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...