little blessings

I had to smile today when I thought of how God is taking care of me even in small things that seem pretty unimportant. Yesterday and today were going to be tough days to sub because I'm having a party at our house tonight and with our crazy weekend of basketball and church concerts I didn't get much done at home. So when Monday came I was really hoping to not get a call to sub.  On the other hand, we can use the money and I hate saying no so I knew no matter what I'd say yes if they called.

And they did, as usual around 7:15am I got a call to sub at the Middle school. An art teacher got sick and didn't leave any notes or anything.  But even though it was a bummer I couldn't use all the cool supplies they have and do some art, it was actually a super low key day.  You can't even compare it to a day at the Elementary school where you are stressed to the max the whole day.  I still prefer the stress :) because that's how I am but really I needed a day of chilling and rest in the middle of a crazy few weeks.  

This morning I got a call again from the Middle school because the same teacher was still sick.  But the secretary assured me there are sub plans in her e-mail inbox that she'll print out for me.  I was actually a bit excited to see what I get to do with the kids, only to find out it was 2 simple drawing sheets and one didn't even work to print.  If I knew that I would have printed something at home we could do.  Oh well, back to an easy day it was.  At least the kids were very good and respectful which helps a lot.  During my lunch break I was able to find another sheet that was harder for the last 3 classes to work on so that was good because they took most of the class with them.  

But it is funny how it all worked out.  Just 5 minutes after I told the Middle school I would sub there, I got a call from the Elementary school asking me to sub.  If the Middle school never called, I'd be way more stressed and tired to get stuff done at home in the evening.  So I'm thankful today for those little things.

This weekend I got my nice warm mittens stolen, at church of all places.  I was really upset mostly because it is freezing cold already and they were the only mittens that kept me warm enough and still allowed me to drive and grab things as I'm going places.  But, God had something else in mind and when I thought for sure I wouldn't find any good mittens in our small town, the Fleet store had these awesome leather mittens with lamb wool inside for only $15.  I was so excited and they are also so much warmer than my other gloves were.  So in a way it was a blessing to have my gloves stolen. :)

Talking about blessings, on Sunday we found a card in our church's inbox from an anonymous friend.  They were thanking Ehren and I for all we do at the church and there was a $50 cash in it.  We were both shocked and would love to know who did it.  It is just so unexpected and the person doesn't even know how it blessed us because money is tight around this time of the year.

So much to be thankful for and so much I don't deserve.  Tonight some of my best friends came over for a girls Christmas ornament exchange and it was so nice to fellowship with these sweet ladies.  I'm really glad I took the time to do it and plan for it.  I love spending time with them. Here is the picture with our ornaments.  It was taken by a very bad camera so it's not the best picture but at least something.  Fun girls night for sure! 

Tomorrow I am a Kindergarten teacher again for 3 days in a row so I better get some rest so I can keep up with those kiddos. :) Life is good!

busy

Well, when it rains it pours :).  I have been waiting and waiting for subbing more at the Elementary school and I am getting my wish these last two weeks.  It started with Kindergarten all week last week and this week it's one thing after another.  I do enjoy it and am thankful for the opportunity but this week cannot get done fast enough.  Of course when there is one thing going on, there's everything at once.  Our church is having their annual huge Christmas choir concert with all the kids and adults involved this weekend.  Normally it would just be getting the kids to the practices but since Ehren is the main sound guy he's been spending most evenings and nights at church this week.  And on top of that I scheduled our Sunday School class Christmas party for tomorrow night, the night before the first concert.  I really tried to have it another night but nothing worked for the people involved so it had to be tomorrow.  Still, I thought I would have plenty of time for cleaning up and decorating our house since I haven't been subbing much.  And here I am, the night before the party, trying to get everything ready and cleaned up and appetizers prepped because I've been subbing every day with stuff going on almost every night. 

I really can't complain one bit, it is a blessing to be called to sub especially since I was starting to think they are all against me over there. :) Turns out they kind of like me and keep asking me to come back.  Today it was 2nd grade and that was a bit challenging.  Overall it was a good class, but the teacher had so many tasks and worksheets she expected the kids to get done and me correct them that it got a bit too much.  About one third of the class had a hard time with every assignment and needed my personal attention while a few smart kids kept asking for more work to do and while other kids couldn't sit still and still a couple other kids kept coming up to me saying they have a head ache, stomach ache, I need to tie their shoes or give them band aides for paper cuts. :) I was almost losing it a few times and have no idea how that teacher deals with such high-needs class.  So far the 3 kindergarten classes I taught were way better on staying on tasks than these 2nd graders.  But it is good for me to find out what each grade is like and how to deal with the kids.  It is so different from class to class.  Tomorrow I am a music teacher again which means I'll have all different grades all day long.  I'm excited because I get to teach Ani's and Kason's classes and it's fun when I know the kids there already.  Plus, with music there's no work to be done.  It's just playing games or watching something so not that hard.  The kids I've subbed for get really excited too when they see me in the hallways or in the lunch room and it's kind of cool.  It is really something how kids can get attached to a teacher.  I feel like most of the times I sub I am frantically trying to figure out how to do everything in the time given and there's no time for fun or even nurturing with the younger kids.  Yet, for some reason as I walk in the hallways kids get excited to see me and some just come up to me and hug me really tightly as if we were really good buddies.  It makes me smile and think how they don't even know how much it means to me.  Without ever hearing I did a good job because I very rarely hear from a teacher afterwards seeing the kids' big smiles is what I get and that's ok with me.

 

back to subbing

We had a great Thanksgiving weekend visiting Ehren's brother and family in the Cities.  Just nice, relaxing time and had a lot of fun visiting with everyone at Ehren's aunt Grace's family for a Thanksgiving meal.

We got home last night and I was kind of hoping for a day to myself where I could get stuff done at home, get some Christmas decorations out and stuff.  Plus I was a bit under the weather with a cold coming on so a restful day sounded great.  But, as I was getting the kids some breakfast I got a phone call to sub for a Kindergarten teacher.  Of course I said yes.  A small part of me wanted to say I couldn't but then I've been waiting and waiting to get a call for the Elementary school so I had to go.  And how bad would it be since I already subbed in Kason's class and it went great.

Well, not so much today. :) I know a big part of it was that the kids came back to school after a 4 day weekend but I just wasn't expecting so much wildness.  Most of the class was pretty disruptive, getting into arguments and fights, and the never ending tattle telling.  It doesn't help when I come to the classroom in the morning and there's a 5 page sheet of the instructions for the day which I'm trying to figure out in 10 minutes.  Of course, half of the important assignments according to the sheet I could not find anywhere and had to ask another teacher for help.  So, the day was a bit crazy and chaotic and I just thought how the Kindergarten teachers must be saints for sure.  I was relieved when towards the end of the day we got most of the things on the list accomplished and no kids got hurt. :)

But then the last few minutes of the day were crazy.  I thought I gave the kids enough time to put all their winter gear on but when you have 10+ kids that you need to stand over or else they will not even begin to get dressed it is a nightmare.  There were at least 3 boys that if I didn't physically put their snowpants, boots, coats and mittens on for them they would be still sitting there now.  So, I got them all lined up according to the bus schedule, with the kids that were going to be picked up first, then some staying for afterschool program and so on.  In the meantime the kids kept coming out of their line, push and shove each other so it was a bit crazy.  I walk out of the building with a long line of 5 year olds following me and getting on 10 different buses or so.  When we're half way done, I call out the names of kids for a particular bus and an extra boy is heading that way.  I ask his name and of course, he's one of the kids that should have stayed after school for a booster club.  Phew, I had him hold my hand and back to school we went after all the kids boarded the bus safely.  And, when I got to the classroom I found out another girl got on the bus that should have stayed too. :)  Just things like that you don't realize how much the teachers have to deal with.  This particular teacher had someone die in her family unexpectedly and she took the next 2 days off too.  Which means 2 more days with the same class.  I sure hope I'm able to calm them down better tomorrow.  The one thing that worked was when I would either read a book out loud to them or else we would use the smart board for something so if they're wild again tomorrow I may have to read a lot of books. :) 

But at one point during the day when the kids had their free activity time, some girls were working on writing their letters to Santa.  One girl was finishing up her letter and with a smile she said to me "my mom will know what I wrote." I'm thinking sure, she's going to know because you're bringing these letters home but another girl interrupted my thought saying "her mom is in Heaven".  I was stunned for a moment, mostly because of how calm and peaceful this girl was about her mom being in Heaven.  A little 5 year old girl that might never have that "mom" person in her life.  And so many times her teacher is the closest one to being her mom.  So in the midst of the crazy and chaotic day it really hit me and it sure changes the prospective of a "bad" day. :)

When I got home today, in the middle of making dinner I dug out just one Christmas decoration - an Advent wreath.  I lit the first candle and it was good.  I hope there are many moments like this when  I pause and remember what and who is really important in my life.

preschool teacher

Being a teacher is not an easy job, especially in this day and age when so many parents expect them to do their job for them in every way.  Meeting and working with a lot of teachers this year it is interesting to me how you can see if they really enjoy their job or are just surviving it.  Most teachers I came across so far have been really great and wonderful teachers who truly care about every child in their class.  But this week I came across a woman who I think should get a reward for being extraordinary in her job. 

I knew this lady a little bit because she is one of the assistants in preschool and all of our kids had her in their class.  She is in her 50s or so, always has a smile on her face and a loving tone even when she's disciplining a child.  This week I got to work with her in the classroom where I subbed and she was such a great help in everything.  What really impressed me about her though was how she talked about a little girl during our lunch break.  This girl came there to preschool a few years back and now she's in 4th or 5th grade.  She comes from a poor family and a very rough environment where she's not taken care of properly, is very dirty with greasy hair.  Now, this girl is getting a bit older and she comes to school feeling embarrassed about her appearance so this sweet preschool teacher has her come to her office almost every day before the school starts and she washes her hair, dries it and styles it nicely for this girl.  It almost made me cry when she was describing this little girl because you could really tell how much this teacher cared.  I have no idea what is the line to cross for the social services to do something and maybe they tried with no results.  I just feel that teachers like her are the real teachers.  It is not in her job description, very far from it yet she talks about it with such joy.  She truly enjoys taking care of kids and she is so happy that this girl lets her do it for her and just seeing how proud she is of her appearance afterward is a reward to her.   Teaching is so much more than having kids learn new facts or excel in reading, it is about making a real difference in that little girl's life who will grow up and remember the kind teachers that really cared for and loved her.  And it is a great feeling to see so many teachers in our schools being that way.

  

thankful...

Today I'm thankful for a break, a day of catching-up, of being able to greet my kids when they come home from school, for peaceful evenings (most of the times :), and for all the little things that I take for granted. 

This morning I woke up to way too much daylight and as soon as I saw it I knew - we overslept!  I hit my phone and phew, it's only 7:25 :)  As I rushed out of bed and got the kids up there zoomed the bus by our house.  I was thinking to myself how thankful I was for not having to sub today because I'm pretty sure I'd be late.  But the kids had breakfast, got dressed and off we went, right on time. :)  That is a lesson to me to not rely on Ehren's alarm clock.  He wasn't feeling good last night and didn't go to sleep until around 3am so he didn't have his alarm on.  And I thought I'll just hear his and get up soon after he's out of bed. :)  So the morning was off to a bit of a rushed start and I'm not feeling so well either.  Lots of colds and flus are going around in town.

After I dropped the kids off, I got the oil change on the van before we take it to the Cities next week.  Then I came home and had my breakfast.  It is funny how quickly the kitchen and other rooms get all messy when I have stuff going on few days in a row.  I subbed at the Middle school on Tuesday and at preschool yesterday.  Both evenings were so busy that we were barely home for an hour to eat and do homework and then just go to bed.  So I am really thankful for a break today and for being able to catch up on the house work.  Every time it happens, I keep thinking about the women who have small children and work full time and have sports/activities to do in the evening.  How do they get anything done at home?  How do they have time for their kids?  I know when you're in a situation you just do what you have to to make it work but from my experience, it really affects the mom, the family and the kids.  So this year I am making very little money and yes, we don't have much left over and have to be careful with what we buy but I wouldn't trade it for anything in the world.  I am here when the kids get home from school, I can give them my whole attention and focus and we are not so rushed every week night.  So really, there are big trade offs when a mom stays at home.  They are not materialistic or tangible, but they are so important especially for the kids.  And when I talk to my mom friends who have a bit older kids they all say the kids really need moms home even when they're in middle school.  Their whole life changes, everything is awkward, they're trying to figure out who they are and the one safe place they have is home.  So I know that is where I need to be no matter the cost.

Tuesday was the first time I subbed for a "para".  That is an educational assistant that helps a group of kids in higher grades or an individual student in Elementary school.  It works great from what I see but I just can't believe how many fulltime assistants the schools need because there are so many students with behavioral/mental/physical issues.  Being around the schools more this year, I talked to some women I know and a lot of them started like me, subbing for teachers.  But a lot of times the newer people get put on a back burner while the retired teachers get called in to sub every day of the week.  And so a lot of the younger people that are subbing quit if they can get a job as an educational assistant because even though it pays less, at least they get a job for every day and don't have to wonder if they are getting calls or not.

So I was excited to sub for one of them because I've been thinking about how I would like it and if it's something for me.  At least in Middle school you follow your 4-5 students around all day and pretty much make sure they're doing the work they're supposed to or help them if they don't understand.  At the same time, it was a bit weird to stand by someone and work with him on the Math assignment as the teacher is going over it with the class.  Some of the kids get a little self conscious that they have a person next to them and so they refuse help even though they can't do a simple assignment.  And some I had were just plain lazy and did not want to work at all.  It would take them 5 minutes to copy a sentence into their notebook.  I know this job really varies depending on who the kids are, what classes they take and how their behavior is.  But at least in Middle school the teachers didn't give them any slack and if they misbehave or refuse to do their work, they get a lunch detention or after school detention where they have to work on it.  I liked just being able to meet more teachers and see how they teach and stuff.  One of the Math classes I went to, the teacher was my old teacher from High School when I was an exchange student here so that was weird and she looked exactly the same.  I had flashbacks to the Trigonometry class and just remembered how much I liked it because it was so much easier than in Slovakia. :)

     

school reports

It was Ehren's birthday yesterday and usually we do something with the kids in the evening, or just us but the only time that worked to have parent teacher conferences was last night and it's not a quick there and back when you see 3 teachers.  At the same time, I love sharing it with Ehren.  It's nice for him to see the details of kids' school life and just gives us more to talk about how we can be there better for our kids.  So it was a great date night in my mind anyway :)

We started off with Kason's teacher and no surprises there.  They tested him for reading and his level is so high there's nobody in his class to match up with.  The teacher said she could work one on one with him but it's more fun to be in a little group with his buddies and work as a group.  So he'll actually work on a bit easy books for him but he'll bring books home to read that are harder and we can work on that ourselves.  The hard things for him are the fine motor skills and writing.  It doesn't come easy to him and has to work hard to make the letters nice.  At the same time it's very frustrating to him because he knows exactly what they should look like and could even write his own sentences but his hand is not matching up with what he knows. :) So we need to really work on that.  Otherwise, he's just a very smart little boy and has such a kind loving heart.  I just hope he can get challenged enough in the future because he loves learning new things and if there's too much of repetitive and easy things he starts to misbehave because he's bored.

It was so nice talking to Anika's teacher.  She loves how sweet and kind Anika is.  She is so responsible and independent and works so hard at everything.  Math doesn't click for her as easily as for our boys but I loved what her teacher said.  She said that she sees way too many people being concerned with the test scores and how much ahead their kids are in 1st grade, but they forget to let the kids just be kids.  Anika loves to play pretend plays with Kason or by herself and the teacher said that is so wonderful and so important at her age.  If they can play and let their imagination grow, it will be way more beneficial to them later on than worrying about test scores.  And she's really not behind on anything, she eventually gets everything they are working on and once she knows it she really knows it well.  Her reading is really good and I am just happy she loves school and is excited and ready to go every day. She also loves homework and that's always the first thing on her mind when she gets home to get everything done.

And Kade's teacher was the last stop.  This is the first year when they are getting grades on everything besides the standardized tests that everyone has to take.  It is a bit of a learning curve for Kade because he never had to work for his grades but it's exactly what he needs before he starts Middle school next year.  The teacher says he knows Kade is really smart and just gets everything right away, but he misses a lot of details or doesn't pay full attention to every problem and stuff so his grades are not showing his potential at all.  But they just started the grades and since that never mattered to Kade before, it's something new.  Before, if he got 2 problems wrong because he rushed he would just say that's ok, I know how it should be but that's over now.  If you miss 2 problems that is a C. :)  So they are trying to scare the kids a little bit before going to Middle school and to just really think about every homework and every assignment because it's graded and therefore really matters.  His reading level is really high, I guess someone messed up and they gave all the kids last year a way too hard of a reading test but even then Kade did really well while most students took a bad hit on it.  And on the math tests he scores high all the time too, it's just those details he needs to be aware of and not rush with his assignments.  I'm really glad Kade got this particular teacher though.  He's a lot more strict than the other teachers but he says when his kids go to Middle school and were getting average grades in his class, they are on honor roll there.  All because he's teaching them they need to put the effort into a good grade, just knowing the subject doesn't make a good grade.  So I think this is so good for Kade and we've been talking about grades a lot because I want him to understand the importance of it and of working hard at everything.

It was a good night, I always like when there's tangible things we can do now to help our kids in areas they need it.  We got home and had Ehren's usual birthday pie - a chocolate almond mousse pie.  I only make it for his birthday or some special occasions so it means a lot to us and the kids when we have it.  Kind of like with certain Christmas goodies we only have once a year and somehow it makes it more special then.

a day off

It was a very quiet and relaxing day today.  Kids didn't have school and I was able to sleep in with them and take it easy.  Emily came for the day which was great because her, Anika and Kason played really nice together the whole time.  The weather forecast said it was going to rain sometime today so I was ready for an inside kind of day but it turned out so beautiful and warm.

All of a sudden I had a thought of taking pictures of Anika around our yard. :)  It doesn't happen very often that she's wearing one of her cute outfits when we're outside and that it's warm enough to be out there without a big jacket so I had to do it.  And right as I started shooting I was wishing we had a lens for our new camera because our little digital camera is at its last leg.  Maybe we can get one for Christmas and then I can start working on my photographic skills. :)

They are not the best pictures but they make me smile.  They make me think of a child's innocence and their carefree life.  And I love that they're of my Ani because she is our miss positive, always taking everything around her in with a smile and always so cheerful.  I am guessing the change is coming soon when the hormones will take over a bit or a lot :) but for now I am thankful for her smiles and the lessons she is teaching me.