Happy Birthday to MEE!

I have had an absolutely fabulous birthday weekend. Aside from the fact that the weather was suuper cold, It was definately one of the best birthdays Ive had in a while :)

So... when i came to work this morning and two cute kindergarteners ran into my room breathless and said, "Ms. D! Ms. D! We NEED you in kindergarten riight NOW! Hurry!" I was kinda worried. I followed them to their room and was greeted with a huge "SURPRISE!!!!" form the rest of the class! They sang me Happy Birthday (complete with the Cha-cha-cha's) and gave me a beautiful new plant for my room. What a perfect way to top off a perfect weekend :D

Thank you KA & KB!!

xxOOxx

Yummy!!!

And so... the treats begin...

Celebrity Status

Today the PTA "Surprised" us with a Teacher Appreciation day. It was actually REALLY cool. They decorated the whole school like a Hollywood Award show and started the day with our celebrity stars. They also had a school-wide ballot and gave us each "personality awards." Here's mine :)

It turns out that I am "Wonderful, Beautiful, and a Good Helper!" Nice. Then, when the kids were coming in, I was given a lovely pink boquet of roseswith the most adorable card and a cup of hot coffee! What a way to start the day!

In her own handwriting, a student wrote this in the card:

Ms. D

Roses are pink,

apples are red.

I know you like apples

and this is your card

Sooo cute!

Then, we were told that there would be parents to cover our lunch! OMG. That was the best gift EVER. (I haven't had a lunch in over four weeks...It was heaven.) So I go upstairs to the faculty lounge to eat lunch to find that they've decorated up there too. We even got a red carpet and everything! I was expecting pizza but no, we had a full-out buffet for lunch. There was so much food that we'll probably have some left over for tomorrow (yess!!!).

It was a fun day, and the school really got into it. The older girls even came up with the idea of asking us for our autographs! haha. Well, I wish everyday was teacher appreciation day. However, then everyone would want to be a teacher! We can't have that!

xxOOxx

Happy Teacher Appreciation Day!

"A teacher affects eternity; he can never tell where his influence stops." -Henry Adams

I know that this is true because teachers in my life have affected me greatly, even to this day. So, on this very special day that is dedicated to the teachers that love, care for, and teach us more than textbooks ever could... THANK YOU! So, in chronological order:

Thank you to my very first teachers, my parents. You taught me more than I could ever write down or even count. You taught me how to be a good student.
Thank you to my second teachers, my two younger sisters. You both have built my character and taught me how to be a teacher.
Thank you to my favorite fifth grade teacher, Mrs. Stevens. Your wacky ways and love of books has inspired me from my first day in your classroom- I bet you don't even know how much I strive to be like you as I am becoming a teacher on my own!
Thank you to my favorite seventh grade teacher, whose name I forgot but who's actions live on in my memory. Thank you for always expecting the best and never settling for less- It's helped me expect more from myself.
Thank you to my very first above-par college professor, Professor Turner. You were outspoken and clearly a bit insane, but you inspired me to take a stand. To believe in something. To DO something.
Thank you to my favorite professor, Dr. Marchevsky. Your belief that my writing could be better, that my argument could be better, that my structure could be better helped me try harder and write better.
Thank you to my two wonderful credentialing professors. Dr. Persiani, you continually inspire me withwords of encouragement and your willingness to go 1000% for your class, whether it be elementary or university. Dr. Beltran, by leading by example you taught me that everyone can be an exceptional teacher with the right tools and attitude. Thank you for giving me both.

There are tons of teachers in our lives, even students are teachers many times. These are just the ones that I want to thank today for making me who I am.

xxOOxx

Reason #35 Why Teaching is Worth It

Friday was my last day of a long-term sub job in kindergarten. I've been with these kiddos since January and they have all left a mark in my heart. It always amazes me how quickly we make connections between students and teachers. This isn't the first time I've had to part with great kids and it certainly won't be the last...

Anyway, I went out to get them on Friday morning and every one of them had a flower and a hand made card for me :D It was such a lovely surprise and I had a beautiful bouquet to bring home filled with daisies, lilies, carnations, daffodils (my favorite), roses, and even a bird of paradise. It was definitely the prettiest bouquet I've EVER gotten! Here's a picture of some of them...