can you honestly think of anything better than an elementary school at christmastime?
not the chaos. that part sucks. i mean the joy. the delight. the simple belief that there is something to celebrate and it should be done with pizzaz. i love my job. i love that it doesn't feel like a job because of how much fun it is. i love that i wake up in a good mood even when i'm sick and then my dog is sick and then i'm back to being sick. what a privilege it is to wake up. what a privilege it is to celebrate christmas with 18 of my favorite people in the world. for christmas i decided (in true jane austen form) that if i wanted to leave a lasting imprint on my students it should be done in the form of prose. and so, i went to goodwill and spent an hour sitting on the floor in the book section picking out something individually for each of my nuggets. it was so stinking fun. each one is different. i didn't pick any book based on level or reading capability. i did it based on a book that i thought matched with each of my kids. and as i wrote messages of christmas wishes i found myself in tears as i was reminded of how every child has positively impacted my character. when i was a little girl i told my parents all about my plans to be a princess like cinderella and live in a big castle with a prince. what i've learned is this-castles come in all shapes and sizes and i (ordinary me) was a princess all along. and today i have a class of princes and princesses. how lucky am i? merry christmas, friends. may the new year bring every blessing. xo, ld
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happy december, homeskillets
i write to you this evening after what i would describe as an "off day." there's a book called "today i feel silly." it's written by jamie lee curtis (bless her) and it talks about all the different ways a person can feel on any given day. there's a specific page that talks about life getting hairy and nothing seeming right. to be honest, when i woke up this morning, that's how i felt. my heart felt heavy and it was as if i was outside of my body watching myself get ready and drive to school. of course, seeing my children made me feel loads better and i even had an apple on my desk from a student! an apple! how 1940's am i!? when i'm with my nuggets, i have a job; a purpose. this responsibility is normally enough to pull me back to reality but today was just a hard day. i spent the morning going up and down with my emotions. i felt like a 13 year hold with raging hormones crying at Hallmark card commercials. i kept thinking to myself, "these kids must think i'm a total nut job." the afternoon sailed on and i was still not myself. naturally, i messed up the after school schedule and forgot to send someone home on the bus. i cried. sat down. wrote an apology note. and prayed for peace in my heart. after getting home from school while reflecting i came to a few conclusions. 1. i can't be with it all the time. 2. i am allowed to feel good and then bad and then go back to good again. i can be a little all over the place. that's the way people are. the best people, at least. 3. it's ok to take a break. and eat a brownie. if there is a brownie, definitely eat it. 4. my success is not (and should not be) measured by how many children leave my classroom each day intellectually on fire. there will be days when they do leave that way. but on most days, if my kids leave our classroom believing they are kind, smart, and important then i'd say i've done my job. 5. i probably shouldn't be in charge of after school pick up/bus duty. i am more than the sum of my parts. there are good parts and ugly parts and i see both and choose both. i am one complete person. i am whole. "i'd rather feel silly, excited, or glad, than cranky or grumpy, discouraged or sad. but feelings are just something that happen each day and whatever i'm feeling inside is ok." -today i feel silly somedays i feel lots of different things. today was one of those days. i take comfort in knowing that i have kids who love me in spite of my crazy, family who just "understands," and friends who hug me when things are hard to describe. because at the end of the day, i think what we all really need is a hug. peace out, girl scouts. xo, ld |
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