The Little Things

I've always liked this quote. 

It's so true.

I haven't done a post like this in a while, but thought now would be an excellent time.

Sometimes it's the little things that mean the most. 

It's a set of binders, labeled, and ready for the papers they'll be organizing. 

It's a bottle of peanuts, providing an after school snack for me, and all the random kids who stop by to say hello :)

It's the gift of Dr. Pepper.

It's a room with a view. 

It's time spent with a friend, chatting 'til late in the night.

It's a delicious burger. Oh, and it's also the friend who cut it in half for you since it was too difficult to eat it one-handed :)

It's ABC magnets, providing a fun way to practice creating sentences.

It's a failed experiment that still was lots of fun.

It's a dragon made out of pipe cleaners.

It's a cup full of ice water.

It's a bumper sticker that speaks the truth.

It's a picture of one's family.

It's class held outside.

It's so many things.

What are the little things taking up the most room in YOUR heart?

Teacher Tuesday - Classroom Tour

Today I'm joining Andrea and sharing a tour of my classroom.

Now, if you're a regular reader of this space of mine, you know I posted a tour of my classroom about a month ago. Did you miss that post? You can check it out HERE. 

So why a new post?

It only took a week and a half of school for me to realize that the layout of my classroom was just not working. My students' work spaces were too crowded. There wasn't much room for a comfy sitting area for their "free" reading/independent work time. I don't use my desk during the school day, so it was just in the way. Plus, I'd rather my file cabinet and shelves for my own books/paperwork be closer to my desk. And I'd rather my kids' books be on the shelves with the rest of their games, supplies, and manipulatives. Also we're about to start having speech services provided via "tel-therapy" (online) and they'll be happening in my classroom, while I'm teaching other kids. So they needed a semi-private place. All that combined made it clear my desk needed to move. 

So, I decided to rearrange.

*Side note - This is the point where I need to mention that due to my wrist injury leaving me working with only one hand/arm (and NOT my dominant one at that), I never could have gotten my room to this point. So I owe a huge thank you to the people who have helped me move furniture, cut apart/hang calendar pieces, posters, etc. Y'all seriously have no idea how much of a blessing you have been to me (and my class). Thank you!!!



And now on with the tour.

Welcome to my room.

As I said earlier, I've made a few changes since school began 3 weeks ago,

The first change I made was to move my kids' Reading area over to where my desk originally was. This gives my kiddos more space for "comfy sitting" while reading and while  doing independent work during the day. The first thing one of my kids said, upon seeing this area was, "Wow - Ms. Nichols! It's like a new room!" It's amazing how such a seemingly small change can make such a big difference.

I don't know which part I like most. Comfy seats, cute cushions, pineapple quote :)

I moved the kidney/"U" shaped table up a bit and turned it around, so it'd be closer to the whiteboard. I also split up my students' desks and spread them out a bit. Now they'll be able to choose whether they want to work in partners, groups, or alone. 

I changed up the shelving/storage options for my students. I moved all of the kids' Bibles, our class "novel" sets, dictionaries, etc. to the larger shelves. I also put our puppets, and more of the kid's manipulatives and supplies on these shelves as well. I kept the kids' "fun" books on the smaller shelves. But I did move them over by the Reading corner.

I moved my desk out of the way. By moving it, I gave my students more room to move around (such a huge need of most of my kiddos). Plus, I rarely ever use my desk during the school day, and I really won't starting the last week of the month, since I will no longer have any prep/free period. So, when I am working in my classroom before/after school, I can still have my desk. But now, it won't be in the way the rest of the day.

I also moved one of the smaller shelves over near my desk. And on it, I placed all of my teacher help books, along with a few of my binders and supplies. 

Ignore the papers taped to the front. If they're not where I can clearly see them, I'll forget I need to work on them :)

I labeled my big binders and housed them on top of my storage cabinet. And I also did a bit of clean-up/organization of my desk top/drawers (not that you can really see it, but you can take my word for it). So, my workspace is nice, neat, and organized and my brain is happy :)

Special thanks to my friend who cut these labels and added them to the spines of my binders for me!

Isn't my area so nice now? 



Oh and one more thing... When I mentioned to my principal my concern at how I could make it so our kids in Speech could have some privacy, she reminded me of my neighbor saying she was getting rid of this privacy screen. It will be perfect because it will give the Speech folks a bit more privacy. And since I don't have a bulletin board in my room, it will also give me a bit more space to hang posters and signs and such in my room. I don't have  a picture yet, as we need a non-rainy day to get the privacy screen over :)

Ok, maybe I shouldn't have said "one more thing." 

Here are a few other small touches that make my room so fun :)

A friend bought me this a few years ago. I have it hanging on my door. I want it to be what my kids see while exiting my room. I hope they always, always believe this :)

I bought this "LIVIN' the dream" bumper sticker this summer. It's such a great reminder of why I'm here. I stuck it to my clipboard that I'll use when leaving the room for meetings, etc. So I hooked it on the cabinet, right by the door.

A co-worker was getting rid of this box. So I re-purposed it and it's now our storage for school supplies.

And that is my room. Thanks for stopping by :)

It's so crazy to think that just a few short months ago, my room looked like this...



P.S. For those that don't know, this room is a HUGE blessing, and came about due to a lot of answered prayers, changed hearts, and blood, sweat, and tears (well, maybe not the blood part). So this room is most definitely 100% a dream come true. 

Want to know more about my class and how it all started? Click HERE to read about the dream God placed on my heart way back when :)

*Today I'm joining Andrea for her Teacher Tuesday Classroom Tours link-up.*

That's Me

That's me.

...still rocking a splint that is wrapped from my elbow to my hand.

...still rocking the immobilized arm.

...still feeling the sense of frustration over inability to do certain things.

...still depending on others for sometimes seemingly easy tasks.

...still having the occasional bout of pain.

So yeah... That's me.

But do you want to know something?

That's not all.

That's me.

...receiving the gift of assistance from friends, co-workers, students, and others.

...experiencing so much less pain than before the splint arrived on the scene.

...learning how to adapt and get the job done.

...practicing the art of patience.

...spending more time than usual in prayer and in His Word.

...recognizing the gift of friends and their sacrificial friendship.

...feeling empathy for others in similar (or even more challenging) situations.

...having faith that God knows what's best, even when I don't understand it all.

...trusting in my Creator.

Yep. That's me.

...shifting my perspective.

What's Up August

Happy Last Wednesday of August!  Today I am joining  Mel, Shay, and Sheaffer for their monthly What's Up Wednesday link-up party. 

 

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 this week?

Monday - Chicken, Broccoli, and Rice
Tuesday - out with friends
Wednesday - Hamburger & Fries
Thursday - Turkey & Cheese Wrap with Chips

What am I reminiscing about? 

Summer... I spent 5 glorious weeks in the USA with my family. What a treat!

What am I loving?

I'm loving my new classroom. In case you missed it, I gave a little tour HERE. And actually, I rearranged/reorganized my room this past weekend (thanks to a friend for her help). So it looks a little different than in that "tour" post. But Y'all... I am seriously loving being in this room, especially after what it took to get to this point :)

What have I been up to?

We made slime yesterday. It did not work out well. But that's okay. We will just tweak the ingredients and directions and retry it on our experiment day next week.

What am I dreading?

Geckos like the one who fell onto my stove the other night. I seriously thought I was going to have a heart attack. It scared me so bad! The funny part is they normally don't bother me. Yes, they're ugly and gross. But they eat mosquitoes. And in this malaria rich land, anything that kills the mosquitoes is a good thing. But  this guy landed on my stove, with such a loud, that made my heart feel like it was beating out of my chest. Eek!

What am I working on?

Learning to rest and be un-rushed...

What am I excited about?

We get a day off from school on Friday for Tabaski. I love my kids. I do. But I must say... I'm pretty excited to be able to have a lazy-ish day, not working :)

What am I watching?

I've been having trouble sleeping, thanks to  this cast causing me to not be able to find a comfortable position. So last night, I watched most of the 73 Questions videos on Vogue's YouTube channel. I think Simone Biles' interview (see below) is my favorite. 

What am I reading?

I'm not actually reading anything at the moment. But I have 2 I'm planning to read over our long weekend this weekend. Love & Gelato by Jenna Evans Welch and While the World Watched by Carolyn McKinstry. One will be light-hearted and one will be the complete opposite. I can't wait to dig into these two books.

What am I listening to?

The song, Sweetly Broken, has been on repeat in my head for a while now.

What am I wearing?

This.

God is totally teaching me a lesson (well, more than 1) through having to wear this thing. So yes, while I do honestly dread encountering things I can't do on my own... And trust me, there is a lot! I'm not giving up. I'm learning to set aside my pride and accept help from others. And most of all, I'm surrendering my brokenness to my Savior.

What am I doing this weekend?

As little as possible :)

What am I looking forward to next month?

The top two things?

* getting the cast off my arm and 
* welcoming my new student :)

What else is new?

I want to do better this year at staying organized. So the newest thing in my classroom are these newly labeled binders, which will help me on my quest to stay organized.

So what are YOU up to this month?

Sweetly Broken

2 Sundays ago at church, the worship team sang Jeremy Riddle's Sweetly Broken and ever since, this song has been playing in my head. It's as if God put the semi-ironic words in the song, knowing I would need to hear/read them at this exact time in my life.

You see, I wore this thing for 10 days.



I fell on the first day of school and hurt my left wrist. 

I'm left-handed. Did I mention that?

Y'all... It's been HORRIBLE. 

The pain... 
The inability to do even the simplest of tasks...
The frustration over the inability to do my job like I need to...
The discouragement over having to ask for help for so many things...

And so on. And on. And on.

I've had x-rays. The radiologist here looked at it.
I've had a doctor on our staff look at it. 
She had her Orthopedic friend in the States look at it.
She asked me to have more x-rays done.
The radiologist confirmed there's no fracture. 
The doctor on our staff looked at it again.
She had her Orthopedic friend in the States look at it again.
Then she re-examined my wrist yesterday, based on her Orthopedic friend's recommendations.

And that is why 11 days after my fall, I got a diagnosis

Apparently when I fell, I injured the radio-ulnar joint - either fracturing it or dislocating it. We're not necessarily sure of which. So I had to stop moving my wrist ASAP since it was causing more harm than good in doing so. 

And, I ended up with this new "accessory" too...



My arm is wrapped from my elbow to the middle of my hand and will stay that way for at least 2 weeks. Maybe more, depending on how it heals in that time.

And in my warped  reasoning, I feel like having this makes it all justified. 

My pain...
My inability to work like I need/want to...
My discouragement over having to ask for help...

And yes, I realize how stupid it sounds for me to say that.

But y'all, I've spent more than my fair share of time crying (literally) about this. 

And I'm still frustrated.

But yesterday, in the middle of me crying my eyes out (or so it felt) from the frustration of all of this...

In the middle of my incredible broken/weak state, I realized something.

God doesn't ask us to come to Him in a state of perfection.

It's okay if we're broken.

It really is.

And yes, I'm preaching to myself here.

It's kind of ironic that Sweetly Broken has been playing on repeat in my head all this time.

It's like the song says...

I'm sweetly broken, wholly surrendered.

I've realized God is teaching me a lot through this time of injury and recovery.

And do you know what the first lesson He's teaching me is?

I'm broken. 

And that's okay.

But I need to surrender my brokenness (along with my pain, my frustrations over what I can't do right now, my fears of failure, my discouragement at being dependent on others, and so on and so forth). I need to surrender it all to Him.

And that, my friends, is a hard lesson for me to accept/learn.

It's easy for me to give grace to others.

But it's so difficult for me to give grace to myself.

So I'll continue to accept my brokenness. 

But I'll start to wholly surrender it to Him.

And just solely deciding to work towards that was a weight lifted.

So I can only imagine how "free" I'll feel when I am fully able to surrender this brokenness, pain, frustration, etc. to Him. 

So I guess I'll wrap up this really long blog post, I'll ask a question.

Will you help me pray?

Help me pray for healing. And as I wait for that healing, help me pray for patience and guidance in steps to take. Help me pray for strength and the ability to either do the things I need to do. And when I encounter things I cannot do on my own, help me push my stubborn streak out of the way, and be willing to ask for and graciously receive the necessary help.

And most of all... 

Help me pray that I open my heart and mind to see God even more clearly than ever before...all in the midst of this brokenness.

Monday's Letters

Today I'm joining Kristin and writing a few "letters" to the randomness that is my life :) 

Dear Classroom Tour, You're what I gave on my blog last week. Setting up this classroom has been so fun! I can't wait for the school year to start! 

Dear It's a Puzzle, You're the best way I can describe trying to create my daily schedule. When you have students in different grades coming in and out at different times, requiring different levels of assistance, it can sometimes be a bit tricky. But as with any puzzle, if you stick with it long enough, you'll get it all put together. And I finally finished mine up yesterday.

Dear  New Storage Piece, While chatting with our new 2nd grade teacher, she mentioned getting rid of you and asked if I wanted you. I instantly  knew you were perfect for my supplies area. How fun you were to repurpose for my kiddos' use :)

Dear Sweet Tea, I hadn't made you in forever. I'd honestly began to not even like you. But being back in the land of sugary sweet tea this summer renewed my lost love. Oh you and your sweet, caffeinated self is dangerous though. So I won't be able to enjoy you too terribly often.

Dear SPED, You're what was printed on the label attached to my school computer, which I was given the other day. It's amazing how 4 little letters could bring such a smile to my face. I've loved every single class/subject I've taught. I honestly have. But because of all that's gone into planning for (and seemingly fighting for) this class... Well, seeing SPED right there was an amazing thing :)

Dear Progressive Dinner with Co-Workers, What a fun time you were this weekend, getting to meet new co-workers and to hang out with "old" ones.

Dear Brazilian Food, Thanks for being the deliciousness I had for lunch yesterday. 

Dear Lighthouse Wallpaper Border, You're what's decorating the walls in my bathroom. But I'm thinking of making a change. Hmm... Decisions, decisions.

Dear Rain, Wow! You sure did let your presence be known the night before last! I must say, I don't mind you staying outside. You actually cool things off a bit. But when you come indoors, I'm not really a fan.

Dear Busy, You're what I was today and will continue to be tomorrow, between Professional Development, IEP Meetings, other various meetings, lesson planning, etc. But that's okay. It's all worth it. Why? I'm planning for some pretty amazing kids. So I'm excited :)

Dear Friday, You're when this post was originally supposed to be published. However, life happened. So thanks for being flexible and letting Monday hold the title of Date Published :)