Never a dull moment!

Around 10:45 today our principal got on the intercom to inform us that we were currently under a tornado warning and that we needed to take our kids to our tornado shelter until further notice. So I took my 21 students down the hall to the 14 X 16 ft tornado shelter that we had to share with 40 other 7-year-olds. Initially, they told us we'd probably have to stay in there for about 20 minutes. Then 20 minutes turned into 45 minutes which then turned into over an hour.

And amazingly, during that whole time, we didn't have a single crier or complainer. The kids handled the situation beautifully. They sat quietly just the way we practiced. After about half an hour of crouching in the "safe position", we let our kids put their heads up and read them a story...then another story...then another. About midway through story number 4, we got the okay to send the kids back to class.

It was past noon by the time we got back to our classrooms and we had missed our lunch completely. So we took our kids through the lunch line and just ate lunch in the pod. The kids loved it. The teachers, well....let's just say we survived.

We later found out a tornado had touched down about a mile and a half east of us. Craziness. Just goes to show, there's never a dull moment in teaching!

Nell Hill's

Nell Hill's

I'm looking forward to spending my $200 gift card to this place sometime soon...compliments of my amazing class/parents!

Teacher Appreciation Week

I often complain about all the hard work I do for my students (and their parents) and how it is so rarely noticed or recognized.

However, this week was Teacher Appreciation Week and it reminded me how fortunate I am to teach where I do. Blue Valley definitely has a reputation. They are a district with money. And while that has its ups and its downs, it has been a pleasure to work in such a great district. We have the resources we need to ensure success in our students. We have parents that are involved and eager to volunteer.

Yesterday, I got a gift basket from my class full of student-made cards, gift cards, and office supplies. I was overwhelmed by the generosity of my students and their families. One gift was brought in later in the day, for fear it would break in bottom of a backpack.

I love it!

Let's! Go! Fly! A kite!

Every month, we do a reading incentive for our first graders. Their homework throughout the month is to read and record 15 books in their reading logs. Students who turn in all their reading logs by the end of the month get to participate in a special party. Past reading incentive parties have included: the "tailgating party" in the fall, the "hot chocolate party" in the winter, and of course this month's party was the "kite-flying party".

Today was said kite-flying party and let me just say...short of a thunderstorm, we could not have picked a worse day. I've been checking the forecast all week. Today was supposed to be mid-70s. Perfect, right? Yeah, only the forecast also called for 20-30 mph winds, with gusts up to over 40 mph. My teaching partner (Lisa) and I decided regardless of the wind, we were going to do it today no matter what. Try telling a bunch of 7-year-olds that it's "too windy" to fly kites. It would not be pretty.

So we did it...and we survived. But just barely. Noteworthy events included:

• One of my little girls (we'll call her "V") is tiny and simply adorable. She is seriously the cutest little girl you'll ever see. Anyway, I was talking to her asking her if she was having fun. All of a sudden a heavy gust of wind came and literally blew her over. She was knocked to her feet. I didn't know things like that actually happened.
• I was in the process of untangled yet another kite when I heard one of my girls, "G", screaming bloody murder. "NOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!" I run over to her and ask her what's wrong. She just points to the sky with a look of horror on her face. Her kite was high in the sky....blocks away....just floating away past the neighborhoods. Apparently the string broke and the wind was blowing so hard it just kept going. The funniest part was that there were roofers on one of the houses it went by and just watched as it passed by. Luckily, it didn't hit any one (that I know of).
• "G" had a pretty rough day. In addition to her losing her kite miles away, she also got sliced in the face with a kite string.

This is dangerous business, people!

Housewarming Gift

In the middle of a super stressful week, one of my parent volunteers came into my room carrying this:

It was a housewarming basket full of a myriad of paint supplies (a roller, paint mixers, paint tape, plastic drop cloth), picture hanging hooks, a Better Homes & Gardens Kitchen & Bath magazine, a basil plant, a $25 Home Depot gift card, and some Reese's Pieces (just because she knew I love them). It was SO THOUGHTFUL and seriously made my day. I can't wait to start making our new house "home"!

April Fools!

I'm not usually one to get into the pranking that goes with April Fools Day. I guess it just seems like too much effort to come up with something good. Well, this year, I wasn't planning on doing anything...but my students were driving me crazy yesterday. They were all wired and wouldn't listen or follow directions. So I randomly, at last minute, decided to pull one on them. It was at the end of the day. They were in their desks and I sat down on my stool at the front of the room and said: "Boys and girls, I have something I need to tell you. I'm not sure how to say this. You know how Mr. Asher and I bought a house? Well, the people who own that house decided they don't want to sell it to us. So we're not going to be able to buy that house. We were both really sad at first, but it's actually okay because we found a different house and it's even better! There's just one thing...it's in Texas. We're going to be moving next week and today is my last day." I have one of my little girls raise her hand and say, "Will you be able to come back and visit us?" I respond with, "No, I don't think I'll ever be able to come back. You guys will have a sub for the rest of the year. I'm hoping she's not a mean one." At this point I look around the room and I have 22 sets of 7-year-old eyes welling up and I realize I'm a horrible person. "Oh, there's one more thing....April Fools!"

Things I'm thankful for - Days 15 & 16

Day #15 - I'm thankful for my health. One of my coworkers who teaches two doors down from me was admitted to the hospital last week. She was having really bad stomach pain and it turned out she had gastritis and a colon infection. By the end of the week, her colon had completely shut down and she had to have emergency surgery to remove it. She's currently in the ICU and I just pray that she'll recover from this. She's one of those people who's just a ball of fire and the thought of something like this happening to her is devastating. It makes me thankful that I'm alive and healthy.

Day #16 - I'm thankful for my students. Even though they drive me nuts sometimes, they're such amazing little people. I love seeing them succeed. I have one student in particular who has just come so far this year. It's very exciting to see.