Monday....We Meet Again!

Well the second Monday back after Spring Break wasn't any easier!  My internal clock just doesn't seem to get the fact that I need to go to bed at a decent hour.  At night, I can't get tired (I blame the Hunger Games books!) and I stay up till 12 or 1 and then am in a coma  can't get up in the morning.  I love my class this year, but I can't wait for summer break to get here!  Sleeping in until 8 (I have the twins, remember?!?!?!) and playing with my girls.

Have you ever had a day where you were prepped and ready to go, but when you arrived at school NOTHING went as planned?????  That was pretty much my day today.  My kids were great and I had all my plans ready to go, but when it came to executing the plan, it wasn't happening!  I like to call it The Monday Fog.  It comes in and wipes away all good intentions that I had for the day and replaced them with chaos.

One plus to Mondays, is Taco Night and it was extra yummy tonight!  My bloggy bff, Amber from Adventures of Third Grade Teacher, was feeling better and able to join in on the fiesta.  We talk all the time, but when she doesn't make it to Taco Night, I miss our weekly face to face!

Another good thing is there is only 1 Monday per week, and this one is almost over!!!!!!  Anyone else have a case of the Monday Fog????????

A Phone Call Changes Everything

Most of you know the dark cloud of doom  horrible week I've been having. It all started when I woke up Monday morning and had a feeling that it was going to be rough.  This week has gone on to be one of the worst of the entire year!  My group of kids is great and they always seem to surprise me with their want to learn more.  Well this week my kids changed places with some that didn't want to learn!  I think the reason for all this 'no learning' is coupled with the fact that we had benchmarks this week, I HATE TESTING! (just had to throw that out there) and I am trying to finish up Dibels assessments and that means my kids have to do tons of independent work UGH!  All I can say is thank goodness its Friday, because if it wasn't I would have to take a mental health day tomorrow.

So on to this mysterious phone call that caught your attention.  Each year our district has a writing contest for the Proudest Third Grader in Gaston County.  The winner for our school came from yours truly's class.  The problem is, she had since moved to another school in our district.  I was able to get her phone number and talk to her mom about going to the special dinner.  Now onto the really great part!!!!!  When I was talking to my former student, she told me that when she started at the school several students were bashing our school talking about how the kids there aren't very smart and that it basically sucked for lack of a better word.  Well my little firecracker former student let them have it!  She told them she was very smart and it was all because of our school and her teacher!  (made me blush!!!)  The kids at her new school told her to prove and she said, "I will!"  She then went on to tell me that she had been making A's on her assignments and that when her classmates asked how she was so smart her simple response was, "Duh because I went to Rhyne!"  I was like a proud mama listening to her tell me these things!  That would have been enough but then I talked to her mom who told me that she had taken work we had done in my class and showed it to her new teacher telling her that my former student was very challenged while in my class.  The teacher's response was, "well we will touch on some of that."

Woo-Hoo!!!!!!  Talk about walking on cloud nine!  This was just what I needed to hear on this awful week.  Because my school is a title-one school we are a lower performing school.  My school and our teachers are constantly made to feel like we are not doing enough for the kids, or that it is the teachers fault that the kids are not performing.  I know this is a load of crap, but this parent calling me and letting me know that what I was doing was not only working but....wait for it....challenging her student validated EVERYTHING I have been doing.  What a way to end a absolutely horrible week.

So Glad for Tacos and My Bloggy Friends!

I have not had a day like I had today in a LOOOOONG time!  It was horrible!  I woke up this morning and had a feeling that it was going to be a rough one, but I had no idea how rough it would be.  My National Boards stuff is due at the end of the month (and I am wasting time blogging catching up with all my friends instead of working on it!), I had to lead a tech training session today and all my Dibles data has to be in in 7 days!  The day started out bad and ended up in the deepest pit possible.  Ok maybe I'm being a little dramatic, but you get the gist, HORRIBLE DAY!  

On the upside, it was Taco night and I got to enjoy delicious tacos with the hubs, my girlies, and my bloggy bff....Amber!  We ALWAYS have the best time!  If it hadn't been for the tacos, I do believe this day would have been a dark cloud over my whole week.  

You guys out in the blogosphere also made my day more tolerable.  I have the best bloggy friends out there.  I was honored to be given awards from 2 lovely ladies. 

First Tamera from My Heart Belongs in First gave me

She even said I was one of her daily reads!!!  That made me feel ah-mazing!  

I am going to have to break the rules for this one and post my 15 blogs later.  With my long to-do list getting longer by the minute, I just don't have time right now!  

My 2nd Award came from sweet Elizabeth (great name, huh!)  from Fun in Room in 4B

She gave me the biggest compliment anyone could with the Top 10 Blog Award!

As if that wasn't enough, she said the nicest things about me which made me feel all fuzzy inside.  

I will pass this one on when I have more time!  

I feel so lucky to have such awesome support from all of ya'll!  When I've had a bad day, I can always count on getting on here and ya'll making me feel so much better.  Ohhh and my girls make me feel better too!  

How can you not smile when you see they are both ready for the Zombie Apocalypse!  

Life's Interruptions

Today was one of those days when I felt as though I wasn't adequate as a teacher.  I know it sounds crazy, but we all feel like that at some point, right?????  I proceeded to have a big ol' pitty party for myself and drive myself crazy about how I felt that my kids weren't learning enough and that I wasn't doing enough to ensure they were successful.  I have super high expectations for my students, and hold myself to unrealistic expectations am really hard on myself when they don't meet them.

 My awesome teammate, Erica, spent her afternoon making me feel better by telling me all kinds of nice things about my teaching and how she knew I was the reading guru.  It would have been so easy for her to jump on the bashing train with me.  (I wasn't exactly being very nice with my rant!)  I am so blessed to have her in my life, she definitely keeps me focused on what's important, my kids and God.  

I got home and was able to see my beautiful roses that my hubby and girls got me for Valentine's day, which made me begin to forget the day and then played with my adorable girls in their play room.

We went out to dinner last night and someone gave each of the girls a balloon.  It was their first one and they LOVED it!

Kenley and her balloon 

Raegan and her balloon

I also had small group at church tonight and boy did I need it!  I couldn't wait to hear what God had to say to me about what had happened to me today at school.  Boy did He show up in a BIG way!  I am doing the study called Life Interruption by Priscilla Shirer and being a teacher, mother, and wife is an interruption in itself.  I was reminded that interruptions are more like divine interventions rather than interruptions.  I loved the idea of that!  The idea that resonated with me the most was 'The interrupted life is the cure for the search for significance'.  This really put my pity party into perspective!!! 

On top of all that, my hubby went out to Walmart when I got home from group to get our girls some milk and ended up picking up the new Twilight!!!!!  I am so loved!!!  

 

Hope you guys are having a great week!!!!!