Is it a snow day or NOT????

There's nothing more exciting than a potential SNOW DAY when you're a teacher. It starts when you overhear someone in the hallway saying, "Oh yeah, did you hear we're going to be getting snow...."  Immediately, I jump into high alert mode. I stand at attention. Did you say, SNOW? As in snow storm, as in SNOW DAY? "You didn't hear?, someone says, "Are you oblivious?," is the standard response. I have to admit, I'm not a fan of the news shows and any time I do try and catch the weather report I'm either too early, or too late. So, NO, I'm not oblivious, I just don't live my life following Accuweather! So we go home and WAIT. We check our phones and emails incessantly. G-d for bid they tell us the night before.... We WAIT some more. With pajamas on inside out and a spoon under our pillows we drift off to sleep. Dreams of snowflakes and hot soup, watching movies under the covers, and hot cocoa. THEN, I'm UP! I sit and stare at the phone waiting for the 5:00 AM call; 5:15, 5:30, 5:35, 5:36.....nothing. Now I'm angry. Alarm clock blares. Wearily I roll out of bed; I grunt; I moan; I growl. But.....I'm a "glass half full" kind of girl, maybe they'll be some snow later today?

Love my colleagues....

Today the unexpected happened. See, as teachers, we not only teach our students but we learn and grow from our peers. I've never been too proud to admit that I "steal" from my peers. If something works in a classroom, I'm the first one to "steal" the idea. A simple trip to the dollar store and some blank lines on my white board, turned out to be the most novel trick in classroom management. Earn a point for working quietly and unmask the letters that name a prize. Who knew that something this simple could change an entire classroom culture??? It did. Thank you to the hundreds of fellow teachers who have helped to shape the teacher I've become.

P.S. I'm okay if you want to "steal" this idea!

The ULTIMATE satisfaction

I couldn't believe my eyes when I saw the email almost 3 years ago. A name that I hadn't thought about in years; wonderful memories began flooding my mind. Every now and again, we teachers reminisce about students who touched our lives in one way or another. Students that bring a smile to our faces; students that overrun us with concern and worry; students that made a huge impact. Some that were distracted; some who were ambitious; some who mastered their multiplication facts to 12, some who used their fingers to add and subtract. Nonetheless, they were, and ARE, all of our students.

With that said, fast forward to me reading the following email on my laptop:

"I'm not sure if you remember me, but I was your 3rd grade student some years ago. I was              just wondering if you would have time to meet in the upcoming weeks to give your perspective on this online platform I've been developing, which works to get kids excited about reading. I hope you're doing well these days. I have very fond memories of your class. I also still have those books we wrote in your class, which truly are hysterical and fun to read." 

Not sure if anyone can really understand the feeling of "warm and fuzzy," but it enveloped me at that very moment. To be sought out and asked to advise a former student felt awesome. In the moment, it is often difficult to know just  how a student feels about you. The school year ebbs and flows; days pass; vacations come and go. Special events mark the calendar; report cards are written. But, who really knows what our students are thinking. I knew now how this particular student felt. Validation. Respect. Excitement.

Teaching = influencing = rewarding

2 teach + 2 touch lives = 4 ever

So true. Recently bumped into a former student of mine. 28 years old! Wow! It's always amazing for me to see how the children, who have entered and exited my classroom at a very young age, turn out. Do the personalities and character traits we see in 1st grade remain? Are quirky behaviors lost in maturity? With this particular woman, she had blossomed into someone I would want to call a friend. As a young child, she was feisty. She loved to talk. It didn't matter about what, as long as she was chit-chatting away. Not ideal in a classroom, if you get my drift. With 20 other children, it can be challenging to divert attention away from a "talker." Her parents would say that they were just like her when they were younger. Now they were successful business people with a family of their own. This is  a typical response in a sticky parent/teacher conference situation. I know you all hear me! Anyway, fast forward 20 years, this little girl is wonderful. Her ease in speaking with me and catching up on her life brought a tear to my eye. Had I in any way influenced her? Had she used any of the things I taught her, 20 years ago? Without asking, I tried to decipher. Then finally, it happened......."I remember when you taught us that no matter what we did, or what mistakes we made, we could always say we're sorry and change it." She continued to tell me that this has become her mantra. She never felt trapped in a decision, nor did she feel stuck in a situation. She lived by the ideal that we can always change and make ourselves better. I was humbled. The fact that I made a difference in this young woman's life was humbling. Me! Tired, old teacher! This is why I do what I do, I thought. 2 teach + 2 touch lives = 4 ever! Sooooooo true!