My Blessed Little Life

This is where I'd rather be...sigh.  It's that time again...the calm before the storm so to speak.  Back to school displays are up and the sales fliers are in the mailbox...ugh.  I'm not really excited this year.  I usually love to stock up for things for my classroom, but this year, I'm not feeling it. I don't know if it is because my co-teacher left to try reading instead of language arts with me, or because it means I'll have to start a new co-teaching relationship.  Maybe it's a little  lot of both. I totally understand the need for change.  We grade a lot...all the time.  I can't fault her for that...we just had a great partnership that is going to be hard to reestablish again. But it will be done because I can do that or have a long year... and I don't want that! My kids are at grandma's house for the week, so it is a good time for me to get things done around here before the craziness starts in again.  Two kids in middle schoo...

Yeah! School officially was finished yesterday.  This has been such an exhausting week.  We have 1 1/2 days with kids, then I had CPR training Wednesday afternoon after setting up our staff BBQ to celebrate another school year.  Thursday was supposed to be our last teacher work day, but I spent it listening to Dr. Rick McGuire from the University of Missouri speak about Positive Coaching.  His message was great, but I think the 8 hour PD session could have been accomplished in 2, so the repetitiveness just dragged on and on.  Today I started my work for summer school.  Today was all about unpacking boxes and planning lessons.  I feel like I have a good start any way.  23 days of summer school will go by quickly right?  I will miss having the extra days to work around the house, but the extra money will hopefully make up for it! So summer for me will really start in July.  School work will start back up for PD days and curriculum writin...

It is the end of the school year for us and the craziness has definitely begun.  I feel like we are trying to get those last objectives taught and still trying to make it fun and engaging.  It seems that the kids believe MAP testing to be the official end of the school year, even though we had another month left to go.  Trying to get ourselves in a happy place is also hard right now...teachers are tired. Kids are tired.  Rinse and repeat. I'm scheduled to teach summer school.  This will be the first time in a long time. I taught it 12 years ago.  I'm looking at the next two weeks of school and longing to be done, but there is four more weeks after that.  It will be an experience for sure. I am hoping that the four weeks go fast and I can make it a fun and enjoyable time in the classroom. I pick up my materials tomorrow, so I get to find out what I'll be doing then. I am looking forward to having time to spend at home with my kids as well, so come o...

So you may have noticed that I have taken a few days away from this little blog.  Life in April has been a little crazy around the homestead here.  End of the year activities are definitely kicking in full gear.  Band contests, choir concerts, meeting, meeting, meetings...and then there is MAP testing too. We will soon be getting ready for state testing at school. Two weeks of testing might just do me in!  I'm hoping it goes by quickly and with as few headaches as possible! On a positive note, my son will be competing in a state math contest this weekend...I'm excited for him.  He is very excited to show what he can do!  It will be good to have a little family vaca away from town, if only for one night! Hope your month has been going well.  I'm just hoping to see spring come sometime soon...so tired of the cold!

Wow!  I made it. Thirty-one days of writing on this little blog.  I am so proud of myself for finishing the Slice of Life challenge, hosted by Ruth and Stacey at Two Writing Teachers.  I don't think that I could have imagined that I would finish a month of blogging. A month of writing.  I have truly enjoyed this challenge.  I remember why I love writing.  I have been able to try new styles of writing.  I have also been able to read some really powerful posts from some really terrific writers.  I have learned more about the subject that I teach.  I have come across great ideas for my classroom.  I have laughed and cried with others from around the world.  Thirty-one days may be a short blip in time, but thirty-one days has helped me to become a stronger writer.  Thank you to all the people who have read and commented.  That has meant a great deal to me.  I have grown to love the community of writers who support and e...

My nephew is getting baptized this afternoon, so my family (immediate and extended) have all traveled to Gillette, Wyoming to celebrate with him.  My husband and I will serve as God parents for baby Zane, so the trip is extra special for me.  From our house in Missouri,  it is a very long 16 hour drive, so we tried to find attractions that would break up the trip.  We drove to Mitchell,  SD and saw the Corn Palace, and continued on. The Badlands were our next stop, where we hiked out on some pretty amazing sights.  God's creation is awe inspiring!  Who knows where we will head on the way home, but it is fun to watch my kids learn and explore. Enjoy some pictures from the trip so far.  I love the question mark on the end of trail sign...kind of sums up how I feel right now.  Things are ending, but it isn't the end of the trail for me.  A fitting metaphor for life right now.

This week our school has been participating in Pennies for Patients for the Leukemia Society.  Every day, our counselor has come around to collect the money that my TA group added to our box.  The top prize was a catered Olive Garden lunch, which was quite an incentive for my group! Second place would earn cookies, and third place could win bubble gum. Every day, I was please that my group added to our fund.  After hearing from several of my co-workers, I was happy to see anything was given. The first day we had a small amount- $1.86.  The second day, they added a little over $6.  Day 3, the competitive bug hit and they brought in almost $40 in just one day.  I was very proud of my group, and they moved us into third place of all the TA groups.  Some groups still had empty boxes after day 3!  Yesterday was our last day to collect money.  As my group began to collect money to count on the table, I was amazed to see what they had accomplish...