What Kind of Day Did You Have?

Some days at school are simply a blast - we learn a lot and have fun doing it. Like the other day, when in the middle of a great discussion about argumentative writing, a student decided it was vital to ask me my favorite food. I, in turn, felt it was also vital to let that student know that my favorite food is bean and cheese burritos - to which another student replied, "Burritos are the best." After some chitter chatter about whether each student liked burritos or didn't, I said, "How can you not be happy eating a burrito?" We all chuckled when another kid quickly replied in all seriousness, "I'm not happy when the burrito comes back for revenge" at which I immediately started laughing harder than I had in a long time. These types of days are good days....no, they are great days. These are the types of days that I really enjoy my job.

Then there are the days that leave me feeling angry and defeated, sitting at my desk wondering what I was thinking when I decided to be a teacher. The stacks of papers that need grading seem to endlessly continue to grow and the mess that never leaves my desk is infuriating and eats at my OCD. Lesson plans need creating, bulletin boards need updating, valentines need to be made, messy closets need rearranging, and the to-do list never ends. But instead of doing anything I walk out of my classroom, lock my door, go home, climb into my bed, and then say a little prayer that my students will be perfect tomorrow or that my attitude will do a 180 and I will be the cheerful, loving, happy teacher every child dreams of.

And somedays, not often, my day at school ends in a broken heart and a longing for understanding - understanding of why some kids face the problems they do, why some of them have to experience things they should never ever know anything about, and why some kids have heartbreaking lives that they never chose to have. Endless questions that can't be answered, and a heart that I don't think can handle the things that I have learned. Today was one of those days.

I live in Provo, Utah - a wonderful little city often referred to as "Happy Valley". It's a well deserved name that often has negative connotations associated with it. But Provo is a great place to live and "Happy Valley" should be said with pride. Not many other cities house the types of citizens we have - always willing to help, positive attitudes, extremely talented individuals, and overall just happy people. Because Provo is such a great place, it always seems to surprise me when I learn about the injustice that many of our students and kids face. Some situations are less traumatic and may not have life long lasting effects, while other stories I couldn't even imagine in my worst nightmare and are sure to leave that child feeling hopeless, alone, and lost as to where their life will lead.

As a teacher, I often ask myself, "What is my role in the life of this child?". I ask this question about all of my students and the answer always seems to be the same. Some students cause me to ask this question more frequently, but again, the answer doesn't change no matter who the student is or what situation they live in.

My role in a child's life is to provide them with a safe environment where they feel welcome and at home. To be available when they need help - whether that's after school math tutoring or a shoulder to cry on when their life comes crashing down. My role is to teach - not only providing them with an academic education which will prepare them for the years to come, but to also teach them to be contributing citizens both in our classroom as well as the real world. My role is to teach them the skills necessary to mature and grow into responsible adults who are capable of making educated and well thought out decisions. But my very most important role? To love.

It may seem inappropriate to say that my most important role is to love my students. But it's honestly how I feel. I tell my students every day how much I love them. I want there to be no doubt when they leave my room that they know someone in their life cares about them, wants them to succeed, and loves them unconditionally. And when they mess up, like all kids do, I let them know that I am disappointed. Sometimes I even let them know I am angry. But I always say, even if I am disappointed or angry, do I still love you? To which they reply, "Yes you always love us!". Somedays they can sense that I am frustrated and they respond to this without provocation, "Sorry we're making you frustrated. But you still love us right?" To which I always say, "Of course. I will always love you." It's cheesy and over the top, but it's how I feel about my students and they need to know it.

Which is why when those rare, heart breaking days occur and I feel helpless beyond belief wondering how I could possibly make a difference to this struggling child, one little word pops into my mind: LOVE. It's a fine line learning how to love wholeheartedly while realizing that there may be nothing I can do to improve the life of this child. I can't take them from their situation, "Men in Black" their memories, and provide them with the picture perfect family situation that seems like it would make everything better. I can't take away the pain or the anger or the heartache. I can't fix it and that's tough. But I can love. And on the days when nothing else could help that child, nothing could make it any better, I know my role is just to love.

Tonight as I fall asleep I will most likely be thinking of all the things I didn't get done, of all the things waiting for me when I get to school (most likely late and just a few minutes before the bell rings even though I try and try to be there earlier). I will think of each student and their specific needs and how I can meet those needs to better serve them academically. I'm going to wish I would have stayed up later to make my valentines but didn't because my eyes just couldn't stay open for one more second. But then I'll remember that I love my students - each and every one of them - and I'll let myself feel just fine about that. Because I know when it comes to my role as their teacher, there is something I can do right.

I can love.

Momastry Article - Inspiring

"TEACH ON, WARRIORS. You are the first responders, the front line, the disconnection detectives, and the best and ONLY hope we’ve got for a better world. What you do in those classrooms when no one  is watching-  it’s our best hope.

Teachers- you’ve got a million parents behind you whispering together: “We don’t care about the damn standardized tests. We only care that you teach our children to be Brave and Kind. And we thank you. We thank you for saving lives.”

Read the rest of it here. 

Gratitude Journals Part 2

I wanted to do a quick follow up to the gratitude journals we did a couple of weeks ago. I am feeling so happy about them! I've asked the students to write at least two things in their gratitude journals each day. Most students have loved it and write more than two things. Some students don't write it down but share with the rest of the class what they are grateful for, and some students don't participate at all. I don't pressure them to come up with things, and I just hope that us discussing each day will still have positive benefits for them. 

I think it's important for the students to know that I am participating in this too. So I always write my gratitude items on the board. This also helps remind the students to write in their journals and hopefully gets them thinking about other things they can be grateful for. 

One of my favorite moments of the day is about ten minutes after the bell rings and right before we start math. I always ask the students to get their math assignment out, and as they are doing it I ask them who would like to share what they wrote. The responses are always interesting and range from everything like Angry Birds Go to family to friends to pizza to pets. A few of my favorite ones have been Miss Jarvie (It always warms my soul), my classmates (YES!!!), and forgiveness. I was blown away with that last one. Even sixth graders realize what a gift forgiveness can be. Overall, I am so happy that I did gratitude journals with my students. I am glad I started in January because I think it gave enough time for the kids to get comfortable with each other enough to share. This is a tradition I will most definitely continue on!

Target Dollar Section For The Win!

Oh man...I love Target. But sometimes I don't realize just how much I love it. My love has no bounds when it comes to this store. Seriously...any bad day can be turned into a good one with a little trip to this beautiful and majestic wonderland.

On a recent trip with my mom, I checked out the dollar section to see what I could find. I have found many awesome things there and usually they are things to use in my classroom. On this particular trip they had little silver letters made from card stock. I had seen them before but hadn't ever bought them. I decided I couldn't pass them up and got four packs. Each pack had one of each letter so I figured four would be good. And at $1 each, it wasn't gonna break the bank. I didn't know what I would use them for but when I got home, I decided I would turn them into magnets and put them on my metal desk at school. I quickly ordered the most amazing, mini magnets from Amazon and anxiously awaited their arrival.

I got my magnets and glued them to the back of the letters. I took them to school the next day and added them to the front of my desk. My desk faces the students so they can see the letters and immediately noticed them when they got there. Some of the students started making words and phrases which made my little heart so happy. I was glad they liked them and glad that they weren't too old for it.

Here are pictures of the process. They aren't too exciting but figured everyone just wants to look at the pics anyways so here you go. And yes - those are my Agnes and Dora leggings which I am so in love with. I have a few pairs and wear them to bed every night. So if  you haven't checked them out...you need to! Like right now. Go to the website. Buy a few pairs. You can thank me later!

 

  

 

 

Gettin' Sciency

On Monday, I spoke to the students about our upcoming science fair. We went over a packet of information about what they can and cannot do. Except for the token few, all that I heard form the students were moans and groans about hating this assignment. To be honest, I can relate. Science was never my thing growing up, and I don't even think that I competed in a science fair. But since having an incredible science class at UVU I have tried to change my ways and look at science in a more creative, interesting, and investigative learning experience.So...to get the students excited about their science projects, we decided to do a few in our class.

This is my "I love SCIENCE" face. I look a 

little scared right? That's because I am.

 First up on our experiment agenda was "Blazing Benjamins". It involved, 91% alcohol, water, a little salt, a dollar bill (or bigger bill if you want it to be more dramatic), tongs, and a lighter. Long story short, the bill doesn't burn. You can read more about it on the link I shared below. After we tried burning the bill, we then put it in a vase of water just to be safe. We noticed the bill looked kind of funny. The students remembered that this concept is called refraction. Success! They remembered a previous lesson!

Next up was the Glitter Volcano. It didn't work as well. It mini worked - but didn't actually explode over. The kids got the general idea of the experiment and we then discussed why it didn't work or what we could have done differently. Even though it didn't work, it was a great opportunity for learning and discussion. 

Secret Messages are always fun....especially when they work really well and you can actually read them! They did work, but it took way too long to get to the readable message. I think if we would have had a better heat source, it would have worked much better. But the kids still enjoyed it and hopefully will be interested in trying it again. 

The best part of our experiment day was definitely the Ooie Gooie Cornstarch Mixture. It's a simply mixture of cornstarch and water - and we added food coloring. The kids loved this stuff! The fact that it's both a liquid and a solid kind of blew their minds. When mixing up the powder mixture, it was really hard and felt like wet sand. But as soon as you just let it sit in your hand, it gooed and dripped back down your hand. It was so crazy awesome!!! It was worth the mess we had to clean up. 

Having some hands on science experiments was a fabulous way for the students to get more comfortable with their upcoming project. They were excited and realized that science can be super cool and really fun. We finished the last 15 minutes of the day watching Steve Spangler videos and the kids left my room talking about what they wanted to experiment and all of their ideas. 

Today I learned that even when you plan ahead for everything, it usually never works out just how you think it will. But sometimes it's for the best! If you want the directions or ideas, check out this website. If you have any questions about what we did, comment below. 

Whew! I survived...

Well day one back to school was a success. Ok success may be taking it a little too far, but it did go better than I expected. I was kind of nervous to go back actually. Since this is my first year of teaching, and my first year of "going back to school after break - as the teacher", I was worried. Was I suddenly going to hate my students? Were they going to overrun me and tackle me and take over the class? Or what if they decided they hated me? So many concerns. Well good news - I still love those rug rats like crazy and they didn't tackle me down. I don't think they hate me so I feel pretty good. 

The students were so tired today which worked to my benefit. They were pretty quiet and stayed on task. The transition back to a full day of learning went great and I was proud of them for working so hard their first day back. By the time the afternoon rolled around, they were a little more rambunctious which meant we had to have some fun. We were talking about their holiday break and before I knew it we were all laughing and couldn't stop. I don't even remember what was so funny, but it was nice to be back as a classroom family and 
enjoy each other's company. 

We are a little family in my classroom. It's one of the main things I have been completely adamant since day one. I told the kiddos that we were a school family and we were there to help each other out and support one another. As the year has continued on, our family has grown closer and our relationships strengthened. It sounds kind of silly, but I think it's made all the difference in the world - or at least my little classroom. I'll share more about how we've made that happen another day.

How do you develop a sense of community in your classroom? What works and doesn't work? I am always open to new ideas and would love if would share yours with me!

And prayers for day 2 are more than welcomed. :)

Having an Attitude of Gratitude

One of my goals for 2014 is to live with more gratitude. My friend Becky (who takes amazing photos that you should check out here) made the suggestion when I posted about resolutions on Instagram and I thought it would be a great resolution for me to take part of too. So then I figured, well if I have to live with more gratitude then my students should too! And no...I don't have to do it...I'm just being sarcastic. 

So I started researching and I found out that living with gratitude and keeping a gratitude journal can actually lead to a better life and better health. According to the University of California, they listed the following benefits of gratitude and well-being:

• In an experimental comparison, those who kept gratitude journals on a weekly basis exercised more regularly, reported fewer physical symptoms, felt better about their lives as a whole, and were more optimistic about the upcoming week compared to those who recorded hassles or neutral life events (Emmons & McCullough, 2003).
• In a sample of adults with neuromuscular disease, a 21-day gratitude intervention resulted in greater amounts of high energy positive moods, a greater sense of feeling connected to others, more optimistic ratings of one’s life, and better sleep duration and sleep quality, relative to a control group.
• A daily gratitude intervention (self-guided exercises) with young adults resulted in higher reported levels of the positive states of alertness, enthusiasm, determination, attentiveness and energy compared to a focus on hassles or a downward social comparison (ways in which participants thought they were better off than others). There was no difference in levels of unpleasant emotions reported in the three groups.
• Participants in the daily gratitude condition were more likely to report having helped someone with a personal problem or having offered emotional support to another, relative to the hassles or social comparison condition.
• Children who practice grateful thinking have more positive attitudes toward school and their families (Froh, Sefick, & Emmons, 2008

That last finding was reason enough for me to have my students participate with me in living with more gratitude. They may not appreciate it now, but hopefully one day they will see that gratitude has its benefits. I have searched Pinterest for various ideas and came across these cute little journals using mini composition books. Hopefully I can find them for about 25 cents a piece, and I have oodles of paper the kids could use to cover them. I'll report back and let you know how it goes!

Sometimes I wonder if I have time for these "extra" classroom activites. But then I realize, I don't have time to not do them. In my opinion, kids need more than just the curriculum. They need a teacher who will model for them exemplary behavior as a citizen of the community as well as a member of the classroom. Kids need to learn compassion, discipline, accountability, honesty, dedication, and so much more. As a teacher, I truly believe its my responsibility to help mold these kids for the better. Kind of overwhelming but it's really the reason that I wanted to become a teacher. And man, I love those little sixth graders!

Wow...kind of a rant. Would love to know your thoughts on what it means to be teacher - whether its from a teacher point of view, parent point of view, or even a student point of view. So share aware!