Chasing my tail!

It's a Friday and that's always a good thing. I am so behind in my blogging yet again. I have about a month and a half worth of news to share that I WILL post more about by the end of the weekend. I find when I set a goal in writing I'm more apt to follow through. We've on on the go so much lately and so busy that I barely have any down time it seems like. So many home projects have been neglected and are in dire need of our attention, so that is on the agenda for the next few weekends.

It's nearly May and already it's testing time again. Today I began testing my students in reading and writing, a process that will take most of the month. I have more grading to do as well. Once all those tasks are complete, then I get do report cards (already!). Then once those are out of the way, I can begin to pack my classroom. Whew! And I had the nerve to think spring would be a breeze compared to the rest of the year! I often feel like the process is a lot like when my dog chases her tail around and around. Well, it is in a way, but my students and I are in the same boat... ready for summer and struggling to stay focused. My goal is to be very timely this term so that June will be more relaxed for us all. Ah yes, early June brings another birthday. K will be turning lucky number 7. All the more reason to have get all of these things done by the end of May. Wish me luck!

Say a little prayer

Sending thoughts and prayers to the people of Iceland and Europe. This has to be a terrible time for all. Takes me back to when Mt. St. Helens erupted in southwest Washington. My family lived in in cenral Oregon at the time and I remember the ash that fell like snow for seemingly days after the initial eruption. We had to carry those face masks everywhere.

What about you?

Teaching. It seems like a simple enough concept and yet is such a controversial topic. It's not simple at all and is full of controversy inside and outside of the profession. I was listening to some people chatting about this. What constitutes "best practices" depends on who you're talking to and your students. Then there's the vacation time. First of all, I personally won't lie and say that the summers off thing and all major holidays is a major draw. It's the only way I get to be a SAHM for any length of time. It's a definite perk.

Then there's the paycheck issue. Your average teacher works their tail off for 10 months and is paid as such. Some schools offer the choice of reducing your monthly income during the academic year in order to receive spread it out over the summer months. So it is income that has already been earned, but is just paid out during the off months (it's not extra income). However, anyone in their right mind that wants to make money is NOT a teacher. It's not just a job, it's a way of life that is often all-consuming and drains your bank account. I can't tell you how many teachers (myself included) who spend their own money on materials and resources for their classroom. It's not ideal, but it is what it is.

To me, while teaching may be a challenging way to earn a living, it is one of the most rewarding fields to be in. There is much work that goes on behind the scenes, but where else can you get paid to inspire kids to create and learn new things for most of the day? A coworker shared an awesome poem with me today that puts it all in perspective. Nuff said.

You Want to Know What I Make?

I make kids work harder than they ever thought they could.

I can make a C+ feel like a Congressional medal of honor

and an A- feel like a slap in the face.

How dare you waste my time with anything less than your best?

I make kids sit through 40 minutes of study hall

in absolute silence. No, you may not work in groups.

No, you may not ask a question.

Why won't I let you get a drink of water?

Because you're not thirsty, you're bored, that's why.

I make parents tremble in fear when I call home:

I hope I haven't called at a bad time,

I just wanted to talk to you about something Billy said today.

Billy said, "Leave the kid alone. I still cry sometimes, don't you?"

And it was the noblest act of courage I have ever seen.

I make parents see their children for who they are

and what they can be.

You want to know what I make?

I make kids wonder,

I make them question.

I make them criticize.

I make them apologize and mean it.

I make them write, write, write.

And then I make them read.

I make them spell definitely beautiful, definitely beautiful, definitely beautiful

over and over and over again until they never misspell either one of those words again.

I make them show all their work in math.

And hide it on their final drafts in English.

I make them understand that if you got this (brains)

then follow this (heart) and if someone ever tries to judge you

by what you make, you give them this (the finger).

Let me break it down for you, so you know what I say is true:

I make a difference! What about you?

Playing catchup (part 1)...

So I vowed to update by the end of the weekend, so here goes the first one...we're gonna go back in time all the way to early March. My son sang in the spring music concert. It was entitled "A Celtic Spring" and featured a lot of Irish folksongs in honor St. Patrick's Day and the coming of spring. The kids were adorable and N did a wonderful job. They even played a song (forget the title) on recorders. He actually sang along this time and seemed to enjoy himself for the most part. In years past, he's often paid attention to everything but the song he was supposed to be singing, so this was a nice change. He initially had been given a lead part, but bowed out early on due to stage fright. By the time the concert rolled around, he regretted giving up his lead spot and wished he could've done it. I told him that next year he could try again. Here's a portion of the recorder performance:

N just before the concert was ready to start

Another interesting milestone that ironically happened the night of the concert was that K lost her first tooth. Since I didn't have anything to hold it with, I ended up putting it inside of an empty tictac container. LOL. She ended up losing her second tooth two days later during recess. Unfortunately, she lost that tooth literally, so she only got to put one tooth under her pillow. However, she got a visit from the tooth fairy, so that made her quite excited.

A lovely toothy grin

Blahbbering...

Alrighty, it is my goal by the end of this weekend to update and post some long overdue pictures. Ever since we lost all of our photos and several other important items in a computer mishap a couple of months back, I sort of lost my desire to get online as much. I've checked in regularly with family and friends via facebook, but this blog has been sorely neglected. I think I've been going through some sort of a funk lately. I guess I've been just feeling a bit anti-social and been overloaded with work and the mountain home projects that have also been neglected.


I love working with my students and and all their energy, but it can wear a person down mentally (and physically) after awhile. I've worked in other fields that were taxing, but this is one of the more exhausting jobs I've ever held. What little spare time I have leftover is saved for my family. It's not like feeling depressed or anything of that nature, just been a bit of a homebody to recharge my battery. Outside of our frequent visits to some dear friends and a recent trip to see my family in Bend, we've been keeping a low profile over the last month. As the sunshine comes out more and more, I hope to climb out of this case of the blahs and get that spring in my step back.