Remember?

We made it!  We did it!

The last day is here…

We’ve officially survived

Another school year.

But wasn’t Open House

Just yesterday?

Didn’t we just meet each other,

And shyly say, “Hey…”?

It seems as if the school year,

Just got off to a start…

But now it’s already time

For us all to depart!

But before you pack up,

and race off to the pool…

Let’s highlight some memories

From this year in school.

Remember the decorated doors?

And Curriculum Night?

“Happy School Year!” we shouted,

As we started the year off right.

Remember when three mamas-to-be,

Waddled around the school?

Now their babies are here,

Full of babbles and drool!

Remember Jump Rope for Heart?

And cool Mr. Hicks…

Teaching us ways to be healthy

So we don’t live life sick.

Remember our awesome music teacher,

Guiding our productions, so neat!

Mrs. Noisette is so talented!

Always keeping us on beat.

Remember the way you learned to draw?

Our resident artist, Mrs. Wiles!

Who taught us to paint, color, and mold,

All with a smile.

Remember when you were having a bad day,

And needed an ear?

Mrs. Collins was there for you,

Ready to hug and hear.

Remember when you really wanted to read?

Or needed to find an AR book?

Mr. Brandt was your man,

Taking the time to help you look.

And what would we do without the ladies in the office?

Giving us a hug, a smile, or a band-aid.

Taking our money, calling our parents,

Letting us know it’ll all be okay.

Remember when you got into a little bit of trouble?

Or maybe needed help with your bus?

Mr. Maglio was always there for you,

Helping you while being fair and just.

Remember when our own Miss Hennings

Won Teacher of the Year?

She was so deserving, so special…

We’re all so lucky to have her here!

Remember when Mrs. Smith was all dressed up,

Like Dr. Seuss’ Cat in the Hat?

She even had whiskers and a tail…

I bet you’ll never forget that!

Then there was Multicultural Night,

Birthday balloons, tie-dye, and hat days…

Field Day!  One of everyone’s favorites,

As you got to go outside and play.

Games, cotton candy, and the dunking booth…

Spring Fling was a blast, too!

There was so much fun to be had all year long,

What sticks out the most to you?

Most importantly, though, are the relationships formed,

Between students, teachers, families, and staff.

So please always remember each other fondly…

The good times, the hard times, the times we’ve laughed.

It’s time to bid farewell… for now.

So say goodbye to all of your friends…

Summertime is officially here,

We’ll see you in August when we begin again!

3 Things

True story.

I was a waitress for a number of years throughout high school and college.  I learned a lot of things - how to balance three plates across my arm at one time, how they make the tea SO sweet, how to use the lemon slicer, and how to roll up the silverware.  However, the most profound lesson I learned came from a scraggly old man who asked for a table for one.

I remember the day so clearly.

It was a slow lunch, and the hostess had taken a break.  So when he walked in the door, I took it upon myself to welcome him.

He was the kind of man who intimidates you at first.

He towered over me - and I'm a pretty tall drink of water!  He had holes in his clothes, an unshaven face, and dirt under his fingernails.  His voice was low, creepy.  But, he was nice enough.  "Table for one?"  He asked.

That was about all he said, other than placing his order.

He ate quietly and asked for the bill.  When he handed me his completed check, he said the following:

"I've left you a tip.  But I've got another tip for you... In life, you only need three things to make you happy:  someone to love, something to do, and something to look forward to."

Then he got up, and walked out.

Weird, I thought.  But for the rest of the day, his advice ran on repeat in my head.

And about 11 years later, I've always remembered his words.

It's true, if you think about it.  What more can we ask for in life, other than someone to love, something to do, and something to look foward to?  Life gets crazy, and overwhelming, and out-of-control - but at the end of the day, if we focus on these three things, we can feel full. 

And happy. 

And complete.

Don't Forget!
May 21st-May 25th - Remediation
May 29th-June 1st - EOG Retesting

June 5th - Kindergarten Celebration

June 6th - 5th Grade Celebration

June 7th - Last day of school!

June 8th - Cumulative Folder Check (Peele, Maglio, Cooper) in Office Conference Room

June 8th - Staff Luncheon

June 11th - Cumulative Folder Check (Peele, Maglio) in Office Conference Room

Enjoy the Ride

We all know I love making to-do lists.  For anything and everything.  I love having my tasks organized, checking off the boxes, and knowing what’s left to be done.  Sometimes, however, I get so focused on accomplishing my to-do’s I forget to stop and enjoy the ride.

         Especially as a full-time working mom.

On Saturday, I went for my typical 7:30am run.  I had my head down, focused on completing my miles, music blaring in my iPod.  About halfway through, I turned down a path that leads into a wooded area.  For one reason or another, I happened to look up, and it was beautiful.  The trees were so full of bright green leaves, the sun was peeking out from behind a cloud, making these little jagged rays of light.  Sounds simple, but it took my breath away.  (Or maybe it was the running that took my breath away?)  Anyway, here I was, so focused on accomplishing my run… and I realized I NEVER look up to enjoy what’s going on around me.

And then, about a mile later, my iPod died on me.

        

Now listen – I CANNOT run without music.  It’s like my fuel, especially when it comes to rounding out the last couple miles.  But I didn’t have a choice.  And all of a sudden, I was not only running with my head up, enjoying all of the things to see, I was listening to all kinds of sounds other than country music… like the birds announcing the start of a new day, a child giggling in a stroller, and a woodpecker working on a tree.  Again, simple – but enough to give me pause.

I have to admit that becoming a mom has forced me to live in the moment MUCH more than I used to.  When I’m with my daughter, I’m 100% focused on each moment we have together, especially now that I spend so much time away from her at work.  I love lying next to her on the floor, watching her play and discover new things.  She seems to figure something else out each day – it’s incredible!

But the minute I’m not with her, I’m usually all about tackling my to-do’s… putting my head down and moving down my list to check off the next box.

 

During this time of the school year, we all have a tendency to get stressed out - and hey, can you blame us?  There just doesn't seem to be enough time in the day to accomplish everything asked of us.  And there's so much pressure to make sure our students have mastered all they need to learn this school year.  So of course we put our heads down and truck through these last few weeks, counting down the days.  But let's all try to find a few moments to pause here and there - enjoy these last few weeks of crazy.  And know that with every moment you keep your head up and ears open, you're making a difference in the life of a child.

On Sunday, I turned twenty-nine.  My last twenties birthday!  And I think it’s time for me to start being a little less to-do oriented, and a little more focused on enjoying the ride.  So here’s to a new year, and an improved me… A me who runs with her head up, and maybe even sometimes with her music turned off.

Don't Forget!
April 27th-May 2nd - Extend 1 Testing
April 30th-May11th - DIBELs EOY Benchmark
May 1st - EOG Administrator Training in Bass' Room, 3:45-5:15
May 2nd - EOG Proctor Training in Wiles' Room 11:30-12:15
May 3rd - Dorene Bates visits PLCs
May 7th-May10th - Extend 2 Testing
May 10th - 3rd, 4th, and 5th Grade Class Spreadsheets Due
May 11th - 3rd, 4th, and 5th Grade Classroom Check
May 14th-May 17th - EOG Testing
May 21st-May 25th - Remediation
May 29th-June 1st - EOG Retesting

Everyday I'm Shuffling

I’m the type of person one looks at and says, “Live a little!”

         What they probably should say is, “Live a lot!”

I’m mildly Type-A, love checking off boxes on my To-Do list, revel in making plans, and have to take deep breaths when those plans veer off course.

However, since my daughter was born, I obviously have had to laugh in the face of my Type-A personality on many accounts.  There’s nothing like a baby to teach you how to live in the moment.  And, since going back to work, my personality is in a constant state of back-and-forth between not taking a single moment for granted and making sure all of the zillion To-Do’s are completed in the short time I have to get it all done.

Enter my New Year’s resolutions, which included being more spontaneous and not taking a single minute for granted.

         Yeah, I’m still working on that.

But I think I’m making some progress!  I really am trying to enjoy every nook and cranny of my days, I just wish I could get even better at being more spontaneous, not sweating the small stuff, and soaking in every single second.  It’s a process, I guess.

So anyway, every Friday afternoon when I pick up my daughter from her "school", we (or I) jam out and dance to the “Everyday I’m Shuffling” song by LMFAO (I can’t remember the actual title… but every time I hear that line, the song gets stuck in my head.)  It’s our little tradition, celebrating the fact that the weekend is here and we have two whole days to spend together.  So last Monday morning when I got into my car, the song was still cued up from Friday.  My first reaction was to change it – that’s the Friday song, not the Monday song!  But then I thought, why not?!  And I proceeded to car-dance all the way to school, with the song on repeat.  No joke, I was literally out of breath from dancing as I drove down the road.  People drove past me and looked at me like I was a lunatic.  BUT, most of those people ended up smiling and laughing at me.  So hey!  Maybe the positive energy was contagious, which we all know is needed on a Monday morning.

These days, I’m all about relishing in little moments like that, moments that can unexpectedly put a smile on your face.

What I’m trying to say, I guess, is that I’m attempting to live… A LOT.

In fact, the song doesn't say, "On Fridays I'm shuffling" -- It says, "Everyday I’m shuffling." J

 

Don't Forget!
*March 26th - March 29th - 3rd Quarter Testing

*March 29th - Kathy Bryant visits PLCs

*April 9th - Report Cards due to Administrators

*April 20th - Kindergarten Screening

The Light Bulb

I recently experienced trying to teach my four-and-a-half-month-old to eat from a spoon.  Sounds pretty basic, right?

It was a disaster.

At first.

It was a Friday night, and I was sooo excited for this huge :) event in my daughter's life.  She'd practiced sitting in her high chair and has great head control... so, with the recommendation from the pediatrician, we were ready to try rice cereal.  We pulled out the bibs and baby spoons and two different cameras (we had to take pictures AND video, of course!) - and she HATED it.  She fussed, and cried, and eventually screamed.  Poor girl had a giant eating utensil coming toward her and was expected to just KNOW to open her mouth and ingest the food.  We eventually gave up, put the cameras away, and decided we'd try again tomorrow.

Enter Saturday.  Same characters, same props, same scene - ENTIRELY different ending.  She did GREAT!!  Lo and behold she actually enjoyed the process the second time around.  She smiled and made her happy little noises, opened her mouth when the spoon "airplaned" toward her, and successfully managed to eat a few spoonfuls (while also getting quite a bit up her nose, in her ear, and all over me).

This whole process got me thinking about our job as educators.  I mean, we all know we "teach" - but have we ever really thought about what a huge responsibility it is?

Being a parent is agreeably the most incredible, most important job I'll ever have.  The lessons I'll need to teach my daughter will be far greater than eating off of a spoon.  But the whole rice cereal saga got me thinking about how amazing it really is to be teaching her something for the very first time.  Something I, as an adult, take for granted.

When our students enter our school, they are relying on us, depending on us to give them the knowledge they need to be successful.  Some days are better than others.  Some days they're "fussy" and not really ready to soak in the information we have to share - and some days they're actually hungry, and ready, and all of a sudden the light bulb goes off.

I think that's what we - educators - live for... the light bulb.

Sometimes the light bulb goes off right away, sometimes it's a little more delayed.  Sometimes the light bulb goes off faster for one child in one subject, but not another.  It is our job, as educators, to instill in ourselves the stick-to-itiveness to keep teaching until the light bulb is lit - even more challenging is the task of instilling in our students the stick-to-itiveness to keep trying until they "get it."

But practice makes perfect.  And a positive attitude can make all the difference.

When my daughter was crying and refusing to even TRY to eat off of a spoon, my husband and I kept smiling, kept giving her pep talks, and tried to keep the atmosphere positive.

Sure, it may be laughable to imagine us putting THAT much forethought into a tablespoon of rice cereal.  And sure, it may be a stretch to compare spoon-feeding with teaching fractions.

But to me, teaching is teaching and learning is learning.  During these last few long winter months, don't forget how important it is to stick-to-it, keep the encouragement rolling, and be persistent - eventually, the entire school will be well-lit. :)

Don't Forget!
*Now - March 16th - ACCESS Testing
*February 28th - March 13th - QSP Magazine Fundraiser
*March 1st - 30th - Extend 1 Field Testing
*March 2nd - Dr. Seuss's Birthday!  Staff members dress up as their favorite book character!
*March 2nd - 4th Content Writing Due
*March 6th - Multicultural Night
*March 15th - Kathy Bryant visits PLCs
*March 26th - March 29th - 3rd Quarter Testing

Today, I REALLY Missed Being a Teacher

I'm baaaaaack.

Truth is, I've been back for awhile now.  14 days to be exact.  But I've been running around like a chicken with my head cut off, trying to figure out life as a full-time working mama, and I'm FINALLY getting around to the word "Blog!" on my To-Do list.

Man, what in the WORLD would I do without To-Do lists these days?!

So obviously, I've had my baby (the most perfect little girl in the WHOLE world, but I'm not biased AT all!), spent three and a half blissful months learning how in the world to be a parent, and now I'm back in the real world of working.  It was so, so hard leaving her after being around her all day, everyday, for 15 straight weeks.  But luckily for me, I LOVE my job and, even moreso, LOVE the people I work with - so the transition went much better than I thought it would.

So THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU to the incredible staff, students, and parents of Moore for welcoming me back with open arms.  The hugs, the encouraging words, the smiles, the notes... It all helped me get through those first few days when all I could think about was missing my sweet girl.

Coming back to work has reminded me how much I do enjoy my job.  Most of you know I was a classroom teacher for five years before becoming the Curriculum Coordinator.  I absolutely, positively LOVED teaching - but after five years of teaching third grade, I was ready for a change.  This job presented itself, and I thought, "How cool!  I can try to impact elementary-aged kids from an entirely different perspective."  While there are many, many times (like now!) that I am so, so busy tackling the day-to-day tasks of Curriculum Coordinator duties (especially when it comes to testing!), I sometimes have the opportunity to get back to classrooms to teach or work with small groups of students.

As I said, unfortunately, right now I'm playing catch up from being out with my little girl AND administering testing sessions, so I can't exercise my love of teaching.

However, I am able to visit classrooms as an observer while doing my classroom walkthroughs.

And today, I was blown away by the teaching and learning I saw.  I LOVED what the teachers were doing, how students were interacting, the conversations that were taking place.  I was in AWE of the level of thinking going on, the student-guided lessons, the obvious planning that had been done.  I mean, I REALLY missed being a teacher today!!  I almost wanted to jump right in, put back on my teacher shoes, and see if I could still do it!  But, duty calls, so I just had to hold in my excitement and move on to the next task at hand.

But man, to my teachers in the building, you guys are ROCKING IT!  I know you're overwhelmed, and tired, and your plates are oh-so-full... but learning is obviously going on in your rooms, and I think you're all doing a fabulous job.

Now, off to tackle this To-Do list and get my head back in the game so that I can get back to some of these classrooms and be that TEACHER I miss being!

Don't Forget!
*Now - March 16th - ACCESS Testing
*February 27th - April 27th - DIBELS Progress Monitoring
*February 14th - WSFCS Science Fair (Good luck Syan!)
*February 17th - WSFCS Spelling Bee (Good luck Chloe!)
*February 27th - Milkshake Drinking Contest (Go me!)
*February 28th - QSP Magazine Fundraiser Begins!
*March 6th - Multicultural Night

Change

Change is inevitable.  Change is hard.  Change is refreshing.  These are three statements I believe to be facts concerning change - whether it's a change in your personal life or professional life.

I am about to go through some major changes personally as I am anxiously anticipating the birth of my first child. (!!!!)  So obviously change has been on my mind lately.

The teachers at Moore are going through major professional changes lately - with recent budget cuts and new curriculum standards rolling out across the state, teachers are more overwhelmed and overworked than they've ever been.  So it's hard for me, as a person who thrives off of helping and supporting teachers as their Curriculum Coordinator, to feel comfortable abandoning ship to go on maternity leave for the next three months.

I know, I know - once this baby comes, my mind will be anywhere but work.  However, I hope that anyone who knows me knows I am 100% committed to this job, a job that I love, working amongst the best school staff ever.  So it's difficult to just let go and leave when I feel like I'm needed the most.

But that also may be narcissistic of me, to think that anyone around here really NEEDS me.  Regardless, I just wanted to do one last blog entry before my maternity leave to remind my fellow staff members that WE CAN DO THIS.

I know it feels like just when we get a handle on things, something else comes our way that is totally unexpected and more overwhelming than we'd ever imagined.  But as I said earlier, change is inevitable - ESPECIALLY in education.  And since we can't control the changes coming our way, let's all try to control our attitude toward the change.  Easier said than done?  Sure.  Possible?  Absolutely.  We can fight the change, swim against the current as much as we want... and be miserable.  Or we can look at the change as a possibility, an opportunity, as something positive - and push through the stress, the exhaustion, the never-ending to-do list in order to spread an "I Can Do" attitude amongst ourselves.  Call me Suzy Sunshine if you must, but I've always believed in the power of positive thinking.  So since I'll be gone after today, I'm gonna need y'all to keep the positivity alive amongst yourselves and trust that it's all happening for a reason - a good reason - even if it's hard to see that now.

Yes, I'm about to be a sleep-deprived mom who doesn't know up from down or left from right, but I am going to miss this school while I'm gone!  I know the upcoming changes for all of us - both personally and professionally - are going to be difficult... But I'm excited about the future, and I intend to always feel that way.  So bring on the change and the challenges, because we can only grow from it all!

I'll see you in January!

Don't Forget!
*October 24th - 1st Quarter Test (Reading)
*October 25th - 1st Quarter Test (Math with a Calculator)
*October 26th - 1st Quarter Test (Math without a Calculator)
*October 27th - 1st Quarter Test Make-ups
*November 2nd-4th - CogAt Testing
*November 14th-16th - ITBS Testing