Reading, writing, arithmatic

I’m up late still preparing for the big day. Well, I guess it’s not really late, but it sure feels that way. I just took a break from typing up a review sheet for the certification exam I’ll be taking on the 25th. Ben keeps telling me that I shouldn’t study at all, but I just can’t do that and not be nervous about passing. Fortunately, I’m learning all about how to teach reading and I find it very interesting. I never realized how complicated it is. You have to teach phonemes, diagraphs, blends, diphthongs, and a few other things I’ve only heard of once of twice before. Of course our teachers never called it those things so now I feel like I’m learning a whole new thing when reading is something I do constantly. Whew!
Today my grandmother dragged me to the department store even though I insisted that I was “adamant” about not going and not buying any more clothes. Well . . . it ended up being a great success and I got two skirts, a pair of pants, two fabulous jackets, and two pairs of shoes. My best find was a pair of tall black leather boots, originally $140, which I got for $18! Exciting stuff – I know. Mare also finished two beautiful skirts that she sewed in the last few days. She is currently working on a periwinkle jacket, which I believe will be completed before my departure.
On Monday, my grandpa and I made the trek down to county health so that I could get a chest x-ray and make sure I don’t have active TB. It turns out that I don’t have any of the symptoms so there is a very slim chance of that being true. Tomorrow I will go down and get the results and get a health card that states I’m not a walking, talking menace to society and that I can teach summer school.
I had a short conversation with a principal from Manhattan Center for Science and Math yesterday. She asked me a few questions and then said that she would interview me next week when I’m in town. I’m starting to think this would be an amazing job at a high school that is even better than the one that I went to. This school offers courses in Japanese and all the Advance Placement available. She mentioned that I would be teaching ESL and English, which I think would be great. It doesn’t seem like the typical Teach For America situation, but, on the other hand, it sounds like a wonderful opportunity. We’ll see what happens!