The End of Summer

Today would have been my 22nd first day of school. But it wasn't. This could have been my 6th year of teaching, but I won't be there. As the teachers and students in my area began a new school year today, I couldn't help but reflect on where I am now and how different my life has become. Last year, I sat in my classroom at the end of that first day of school and I cried. I was pissed. I was starting yet another school year, no closer to being pregnant and I was angry. I didn't want to be there. I wanted to be at home taking care of my baby, a baby which did not yet exist. I always wanted to be a stay-at-home-mom. Teaching was something I loved to do, but it wasn't my dream job. Being a stay-at-home-mom was my ultimate dream job. So there I was facing yet another year in a job that I had a love/hate relationship with. I was emotional, I was hormonal (from all the failed fertility treatment attempts), and I was pissed. I hoped and I prayed that would be my final school year as a teacher. And it was. In fact, I chose to had to leave in the middle of the school year.

Being a teacher is one of the most emotionally, mentally and physically demanding and difficult jobs out there. Going through invasive fertility treatments is one of the most emotionally, mentally and physically demanding and difficult experiences a woman can put herself through. Having to do both of those things together made for one of the most traumatic times in my life. I was a hot mess. I hated everything. I cried about everything. I was literally having an out of body experience all the time. I felt like I was up on a cloud, looking down and watching this person who I did not even recognize completely fall apart. There was nothing I could do about it. I had to give up something. I couldn't do it all. My family, my happiness, and my sanity is worth far more than any career could ever be. So I left teaching. Maybe one day I'll return to the classroom, but until then I am going to enjoy living out my dream job.

As I watched everyone return to the classroom today, I can't help but be thankful for my experience as a teacher. The good, the bad and the ugly. I learned so much about myself, our educational system, how to be a parent, and how to effectively be a part of a child's life. I know that I will be a better parent because of my experience as a teacher. 

There are things I will miss about teaching. The kids. My classroom. My co-workers. School spirit. Coaching volleyball. Watching kids who were once struggling, finally understand. Hugs. Handmade cards. Being a positive role model for kids who really need one. Creative projects. School supplies. Making kids feel special, loved and proud of who they are. Field trips. Changing someone else's life for the better.

There are also a lot of things I will not miss about teaching. But I will not get into the specifics of that here. Unfortunately for me, it was getting to the point in which the bad was starting to outweigh the good. Nowadays, majority of people who enter the teaching profession leave within the first 5 years. What does that tell you about the work environment we provide for our teachers? Just saying.

Today sort of felt like the first day of my new life. My new life where my identifier is no longer "teacher", but "mother". Teaching is no longer my profession. Yes, I still have a teaching certificate, but being a teacher no longer defines who I am. Mommy is my new profession and I could not be more excited. This is exactly what I have always wanted and I am feeling very blessed to have the opportunity to be a stay-at-home-mom.

While all my other teacher friends were back in the classroom today, I was in my neighborhood with my other stay-at-home-mommy friends from my church group doing this...perfection.

Lorelei (3.5 weeks), Peyton (9.5 weeks), Mary Claire (7 weeks)

The summer is now over for kids, parents and teachers. I haven't really noticed because not much has changed for me. I can't believe that summer is really coming to an end already and that Peyton is over two months old. This was a great summer for me, thanks to Peyton. However, I am ready for fall. Ready for football, pumpkin beer and more than anything, cooler weather. The heat of summer is very difficult with an infant. It's so hard to do anything outside with Peyton right now because if it's sunny then I have to worry about heat and sunburn. If it's not sunny, then I'm fighting thunderstorms. Once it starts to get dark, then I'm worrying about mosquitoes. Basically, there is no good time to be outside in the summer with an infant. Peyton and I are ready for some fall weather! 

I hope that all the students, parents and teachers had a wonderful first day of school today! There is nothing like the fun and excitement of the first day. I used to love that. I always thought teaching was very unique in that you get to "start over" and have a new first day of work every year, no matter how many years you have been teaching. Good luck to all and I wish you a spectacular school year! 

I've also been thinking about all the ladies who began Panhellenic Recruitment at Florida State today. This time of the year always reminds me of how much I loved Recruitment week when I was in college. That week changed my life freshman year because it brought me to Phi Mu. In the years that followed, this week was always my favorite part of being in a sorority. It was a time to reconnect to our sisterhood and remember why I joined Phi Mu in the first place. Good luck to my Phi Mu sisters at Alpha Epsilon this week with Recruitment and best wishes to all the Potential New Members who are in search of the perfect home :)

Needless to say, I'm feeling very nostalgic this week. Reminiscing about college, Phi Mu and Recruitment. Saying goodbye to teaching and learning the ropes of being a full time wife and mommy. Peyton and I just love getting to spend all day together :) I can't wait to see what new challenges and experiences being a stay-at-home-mom will bring! 

First Week

I survived the first week of school. Barely. Hardly. I'm exhausted. But I survived. Only 35 more weeks to go. It went pretty well, but I'm already over working an insane amount of hours again.

On the first day of school Monday. I look pretty excited, huh? 

My prayer buddy from church brought me a little gift to help me get through the week :)

I already got a picture from a student. Apparently, I'm her favorite teacher "so far". I guess I better work hard to keep this title before another teacher swoops in and takes my place in this little girl's #1 spot. Wish me luck. 

Back to School

Another school year is upon us. I can't believe how fast summer went by. But now it is time for fall and football season, which totally makes having to go back to school worth it. Today, I begin my 5th year of teaching. Woah. It seems like only yesterday I was spending these August days in the Phi Mu house at Recruitment, not teaching 6th graders. I have a lot of goals for myself this school year and I just want to take things one day at a time.

I am still teaching 6th graders for reading and language arts. However, our curriculum has changed a lot so I am going to get to try some cool new things with my kids this year. I am also going to be coaching volleyball again this year which I am really excited about. Unfortunately, my co-worker who was the head coach last year has left our school which means I am officially the head coach this year. While this is an exciting opportunity, I am mildly terrified of being head coach because that means I have to actually figure out how to do all the paperwork and make important decisions during the game. Scary. Luckily, I have a rockin' assistant coach who is going to help make my life a lot easier :)

My favorite part of starting a new school year is getting to decorate my classroom. I put so much time and effort into decorating my classroom. I am so OCD about it and I have to make sure it is 100% perfect before the first day of school. Yes, I am a little insane about my classroom but I spend 8 hours a day trapped in there so I want it to be a place that I actually don't mind spending so much time in. Plus, I get to put fun, crazy stuff in my classroom that I would never actually put in my real house.

I present my classroom for the 2013-2014 school year...

 In my classroom, not a single window or ounce of wall space is without decoration. 

Since my school is an IB school, every year each team has to choose a country to represent. 

My team is representing Germany this year and I am pretty excited about it since I've been there. 

Best wishes to all the students and teachers going back to school today!

Tragic Update

On Monday, I posted about a former student of mine who was critically injured last weekend in a drive-by shooting. You can read my initial post here: A Teacher's Worst Nightmare

Today was 8th grade orientation at my school. Friends and classmates of my former student, Megan, returned to school today to find something at their orientation that you don't find at a normal 8th grade orientation. Grief counselors.

Megan had been in critical condition due to the life-threatening injuries she sustained during the shooting since Saturday morning when the incident occurred. She was taken off of life support yesterday evening and late last night she passed away. So this morning as students and teachers were gearing up for orientation, we learned of Megan's passing. I can imagine that returning to school today was probably very difficult for some of those students and I know that beginning their 8th grade year on Monday without Megan will be heartbreaking as well.

Here is the most recent news update: Police plead for help finding killers

Please pray for both of the families of these girls. Pray for my school family, as many of us have taught and loved Megan over the past two years. Pray that we as teachers will know how to comfort our students who show up hurting on the first day of school next week. Pray for all of the students at my school who were friends or classmates of Megan, as well as the students that will be joining us in 6th grade who attended elementary school with Jazmine. I can't imagine having to deal with the loss of a friend or classmate at such a young age. Pray that the authorities can find out who is responsible for this tragedy and bring them to justice for these girls and their families. Thank you for your prayers.

A Teacher's Worst Nightmare

I don't have any children of my own, but every school year I inherit 100 new students who soon become like an extension of my family. While we might not be biologically related, they are my children. Every day for an entire year, I teach them, care for them, discipline them, console them, help them with their problems and celebrate their successes. Sometimes they irritate me or make me upset, but I always love them as my own. And at the end of the school year when they leave me for the 7th grade, they take a part of me with them and they leave a little piece of themselves with me. Even years after they leave my classroom, each one of them is still an important part of my life. They never stop being "my kids". 

Just like any parent out there, I do whatever I can to protect my kids. I worry about them constantly. I worry about their grades, their home life, their safety and their general well being. So when something bad happens to one of my students, I take it personally and straight to heart. I worry about my students when they leave me every afternoon because I know what they are going home to. Rough neighborhoods, full of scary grown-up experiences that no child should be exposed to at this age. I pray for my students and their safety every day. 

Today, I return to work for our first pre-planning day of the school year. However, my colleagues and I return to school today with heavy hearts.  

In the early morning hours on Saturday, one of my former students suffered life-threatening injuries due to a drive by shooting. Megan was in my class two years ago and is going into the 8th grade at my school this year. She was at a friend's house when the shooting occurred. Dozens of shots were fired through the side of the mobile home while the two girls sat in the living room. Megan's friend was killed instantly. This young lady would have been entering the 6th grade next week at my school, which means that she could have possibly been in my class this year.

The police believe that the shooting is drug related, but has nothing to do with Megan or her friend. They were simply innocent bystanders. I absolutely hate that this is the kind of world we live in now. A young girl is dead and another fighting for her life because of drugs and violence. It breaks my heart. 

You can read about the incident here: 1 teenage girl dead, 2nd critical after overnight drive-by shooting.

Please pray for my student Megan and for both of the families involved in this tragedy.

School Year # 20 Complete

Today officially marks my 20th last day of school. I can't believe that I have actually been "in school" for 20 years. While that sounds terrible to a lot of people, it also means one glorious thing. Summer. Break. You guys have fun out there in the real world with your normal jobs, I'll be enjoying my summer break :)

This school year was rough. Rough. Difficult. Stressful. It was definitely not one of my better years in the classroom. Let's just say I have been anxiously awaiting today for a while now. However, the awesome thing about my job is that every new school year is a fresh start. So when I make my way back into the classroom in August, I get to start all over again. For now I'm going to look on the bright side, this year is over and summer is here. Despite the challenges this year, I did have some good times.

Highlights of this year...

1. Coaching volleyball

Coaching students on the court is a completely different experience from teaching them in the classroom. This was my first year coaching a sport and I absolutely loved it.

2. My fall intern

I feel like we definitely did not have an appropriate intern-directing teacher relationship. Couldn't help it. We were just destined to become actual friends. Plus, she was my first intern ever and you never forget your first time :)

3. Being voted Teacher of the Year

I still can't believe that my co-workers actually thought that was I was deserving enough of this honor.

4. My amazing co-workers

When you teach in an environment like I do, the only thing that keeps you sane is good company. My job would be so much more stressful and miserable without these awesome ladies who always keep me entertained!

Have a great summer my fellow teachers! See you back in August!

Teacher & Nurse Appreciation Week

This week is Teacher Appreciation Week, which in my classroom is just like the other 35 weeks of the school year. Either my students and their parents don't know that it is Teacher Appreciation Week or they don't care because every year it seems to go unnoticed in my classroom. Maybe that is because I teach middle school or maybe it's because I teach at an urban low socio-economic school with little parent support. The PTA at my school always does some nice stuff for us which is the only reason that I even notice that it's Teacher Appreciation Week, but essentially it is just another week of the school year. Then again, I feel like my colleagues and I are not in this profession for anything other than the fact that we love it. Let's face it, we never get the credit or appreciation that we deserve, our salary is a joke and we put up with the most insane nonsense that no human being in any other profession would ever tolerate.

It takes a very special type of person (a crazy one) to be a teacher. However, I can't imagine doing anything else with my life. Take a moment this week to say thank you to all the teachers in your life. Not a single person in the world could have ever made it where they are today without the help of teachers. You're welcome :) Here is a mildly inappropriate video about Teacher Appreciation that always makes me laugh...

 

In addition to Teacher Appreciation, this week is also Nurse Appreciation Week. I find it funny/mildly ironic that we have chosen to celebrate two professions that pretty much deal with crazy people on a daily basis in the same week. How convenient. These are also two professions where people constantly feel the need to tell us how to do our jobs. Like we are unqualified to do the job that we are certified to do. Now, I realize that there are bad teachers and bad nurses out there. Everyone has experienced them, but that doesn't mean that we are all like that. I can't stand when I see a parent or a student telling a teacher how to do their job, and I really can't stand it when I see a patient telling a nurse how to do their job. Do you have a teaching certificate? Did you graduate from nursing school? We are professionals too. We don't come in your office and tell you how to do your job.

Sorry for the angry rant. Point being...just because there is a week for appreciating the teachers and nurses in your life doesn't mean that society should continue to treat them like crap the rest of the year. It almost kind of seems like the professions that get "appreciation days/weeks" (teachers, nurses, administrative professionals, secretaries, etc) are the ones that our society doesn't choose to respect the other 51 weeks out of the year, so they feel sorry for us and decide to be nice to us for one week. I mean, have you ever heard of "Doctor Appreciation Week" or "Lawyer Appreciation Week"? Now, I realize that I chose my profession so if it really bothers me then I should stop complaining about it and go find a new profession, but guess what...my blog, so I get to complain all I want :) So at least be nice to the teachers and nurses in your life this week, then you can go back to complaining about us next week. 

To all my teacher and nurse friends out there...thank you for the job that you do. No one else would be able to do their job if it wasn't for you. You work harder than most other professions and most of the time your hard work goes unnoticed. You go out of your way to do things that you don't get paid for, that aren't even in your job description. You save lives on a daily basis...physically, mentally and emotionally. You have the most important jobs in our society. Imagine a world without teachers or nurses...it could not exist. Thank you for all that you do and have a great week. 

Life Lately

Since I apparently have no time for blogging anymore, I guess we are just going to have to settle for these weekly "catch-up" posts. Sorry guys. Have no fear, once I am on summer vacation I will definitely have a lot more free time for blogging. Only 24 school days left, but who's counting? :)

I never shared with y'all the horrifying thing that showed up in the front office of my school one day...

Yes, that is a GIANT picture of my face. It should be illegal to blow up someone's yearbook photo that large. Since when does my school hang a "shrine" for the Teacher of the Year? Since now apparently. Great. If I would have known that my yearbook picture was going to be used for anything other than just a tiny little square on the faculty page in the yearbook, I might have actually put some effort into doing my hair that day. So until next school year, every person who walks in the front office of my school will be greeted by my smiling face everyday. Yippie. 

On Wednesday, I noticed that my elbow was kind of hurting when I moved it which was a little alarming since I never engage in any type of physical activity involving my arms. When I got home, I looked in the mirror and noticed this big red patch on my elbow. Weird. 

About 3 hours later, my elbow felt like it was on fire as my red patch had evolved into this...

I couldn't sleep all night because my elbow was burning so bad and I was losing range of motion in my arm. When I got up Thursday morning, I could hold my arm at a 90 degree angle and that was as far as it would move. My elbow was still bright red and burning. I went to work anyways and my students were pretty nice to me, keeping a good distance between us since they thought I was infected. That was the only benefit of all this pain. I left work early and went to the doctor who diagnosed me with cellulitis. Gross. He hooked me up with some prescription ointment and an antibiotic and off I went. Today, my elbow is already looking better and feeling a lot better. Thank you prescription drugs. 

It has been raining here everyday this week, which makes me want to crawl back in bed and read/watch a movie/sleep everyday. The only good thing about all this rain is that I get to prance around in my awesome rain boots. Yes, they have hunting dogs on them. I have had these rain boots since college and I love them. They better last forever since I paid a pretty penny for them, well actually my mom did. Typical J.Crew.

Thanks to all this rain, my students' field trip was cancelled today. Not cool. I was supposed to chill with my 20 assigned kids who were going to be left behind and watch movies all day. Unfortunately, this cancelled field trip meant that we went through our regular bell schedule and I had to see all my students today. However, I knew they were all pissed about missing the field trip so I wasn't about to try and get them to be productive. Alas, we continued on with movie day as planned. I also printed off some coloring pages to entertain us during the movie as well. Yes, sixth graders still like to color and it keeps them quiet. Double win. Of course, I wasn't going to let them have all the fun. I colored this picture for my co-worker in the classroom next door and she hung it on her bulletin board with all the students' artwork. Happy Friday. 

One of our family friends (she lived across the street from me as a kid and I used to babysit her when she was little) recently graduated from college and has embarked on quite the journey. Before joining the rest of us out here in the real world, she has decided to hike the entire Pacific Crest Trail. She is hiking 2700 miles from Mexico to Canada and she is documenting her entire journey on a blog. You can check out the blog here if you want to follow her on her journey. Also, do me a favor and pray for her safety over the next few months. 

Have a great weekend! 

In Our Prayers

Every month, my school has drills. Fire drills, tornado drills, and lock-down drills. Whenever we have a Code Red (or lock-down) drill, I go through the same routine. I check my classroom door to make sure it is locked, close the blinds, turn off the lights, huddle all of my students into the corner of the room farthest away from the doors and windows sitting on the floor, and then I stand in front of them. I am not a parent and I have no idea what it feels like to have my own children. But in that moment during the drill, I stand in front of these 25 children. I have no idea what possesses me to do this. These kids are not my blood, and I've only known them for a few months. In fact, the only thing that ties me to them is that they happened to get assigned to my class back in August. However, I stand in front of them because they are my children.

I've been seeing a lot of posts on Facebook and information on the news about the recent tragedy in Newtown, Connecticut and I couldn't help but start thinking about what I would do if a dangerous person came into my classroom. As I thought about it, I realized that I already know what I would do because I do it every month during our drills. I always stand in front of my students because if someone comes through that door, they are going to have to get through me first if they want to get to those kids. I realize that this probably sounds crazy and I'm sure that my mother(s) are probably crying while reading this, but I saw this post on Facebook last night and I think it sums it up pretty well...

“To parents who aren’t educators, this may be hard to understand. Five days a week, we teach your kids. Joke with your kids. Console your kids. Praise your kids. Question your kids. Beat our heads up against a wall about your kids. Gush over your kids. Laugh with your kids. Worry about your kids. Keep an eye on your kids. Learn about your kids. Invest in your kids. Protect your kids. Love your kids. We would all take a bullet for your kids. It’s nowhere in our job description. It isn’t covered in the employee handbook. It isn’t cited on our contracts. But we would all do it. So, yes—please hug your kids tonight—really, really tight. But on Monday, if you see your kids’ teacher, hug them too.”

My thoughts and prayers go out to not only the victims and their families of this tragedy, but also to my fellow educators who are at work today. I know that you probably have a classroom full of confused and frightened children with parents who were reluctant to even leave them at school today. Stay safe. While I was very happy that I did not have to go to work this morning because we are already on winter break, I would love nothing more right now than to be able to hug each and every one of my students. So please say a little prayer for your child's teachers today. Because just like you, they would do just about anything to protect your child.

Keep the victims of this tragedy and their families in your prayers this holiday season and be thankful that God has blessed you with another beautiful day of life.

Letters to Santa

Happy December! 'Tis the season for giving and I wanted to share a cool way to give back this holiday season. If you have children of your own (or students in my case), you need to do this! Over the past few weeks, my school encouraged us to participate in the Macy's Believe Campaign, and of course my intern (being her amazing self) jumped on the bandwagon and got all of my students to participate.

Macy's is asking children across the nation to write a letter to Santa and help make wishes come true. Bring your stamped letter to your local Macy’s, addressed to "Santa At The North Pole", and drop it into the special Santa letterbox in the store. Macy's will count up the letters, and for each letter received, they will donate $1 to the Make-A-Wish Foundation. Then, they will deliver the letters to the Post Office for mailing to Santa. 

The Macy's website has a ton of cool resources that you can use for writing your letter. You can print off a blank template to hand write the letter (which is what my intern did for my students), or you can create your letter directly on the website. By using that tool, you can type up the letter, decorate it and then print it off for mailing. This would be such a fun way to have your kids write letters to Santa and teach them the importance of giving back at the same time. 

Here an example of one of the letters that my 6th grade students wrote to Santa...

Click here for more information about the Make-A-Wish Foundation

Click here for more information about the Macy's Believe Campaign and for access to all the resources you need to write your own letter to Santa! Happy Holidays!

Goodbye Summer

Well, it's back to work for me today. Summer is officially over and a new school year is upon us. My students don't start until next Monday, but teachers return today for pre-planning. Although I am sad that summer is gone already, I am excited to get my classroom all pretty and decorated for another school year. Pictures will be coming soon of course :)

Teacher Humor

I apologize for being MIA for the majority of this week, but I am currently working on getting my classroom all decorated and ready for the upcoming year. Pre-planning starts next week, but somehow tons of new teachers end up getting sent to me every year for help so I lose the majority of my pre-planning time working with them. I absolutely love mentoring new teachers so this doesn't bother me at all, I just want to make sure my classroom is ready in time. Pictures coming soon :)

While I am busy working in my classroom today, please enjoy this little "teacher appreciation" video brought to us by Jimmy Kimmel...

 

Of course this isn't how teachers really feel about our students :) Best wishes on this upcoming school year to all my fellow teachers!

What Time Is It?

SUMMERTIME! Today was the last day of school for my students and I am one happy girl right now. We have two post-planning days next week for teachers, but I could care less about having to go to work on those days because I don't have to deal with kids. Therefore, I am officially on summer break starting now. The last day of school is such a pointless day, but I absolutely love it. The only thing that could possibly make it better would be some big, dramatic finish to the school year.

It is no secret that I have always wished that my life was in the form of a musical. Sometimes things happen and I think to myself, "now this would be a great opportunity to break out into song and dance". However, life is not a musical; thus, I am always just a little disappointed in life's big moments because I would really love the opportunity for a group musical number. Today, we had early dismissal for students and as the clock made its way closer to 12:50, we sat in my classroom waiting for that last bell. When the bell rang, all the kids cheered and ran out to their buses. That would have been the perfect opportunity for a musical number. Every movie involving the last day of school always has some grand exit from the school building, and oh how I would love to exit my classroom dancing on the last day of school.

Since I did not get my grand musical number on the last day of school this year, I will have to keep dreaming...and when it does happen, I imagine it will go a little something like this :)

Yes, I did just post a video from High School Musical on my blog. Go ahead and judge. Sometimes being surrounded by 12 year olds all day sort of makes me act like a 12 year old :)

Have a great summer!

Board Games

Every year I complete a board game project with my students for one of the stories that we read in class. My students always love doing this project and I love how they turn out. After reading "The Phantom Tollbooth", I have my students re-create the story in the form of a board game. As long as the events from the story are in the proper sequence, they have all the creative license to make their board game whatever they choose.

This is my sample that I use to show my students what a finished product might look like. I made this sample 3 years ago when I taught this story for the first time. I'm glad that my sample is still holding up...

I love displaying these projects all over my classroom!

Examples of my students' board games...