One Rising Star

#abetterversionofme2018 I'll be honest – at this moment, as I am writing this post, I am feeling physically, emotionally and mentally drained. Over the last few weeks, I've had days when I've struggled to eat, nights when I've struggled to sleep and several moments when I've just wanted to break down crying.  When I agreed to sign up for my very first Crossfit competition (well, actually, competitionS - with an S) a few months ago, I had no idea what I was getting myself into.  I knew I had some things to work on in order to get ready, but I totally underestimated the amount of time and work I'd truly have to put in.  After registering for the competition, I initially chose to work with a weightlifting coach for 5 weeks to focus on more technical aspects of my Olympic lifts. Of course, while I was on vacation in Canada, spending 2 hours at the gym 6 days a week was totally reasonable. Since returning to Vietnam however, training has been

#abetterversionofme2018 Not only am I back in HCMC, not only am I back to work, but I am also back in the classroom this academic year!  Woop! Woop!  I truly enjoyed my position as Elementary Lead Teacher throughout the last school year - I learned so so much, but, truth be told, I really really missed working with students on a day-to-day basis.  This year, I get to experience the best of both worlds; I am continuing my position as Elementary Lead Teacher (0.5), but I am also back in the classroom teaching Grade 4 English (0.5).  School began just over a week ago and though I am still getting familiar with my schedule and my students, I'm already loving everything (ok, well almost everything) about being back in the classroom. Here are just a few of the things that I've implemented so far in an effort to make my class a more enjoyable place to learn... - Decorating the classroom - Coming into this school year, I chose to keep things very simple; I