Music to My Ears

My husband is reading to my children as I type this.  I love the way the kids are crowded atound him listening to the story of Mike Mulligan and his Steam Shovel. 

When I was pregnant, on bedrest, and very very large, my husband read stories to my belly.  It was so sweet but not totally surprising because that's the kind of guy he is. We are both avid readers and reading and writing play a huge role in both of our careers, so having children who enjoy books as much as we do is not only important, but beautiful.  What's better... their love comes from a personal want to read, not becasue we make them read.

So instead of writing more tonight, I'm going to listen to him reading to the kids before bed.

Have a great week ahead, everyone!!   :-)

It's A Job

It's FRIDAY!!! The sun is shining and tomorrow is St. Patrick's Day!! I am ready for the weekend!

This past Tuesday our principal announced that he would be leaving us here at the Middle School to become principal at a district elementary school where the current principal is retiring.  This wouldn't come as such a shock to our staff IF he wasn't the SEVENTH principal to leave us in my 12 years here.  Our administrative turnover is great, though our staff turnover is not.  What that means to me is that even though we go through administrators like water, our staff continues to plug along and get the job done.  Though there's stress in the hallways, in the confines of our classrooms we continue to do what's best for kids.  And our consistent Excellent rating shows it.

Yesterday when I heard a staff member say "It's just a job" it resonated within me.  It isn't "just" a job to me.  It's kids and our future.  This teacher is one who I admire greatly!! She is a hard worker in her SpEd classroom and I know those were words of frustration.  So I hope she too will enjoy the sunshine and use the weekend to relax, then come back to her "job" realizing what an impact she has on kids and how much they need her.

Disappointed in Myself This Morning.

It's Thursday and you'll notice from my sidebar that I haven't written since Monday.  I'm disappointed by that. This challenge was something I really wanted to do for myself.  I don't have any excuse except that the weather has finally been nice so I've been enjoying lots of outside time, and my family is just plain busy.  But we're always busy as a family, so that's really not a very good excuse.

I've been in a lot of classrooms this week modeling lessons for other teachers.  My favorite was a SpEd class called Bridges.  There are only 5 students in this class: they are ED (which we call Bridges), all boys, and range in ages from 10-13 (grades 5-8).  I have worked with this group a number of times and enjoy every experience. For this lesson I was introducing examing characters in fiction.  I wanted to make a key to show the relationship between many characters in one plot.  So I asked the question, with markers and paper in hand and the characters already drawn and an explanation of what we were doing,  in other words it was very clear what I was looking for, "How do I make a key?"  The answer, "You go to Target and ask them to make you a key."  Now whether or not Target really makes keys I don't know, but this child (a 7th grader) was being serious in his very literal answer.  It made me chuckle.  I love these kids!  I proceeded with that teachable moment by explaining setting.  Did his answer match the setting of our class and what we were trying to accomplish?

Although I hadn't planned a lesson on setting, we had a great conversation about it which then developed into my lesson on characters.  The moral of this blog is why I love teaching! Kids bring great joy to my day! I love what I learn from them!! :-)

If Only It Really Was a Job Share...

Today I only worked a half day.  My son was still not well enough to go to school and my husband could be home in the morning with him but not in the afternoon.  We split the day because I had to teach two classes and coach in a third, all in the first four periods of the day so I could be home in the afternoon but not the morning.  Therefore, my husband and I job shared today.  I'm finding myself feeling relaxed and rested at 7:00 at night where on "normal" days I'm just an hour away from crashing.  I love this idea of job sharing!

When my kids were nine months old, and I was going back to work, a coworker and I applied for a job share. We had the perfect arrangement at a cost savings to the district, but we were denied because it just wasn't something my district wanted to get in the habit of approving; even though it was and still is in the contract.  Fortunatley I had family who watched the kids so I was able to go back to work full time without the stress of having my babies in a daycare full time. Was it ideal, no. But I love teaching so having to leave them to return to work was actually OK.

Fast forward seven years. The kids are in first grade; three different classrooms.  Each is having a unique experience with their teacher. Althought the teachers share a curriculum, they certainly do not share personalities. Of the three classes, and I should add here that my kids have 29-31 kids with one teacher, the child with the teachers who are job sharing is having the best first grade experience. He has one teacher in the morning and another one after lunch.  These teachers are vibrant and energetic throughout their whole time in the classroom! They'll tell you that they come in relaxed, never worry about getting subs or having to find childcare for their sick children, and their workload is bearable.  They do a great job communicating with eachother and the parents.  It's the dream situation!

Imagine the world if everyone who wanted to, and was able to, could job share.  There would be a whole less stress and a far more relaxed society.  Europe has siestas; America needs job shares.

A Reflection on 10 Days Worth of Slices

This evening I'm reflecting on this 30 day writing challenge.  The toughest part has been finding the time to write.  I 've been writing mostly after the kids are in bed. Writing so late at night is not as much of a challenge as I thought is would be since it's something I look forward to.  The downfall to posting so late is that I might not be getting the feedback that I could get if I posted earlier in the day.  Nontheless, I am happy to be a part of this writing challenge!

I left a comment earlier on TWT regarding my lack of technological knowledge. Something about admitting that out loud motivated me to play around with the layout and settings of my blog page and now I've added a few gadgets that I have been wanting to; like the list of blogs that I enjoy!

This challenge is a great experience for me. I don't know how I stumbled across TWT in late February, but I'm so glad I did.  I discovered the challenge just in the knick of time to get aquainted with blogger and begin my new hobby.  And I'm so happy that I did.

Big Day in a Small Town

My husband and I are very fortunate to be raising our chidren in a modern day town with an old town feel.  We live less a mile from the town square. And our town square rocks! It was my New Year's resolution to shop locally and supporting our town square has been a big part of upholding that resolution.

Today was a beautiful, sunny day! The temperature was only a high of 32, but the sun was shining, my kids were all feeling good, and I was in a great mood.  I picked the kids up from PSR and off we went to explore our square. With checklist in hand, it was our mission to see how many things we could see, do, and buy all in "our square".  We started at the pottery place. You know the kind: it costs $10 to paint a small keepsake, 50% more for the studio fee + tax, but the memories are priceless.  Each of my kids painted an Easter egg that matches their style and then together we painted the basket they'll be displayed in. I can't wait to have the annual reminder of our fun day as I decorate the house each spring! We checked off our list and went to next stop; a little antique store owned and operated by multiple sellers.  There we purchased a bunny.  Guess we were feeling the Easter spirit! Check. Lunch followed at what my husband calls "a greasy spoon."  I'm not one to frequent these types of places, but the kids and him go there before school on occasion and they love it. Since this was their day, I agreed to go.  I must admit, the food was pretty good. You can't beat the price either! And it all stays local.  Our next stop was a little old-time toy and train museum, but it was closed.  Sadly, we could not check that off our list.  My son decided we should put an "X" next to it instead because that would symbolize we didn't get to go.  Off we went to what was the much anticipated stop of the day: the toy store!! This is run by an older gentleman named Ken.  Ken loves kids. Plain and simple. If you're familiar with Mr. Magorium's Wonder Emporium you know Ken.  Each time we go in, Ken spends time playing with the kids, introducing them to his newest toys, and making them believe in the magic that is youth. We love Ken! And Ken loves us because we always walk out spending a fortune; which is why it's a special occasion when we go. Check.  Finally, our last stop of the day, a new frozen yogurt store.  I think I was the most impressed.  It was self serve and had every kind of topping you could imagine!

The day was one that will be stored in my memory forever.  There were many other places we wanted to explore but everyone was getting a bit too tired and I didn't want the "goodness" to dissolve into exhaustion.  We'll save the other stores for the next time we have a big day in our small town and hopefully Daddy will be able to join us.  :-)

Opening Minds

I am currently reading quite a few books at one time: 3 for the classes I teach, 1 for professional development, and 1 for pleasure. I have a system.

The one for pleasure I read while on the treadmill or bike at the gym.  Since it's my "pleasure" book, it makes me want to work out so that I can read. 

The books I'm reading for my classes are books I'm working on in conjunction with the teachers. While it's important for me to know the plot, I can gain a lot of valuable information just in conversation.

The book for PD is actually the topic of today's blog. I am about to start reading Opening Minds, by Peter Johnston a book that I think might be worthwhile reading for my staff. Have any teachers out there ever read this book and if so can you offer me any advice or suggestions on presenting it to staff? I kind of offered to lead a book study.  Has anyone ever led a book study?  This is new territory for me. I know the word "leader" is on my teaching license, but the thought of leading a group of my peers makes me very nervous.  What if no one shows up?

If anyone has anything to share on this topic, I'd love to hear it! I'm very open minded! :-)

Writer's Block

I'm just not feeling the inspiration tonight, blog world. I'm afraid I'm at a loss for words let alone complete thoughts. I was home today with a sick child. It was nice to snuggle and watch movies all day. But as I'm sure we'd all agree, it's no fun to see our children feeling badly.  My son said to me today, "I wish I was sneezing more and coughing less 'cuz the coughing hurts."  Awww... I just want to make him feel better.

When the kids were 2, almost 3, they all got rotovirus... at the same time!! My daughter was able to avoid the hospital, but both boys were admitted due to dehydration. One was in the hospital Monday-Thursday, and the other Wednesday-Sunday.  Wednesday night they let the boys share a room. That was sweet.  It was a rough week.  I only left their side when my husband could be there so I could go home to see my daughter. I only slept at home once that week.  The rest of the time I was holding the boys just trying to make them feel better.  In hindsight, it was a relaxing, albeit stressful week, and I got to spend some real quality time rocking my children.  There are points of that horrific week that I will always cherish:  the time that I just got to be their mom and nothing else mattered.

This too shall pass.  Soon he'll feel better and I'll go back to worrying about test prep and encouraging struggling readers.  For tonight, I'll hold my sick child.

Just What the Doctor Ordered

I got a manicure and pedicure the other day. It was the first one of the season. Throughout the spring and summer, or flip-flop time, I try to keep up with my toes. Getting a pool pass is a big deal for my family and I would like most of the attention during bathing suit season diverted to my feet.  Plus, plain and simple, it's a relaxing and selfish way to spend 2 hours each month. 

I dropped my daughter of at dance the other night and stopped on my way home for a bit of pampering.  What made it so special this time is that it was completely unplanned. The plan was to complete my half of the carpool, and then come home to get some work done. Instead, I was a walk-in at my favorite salon who they happened to have time for. As I sat back in the massage chair (that feels like it's about to rocket off into space- I usually turn it off promptly after they turn it on), soaked my feet in the perfectly hot water, and sipped on my large blueberry coffee, I reflected. Because if you've been keeping up with my blog, reflecting is what I do.  And this is what came to me:

As I sat flipping through People catching up on the gossip and current hairstyles of celebrities, I thought maybe the middle schoolers I work with would enjoy reading more if they could do it while getting a pedicure. OK, so that's sort of a metaphor, but what if they could read while sitting on a soccer ball, or basketball, or skateboard, or listening to their favorite tunes, or sitting on big comfy pillows.  When I was in a classroom, I offered carpet squares to my 7th graders any time they read. And each week we had "coffee club" while reading the newspaper. The idea was that adults don't sit at hard desks in hard chairs while they read the newspaper so why should students? I offered tons of free choice reading in my classes as long as the books were of the genre I was currently teaching.  I taught only 2 class novels, but was somehow still able to assess that my students were meeting the required standards. ;-)  I gained a reputation for being passionate about reading. Which is probably what caused me to move into this new position that I'm still trying to work through. Nonetheless, kids enjoyed being in my class where they were free to read and write what they wanted. We had rules of course, but I was creating readers and writers. It''s true, kids actually enjoyed reading and writing.  Of course, it was never 100% of them, but I'm confident it was the majority. 

So I'm going to petition the state to begin funding spas in schools.  Even with all the cutbacks in educational funding, I think kids deserve pedicures while they read.

It's Me Time

I've decided to take a different approach to today's blog.  I figured since I don't have any followers, and very few people even know that I'm blogging, this would be the perfect time to reflect on me.  So it's me time. 

I wonder how many people actually feel the way I do but don't say it because we're humble?

By nature teachers care about others.  Well I care deeply, about lots of others, and I'm always trying to make peace: among my staff, with administrators, and even among people district wide.  I realize it's not for nothing since I'm helping others feel good about themselves and each other.  In my position, I talk with teachers of all grade levels so I can squash a lot of speculation.  But at the end of the day I'm emotionally exhausted. I'm exhausted from all the squashing and caring and trying to save people's feelings because I care.  And I wonder, do other people talk as nicely about me behind my back as I talk about them?  I am always giving a compliment, some form of praise, to help people feel good about themselves and to motivate them to continue doing good work.  I rarely hear those forms of praise back. I have to wonder, is it because the praise isn't there to give? Have I not done something I should have to earn the prasie?  I thrive on feedback to propel me forward; both positive and negative feedback. As my blog title suggest, I work hard, giving all that I can, and I love it. But is it too much to ask after creating, implementing and providing feedback to teachers on a lesson, that for once they provide feedback to me? I know it's not humble to ask for recognition. That's why I hope this particular post gets buried.

Now that I've gotten all that out of the way I feel better.  I always teach my students that writing is a great expression of our emotions and it's got a way of healing us.  Now as I reflect on my reflection it sounds like I'm feeling sorry for myself. I assure you, I'm not one to feel sorry for myself.  :-)

Let Me Hold You Longer

Yesterday's blog made me reflect on my feelings.  Please don't misunderstand me. I LOVE the people my children are growing up to be.  They are thoughtful, kind, compassionate, funny, and smart. They have their moments, for sure, but are overall great kids!! I don't want to hold them back from growing up; I want to help them do it with confidence and grace.  The book that I referenced yesterday is this one:

When I said that they grow up fast, I meant it. But I am enjoying watching them grow. I am a nostalgic person, I'm emotional and I cry. But I cry happy tears beacause of the beautiful people my children are becoming. I get my confidence from my daughter. I watch the way she interacts with people, the way she is kind to everyone and the most non-judgmental person I know. I get my sense of adventure from my youngest son. He is a daredeveil, willing to take chances to expeience new things. My want to help others comes from my oldest son. He is most happy when he knows he is being helpful, especially to an adult.  So although my children don't need me to hold their hand when they visit the dentist, I need them to help me be the best person I can be.

I'm excited to have discovered this challenge to get me blogging. I started two days late but I started!  :-)

A First For Every Last

When you have kids, and people say "They grow up so fast", you don't really understand that until you're in the midst of it. 

Yesterday I cried at the dentist. My 7 year olds were able to go back with the dental hygenist unaccompanied. That I cried was ridiculous; that I told my husband they would be leaving for college soon was even more ridiculous. But what I gained from this experience, is that I won't take a minute for granted. I must say, I'm pretty good about cherishing all of their moments.  Someone introduced me to a book when the kids were just 2 and it was about never knowing when it might be the last time you change a diaper, or the last day you hold your baby for a bottle, or the last time your child holds your hand while crossing the street. You just never know when you'll experience "the last" moment. So at that time, I chose to enjoy every moment.  When my kids went for their annual cleaning without needing me by their side, I cried because I didn't know six months ago would be the last time they would need me next to them to answer questions about how often we floss and if they've experienced any pain with their teeth lately. They clearly can now answer those questions on their own.

I live less than an hour from Chardon, Ohio; the most recent victims of a school shooting. Being a teacher and a mom and being so close to the horrific tragedy has made me do a lot of reflecting this week.  Children do grow up fast. Too fast if you ask me.  I will cherish all their moments with them because you never know when it might be a last.

A Begininning Slice

So I've been wanting to start a blog since it became "the thing to do".  I never really had the motivation until I discovered Two Writing Teachers and read about their March Slice of Life writing experience. I realize it's March 3; it has taken me that long to figure out how to create this blog.  I'll just write until April 3... and forever after. 

I will reflect: on the day, on work, on how I could be a better person, on how I treat those around me, basically on life.  I will reflect daily for the next 30 days straight. I'm excited to take on this new adventure. I can't wait to see what awaits me...