Please pray!

Well...it has been quite a week. Quite an emotional week.

For those of you that teach, you understand the friendships that we develop as we teach side by side with each other. I have found that my school is a bit different...different in a great way. We really are a very tight staff. Not only are we close to those we teach with at our grade level, but each staff member.

My friend, Vicki, is my dear friend. She is a wonderful woman whom I have taught with for several years now. Vicki and I share stories each day. Me...about my girls...and Vicki about her precious grandchildren. So I have come to love her grandchildren as I have heard stories each day.

Her little grandson...whom is two....has a hernia. This is common...no biggy. They went in for pre-op appt to get him set for surgery to correct the hernia. Well, he had a fever...which turned into a cold...which turned into pneumonia. So...needless to say..the surgery has been postponed for about two months.

This pneumonia just won't go away. Well, his mother noticed his belly was a bit swollen, so she took him in to see the doctor. They seem to think it was nothing but did a CAT scan to make sure. Vicki said she had gone to worse case scenario that perhaps his bowels had twisted. She told me that she might not be at school the next day if they have to operate.

Vicki called me several hours later....crying...to tell me her grandson has stage 5 kidney cancer in both kidneys. Dear Lord....how could this be?? How do you go from pneumonia to stage 5 cancer??

As you can image, our school has emotionally been knocked down as we morn and pray for our fellow teacher and her precious grandson.

So...I ask those of you who take the time to read this....Number one....pray for this baby. Number two...count your blessings every day....count them one by one....because we just never know when tragedy will hit our lives.

God is good....all the time! I know this and believe this with all my heart. I am looking for the good in this situation. I may not see it today, tomorrow or ever ...but I pray that I do get to see what God's plan is for this situation.

I lied...

I admit it..I lied. However, it wasn't my intention to lie. I really had planned on trying to post a few times a week. But life has happened. It appears I should now shoot for once a month! haha!

I am adjusting to my new life title of "Taxi mom". I must apologize to all taxi moms before me. I really had no clue what this job entailed.

I was talking with my sister, who has a 3 and 5 year old at home, about our busy days. She said she was sure it would get easier when they got into school. I quickly informed her that the business doesn't stop...it just changes. I went from bottles and diaper backs....to daycare and play dates, to softball and Tae Kwon Do practice.

Really...let me just show you my day today...

6:30...up and going...kids in the shower, pack lunches, cook breakfast, get backpacks and bags

for further activities

8:00 out the door

8:30 Mtg at school

9:00 School day starts..(12 of my 28 students have their homework done...grrrr) BAD MOOD!

3:30 Off Work

3:31 Keeping two students whose guardians can't seem to get them to complete their homework

so I get the privilege of keeping them an extra 45 min to get it done!

4:15 Load up my kids....and we are off

4:25 Madi to softball practice

4:30 K to Physical Therapy

5:00 Boo to Tae Kwon Do

5:05 Pick up K from Physical Therapy

5:45 Pick up Madi from softball

6:00 Pick up Boo from Tae Kwon Do

6:15..Home....what's for dinner??

6:30 Cooking and overseeing homework

7:00 Dinner on the table

7:30 Dishes..clean up...bath time...

8:00 Read to the kids before bed

8:30...into bed they go

8:35 grading papers....after papers...after papers

8:40 Hubby is home...so we get to say hi for a bit

9:30. Shower time for me

10:00 In bed I fall

What is the deal???? I am not overly complicating my life. I have three kids....they each participate in one sport. I don't have my kids in too many activities. There are just some days that I wish there were just a few more hands. I don't want a nanny...I do enjoy seeing my kids practice each day....Just wish I could do it and not feel like I am "running" each step of the way!

So....again...I am sorry. I need to schedule in Blog time! Lunch break? IDK....I will try and get better! :-)

Education Frustration....

On most days...I just love my job. There is so much joy each day. I love seeing my little friends as they soak up new information. I love to watch their hearts be kind to each other. I enjoy watching them make good choices. There are so many wonderful sights I get to see as a teacher! I often wonder as I teach cursive....am I teaching a doctor to sign their name (illegible of course! haha)? Am I teaching a president to sign their name? Endless potential in this class of thirty!

But...there are some days my heart just breaks. There are children you just can't reach. These children who come from horrible homes. Homes that stunt who they are....homes that quench their fires. And there isn't ONE thing I can do about it! It continues to frustrate me year after year!

I often want to write a book to let the general public know what our young people have to deal with these days. I really don't think society understands what children are exposed to...NO, not through the media, or from the music they listen to...it is from their very OWN homes.

Children whose parents are locked up in jail: these children throw around words like, "time served" and "parole officer"

Children whose parents are drug addicts: these children throw around words like, "rehab" and "clean"

Children whose parents have lost custody: these children throw around words like, "my case worker" and "my visitation time"

Some days it is just all too much. How am I to make a 9 year old excited to learn their multiplication facts when they are going home to a grandmother who is doing her best to support her three grandchildren while her daughter is in jail for drugs???????

There are so many I want to take home with me. I want to show them a loving mother and father. A 'present' parent who is excited when they walk through the door. A parent who takes care of their basic needs so they can focus on "kids stuff". A parent who ensures warm water in the shower each morning. A parent who sacrifices sleeping in Saturday morning so they can learn the sport of soccer or baseball!

But you and I both know my home isn't that big...nor would the state allow me to take each of these children. So....for now...I will wake up tomorrow....say a prayer...use my gift of teaching...and make the 6 hours they are with me a time of security, fun, and learning.

Welcome 2009...

It has been quite some time since I have done any blogging. It seems the move, then the holidays, and then my middle daughter's birthday have kept me too busy! But I am hoping to get back into a normal routine.

I am home today...in honor of Martin Luther King Jr. and thought today is a good day to start!

A fellow teacher and I are excited about tomorrow's events. I teach third grade and I teach very basic intro to our gov't. We did an election unit to discuss voting and the candidates. It was very exciting. However, as an educator, we must be very careful. I am always fair to both political parties and NEVER have an agenda when I teach.

But....I was a bit irritated when a discussion was had about our students watching the inauguration live in our classrooms. I was told that I need to get parent permission slips in order to do so. WHAT IS THAT ABOUT???

Now...isn't this our country? Isn't this history? Isn't this teaching how democracy works??
ISN'T THIS MY JOB TO TEACH????????????

I don't care who you voted for.....that to me is irrelevant.

I don't feel I need to send home permission slips in order to show my students a historical event that only happens every four years (No matter your polictical thoughts) !!!!