My friend Ruth has started this Saturday celebration. I find that I am constantly on the lookout for those little bits of JOY that fill my day. If you want to know about this celebration, check out the page
Ruth created on her blog.
1. Unexpected Time
Sunday night I checked Twitter before going to bed. Our superintendent tweeted this:
An email from my principal let me know that, while staff had to report to school in the morning, we would not have students. A little tingle of excitement went through me. A day at school with no kids? Would we just "get to work"? Heaven knows I had plenty to do!
And Monday morning, that's exactly what happened. While we had to be at school, there were no kids, meetings or busy work. How many teachers could use a day to just get caught up?
I was a machine. Everything on my to-do list was completed by 4:15. I went home with NOTHING TO DO :) (only a teacher would appreciate that statement). Now granted, it only lasted until the next morning when kids checked their grades and noticed they had missing assignments, but Monday night was sooooooooo relaxing.
2. Student Voice
I've long been an advocate for student voice and since joining the twitter chat lately, I've become more vocal about getting kids involved. The other day, we received word that the Competency Based Ed group we're working with is going to allow us to add a student to our groups and bring them to the meetings. Chalk one up for the state, listening to us and making this work.
3. Old friends and long-standing traditions
For what we think was about the 25th year, my husband and I spent Thanksgiving with old friends. "Not family?" you question. Nope, well, yes. They are our family of choice. Here's the post I wrote about them when I first started blogging. They have now moved two and a half hours away. Our kids are all grown with families of their own. But we still get together with them. Each year on Thanksgiving, we CELEBRATE our friendship, because tradition and friends are important. Because it matters.
Hope all of you had amazing weeks with lots to celebrate. Share your story over at Ruth's blog!
I hear you - a day to work in my room without students would be amazing! Glad you got so much done, and have so much to celebrate this week!
ReplyDeleteYay, for work days without the students. Those are great every now and then. Also glad to read about your state including a student as a part of the focus group.
ReplyDeleteYes, a day to work without kids (or my meetings) is very productive-a little gift for you this week! So glad you had fun with your friends-special moments are what life is all about! And congrats about the student's acceptance into the group-glad they listened!
ReplyDeleteThe feeling of getting things done is wonderful. It really doesn't happen often. Your work with making student voices heard is admirable. I sign your statement that friends and traditions matter.
ReplyDeleteI love #1! That's quite a gift. :-) I also love that you have a Friends' Thanksgiving, too! Ours is on our 26th year! We hold ours about a week and a half before the actual day. Sometimes I consider the "real" one. Ha. http://hollymueller.blogspot.com/2013/11/slice-of-life-friends-thanksgiving.html
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