If you'll let me...

Teachers are not out to "get" your kids. I promise. Now, I'm not saying there aren't a few bad apples out there. All you have to do is watch the news to see this. But for the 99 percent, we are there because we have something we really believe in- making a difference. Leaving the planet a better place than we found it. 

You can say "Oh, most people just do it for the vacations." And I will tell you how incredibly ridiculous that claim is. Those weeks off in June in July- or those track outs spread throughout the year- are in NO WAY compensation for what we do every day. 

I'm not saying we have the hardest job. I can't imagine being a doctor and holding human life in my own hands. I can't imagine running a large company and being responsible for the well being of my employees and their families. What I am saying, is that we work hard for what we earn. We work on and off the clock. We spend our own money to make things happen in our classroom. We work after hours at home. We work early mornings before the bell rings. We think about our classrooms before we fall asleep at night, while we are cooking dinner, while we are grocery shopping, and while we are struggling to pay our bills. 

Teaching is more than just a job. For most, it's something that we take with us. For most, it's something we struggle to find a balance with. For most, it's something we take very personally. 

When my students succeed, I succeed. When my students fail, I fail. 

I've been known to cry at each event- in equal measure. 

We bandage knees and give hugs. We give discipline and teach self control. We worry about their self confidence. We teach them it's ok to make mistakes and that the only failure is giving up. And sometimes, we do the one thing that drives parents and students alike CRAZY.....

WE SAY NO.

Every day I use my experience and education to try and make the best decisions for each child in my room.  I am human. I make mistakes. Sometimes I speak too sharply, and too quickly. But please rest assured I do my very best to make sure that those times are the exception- not the rule. Be kind and forgive me if I forget something. For though I understand that I am taking care of your baby you must understand that I am taking care of one of my 21 babies- and each and every one deserves my attention. My UNDIVDED attention at that.

I can think of few professions where so many people outside the profession seek to tell us how to run our days and our classrooms. The most important ingredient for success- TRUST.

Advocate for your child, always, for this is your job. But please, I beg, trust me. Give me the benefit of the doubt. Work WITH me. Ask questions and listen- and I will listen in return. Allow me to try to use what I know to help your child grow. Give me time. For, I promise, we will get much farther working together than we will struggling against each other.

I do not go to work to answer e-mails, chart data, write behavior reports, and file papers. I go to work because I believe that I was born to do this. Because I believe that I can teach, challenge, and love your child right on into the next grade. I believe that I can teach your child a whole lot and I believe your child can teach me even more.

If you'll let me.

A Triumphant Return!

Since my west coast best friend (Now East Coast Best Friend again!!) is keeping up with her BLOG, I have to try and keep up. At least a little. Although her life is far more exciting than mine.

I kicked off my track out with N.C. State graduation, where I watched my mother in law graduate with her DOCTORATE in Adult Education. I can't even imagine the work and dedication that requires. Once graduation was over I headed to New Bern to spend some time with Mom and Granny for Mother's Day. It's been a great trip, and I'm heading back to Raleigh tomorrow.

I did get some "official' business handled here in New Bern. I had my criminal background check completed so that when I return to Raleigh I can get started on this whole name change business. There are a few extra steps since I don't have a marriage license, but, I have to say I'm really excited at the thought of being Mrs. Seha next year at school. I also have to look at the bigger picture and imagine the added stability that sharing a last name might afford my family one day in the future.

When I get back home it's time to get my knee checked out (OUCH) so that I can keep working on my goal for this next 5K - I want to shave two minutes off of my last time. One of my New Year's Resolutions was to run a 5K, so I'm really proud that I've already completed one. I hope to do 3 or 4 more before the end of the year (given the Dr. gives me the all clear!)

Perhaps over track out I will think of something incredibly poetic to say (although right now all I can think of is THANK GOODNESS this school  year is almost over!).  The only good news is this year has made me a lot tougher than I used to be.

I'll be back soon, I promise!

I.Love.Books.

I love to read. I've always loved to read. In fact there are some fairly embarrassing pictures of me (somewhere in my mom's house)  reading in the bathtub when I was little. (No, I don't want to talk about it). In general, when I was younger, the books I read were usually bigger than I was.

Fast forward 16 years and some days I hardly have time to pee, much less enjoy a novel.

Well, track out is a beautiful thing people. I've spent some time getting reacquainted with the public library. Now, I have a Kindle (although the screen is slightly warped after a minor incident involving a clothes hamper) and there is so much to be said for this little invention...especially when traveling! BUT there is just something about holding a book (paperback is my preference) and snuggling down in the bed or on the couch with a cup of coffee. Or sitting outside on the porch. Or floating on a floatie in the pool. Or waiting in a Dr.'s office. You get the point.

The genius of the matter is I live in between two libraries. One is very small- I love that the librarians already know my face. The other is HUGE- I love that I can find ANYTHING. So, depending on if I am feeling more Mayberry or Big City I can choose my destination.

It also helps that libraries offer free services. And, except for about a week and a half at the beginning of the month...I.Am.Always.Watching.Pennies.

Anyhow, because I am also slightly obsessive (just ask Crystal), I found a website where I can track my new reads. My goal is to read three books every track out (that's one a week). And in an effort to seem technologically savvy, I added my online bookshelf to my blog. (this is an electronic TA-DA.)

So, I said all this to say this...

No 1. If you went to a women's college (ahem...Meredith friends) read the book Commencement. It is very likely that you will find yourself reading about friends- or at least recognize some traits of your friends. It also highlights the public perception of a women's college steeped in tradition (tea parties, father daughter dances, etc) with changes and subcultures (feminism and homosexuality) all with a resounding focus on the relationships that are built, broken down, and recreated from the ashes. AH-MAZE-ING.


No 2. I've loved Jodi Piccoult since way before she sold her soul to Lifetime and started making crappy movies based on her books. But I was really excited to read her newest book, House Rules. It is about  a boy with Asperger's Syndrome - which fascinates me to the core. Piccoult always writes her novels from multiple points of view, so I was intrigued to see how she would represent a person with Asperger's. She drew her inspiration from a young lady with the diagnosis. The parts of the book from that perspective were my favorite- they were funny, they were infuriating, they were to the point. They represented the spectrum disorder with honesty and respect. BUT, overall, the book was a little underwhelming. I'm sure it will make a fascinating (yawn) sappy (ick) Lifetime movie one day.

So there you are, my professional report on books you probably never wanted to hear about. Hey, I was feeling literary today. I just found out that my sweet babies at school raised their average reading words per minute by over 30 words since the fall.

Who's the reading master now!?

I'm BAAACKK.

Ok...so let's talk IRONY for a sec. When you have nothing going on in your life (and therefore lots of time to sit and type away at a computer) you have nothing to write about. Yet, when you have a lot of things going on in life, you can't find the time or energy to get it all written down.

That was my long winded way of saying, holy crap, I've been busy and BLOG has been low man on totem pole. I have, however, faithfully stalked my favorites.

Right now my life schedule consists of school, camp, gym, eat, sleep. Shower, rinse, repeat.

Except for when I am cooing over my new favorite person in the world.

I'm absolutely afraid to reproduce now because I'm 99% sure that no baby can be cuter than this one. I'm just sayin.


In other news, school rules my life when I'm tracked in. Four more weeks until I can be me again for a while. :)

Sometime, when it's not 1 AM, i'll tell you all about my amazingfabulousrocksmyface after school job. :)

Overboard?

I complain about my job... a lot. So let me start off with a dose of cute for you. Prepare for a Centimeter Creature. My kids had to create a creature...later they had to measure the arms, legs, tentacles etc. for practice with a ruler. They got wayyy into it. It was awesome.

They always told us in school that one way to get kids interested is to make things relevant for them. So I try to use people and events in my life to make connections for the kids. Example: They know all about lovely Luka because I use him in writing frequently. He's had more poems written about him than any other dog can claim. Seriously. So when I had to teach letter writing I planned, drafted, edited, and revised a letter to my dearest friend Anna- ever so gently asking her to return to NC. (It was a letter of REQUEST after all.)

Then a few days later I had a little bullying incident in my classroom. I borrowed a genius lesson plan from my coworkers that involves drawing a picture of your best friend. As you talk to your best friend you give her compliments and add smiles and rainbows and sunshine. Then you start to say mean things to her instead. Each time you say something mean, you crumple her up a little until she is wadded into a little ball of paper. Then, you slowly start to apologize for everything you said. You flatten her out as best you can and ask the kids "What's different now?" With eyes as wide as saucers my kids replied that Anna was all wrinkly because I was mean to her. Even though I apologized to her and she flattened out SOME...I will never get her all smooth again. And THAT'S because every time you say a mean thing to someone you leave a tiny wrinkle in them that never goes away- even if you apologize. They may forgive you but its important to remember that  mean words can hurt forever.

 

(Insert Full House music here.)

It. Was. Awesome.

It wasn't until this past weekend when I was looking through my kids'  center work from the week that I realized I may have gone a little "Anna-Crazy" in my room.  Check it out.

 

But, hey, I guess it means they are listening. Sometimes.

Reasons I am ancient:

I.AM.OFFICIALLY.OLD(ish). 

1. I mentioned a "tape" in front of my kids today. Response: NONE. They don't know what that means.

2. Life before cell phones...my kids don't understand the concept.
"Well...what if your mom was at the store and you realized you needed something. How did you tell her?"
"You didn't. She was at the store. Without a phone."
..."HUH?" 

3. "Look at the chart and tell me what year Finding Nemo was released."
"OOH...2003! Hey wait, that's the year I was born!"
(Didn't that movie just come out YESTERDAY?!?)

4. Plugging a computer into  a phone jack= barbaric. They don't have any recollection of the noises computers USED to make as the connected to the internet.





5. I have to actually work to stay relevant. If I want to have a conversation about music, video games,  or TV..I have to RESEARCH it first. This means I am spending my own time to make sure I am up to date on Justin "Beaver" (no lie...that's what my kids think his name is) and Lego Star Wars.

6. DVR. They don't get that watching HOURS of mindless television wasn't always as easy as it is now.



7. Recycling. They asked me "Ms. Paul if everyone had started recycling back when you were little, do you think you could have stopped the hole in the ozone?" I am so old my generation is responsible for a HOLE IN THE ATMOSPHERE OF THE EARTH. (well, at least partially responsible....before we were old enough to know better.)


8. I could think of more, but it's almost 7 which is universal blue-haired bedtime.

Things I've learned from my student...

1) Shoes are important. Every single day of school my friend W finds some way to comment on or compliment my shoes. As if I needed more reasons to purchase footwear....

2) Always take the time to say something nice. W goes out of her way to say something nice to me every day. For example- the shoes. On a regular basis she finds something nice to say about my hair, what I taught that day...or even just say thank you for a hug.

3) Anything worth having is worth fighting for. W fights for every single skill and every single fact that she can claim mastery of. She works and works hard for everything she gets out of my classroom. Because of this- it all means more for her. At the end of the day she is PROUD because she EARNED it.

4) Sidewalk chalk cures all ills. Ok, so this is a metaphor. But seriously, simple things can brighten up an entire day for W. So why focus on the negative when there is (figuratively speaking) a bright new box of sidewalk chalk on the shelf  just waiting to be opened.

5) If it's out of your control...let it go. There are lots of things W has no control over. NONE. But, rather than get all worked up over things she can't change, she puts all her energy towards the things she can change. Like making sure that her friend T, who is having a bad day, smiles at least once before she goes home.

6) Own your dreams. W has a lot of dreams. Some of them may never happen. I know teachers aren't supposed to say things like this but...it's likely quite a few of them will never happen. IT DOESN'T MATTER. Her dreams are her own and she is going to keep on dreaming them. period. end of sentence. No one, but yourself, can damage your dreams. 

A lot to take in from a 7 year old...no?