School Year's Eve

Twas the day before school and all through my house, 

I worry about the school year 

Would not care if I saw a mouse. 

I wonder and worry, 

Toil and care, 

Will this year go better than last year?

I am thinking about my goals 

what I want to accomplish. 

Sometimes wanting to ask

Why do I do this?

This year I want more engagement

More engagement from students

And from myself

Engaging with Co-workers

Engaging with Lessons

Engaging with Students

Planning and pondering

Hoping something will stick

Enhance the old with the new

Try not to change it all at one time

I can do it

One step at a time

One day at a time

I need to stop trying to do it all 

Big goals in mind

Lines I must cross

Dancing the Dance

Walking the Walk

Turning a Turn

What's next I don't know

All I can do is go with the flow

My last Wednesday

This was my last Wednesday of summer. Next week on Wednesday, I will have officially gone to my first training of the school year of my 12th year of teaching.

Above everything this has been a summer of loss and change. I have been slowly losing my baby as he ages. He is my last and final child. There is no way around it. That part of my life is done.

I have felt many emotions this summer most of them being loss. It is sad to close a chapter in a book when I wasn't ready for it. I am still morning that loss. So many days I have lost to pure sadness and I missed out on so much joy.

This was the last summer where I will only have one in swimming lessons and have 3 under 5 years old. My last summer of breastfeeding. My last summer of just three kids to chase around. The last and it did not last long.

I sometimes get so caught up in the moments and time just passes. I miss thing, feel guilty. Then morn.

But all it not lost on this summer. I have gained so much. I am excited to go back to school with my fresh ideas. I am so very thankful to have found an amazing Facebook group.

As I change back from mom to teacher, I reflect back on what is not lost but what I have gained.

Confessions of a Reformed Fake Reader

I confess to you, my brothers and sisters, that I have fake read by my own fault. In my thoughts and in my words, through what I have done and what I have failed to do.

But I have changed, thankfully.

My gateway book was Harry Potter. That may seem silly, but I had never experienced a book like that before. I never hungered to read the end, but yet was so upset when it was over.

I was reformed by an author's magic with words and I have never looked back. I am kind of a book collector now, as they hold memories and meanings.

I am thankful that I majored in education, otherwise, I would have missed this love for books. Writing was more my thing but not reading.

In my college days, I made myself a few promises about reading with my students based on my experiences with books. Throughout my K-12 education I had "incentive" programs like Book-it and Accelerated Reader (AR). As a child who disliked pizza, Book-it was not a reward. I also learned strategies to "fake" an AR test as they let us use the books. I am a great skimmer.

When I recall my first experiences with the school library, I was given only one shelf to pick from as  that was within my reading level. I saw friends who had two or three shelves to pick from but not me. I had only decoding and sight word driven books without a plot that I could borrow. That is what set my tone for what I thought "school reading" was about.

I vowed in my early days, not to limit my students to a shelf or make them read plot-less books. I sore I would not be "rewarding" reading with objects (pizza, points, grades or toys). Reading was for pleasure and it meant to be shared. Reading was love and students should find a way to love reading.

When I took my first elementary leveled teaching job, I taught with real books and we share read. Just because a child cannot read every word doesn't mean they should not have the experience of falling in love with a book.

So, as a former fake reader, please think of your love story with books. Did you read for the points/pizza/grade or did you read because what reading gave you?

If you are looking for a resource book about becoming a promoter of the love of reading, I highly recommend The Book Whispter. I have included a link below. 

The Maiden Voyage

I have such a hard time not thinking about the next school year all summer long. I also prep all of my guided notes during this time as well.

Today, I will make my first trip up to the school, which is about 25 minutes from my house. I will have three of my four kids with me. So much of my time will be spent keeping the older ones entertained.

I think I want to go there, just to smell my room again. I miss it! I miss what working does for me as a parent and a person. I miss having time to hone my craft without a child looming over me. I love my biological children but truly long for getting back.

I hear there are school supplies out...