm hoping that it will help my 2nd graders with their self management skills. I'm listing this as a favorite because 12,000 people can't be wrong! I've heard so many people on instagram about this! I can't wait to use it. While I'm at it here is the link to the blog coordinating with the product!
Ashleigh's Blog
So there you have it! Those are the three products that I've been working on this week preparing for school to start in August. Until next time, I leave ya'll with my husband and I's 1st anniversary pictures. We ate our topper and strolled through NOLA while eating Snowballs. We had a fabulous shoot with our photographer!
As July 4th has come and gone, so has the freedom that my teaching brain has had. Every year I always say that after July 4th, I will go back in the classroom and start working. Well, this year had to be a little different for me...my school won't be open to teachers until the last week in July which leaves me with (wait for it) just 12 weekdays to get my classroom ready for the kids to come back to school on August 10th! Ugh! There is so much to do! Luckily, the principal that I work for knew that I would have a ton of professional development in late July and early August so my time would be limited so she opened up my room for me at the beginning of June and let me come in a few days a week to clean and organize, and decorate to the best of my ability with the limited time I had. So after we returned from Disney, I came in and took 5 of the longest days I could manage and cleaned, bulletin boarded, organized and moved furniture as much as I could before they shut the door on me. While I'm being forced to stay at home, I have been trying to laminate (you can find mine here the pouches here), print, and put together as much as I possibly can before I go back. Here are some of the products that I've been loving as I put stuff together and additionally some things that I have sitting in my TPT cart waiting for the sale.
1) Freebie Motivational Posters
These FREE and ADORABLE motivational posters are so cute! They will look adorable when I put them up in my classroom. I can't decide if I should laminate them or just leave them be and put them up in my room the old fashioned way. Even though I teach 2nd, I thought I would leave the link to the blog as well just in case you wanted some more inspiration!
A Burst of First Blog
2) Back to School Flipbook
I'm pretty sure that at this point, Maribell Sheehan should just grab a direct deposit slip into my back account. I've bought so much of her stuff but this is by far my favorite product! It's an editable flip book that you can put together easily for parents with all the information they need about your classroom! I'm in LOVE with how easy and simple it is. I also saw Pocketful of Primary talk about this product, but I started using it two years ago (?) and won't go back. Astrobrights+Adorable Fonts=Impressed Parents!
Maribell's Blog
3) Teach Create Motivate-Class Slides with Timers
I bought these at the end of the year last year with the intention of using them this August. I'm hoping that it will help my 2nd graders with their self management skills. I'm listing this as a favorite because 12,000 people can't be wrong! I've heard so many people on instagram about this! I can't wait to use it. While I'm at it here is the link to the blog coordinating with the product!
Ashleigh's Blog
So there you have it! Those are the three products that I've been working on this week preparing for school to start in August. Until next time, I leave ya'll with my husband and I's 1st anniversary pictures. We ate our topper and strolled through NOLA while eating Snowballs. We had a fabulous shoot with our photographer!
Dear
Other Teachers,
It’s SUMMER! Sleeping late.
Working out when nobody is at the gym. Drinks (sweet tea) by the pool. Let’s get it started!
Whew!
Now that I’ve told you my summer plans, I am so excited to announce that I’ve
accepted a new position in 2nd grade at a public school in Louisiana
beginning this August. Of course we all know I won’t be stepping foot into that
room for the first time in August. I’ve already emailed my new principal about
getting my keys and seeing my new room. Hopefully she won’t think I’m crazy. I
know ya’ll have to be thinking about next school year too!
Speaking
of next school year, is anyone else as in love with new classroom books as I
am? In my house right now I have a huge tub full of nothing but children's books. As I've been making my rounds through the kids section at Barnes's and Noble I discovered this book called She Persisted, 13 American Women Who Changed the World written by Chelsea Clinton (no political connotation intended). If you have young girls in your classroom, you NEED this book. The theme of the book is of course She Persisted and frequently you hear it repeated through the book as the stories of girls changing America is told. Just a few stories included are Ruby Bridges, Claudette Colvin, Virginia Apgar, Sonia Sotomayer, Sally Ride, Oprah Winfrey. Here is the amazon link (I'm receiving no compensastion for the link...)
Once I started taking a look at that book, I was inspired to buy a few more books that celebrate women and girls in my library. Here are a few books that I purchased. Some may stay on my read aloud shelf for reference and others will be put into my library for students to read at will. One of my hopes is that young boys in my class see this and think of their female peers as equals.
1.Women in Science:50 Fearless Pioneers Who Changed the World
2. The Watcher: Jane Goodall's Life with Chimps
3. Elizabeth Leads the Way: Elizabeth Cady Stanton and the Right to Vote
4. Amazing Grace (remember this classic?)
5. Catching the Moon
Hi
everyone!
Much
love from New Orleans. We’ve made it through the Mardi Gras season without too
much trauma, and lots of King Cake. We’ve also completely immersed ourselves in
spring (which oddly enough is like summer here…80 degrees most of March), and my students can tell that
we only have 38 school days remaining. I mean, it’s full on jungle madness at
my all-boy catholic school. It’s supposed to rain tomorrow, so my rain boots
will be coming out while still trying to dress in a cute way for mass.
Two
updates…
WE ARE
GOING TO DISNEY WORLD! Yes, we have officially booked our anniversary trip in
June to go to Disney. We decided to splurge on a nicer hotel and are staying at
the Polynesian Resort. We will be there for a full 5 days! I’m so excited! Just
not about the airplane ride over there. It’s only an hour or so from here by
plane, but oh my goodness, I’m terrified. Just ask Elijah, who had to hold my
hand and let me cry into his shoulder the entire way from Alabama to California
last year. Not a fun plane ride. Sigh…I suppose I’ll have to talk to a doctor of some sort
about what to do to make this a little more of a fun ride. iPad fully loaded
with Disney movies and Bose Headphones I suppose.
Starting
the week right tomorrow with some Starbucks!
Balancing Medical Residency and Life
Saturday, September 24, 2016
Hi there!
It's me, Angela, here. I'm writing this post as I sit in our New Orleans apartment, sipping hot chocolate (despite the 90 degree weather), and enjoying my weekend before work begins on Monday. I have a wonderful teaching position here in the city and a wonderful group of students this year. So why am I spending my night in a somber mood? In short, my husband.
See, my hubby is a PGY-1 in residency this year. That's medical speak for intern year or year number 1 in residency training. As I'm sure you've read/heard before, that's a big job. Getting to this point was hard enough, but now that we are here it's like it's even harder than we thought it would be. We are away from our families and we miss them so much it hurts. On top of that, I feel like hubby is becoming run down from all of his residency duties/roles/rules and regulations. I never thought I would say this but...I miss medical school.
Although my husband was busy in medical school, he was still a student and really didn't have any responsibility to anyone but school (and me of course ha ha). We had long weekends of uninterrupted time together. I loved it. He loved it. It worked. Now, I feel like he's s busy with things that when he gets home it should be my job to make sure that he is fed, bathed, and able to get good sleep to be prepared for his next day.
I'm failing.
Ya'll, this sounds selfish but I work too! I have a hard job too! And I feel like I'm trying to balance the role of both excellent wife and (trying to be) outstanding teacher and I'm failing. We don't even have children (or a dog) yet! This is supposed to be the easy time in our life together. I come home, dog tired, and drag myself to the stove to cook (most nights), get it ready, clean up, get myself bathed and clean and ready for bed and try to pay some attention to my husband. After all he's been through, he deserves some extra love and attention. But it's SO HARD. I'm exhausted all of the time, and my headaches are returning in full force. As such, this week, I have a three piece plan.
1) Lay out all of my teacher clothes for the week on Sunday night.
2) Meal plan all of the meals for the week.
3) Have enough energy and time to both make it to the gym and pay some attention to E.
Guess that means I'm leaving work by 3:45 or 4:00 everyday this week. Good luck to me!
Please keep our little family in your prayers if you can remember. We are working on being the best we can be.
It's me, Angela, here. I'm writing this post as I sit in our New Orleans apartment, sipping hot chocolate (despite the 90 degree weather), and enjoying my weekend before work begins on Monday. I have a wonderful teaching position here in the city and a wonderful group of students this year. So why am I spending my night in a somber mood? In short, my husband.
See, my hubby is a PGY-1 in residency this year. That's medical speak for intern year or year number 1 in residency training. As I'm sure you've read/heard before, that's a big job. Getting to this point was hard enough, but now that we are here it's like it's even harder than we thought it would be. We are away from our families and we miss them so much it hurts. On top of that, I feel like hubby is becoming run down from all of his residency duties/roles/rules and regulations. I never thought I would say this but...I miss medical school.
Although my husband was busy in medical school, he was still a student and really didn't have any responsibility to anyone but school (and me of course ha ha). We had long weekends of uninterrupted time together. I loved it. He loved it. It worked. Now, I feel like he's s busy with things that when he gets home it should be my job to make sure that he is fed, bathed, and able to get good sleep to be prepared for his next day.
I'm failing.
Ya'll, this sounds selfish but I work too! I have a hard job too! And I feel like I'm trying to balance the role of both excellent wife and (trying to be) outstanding teacher and I'm failing. We don't even have children (or a dog) yet! This is supposed to be the easy time in our life together. I come home, dog tired, and drag myself to the stove to cook (most nights), get it ready, clean up, get myself bathed and clean and ready for bed and try to pay some attention to my husband. After all he's been through, he deserves some extra love and attention. But it's SO HARD. I'm exhausted all of the time, and my headaches are returning in full force. As such, this week, I have a three piece plan.
1) Lay out all of my teacher clothes for the week on Sunday night.
2) Meal plan all of the meals for the week.
3) Have enough energy and time to both make it to the gym and pay some attention to E.
Guess that means I'm leaving work by 3:45 or 4:00 everyday this week. Good luck to me!
Please keep our little family in your prayers if you can remember. We are working on being the best we can be.
Hey there!
Angela here. Angela with a NEW last name! I know it’s been a while, and I
apologize but there is no way that I could have done this blog justice over the
last 6 months planning that wedding. Whew! So glad we are finally married!
Our First Dance!
One of our engagement pictures!
And…we
MOVED to Louisiana. I’ll always be an Alabama teacher at heart, but for now, I
am teaching at a catholic private school here in LA. God has blessed me with a
new job that is at a wonderful school. Although it was extremely difficult to
leave my friends at my old school and even harder to actually turn in my notice
there, pack up my classroom, and actually leave, I know that God has a plan for
Elijah and I. Yes, I cried…and cried…and then cried some more, but God brought
Elijah and I together and he has never let me down before now, so I figure
there’s a reason that we are here. Lij started his residency just this past
week at a huge hospital here. While he I was able to get into my classroom to
look but not touch anything just yet so I took some before shots (I’ll show you
those at the end of this post), and made a list of what I needed and what I
could do to prepare before getting into the classroom. So I’m starting on it
right now!
If you haven't been living under a rock, then you've probably heard about the Target Dollar Spot that now includes TEACHER ITEMS! Border, chalkboard decor, felt banners, etc. All kinds of stuff. It's crazy! and Bad for my wallet ha ha!
Anyway, so I have been trying to figure out a way to label my precious book boxes from Steps to Literacy (http://www.stepstoliteracy.com/plastic-book-boxes-fun-colors-16395.html) in such a way that it wouldn't peel off super easily, or just wipe off, and if the label gets old and crusty looking (we all know what kids do to materials) I can just replace it.
Well friends...TARGET has come to the rescue with their self adhesive, clear, labels.
I made some labels that fit right into the Target pockets. So now, I just have to print, stick them in the labels, and stick the labels to the boxes. Yippee!
You can get the labels (they are nautical themed due to my new grade level's theme) by clicking into my TPT store and searching "Nautical Classroom Numbers".
Oh by the way, did I mention that I will be teaching 2nd GRADE? I've heard from everyone that 2nd is the way to go. = )))))
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