What’s Up December

Happy Friday Y'all

I’m a little late. But today, I'm joining  Mel, Shay, and Sheaffer for their What's Up Wednesday link-up. 

 

Every month we answer the same few questions based on how things are currently going in our lives. 

The questions are...

 

What am I eating?

These Little Debbie Christmas Tree Cakes are the best! 

What am I reminiscing about?

Christmas in my classroom was fun.

  

What am I loving?

Christmas with my family...

What have I been up to?

I've been hanging out with these two girlies as much as possible. 

What am I dreading? 

Saying goodbye to these two (and the rest of my family, as well) at the end of next week. I love what I do. I'm glad I can do it. But it's so hard to say goodbye to family. That part of the job never ever gets easier, in my opinion.

What am I working on?

Recharging...

What am I excited about?

I'm excited about seeing my crew again soon. Although, I’m definitely still 100% enjoying my Break :)

What am I watching?

I caught up on a couple new movies while on the plane coming to the States. And I’ll catch a couple more on my flight back...

 

What am I reading?

This...

What am I listening to?

Lots of giggling :)

What am I wearing? 

Comfy shoes

What am I doing this weekend?

Hanging out with my nieces, going to dinner with some family friends, visiting my mom’s church...

What am I looking forward to next month?

Starting my new study of the Bible...

What else is new?

I’ve successfully ignored my emails during Break (except for a few in my personal email that needed immediate attention).

And that's what I'm up to this month.

What about you?

What are YOU up to this month?

A Picture Talk

Happy Tuesday Y'all 

Today, I'm joining Ashley and Erika for their monthly Tuesday Talk link-up, where we, bloggers, come together and talk about whatever is on our mind at the moment. I typically try to think of one specific topic to talk about.

For this month's Tuesday Talk post, I'm using the phrase "A picture is worth a thousand words," as my guide. And since I'm WAY behind on sharing my photo-a-day posts, I thought I'd let this post take care of that too.

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At the beginning of each month, I'll share the previous month's photos. I'm sharing, if for no other reason, to help me remember some memories and thoughts that went along with each of my 365 photos from the month at hand.

However, life/work got crazy, and I forgot to post in September. Then, I forgot to post in October. Oh, and apparently I forgot in November, as well. Have I mentioned that work was crazy busy and that I'm also a bit absent-minded? Ha!

Anywho - Here we go...

You get three months for the price of one :)

Days 241 - 271 September

September, Part 1 included sights around town, fun at school, tasty things, laundry, and more.

September, Part 2 included cold remedies, a chameleon visitor, treats, Staff Retreat, and computer time.

September, Part 3 included games, time with friends, a cute MK's birthday, and more.

  Days 272 - 303 October

October, Part 1 included International Appreciation Week, a few whole class selfies, and other randomness.

October, Part 2 included lots of school events, a creepy bug, some treats, and a teacher's conference in town.

October, Part 3 included dress up days, a couple tasty experiments, fun with friends, and more.

Days 304 - 334 November

November, Part 1 included randomness in the classroom, a Kids Club movie, scenery, and Women's Retreat.

November, Part 2 included mail, football, Thanksgiving fun, Christmas decor, a special party, and more.

November, Part 3 included a science project, shopping for Christmas, softball, a party, a sunrise, and more.

And now... 

Now, I'm watching my crew take their last Midterm exam. Once that's finished, they'll have a break and I'll grade their exams. Then we'll have our Christmas party, full of presents and tasty treats, and lots of laughter, of course.

And when that's over, I'll head home and finish packing since I leave tonight, heading to my sweet home Alabama to see my family for the first time in 4 months. And in case you couldn't tell... I'm so excited!!! :)

And in case you missed them, here are the links to the previous months' photos.

JANUARY

FEBRUARY

MARCH

APRIL

MAY

JUNE

JULY 

AUGUST

Friday's Letters - All About Christmas

Happy Friday Y'all!

Today, I am joining Kristin for her monthly Little Letters link-up, where we write little "letters" to things as a way of sharing an update on our lives at the moment. 

And this month, all of my "letters" are Christmas-themed ones...

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Dear Classroom Christmas Decorations,

You are so fun and festive. Thanks for providing my students and me with a fun room to spend time in each day. You definitely make me smile. 

Dear Christmas Treats,

You were a fun surprise to give our students. To see their faces light up and to hear their voices shout was priceless. What a joy!

Dear Snowflakes,



You're fun to make. My students love creating you :)

Dear Reading Christmas Books,



I love reading you!

Dear Staff Christmas Party,

We have a very talented/creative lady head up the planning of you each year. And as always, you didn't disappoint. From the decor to the tasty food to the fun games and laughter... You were such a fun night for my co-workers and me!

Dear 96 Cupcakes,

I made you this past Saturday. I must admit... I hate baking. Like seriously... HATE it. But you weren't all that bad. And praise the Lord, you didn't burn on me (which is what usually happens when I bake anything). Anywho - You turned out great! And the kids all loved you! 

Dear My Christmas Elves,

I jokingly told you that you were like Santa's elves. You helped me wrap all the gifts for our Elementary students. You helped me frost the cupcakes and add sprinkles, too. You helped me package everything up. And you helped me carry everything over to the room where we hold Kids Club. Thanks for all of your help!

Dear Kids Club Christmas Party,

Speaking of you... You were so much fun! You included a Christmas movie that was new to almost all of us, tasty treats, and a gift to take home with us. You were enjoyed by the little kids, the volunteers, and me too. 

Dear Christmas Reindeer Antlers, 



You were a fun gift I received earlier in the week. And yes, you are most definitely going to be worn as much as possible between now and Christmas Break :)

Dear Silliness, 



You're seen far more often at Christmas time than usual - even with my silly/hyper crew. There's just so much fun going on. We can't contain ourselves :)

Dear Listening to Christmas Music,



You're the best!

Dear Class Christmas Party,



You're happening next Tuesday. My crew is so excited for you to get here. But first they had to get through their midterm exams. 3 down... 2 more to go :)

Dear Christmas Concerts at School,

You've been so nice. 

Dear Christmas Break,

2 of the main reasons I'm excited for Christmas Break :)

My, oh my, am I ready for you to get here. I know I have a lot to do between now and then. But still... I am so very ready :)

Dear Christmas,

Thanks for being one of my most favorite holidays. Thanks for all you mean to me, as a believer of Christ. Thanks for the hope you bring. And yes, thank you for the fun and the memories you possess as well. I'm so ready for your arrival.

10 Years Later

It's been 10 years since I graduated college.

10 years.

That's crazy.

I so vividly remember being a little girl, lining up all of my stuffed animals and baby dolls, pretending they were the students and I was the teacher.

I have always wanted to be a teacher.

That desire never changed. 

I love teaching.

It's something I definitely enjoy.

It's my passion.

It's what God's called me to do.

Over the past 10 years, I've taught well over 100 students.

I've taught Elementary (1st, 3rd, 4th, 5th).

I've taught ESL (1st - 12th).

I've taught Special Ed. Inclusion (2nd - 5th).

And I've taught Special Ed. Self-Contained (all grades).

Each year I say that my students that year are my favorites. And let's be honest... I always mean it because they always are my favorites :)

10 years

In the past 10 years, I've learned a few things. 

I've learned...

Getting a Master's degree is hard work.

Working on a second Master's is even harder.

Proverbs 31:8 should be in the back of a teacher's mind at all times.

Teaching is not a simple 7:30 to 3:30 job.

Sometimes what a child needs most is not found on a lesson plan.

Some people will NEVER understand all a teacher does.

Self-Care is a must.

Teachers must continue to learn and grow.

Reading is a requirement of the job.

Technology will almost always fail at the worst possible time.

Students rarely act how you'd like on observation days.

You're rarely truly "off" the clock.

Teaching sticks with you.

Children will come to you hungry. Feed them.

Children will come with empty hands. Give them the pencil/paper.

Children will come with holes in their hearts. Show love.

Children notice what you say and do.

Everyone needs love, whether they show it or not.

The worst behaved child usually has a reason. Learn it.

Disabilities aren't always very noticeable.

Not all teachers care.

Make connections.

Greet your students when they walk through the door.

Take an interest. 

Learn their stories.

Pray over their desks every morning.

There are so many more lessons I could share.

But I'll end with this one...

Stay in the Word. God gave you this calling. ...this job. Honor Him by doing it to the best of your ability. Pray. Worship Him. Share His love with those students. Be a vessel for His light to shine each and every day. 

And to wrap up this post, let's take a look down memory lane.

Here's just a few of the 100+ kids I have called (and will always call) "mine" over the past 10 years. My students..
.

FYI - This doesn't show my kids from my first teaching job in Montevallo OR my teaching job in Selma, as I didn't have permission to take/share those kids' photos. Also, this is only a small fraction of the kids I've taught :)

Currently

Happy Wednesday Y'all

Today I'm joining Anne from In Residence for her monthly Currently link-up, where we share what's currently going on in our lives.

Each month, Anne gives us a list of prompts to use to guide our posts. The prompts for December are all about the holidays.

Want to see my Currentlys for...

* gifting * baking * singing * mailing * decorating *

I'm currently gifting some fun (or, I soon will be) our students. We got the kids some super secret gifts and I wrapped them this past weekend. Yay for finding something we think they'll all enjoy. We also have them another small treat of a gift wrapped up too. Yay for Christmas fun! :)

I'm currently baking cupcakes (or at least, I will be on Saturday) for our Kids Club Christmas party. I've got everything ready. And let's be honest... I'm just as excited as the kids. I may not be the biggest fan of chocolate ever. But this right here... This I LOVE :)

I'm currently singing Christmas carols and playing Christmas music all the time. I love having Christmas music playing in my classroom, at home, all the time... I so love this time of year!

I'm currently mailing out my Christmas cards/ministry updates (or at least, I will be in the next week or so). If you'd like to hear about what's going on with my ministry, send me an email HERE and I'll add you to my list.



I'm currently decorating my classroom for Christmas. Well, actually, I decorated this past weekend.  But still... I love it!

And one more, just for fun :)

I'm currently feeling so ready for Christmas Break. I love my students. And I do always miss them when I'm away. But y'all... I'm ready to catch up on sleep and read (for fun) and most importantly, on time spent with my family.

Have I mentioned that we only have 9 more school days?

And what about you?

What are YOU currently up to?