G. Sustachek

My kids on the Great Wall.  We climbed to the peak which you can see in the background of the photo.  It was a very exciting day!

Here we are in front of the Birds’Nest stadium.  This was taken before the Olympic games began and we couldn’t get any closer on that day because the security was very high.

I’m doing a blog ahead of time because I will be leaving for Beijing very early Tuesday morning. This trip actually became real for me tonite when I went to my daughter’s high school and all of us parents got a sneak preview of the band and colorguard performances they will be doing in China.  The band director said that the 2008 kids from around the world who will be performing together will actually be doing one of their performances in Tianeman Square.  Incredible.  I still remember the tragedy that took place there with the college students, so I feel like we can go there and somehow pay our respects to them.

The other news from the band director is that he thinks the kids might be able to perform from on top of the Great Wall also.  I can’t quite imagine that, but I’m sure glad I own a camera

So, as I stress through trying to get all of my projects in before my family and I leave on Tuesday, I feel like I will miss our little Cohort 40 family.  I guess when you spend a lot of time with people, they tend to grow on you and get under your skin.  I really like our group and enjoy learning about everyone.  As busy and sometimes stressful as this program is, I’m so glad I have this group to go through this process with, and I’m really loving the program so far!  Now…if only I could figure out how to post a photo on this blog thingy…

Wow.  My fourth blog.  I just spent some time visiting the National Geographic website for kids and it is pretty incredible.  There is so much information located on the site, along with fun interactive games and learning tools.  I will definitely keep this website in mind for my own students, when I have them someday.

I have been working with children in various capacities for the past 25 years.  I have worked as a counselor and social worker, and my primary focus in all of this work has been to serve the best interests of the children in my care.  I came upon teaching about 3 years ago when I began substitute teaching.  Almost immediately, I found teaching to be exciting and rewarding, and so I bring a great amount of enthusiasm to the classroom!  I am looking forward to being a teacher.

It has been interesting to learn all of the different tools that I can use for my edublog. I thought I would post this blog while I am still in class and them when I go home I will figure out how to post a photo or nice picture to add to this entry.

Wow.  I am new to the world of blogging and so this is pretty exciting to be posting my very first blog.  Because there is no real subject matter to cover in this first blog, I will comment that I look forward to the day when all of this comes naturally to me and I can quickly and efficiently use all of these materials and services to teach and interact with my students!