I'm Thankful For . . .

Every year at Thanksgiving time I look at the children that sit in my classroom from 8 until 3:45 and I am thankful for each of them. I will be completely honest and tell you that at the beginning of the year, each year I always think to myself "will I ever like these kids as much as I liked my last class?" And every year at about this time I can honestly tell you that each one of them is unique and special and I truly love them all for who they are. As a teacher it is my job first and foremost to teach them the curriculum that the state of Idaho says that they have to learn but I believe I have to teach it to them within their limits. So - it takes me a few months to actually understand each student and how they learn best.

It is at this time of the year that I take ownership of them as "mine". They are "my" kids and I treat them as such. They are special and more than ever I want to teach them not because I have to but because I care about them and want them to succeed. I take pride in them, I respect them, I truly enjoy them, I laugh with them, I cry inside at some of the things that they have to endure at such a young age, I bandage them when they are hurt, listen to them when they are sad and comfort them the best I can. And when they have to exit my classroom at the end of the year many tears are always shed on my part - I have had to learn to love and let go every year in 9 month increments and it is always tough - always.

So - because they have all become so special to me I would like to pay tribute to each child and tell them why they are special to me and why I am so thankful for them. (Notice the nicknames - I don't call them these names consistantly but occasionally they are spoken)

Emmary (Emmy) - you are so loving and kind and respectful. You will always ask questions when you don't understand, help others that don't understand and when given the opportunity you love to talk my ear off telling me all kinds of things. - you are truly special!

Ally girl - what a priveledge to be able to teach you in kindergarten and now in 2nd grade. Your social abilities make me smile - you are a friend to everyone and that is fantastic. You are a smart girl with a bright future. Your smile brightens my day :)

Erika (Er-ee-ka) - I can tell your hugs from anyone else's - you practically knock me down :) You are so special and I was so glad that you are in my class again. You are a very smart girl who is such a hard-worker and you never hesitate to help others.

Jonathan (JonJon) - You make me laugh. You are a very bright student who work hard and are everyone's friend. You make me smile :) I enjoy having you in my class.

Andy (smiles)- You always have a smile on your face. You continue to surprise me with what you are able to understand even though you speak Spanish at home. You work hard and are a friend to everyone. Thank you for setting a good example.

Alfredo (Fredo) - Everything is a race or a competition to you. You enjoy timed tests and trying to be the best in all that you do. You try really hard to be good at everything and I appreciate that.

Travis (Trav) - You are a little ball of energy who flitters around the classroom either skipping, jogging, shuffling, etc . . . It makes me laugh inside even though I'm constantly telling you to walk! You are a joy to have in class.

Laura (Freckles) - I am so glad that I was fortunate enough to be your teacher for a second time. You are so fun to teach because you love to learn. I'm so thankful for you and your kindness towards others. Your face brightens my day!

Kylee (Queenie) - You are our little Queen B and you make me laugh. I love your dramatic flare to life. You enjoy being social but are a good friend to everyone. You work hard and are always honest! I love the way to like to dress up and be girly (never change that :)

Kynlee (Kole) - You are my serious one. I enjoy the challenge of getting you to smile and when I do it brightens my day. You are very well-behaved and a great friend to all. I love having you in my class!

David (Davy Jones) - Oh Man - the loudness! You have one volume and that is loud! And the random sounds that you make are interesting (not always appropriate) - but I smile when I think of your craziness! It is who you are and I appreciate your honesty and your ability to be a good friend to everyone. You are extremely bright and I look forward to seeing how you use your natural academic talents in the future. I'm so glad you are in my class!

Skyler (Sky) - I'm so thankful for the example that you set for the rest of the class. You are always kind, always hard-working, always on task and never misbehave. Thank you for your gentle spirit and your kindness towards others.

Halo (Mr. T)- You are so much fun to have in class and make me laugh almost every day! I appreciate how you are a great friend to everyone and how you try really hard to get things done and do your best. I'm so proud of you for that! And I'm so glad that you were able to be in my class this year! Keep up the hard work!

Morgan (Blondie 1)- You have such a fun personality! You are smart, outgoing, kind and honest! You love to learn and I love to teach you. You enjoy sharing and I trust that you could probably take over teaching for me and do a pretty good job! I'm so glad I was able to teach you again!

Luke (Skywalker) :) - You enjoy being the class clown! You love to make people laugh. When you try hard your work is amazing and I love to listen to the stories that you write - you have quite an imagination. I'm glad I was able to be your teacher again!

Esther (Blondie 2) - You are a treasure my dear girl! You are so much fun to teach because you soak up everything that I say (who doesn't like that?) I'm so glad that you were able to be in my class this year. You are a great friend to everyone and are always so kind!

Laci (Laci Gracy) - You are a sweetheart and always make me smile. I love the hugs each morning - they brighten my day! It's been fun to get to know you and you set such a great example for the rest of the class to follow.

Meleni (Mel) - You are so sweet and kind to others. You work hard and seem to enjoy learning and school. I appreciate that you ask questions when you don't understand. Your sweet smile makes my day!

My kids are a treasure! And they are truly "my kids"! I take complete and full ownership of them each day and I do it gladly. They are the reason that I go to work each day and I can't think of a better way to spend my day.

Thanksgiving week!

This week will only consist of two school days. We will be doing a variety of Thanksgiving activities during these two days and will not require the students to study spelling words or have a spelling list or test this week. I appreciate those of you who consistently work at home with your child on their spelling words. This last week was difficult for them and I was pleased with the results.

I've asked the students to bring an empty paper towel roll to school on Monday for an art project. I understand that it is late notice and apologize for that. If you are unable to get a paper towel roll by Monday I may have a few extra that I can scrounge up.

I apologize for not posting anything on the website recently. My husband was in Guatemala for two weeks and took the camera with him so I was unable to capture Halloween pictures or Veteran's day assembly pictures.

Halloween!!!!

Oh Halloween - teacher's most favorite day :) Actually, I really don't mind it - I have always loved fun and parties. The only thing that ever presents a challenge is managing the classroom on a day like Halloween. Luckily, I have 10 years of practice under my belt so I have a few tricks up my sleeve - However, every year is still a challenge and I leave the classroom after they've all gone home with a big sigh of relief.

This year I decided to dress up a little darker than I ever have. I've always wanted to be the bride of Frankenstein so that they could call me Mrs. Franklinstein all day. So - after years of wanting to do it - I actually did - and it was fun - and I enjoyed it - and so did my class. I greeted them in the morning with the lights off and the rule that they had to call me Mrs. Franklinstein for the day. I even changed my school ID card to say Mrs. Franklinstein with my picture being a copy of the real bride of Frankenstein.

The costumes that the kids wore were great - they all did such a great job at getting ready themselves. I was impressed (probably because the last two years I had to prepare a bunch of kindergarteners and that was fairly comical). We had our little parade around the school and then came back and had a fun Halloween party put on by our room mom. It was great!

I wish I could have gotten a lot of fun pictures on this day but unfortunately my husband is gone and he took my camera. Luckily, Mrs. Forsgren came and saved the day and took a group picture of all of us.

And YES - only 18 kids - Wahoooooo!!!!! So thankful!