Category Archives: think happy thoughts

Aug28

Surprise thank you

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Surprise thank you

To whomever sent Jared a copy of The Hunger Games really for me and for my classroom, thank you. Jared kept your identity a secret as requested.

It reminds me of my amazon wishlist. I had the my Classroom Book Wish List from Amazon up for some time on my blogroll, but never received anything from it for my classroom. I actually took it down a few weeks ago because 1) I didn’t feel like updating it and 2) I figured nobody ever looked at it anyways.

I went ahead and updated it today and put it back because I usually lose around $200-$400 worth of books every year to maintain my classroom library. There are a lot of people who argue that I shouldn’t have that “library” in my classroom, but it’s worth it to me because it helps the kids have books in their hands. As a teacher of writing and reading, isn’t that pretty important? Especially for the kids who can’t go to the real libraries, or even the school libraries for whatever reasons?

So, whoever thought of me and my students. Thank you from the bottom of my heart. I truly appreciate it.

I’ll end with a quote from a very wise man:

 

“The man who does not read good books has no advantage over the man who can’t read them.”

-Mark Twain

Aug27

A week without a disposal in the sink…

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A week without a disposal in the sink…

While Jared was eating Lobster at Dean Kamen’s home in New Hampshire last Thursday, our kitchen’s garbage disposal gave up the ghost. It just no longer worked. It hummed softly when turned on, but never again viciously tore apart small food remnants into even smaller remnants to be washed away.

(And no, I didn’t stick anything into it to jam it, abuse it, or break it. It was just its time to pass on.)

So, the past week, we’ve been trying to make it work without the disposal. And let me tell you, I will never take them for granted again.

I won’t go into too much detail, as not to take the glory away from all the time Jared completely redoing the plumbing under the sink and replacing the old disposal with a “totally awesome monster one.” But I think tomorrow we’ll be able to use the sink again. And that makes me happy.

Also thinking happy thoughts is the fact that I got to meet with my CTWP friends in our post-institute meeting. Not everyone was there, but it was definitely a nice chance to see most of them again. But as it’s late, and Jared wants me to start sticking to a back-to-school sleeping schedule for my health, I will go into that more another time.

In summary: Long Live the Garbage Disposals!

Aug25

A kind note

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A kind note

Having a kind note from somebody really can make all the difference, can’t it?

I received an email today from somebody from the CTWP. Now that school’s started, that feels like a whole world apart, something that happened two years ago, not just two months ago.

Anyway, the last day of CTWP, I had little notes that I typed up for everyone to give them. Little love notes, I guess you could say. I don’t know why I do things like that, necessarily. Sometimes it seems like it’s overly cheesy, but if I have the time/effort to do those things, I like to. I had almost forgotten about writing those, but this email mentioned it.

Dear Elisabeth
Today was my first day of the new semester.  I happened to be wearing the same jacket I wore on “Visitors’ Day” in June.  In my pocket was the kind note you had slipped me that day.  I was a bit nervous, as always on the first day  Then I felt your note in my pocket.  I opened the note, reread it and I knew my day would be a good one…and it was.  Your kind words meant more than you know.   All teachers should read a note from a loving and lovely student prior to the first day of class.  Best elixir there ever was! Thank you dear Elisabeth.  I hope your new year is going well and that you are loving your new school.  I know they are loving you.
Stay in touch.
-_______

That email made my day. I was so self conscious about writing those, and even more nervous about giving them to people. I mean, what if they thought I was so weird? That the notes were too personal? It’s putting a little bit of yourself out there. Knowing that other people kept my notes, and that it meant something to them, makes it worth it. I am so happy that something I did could brighten another person’s day.

Also, I’ve had former students visit me every day this week. And that they took the time to slip past my room in the “Seventh Grade Hall” also makes me smile pretty big.

 

Aug24

Write with Me

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Write with Me

Today, I shared one of my poems that I wrote over the summer (during my time with CTWP) with my students. I explained to them that this was my promise to them that writing can be meaningful, and that I have done, or will be doing to some extent, the writing process with them.

I then had them glue it to the inside of the front cover of their writer’s notebooks –we’ll be decorating them tomorrow, which is one of my favorite things!– and I told them that I wanted this to be their reminder that I promise to give 100% to them, and I’m asking them to give some of that effort back to me.

Then I read the poem to the students:

And you know what my kiddos did when I was done reading?

They all clapped and cheered. And one class even did poetic finger snaps.

 

 

(PS- Copyright of “Write with Me” 2011 belongs to me, and blah blah blah. Please respect the work!)

Aug22

Sibling Students

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Sibling Students

This was the craziest first day of school I’ve had yet.

My feet hurt. My voice hurts. My head hurts. I’m exhausted.

But I’m still smiling. You know why?

Because I had a handful of students who came by to visit me from last year. And they weren’t all the star students. In fact, one of the boys (he came by twice, because he was super excited to see if I had had his sister yet) I had failed two of the six grading segments last year because he was just being lazy. lol. I guess you never know who you are motivating, even if they are being toots.

So, the fact that I had students coming by to say hi was incredibly sweet. Very endearing. I am so happy to have been a positive enough influence in their lives that they would take the time to drop by and say hi to me the first day of school.

Also, this is the first year for me where I actually have several sibling students. I have about six or seven students whose older brothers/sisters I have taught in previous years since moving to Texas. Crazy! And I have a few sets of twins this year, too! Hopefully that doesn’t throw me off too much.

So despite the doubling of students I have had in the past, some between teacher dramas, and failure of technology, I’m going to remember those good parts of today.

Hold on to your hats, people. It’s going to be a WILD ride this year!