Do Something Wonderful Today

Today for my class's counselor session we read a book about heroes. The book was "Everyday Heroes" written by kids and it discusses who they think are their heroes. It's wonderful to read about moms, dads, family members, friends and even sports heroes. One of my favorite parts is that all the kids talk about how everyone can be an everyday hero and all of us have one. I think that I will have my students write their own book about who they feel is their hero and what impact he/she has made upon their life. This is a great way to see the effect of paying it forward and how much of an impact each person can make on our lives.

Gearing up for Math State Assessments next week! This is the time for assessments and we are diligent about reviewing (not too much stress of course) and talking about good test-taking strategies. Each day before our regular lesson, we take 20 minutes to play a review Jeopardy game and I think that my kiddos like doing that rather than just paper and pencil review. One thing that I am conscious of though is that I am having the kids explain what they do and how they do it. Now, we'll see if they can put their great ideas in motion!

Back to school after a break is like driving through the fog and then ending up at a clear, bright sky leading you home. When I woke up this morning, I wasn't sure what day or time it was or if I was actually suppossed to go back today or not. After pushing the snooze button 3 times, I thought it would probably be a good idea to get up and start my day. I was in a lull through the morning until the kids got here. When they arrived, I saw the clouds part and the fog beginning to lift. After lunch, I sat down to read a story and I felt like I was back home where I belong. Now, it feels great and I'm so happy to be back. Only 9 more weeks until summer!!

Day 10 of Spring Break- So, the end is near. I must go back to school tomorrow! But, I must say that recharging my batteries and spending time with my family was a great break and sometimes that is better than the worry of packing and flying and all that travel time. Perhaps next year I will travel to a sunny and tropical destination. :) I was checking my facebook status and one of my friends posted a link to an article with Sir Ken Robinson, who is the author of "The Element: How Finding Your Passion Changes Everything." He was discussing his take on the education system and how he compares it to a factory. "It's based on models of mass production and conformity that actually prevent kids from finding their passions and succeeding," he said. He feel that instead of trying to mass-produce children who are good at taking tests and memorizing things, schools should emphasize a child's personal development. He also stated that "not all kids are good at...

Day 9 of Spring Break- Dear Mother Nature,  Please don't trick me into thinking that spring is right around the corner with 2 weeks of 50 and 60 degree days. I'm very surprised as well as upset that in the last 24 hours you have decided to give us a present of 4 inches of snow and the forecast calls for snow throughout today and tomorrow. I had my hopes up that the last couple of days of my spring break would bring sunshine and warm weather to enjoy with my family. I hope that this is the end of the snow in Kansas at least until November. Don't get me wrong, I love the seasons. But, winter is over and I'm tired of the snowy weather. Thank you for your consideration. 

Day 8 of Spring Break-  Some teachers at our school have started a teacher's book club and we will be having our final meeting next week. The book that I have read is Same Kind of Different As Me by Denver Moore and Ron Hall. The book is based upon the lives of Ron and Denver who lived lives on opposite ends of the spectrum. Ron was a well-off art dealer with a great life with plenty of money and success. Living in Louisiana was Denver, a son of sharecroppers who had a difficult and trying life in which he never thought he would escape from the chains of slavery in the 60's. This book tracks the individual lives of these 2 men and how the they meet each other, both of their lives are changed forever. This book follows the personal and spiritual journey that these men take that brings them to the realization that what matters is the impact and what you do, rather than what you have.  My something wonderful for today is that I can say that I truly enjoyed reading this book and i...

Day 6 of Spring Break- It seems like my dreams and my real life take different directions with adventures. Let me make a list of what I dreamt about last night. But, let me preface by saying that I have very interesting dreams that usually are confusing to try to understand. So, starting with the dream of a 3-D rock concert where people are flying around the room and I'm seeing people jumping over my head. Then, I was in a modeling competition where I couldn't figure out what shoes to wear. After that, I was dreaming about my husband in the back seat with me and my father in law driving in a mid 80's white Ford Mustang jumping ramps and doing total air flips where I felt like I was on a roller coaster. Then when we landed, we had to put our feet out the windows to push ourselves over. Finally, the icing on the cake, vampires running around the city and scaring everyone. ( I had just finished reading a vampire book-so I know where that came from haha).  Well, I'm not ...