One Day At A Time....

It's now time to play my favorite game.... How do I feel right now? I'm feeling alright. It's Sunday night. The anxiety of not knowing what I'm doing tomorrow is starting to set in. I'm still learning to plan ahead for the week. That in combination with having my planning period at the beginning of the day (seriously, it's 30 minutes after my kids arrive in the morning) I tend to do most of my planning either right before or right after my students arrive for the day. I'm feeling excited. I was asked by my administrative team to be one of a team of teachers from our school attend an education conference in Florida in June. I'm excited to FINALLY be able to visit the sunny state of Florida. I am also relieved. I am grateful that my principals see the potential in me that I still am looking for in myself. One would think that if they were not looking to keep me at the school, they would not be spending a pretty penny on sending me to the conference. ...

I started reading some old blog posts and found that in the past, I liked to answer random questions about myself and figured I'd give it another go! Today's list is written by Lori Thayer and was posted here. Would you rather… Watch Star Wars, or Star Trek? Definitely Star Trek! I've watched several of the series already! Read on a Kindle or paperback book? Neither. Most of the books I "read" are audiobooks. Go to a play or musical? Musical Go to the theater or a movie? Movie Hike or bike? Bike. Definitely! I can't wait for the weather to be consistently warmer. (It was 60 degrees here yesterday!) Wear jeans or chinos? Jeans. Honestly, I have no idea what chinos are. Have a Margarita or Pina Colada? Neither, I don't drink alcohol. Drink a glass of Guinness or Fat Tire? Again, neither, I don't drink alcohol. Crash with friends or stay in a hotel? Hotel. My friends would frown if I took their bottles of shampoo and soap from their bathroom...

Oh man! 5 day work week after several 3-4 day weeks. I love my work family. We are crazy, hard working, fun loving teachers who look out for one another. One of the best compliments was given to me today by my mentor teacher: "You guys are one of the best groups of middle school teachers we've had." From the perspective of a first year teacher, that means a lot. I am still unsure. I have days, like several this week, when I struggle. Knowing I've got a group of fellow "first-ies" to joke with, throw things at (poop shaped pillow, chocolate and a purple colored pencil) and decompress after a day of major shiz flipping, helps me cope.

It's been one of those days when I am extremely grateful for my family. Working in any school setting, you are going to come across students who do not have the same family structure and support that you grew up with. Today, this was made even more apparent. To say I was speechless this afternoon is an understatement. I knew that these type of situations happened, but never fully realized that they would happen to/about students that I care about.

Random middle school kid: "I knew it was a bad idea to shave my arm".... *facepalm*