PB&J and cake

Whoa, today was long. At school from 7:15 to 2:45, then in class from 3:50 to 5:50. But now I am done. My next task is dinner. I have already perused the dining hall selection, and ended up leaving with nothing but fruit: three apples, two bananas, and one orange. I'll probably make myself a sandwich. I have rediscovered my love of peanut butter and jelly now that I pack my own lunch every day. Thank god I love this sandwich. I suppose one day I will branch out and buy lunch meats. I'm still getting the hang of Roche Bros. I go in there and wander around like a lost lamb because I don't know where anything is. Plus the entrance leads you right into the bakery, and I find myself slowing down as I walk by the cake counter.

For now, I live life on pb&j.

Today was a good day. Lots of laughs with my other team teachers (the science, social studies, and math teachers). Had some good discussions with small groups. Every day I'm impressed with the students' ability to have class discussions, because I know that longer discussions on novels aren't always successful until later in high school or even college. But the kids impress me with their insights, and especially with the engagement they show with the story. Many a debate has sparked in these classes. It's fun to listen to.

I'm starting to work more one on one with various students, especially those who are behind in work. It is nice to get to know particular students, especially the students who might cause more frustration because of how behind they are. As a teacher I am determined not to hold grudges against any student, and I am learning that you cannot judge the students on only one aspect of their work ability. It has been quite interesting and eye opening to be on the other side of education (other than being a student or hearing my parents' opinions), because I have seen already how hard these teachers work to help every student succeed, and I have also come to know many of the more personal reasons as to why certain students are missing work. It's been tough realizing that as a teacher, there is only so much you can do during the day with the student. But as my mentor teacher has told me, despite anything going on at home with these kids, the best we can do for them is give them a good education.


On a different note, this past weekend Amanda, Julie, and I made butterbeer cupcakes! The recipe was inspired by the butterbeer drink from Harry Potter World, which essentially tastes like butterscotch soda. Very sweet. The cupcake batter actually smelled more like frosting. Although the cake itself did not come out too sweetly. The frosting definitely tasted very sweet, so it was a nice balance. And on top of all that goodness (literally), we drizzled butterscotch ganache, as well as attempted to add butterscotch ganache filling. Next time we'll get that technique down a little better. But they were DELICIOUS! I want another.

Julie drizzling the butterscotch ganache.

I also figured since I never got around to blogging my way through my choir Portugal tour, I will give you little pictures or stories of the day. Or something. Who knows. In any case, since I'm talking about food, here's a shot of a delicious Portuguese pastry:

Yum. So good. It was a crispy crust with custard inside and sprinkled with cinnamon and sugar. And warm from the ovens. We ate these tasty treats at a very famous cake shop called Pasteis de Belem. Here's a great video about the cafe (in English!): Check it out!

And in case you miss it in the video, they sell TEN THOUSAND of those custard tarts daily.