Crock Pot Chili...LET'S MOVE ON!

Hello fellow readers, it's Edwin here! We decided it's been too long since our last update. A lot has been going on in our household since the Crock Pot Chili. I personally have not contributed to the blog for a while now, so I will do my best to catch you guys up, although I'm sure Chelsea has filled you guys in on details and such.

School is in full gear! We are entering our 4th week of the academic school year. 7th grade has been a really big challenge, much more than I expected. When I did my model lesson in June, the students were so well behaved despite it being the last day of school AND the fact that they lost their privilege of playing dodgeball with their friends (that should have been red flag #1). In retrospect, they were probably really well behaved because our principal and assistant principal were sitting in the class. It's been especially hard to teach content which I spend countless hours planning for. The chatter is constant and my redirections are not effective. My days are emotionally draining and there are times throughout the day when I feel like throwing my hands up in the air and giving up. Several times, myself and other 7th grade teachers have sort of lost control of the classroom and it is very frustrating. It's frustrating for the teacher and for the students who really want to learn (which is a lot). The stress has led to much anxiety both during and after school and has cut into my sleep a bit.

Lucky for me, however, the one thing that I have a lot of is support. I am so blessed to have a wonderful partner (Chelsea) whom I can depend on and wakes up with me EVERY SINGLE DAY! She doesn't have to, but she does (this is at 5 am folks!... She says to not give her too much credit because she goes back to bed). I have also found comfort in God and in Sunday sermons. Ted and our friend Chris (he's from Chicago but went to school in Madison) who is also a teacher at KIPP have been really supportive and encouraging. Finally, my administrators have been supportive. My assistant principal has sat in my lunch time class several times and continues to help me plan better lessons. Finally, our readers and my parents have been supportive with their words, thoughts, and prayers.

But hey, it's not all bad! My morning class and my last class of the day are actually quite pleasant. They're not perfect and I have 2 students with ADHD in that class, but they're a little more respectful and can stay on task 80% of the time which allows me to go around and help the students who struggle in math. I'm continuing to give 110% every day and will continue to do so for as long as I'm allowed to. I have faith that everything will turn out all right.

Finally, what would a post from Elementary Cooking be without mention of food! I have sporadically received emails from Adam asking whether we've eaten at several Austin restaurants that he's heard of. I am happy to announce that this past weekend (Labor Day Weekend) we went to The Salt Lick, which has been named one of the best BBQ places in America. We went to the original Salt Lick which is in Dripping Springs, TX (Southwest of Austin). It was a busy night full of live music. We waited about 15 minutes to be seated and ordered pretty quickly. They have brisket, turkey, sausage, chicken, and ribs to choose from. Chelsea had brisket and ribs and I had brisket, turkey, and ribs. It was all quite delicious and their BBQ sauce was interesting because it wasn't ketchup based. The brisket was really tender and their ribs were all right... We still think the ribs that Ted and I make are the best.

That's all for now folks. We're currently watching the Jets vs Cowboys game and getting ready for the week. Until next time friends!