10 things I love about teaching

1. Reading funny things my kids write. The "I can help others by..." writing prompt yielded some wonderful responses. For example, "I can help others by taking out the garbage."

2. Reading insightful things my kids write. We talked about things that don't cost money, and one student wrote, "You don't have to pay anything to look at a rainbow."

3. Being inspired by my students' strength. Some of my students are dealing with huge struggles in their lives, but they handle it with grace and a smile.

4. Every day is different. There's never a dull moment in third grade.

5. Getting really excited about a lesson I'm going to teach. Sometimes I get to a point in my planning where I get so excited about a lesson I almost giggle. Almost.

6. Seeing my kids come so far throughout the year.

7. High fives at the end of the day.

8. I never ever look at the clock and watch minutes crawl by during my work day. Time flies!

9. Talking to my cute kids about their lives. I especially love talking football or discussing music with my third graders.

10. My kids are always looking for ways to make me smile, whether it's a joke, a love note, or a compliment.

The Morning Routine

This has made such a difference in the way I feel when I get to work that I just have to share.

Every morning, I try to be ready for work at least a half hour before I have to walk out the door. That gives me time for my cherished morning routine. Here's how it goes:

Say my morning prayers after making my bed.

Eat a breakfast and drink my airborne (a MUST!)

Watch a few minutes of the local news or Fox News. (I confess, I fell in love with the anchor of Fox New's America's Newsroom while I was living in DC).

Make a lunch.

Read my scriptures and browse the front page of the newspaper.

Make a cup of cocoa in a thermal mug to take in the car with me.

I promise you - a peaceful morning routine is a piece of heaven on earth. It's exactly what I need to get me charged up for the busy day ahead.

Just a little piece of advice...

If you are considering getting your ESL endorsement, I highly recommend it.

However -

I DO NOT recommend getting it during your first year of teaching. Unless you want to bring on a heart attack or a nervous breakdown. I'm all for setting big goals and continuing your education, but honestly. This is just too much. Learn from my example. :)

Happy 2010!

Thanks to all of you who commented that you enjoy reading this blog. I'll keep blogging away just for you. :)

Last night, I rearranged the desks in my room big time. It was time for a change, so I put them together in two tables with two rows in each table facing each other. Make sense? Wish I could draw you a picture.

Anyway, when my kids walked in the room this morning this is the response I got:

"WOW! COOL! Who did this??? This is awesome!!!" Every single one of them couldn't wait to find their new seat and sit in it. I resisted the urge to tell them that the desk fairies came in the middle of the night and rearranged everything. I think it's so funny that most of my kids have absolutely no idea what I do for them after they go home for the day.

I loved that they were so excited about something so small. That's one of the best things about teaching. . . like the day when I wore a new lanyard to school and they complimented me on it all day long. Or the day when it started to rain and we could hear it on the roof and they all went crazy laughing and listening to the rain.

My kids find the joy in every little thing.

I should follow their example.