Free Bird

Day 9
Today I am thankful for Saturday. It's a pretty awesome day! An entire day dedicated to doing everything you neglected to do during the week. Also, when you're a teacher, it's a goo day to be sick. No student are vying for your attention, no lessons need to be taught, no nothing! I spent most of today asleep (who knew I could sleep so much!) and it felt amazing. Other Saturdays have been equally amazing in the things that I have been able to accomplish. I am so thankful to have this one day a week to be a free bird.

"Um, may I sit on the back row?"

Day 8
Today I am thankful for soft tissues (more specifically the ones with lotion) cold medicine, Vitamin C, enthusiastic students who keep me going, and the fact that it's November and I am only now getting my first cold of the school year. Sporting a pre-season Rudolph nose while carrying around your own box of tissues doesn't exactly send out the "come gather around me" vibes (I actually had a student on the front row ask if he could go sit in the very back corner of the classroom...). But, I've made it through the day. Perhaps the thing that I am most thankful for today is that it's Friday, and I can take some nighttime cold medicine and not worry about sleeping through my alarm in the morning. This also means that (hopefully) my germs won't spread throughout my entire class (though I can tell you exactly who started this stream of germs!) and we won't have to deal with more germs and sickness. (This is the dream of a teacher-to have no germs in her room!) And now that my pm cold meds are kicking in, I'm going to sign off, thankful that I have the chance to actually breathe through both nostrils.

Part of the Team

Day 7
Today I am thankful for all of the support that I receive at my school. Being a first-year teacher is all sorts of crazy. I feel like most days I am lucky to still be standing and know my name at the end of the day. I constantly have a mountain of paperwork looming over my head, and I find myself consistently multitasking everything from teaching to my thoughts. I can't even remember the last time I had just one thought at a time! Over this past week I've really started to see just how much support I have, and I'm realizing that I am not a lonely island at the end of the hall. I am getting a chance to get to know and work with more people, and I'm starting to really be me. So many people have been so willing to help me in so many ways, and I am so thankful for it! This job isn't easy, but it's possible when you have a great support team.

18 Reasons

Day 6
I am thankful for my students. Lately I've been making them write about their emotions (which they abhor) but it's been fun for me to get an insight into their lives. A few days ago we wrote about love, and I explained that there are many different kinds of love. As an example, I told them that I love them. They got all weirded out, but I think (I hope) they got the message. Over the past 3 months I have learned 18 new ways to love. Each of my 18 students holds a special place in my heart. I work so hard to make things good for them. I fight for them everyday. I love them like a mamma duck loves her ducklings. I may quack at them from time to time, but when it comes down to it, I'll do everything in my power to protect them and watch over them.
I love my job. I love my students. I love every day that I get to spend with them, even the days that drain me physically and emotionally. Those students are the reason I get up and go every morning. They are constantly on my mind. I am one lucky teacher!

Calming the Banshees

Day 4
Today I am so very thankful for the gift of music, and most especially Christmas music. I know there are those pre-Thanksgiving-Christmas-music-haters out there, but just hear me out. I'm not at all trying to skip over Thanksgiving. I love Christmas music because of the spirit that it ignites within me. I love how the holiday season (November-December) brings out the best in people. It's as though as a world population we decide to be a little kinder, a little more thoughtful. These feelings open the door to deeper and more tender feelings, and turn our hearts towards our Savior.
I had a pretty rough day. A phone call at 9 am disrupted my teaching, and for the next hour and a half I left my class in the hands of a more than capable para while I dealt with some behavior issues. And that was just the beginning of the day. By the time the day was over I was worn out and done. I had planned to go to Gville, so on the way out I turned up my Christmas tunes. The spirit of peace and thanksgiving slowly but surely entered my heart. Instead of bemoaning my day I found myself thankful that I had been able to handle the situations confidently, and competently. I was thankful for the realizations that I had along with my student, one of which was that he realized just how many people are cheering for him. That was a huge breakthrough.
As I listened to my Christmas music I found myself reflecting on my Savior and how I could turn my cares over to him. I didn't entirely figure it out, but I felt those cares somewhat lifted. I could see the world clearly again without the haze of doubt and uncertainty. This, my friends, is why I love and am thankful for Christmas music.


Day 5
Today I am thankful for the education I received as I made my way towards becoming a teacher. I didn't love all of my classes, but I love that now I use things from those classes. I am even more thankful that the strategies they taught me actually work. Crazy, right? I tried out a behavior technique on my crazy 6th period class and it worked perfectly. Where once I had wild banshees barely contained by desks and focused only on the next funny thing someone would say, I found a group of well-mannered, quiet, and responsive students. And all I had to do was draw a box on the board labeled "Me/You" and explain the benefits of them getting more points than me. One point on my side drove the concept home, and my not so wild banshees earned 5 points by the end of class. Amazing! I am so thankful that someone before me figured this stuff out and shared it with me so that I could benefit and become a banshee tamer.

A light in the dark

Day 2
Today I am thankful for Nigel and Judy Willson. They are the YSA adult leaders in my ward, and they work so hard to make sure that the YSA population is taken care of. We had a game night last night, in which they had put together some Minute to Win It games, and a delicious curry. We had a small group, but we had a lot of fun. I am thankful to them for taking the time out of their lives to support us. They are the best!





Day 3
I am very thankful today for Fast and Testimony meeting. Hearing the testimonies and feeling the Spirit can be difficult when you're with 3 little boys, but there are times when the Spirit reaches out to you through the noise. Today's theme (to me) was centered on the Atonement of Jesus Christ and making it a part of your daily life. I know that my Savior lived and died for me, and that He took all of my burdens and sins upon himself, but I don't know that I reflect on this and appreciate it daily like I should. Lately I've been feeling a little lost spiritually, and I feel like today was the light in the darkness, pointing me to where I need to go to get back on the right path. I am thankful for the testimonies that were shared today, and for the thoughts and feelings they stirred within me.

Just beeee yourself!

Welcome to November! There are a lot of traditions that people have in November: some people enjoy playing in the leaves and drinking hot cocoa. Some begin eating soup multiple nights a week. Others stop shaving in support of "No Shave November." I like personally like shaving, so I'll stick to my smooth legs and just give you a blog full of THANKS everyday this month. I realize that I haven't updated my blog since May, and a lot has happened since then, but my focus this month is going to be on giving thanks. Perhaps along the way I'll find time to update on where I am in life and the journey I took to get here.

Day 1
Today I am thankful for a particular person, who will probably never read this post. I work with a wonderful woman named Rachel. Since the first day I walked into ERMS she has been there to answer my questions. She never seemed annoyed when I would come in multiple times a day to ask seemingly Captain Obvious questions. There were times at first that I would struggle with the way she would answer my questions by asking me a question, but I see now how it helped me to learn and to grow.
Rachel has always been herself when we've talked, and she has been a great cheerleader for me being myself. There were times when I was so worried about what I was doing, should be doing, forgot to do and everything else and Rachel would remind me to take time for myself. So many days as she would leave she would say to me, "You're worth it!" At fist I would smile politely and wonder what it was supposed to mean, but I think I'm starting to finally get it.
Rachel and I have had some good talks and have shared parts of ourselves. From her I am learning how important it is to be me and to believe in me, especially as a teacher. Rachel is such a good cheerleader, and I am grateful that I have her as a friend and coworker. I know that God puts specific people in my path at each stage of my journey, and I know that Rachel is one of those people.