Stand Up For What You Believe

Well... It has been a little bit since I last blogged. I finally have a chance to sit and write for a little bit. As many of my fellow co-workers know this week I have been quite outspoken about the fact that I think it is quite ridiculous that we cannot say Christmas at work. We can talk about every other kind of religion or philosophy or whatever you want to call it but heaven forbid we say the word Christmas. I believe we will stand in judgement as Christians for not standing up for what is right and for Christ. As I shared in my post on Facebook that Christ is everything. He is our reason for living. How dare we denounce His name and act like He has not given us everything that we need. The "Holiday Season" is only in existence because of Jesus and His birth.

So with all of that said, stand up for what you believe in and don't back down! There will be questioning from others but stand up for what is right. In the end if we as Christians follow what is right and stand up for what is true God will bless us. It is not easy but it is worth it.

Best Wishes In Teaching!

Til' Next Time...

A Much Needed Break...

Hello Everyone!! I am enjoying my first weekday of my Thanksgiving break. I counted down the days until this break and it is finally here. I am planning to get alot of organizing and cleaning done on my break along with spending quality time with my hubby.

 I was sitting thinking about the blessings that are in my life and how too many times I can get so focused on the problems in life rather than the blessings of life. Yesterday I heard a story at church about Corrie Ten Boom and her sister when they were in the concentration camp. She was infested with fleas and thanked God for being able to be infested with fleas because none of the soldiers would enter the camp to do searches which in turn allowed her to keep her Bible. Then the preacher said, "Too many times the things we complain about are the things that God wants to use to help us draw closer to Him, but rather we need to take those things and use them to help us draw closer to God just as Corrie Ten Boom did."  I sat thinking to myself of how many times I choose to complain about those things in life that are not easy and yet those may be the moments that God wants to use to draw me closer to Him.

So with that said, I am going to enjoy my much needed break and bask in the goodness of God. I will enjoy the moments and memories that I can make this week and rejuvenate myself so that I can be prepared for a fresh start on the Monday when I go back.

So, remember even when things don't look so great and you want to take the moment to complain remember it may be a moment that God wants you to take to draw closer to Him.  Take this week teachers and relax and rejuvenate yourself to prepare for the Monday when we all go back to our little munchkins.

Best Wishes In Teaching....

Til' Next Time!

Find The Silver Lining...

Today was a new day for me. I decided that I would make the best of what I have and have a better attitude about my day. My husband helped me with this along with some other people in my life. My husband was encouraging me to either decide to like what I do and enjoy it or find something that I can enjoy and like doing. I have always loved teaching but sometimes it can get very overwhelming when things are piling up and the paperwork never seems to end. However, when I took some time to get things in perspective I realized that yes, days are going to be rough, but there is always a silver lining in everything.

Today, one of my friends at work gave me great encouragment and it reaffirmed for me that I am doing what I am suppossed to be doing and I just have to keep going. Even when things get rough I need to remember to find the silver lining.

It will always help when we stop and evaluate our situation and find the positives and ultimately we may be able to encourage others. I hope that I can be an encouragement to others around me and that I will be able to inspire those to do better or just keep going.

So, I say all of this to really say, be an encouraging friend. Even when your friend may feel like giving up, be encouraging. When your friend is having a rough day, be encouraging. When they feel like giving up, be encouraging. When they need to shed a few tears, be encouraging. You never know what kind of impact you will be to others around you by the simple words that you can say that will change their life forever.

Best Wishes In Teaching!

Til' Next Time...

Struggling...

Today marks week two of my class having so much difficulty. I leave everyday feeling like a complete failure because my kids do not seem interested in what is going on in the classroom, some don't seem to be progressing as quickly as I feel they should be and their behaviors are flat out outrageous at times. I have kids who want to lay all over the floor and scream, jump up and down and cry because they didn't think it was fair to miss outside time, throw toys across the room, paint all over the easel while looking at me and laughing, students telling me that I can't do anything to them so they can do whatever they want, and do I need to go on...
 Again, the class is in the transition of having another teacher come to work with us and this does not set well with them. They cannot handle any inconsistency; however things like this have to take place. I have been told that I do not speak up loud enough and yell at the kids enough and I have been asked to meet with a set of parents so they can give me some strategies that they have used with their other children to see if they will work with their daughter that is in my class.

Needless to say, each week that I am working in the classroom this year seems to be increasing in difficulty. I want to know if there is something that I am doing wrong or if it is just the batch of kids that I have this year that are the way they are. I never want to deprive my class of something that they need to learn because I am not teaching it to them. I want to be aware of each child's needs and be able to help each one of them individually.

I know God has called me to teach and to work with children and to educate them for their future. It just seems difficult many times when there seems to be no solution for the behaviors that are happening in class.

So, rather than giving any advice I am asking for advice and prayer during this time to help me to be the teacher I need to be for my students now and in the future.

Best Wishes In Teaching!

Til' Next Time...

Attitude is Everything!

Man, this week has been the most trying week that I have had in a long time. There have been so many things that have happened and it has been a week that has made me really question if I want to continue teaching or not. There are moments that if I had a resignation written up I would want to turn it in but thankfully I don't and I have made it through each day. I have been tested more this week with trying children, trying times with other staff, and MANY times of needing to bite my tongue and not saying anything this week. Thankfully tomorrow is FRIDAY! :)

The reason I titled this blog Attitude is Everything is for the simple fact of exactly what it says. Attitude is Everything! It makes our days better and helps us to deal with people that we may not want to be around if our attitude is right. It is hard to listen to those who say they don't know what to do in life when I sit there and think about my husband not having a job, any long term plans for the future, not having my own home, not certain of how things will turn out and yet if my attitude is right I will be able to bite my tongue and not say a thing. I am thankful for friends who listen and can let me vent and realize that I need to check myself and get my attitude straight.

So, if you face difficulties or people that drive you crazy, or there are kids who seem to have more questions than you want to answer, remember Attitude is Everything!

Best Wishes In Teaching!

Til' Next Time....

What A Day!

Well today has been a day. Today was our fall festival at school. We had things planned for the children to do and had plans for everything to run smoothly. Do you think things went smoothly?  Yeah right. Things never go as planned. I came to work and first off I found out that my co-teacher was not going to be at work today. That did not set the pace of work off well. Then once I found that out parents started coming in for the day. Of course Monday morning parents want to drop their children off early rather than following the rules and waiting. So we get passed that and are getting ready for the fall festival. The parents that were suppossed to be bringing me things did not and we ended up not having what we needed for our fall festival. Yay! LOADS OF FUN! :(
While the festival was going on one of my students had a block pop up and hit his eye and he ended up having to get five stitches. Of course I have to fill out incident reports and Metro office was at our place today and they were asking questions. Well we got through that incident but all the children were hyper because of getting to go to do trick or treating tonight. Nothing I seemed to do would calm them down. I was really counting down the seconds and minutes until the school day was over.

Have you ever been in that spot where you just want to throw the towel in? Well today was that kind of day. If I had a towel I would have thrown it in. :) Sometimes I really question why I do what I do. I ask myself why I choose to work with children on a daily basis. The only thing that I can think of is that I have a love for it and nothing ultimately can take that passion and love for it away. Bad days definitely are going to come just like they did today but I have to remind myself that I love what I do and there will be better days to come.

Best Wishes In Teaching!

Til' Next Time...

Be an Inspiration!

This past week has been super busy! I have felt that I have been on a roller coaster that isn't going to stop. Friday was an emotional day for me because a very special lady who became a mentor to me moved on in her journey of life. She blessed me and inspired me to be a better teacher. She helped to ignite my passion for teaching. I will truly miss her and pray that her future journey will be blessed.

What I have learned from this experience is that it is important to live your life to inspire others and dedicate yourself to what your gift and passion is which will affect many. There is always moments that can be used to teach others and mentor others. Use each moment in life to be a teaching moment and be willing to inspire others to push forward in their walk of life.

Best Wishes In Teaching!

Til' Next Time....

Flexibility

These last couple of days have been quite trying. Things can change so quickly and it is hard to be flexible when things change for the worst. Flexibility is something that takes time to learn and comes with times of trials.

 In the classroom, flexibility has to be on the top list of things to have. Sometimes a lesson plan may not go as planned or students may get sick or students just may not be into what is going on and in any case the teacher has to be willing to change things to make it suitable for the things going on in the classroom. In any case being flexible and understanding of things going on will help the classroom to run much smoother.

So, if chaos is going on in the classroom, be flexible. Times may get worse, be flexible. You may feel that nothing is going right, be flexible.

BE FLEXIBLE!!

Best Wishes In Teaching!
Til' Next Time....

Breathe In, Breathe Out

Yesterday was quite an eventful afternoon. I was working on my lesson plans during naptime and began to feel really dizzy, lightheaded, my skin turned red and I was extremely hot, and I had a horrible migrane headache. I went to the doctor and they decided that I am having anxiety attacks and seasonal allergies. Well, needless to say I have to figure out how to alleviate some stress. I came home from the doctor and took a nap. When I woke up I began to think of how to deal with stress and the way I dealt with depression was to make the decision to not be that way anymore So I decided that tomorrow would be a start of a new day.

 I woke up and got ready for today. We had a great Friday! I turned in things that have needed to be done for a little while and was also able to work in my room this afternoon. I don't get to do that very often so it was nice to fix things and organize things and get ready for our next week. While working I was listening to some music and a song by Brooklyn Tabernacle Choir called "I'm Amazed" came on. It talks about how I am amazed that God loves and that He cares, Through His precious blood I found pardon and my sins are washed all away. I stopped and thought about the fact that no matter the things I face or the circumstances that surround me God loves me and He cares for me. He loved me enough to die for me. So, my solution rather than seeing a counselor is basking in the goodness of God and realizing that He cares for me. Nothing is too difficult for Him and through His strength I can do all things.

I encourage anyone who is stressed or dealing with anxiety to stop and just worship the Almighty God who cares enough for you. Even when we are at our worst He loves us still. So, breathe in and breathe out and say thank you Jesus for loving and caring for me.

Best Wishes In Teaching!

Til' Next Time...

The Little Engine That Could...I Think I Can, I Think I Can....

I think I can , I think I can, is what I have to say to myself when I have thing one after another piling up. It seems that there is more paperwork than time to spend with kids and it frustrates me that I constantly have things to turn in for work. However, I was reminded today from someone at church of the teachers that are being let go for no reason and yet I still have a job. I do have loads of paperwork, which is quite frustrating at times, however, I am blessed to have my teaching job. I have to remind myself of this over and over throughout the day. When lesson plans come due, NAEYC coach responsibilities come, work sampling is needing to be done, ratings for each student need to be entered, and one thing after another, I have to rememeber I am blessed.

So, I say all of this to say, when times get tough, and you feel like you are not even swimming above water, just take a deep breath, and say I KNOW I CAN, I KNOW I CAN. Because, ultimately you can.

Best Wishes In Teaching!

Til' Next Time...

Have a Tough Hide

The one thing that I have learned in teaching is that you have to have a tough hide. There will be situations that arise and cause you to either crawl in a hole and cry or be tough and move on. It isn't something that comes natural to me and I have had to teach myself to not take everything so personal. If a child chooses to pitch a fit I don't need to take it personal but help the child to be successful. If a parent has a complaint about another student, rather than becoming flustered about the situation and aggravated with the parent understand that I am the teacher and be confident in my teaching abilities. It is important to not let anyone run you over. When I keep my eyes open and guarded then I can be a successful teacher.

So, come what may, whether good or bad, I can make it! I need to toughen my hide and move on!

Best Wishes In Teaching!

Til' Next Time...

Is It Friday? Are You Sure It's Not Monday????

Well today started out good. I woke up early and even left early for work. I was happy because in my head I had planned out what I was going to do. When I got to work I would fix the class newsletter, make copies of the lesson plan for next week, and print notes for my meeting today.  I left for work and was listening to "Moby In The Morning" and drinking my coffee. I went over a hill and my truck started to chug, chug, chug, stop. Little did I know that I would run out of gas about five minutes from work. Most people would say how embarrassing but my gas gauge is broken. :)  So, needless to say none of the "great ideas" happened this morning. In fact I was an hour late to work. :(

When I arrived to work I was greeted so happily by the ladies up front (which by the way I appreciate) and I headed to my class. When I arrived in the room my kids were so excited to see me. This always makes my heart flutter to know that they are excited to see me. I don't have my own kids so they have become very close to my heart.  I tried to get them to calm down and listen to my co teacher but they just had to tell me good morning and felt that it was so important to do so.

I have found that Pre-K children have their minds made up to do what they want to do and you can't change their mind. This is good in one sense and bad in another. It is good because they can become so focused on something and want to work on it forever; however it can be bad because they choose to ignore every tactic and encouraging word that you are trying to tell them.

I have learned that in life there are going to be ups and downs. There are going to be things we don't like about life and things we absolutely enjoy. It's the times we choose to slow down and enjoy the small moments and let our heart flutter just a little bit. Children are the best in bringing out those moments.

So, take a deep breath, let the children love on you, and let your heart flutter just a little bit.

Best Wishes In Teaching!

Til' Next Time...

Why Pre-K?? What was I thinking?

I cannot count the number of people that think that I am crazy when I tell them that I am a Pre K teacher. The looks I get when I say that I love what I do are priceless. Why did I choose teaching? Why did I choose Pre-K?

 First, I must say that teaching is the profession that I feel that God has called me to and I want to fulfill His will for my life. Second, I LOVE TEACHING. I get absoulte fulfillment out of teaching. I love when children have an eagerness to see how things work, have questions and are curious. When I can answer those questions it lets me know that I am doing my part.

Yes, I do think to myself sometimes how crazy I am for teaching Pre K but I love it! I love playing with the kids not just standing up in front of the room lecturing. I can interact and get down on their level and have fun with them all while learning new things.

It is so incredibly important to put yourself into what you are doing and enjoy what you are doing. If you loathe going to your job then it is not for you. I have never woke up loathing the day that was ahead of me since teaching Pre K. Today was a perfect example of having fun with the kids.  I taught the kids how to scramble eggs and showed them right in front of their eyes how to do it. They thought it was the coolest thing! How can an egg in a shell turn in to fluffy eggs they ask? They are so inquisitive! :)

 Of course, there are plenty of days that are rough....like today..but in the end it is all worth it! When the kids are running crazy, no one has their "listening ears" on, they forgot where their spots are on the carpet, the one kid is playing in the sand in the sensory table and throwing it everywhere, the other kid is going to the bathroom 500 times, runny noses and untied shoe laces are on what seems like every child, you can't find what you need and are having to do two people's jobs because your co-teacher is out and you are having to teach the sub what to do, you have a "perfect" lesson to teach on the chicken and how we get our eggs but you haven't been able to get the supplies for it yet and you are teaching it in 30 minutes, another child accidently trips you and you fall on your bottom and the students look at you like you are weird, do I need to go on...... Yes, absolutely there are ROUGH days but there is always tomorrow!


Why did I start this post? Because I want to be an encouragement to those who are teaching and let them know that there are those who have good days and bad days and still make it!

Best Wishes In Teaching!


Til' Next Time......