Celebrate what is RIGHT with the world!

Celebrate what is right in the world...

It's been a hard week.  Going on three weeks of feeling pretty cruddy (sinus infection and possibly pneumonia)!  I've been tired (lethargic, really), emotional, and unproductive.  But enough whining already!  There is so much to be happy about~and I'm gonna share.  I'm gonna celebrate what is right with the world today!

*I'm now on antibiotics!
*3 more Reading Recovery kiddos successfully completed the program today!
*I just found out that a great friend of mine is going to have a baby this summer!
*My husband texted me love notes all day!
*I get to take 'belly' (maternity) pictures of a good friend this weekend!
*My son, who is away at college, called just to say, "I love you, mom!"
*Strangers are leaving lovely comments on my 365 Project (a photo a day all year)!
*A colleague brought me Starbucks...just because!
*I got to meet one of my student's newborn baby brother :-)
*Someone told me that they LOVE my blog <3
*My husband bought me an awesome new lens for my camera (I CAN'T WAIT to use it)!
*My 5280 & Food and Wine magazines came this week!
*And perhaps the best of all~one of my new students grabbed my hand as we walked down the hallway!

Ah, it sure feels better to spend energy thinking about all the wonderful things in my life! Thanks for indulging me.

No wine for me tonight (doesn't mix well with antibiotics).

~Cab Lover

Cel-e-bra-tion time...come on!

Today, I celebrate.  Many of you know that I am a Reading Recovery teacher in training.  And today...my first student successfully discontinued the program!  After 20 weeks of intense intervention, she made it.  As is protocol, I cannot 'test out' my own students in order to keep objective and preserve the integrity of the data.  Needless to say, I was very nervous as my wonderful colleague, Josie, assessed my little gal.  At the time, I was working with another student, trying not to listen to my gal reading on the other side of the room divider.  I knew she could do it, but still I wondered if being with another teacher would make her nervous.  Would she freeze?  Forget to orchestrate all three sources of meaning?  Stumble on known words?  Let's face it...I was downright scared!

We work so hard to move these struggling readers forward and it's difficult not to take their setbacks personally.  At the same time, we are reluctant to take any credit for their strides.  Today, as I sat anxiously waiting for Josie to finish, I tried to focus on the little guy seated next to me. No use.  I felt like I was back in graduate school waiting to met my professor to discuss the first draft of my thesis.  Not a great feeling!  How silly, though.  I knew I had done my best with my little gal.  I knew she had done her best.  Still, I so badly wanted her to successfully discontinue (pass) the program!  I wanted it for her, not for me.  Discontinuing means she will no longer lag behind her peers in reading.  It means she can feel good about herself as a reader.  It means that we, at Renaissance, are able to meet the needs of our struggling readers and are giving them strategies that will help them for their entire lives! High stakes!

Josie came out from behind the divider, and before I even had time to say a word, she kissed me on the cheek.  "She passed with flying colors" she said.  I cried.  I'm crying now.  Happy tears.  Big, sloppy, happy, crocodile tears!

My first Reading Recovery student!  Yay for her.  Yay for me.  Yay for US!  Another child got the key that opens the door to...everything.  And now, anything is possible!

No wine tonight (just ice water in my plastic Starbucks cup).

~Cab Lover

Hugs, please...

It's Monday.  I woke up feeling worse than I had all weekend.  The hope that my cold would be gone this morning quickly faded as  my throat was completely engulfed in flames by 7:00 a.m.  I went to work anyway.  No voice.  Looking like death.  Tired.  And sad that my husband was leaving today on short business trip.  Still, I had lots to do today and I truly was excited to implement some of the cool things I learned at our professional development last week.  Really, the day could only get better from where I sat.

Not so fast.  As I sat at the light near my school, my cell phone rang.  It was my dear husband...a not-so-happy dear husband.  He was calling to tell me about an 'issue' with our two 16 year-old daughters.  He was upset.  Really upset.  And he was on his way to my work so that we could talk about it.  This can't be good...

I know this is technically a 'teacher' blog.  But I find that at times teaching and parenting are much the same.  Challenging, yet rewarding.  Heartbreaking, yet joyful.  Frustrating, yet blissful.  Confusing, yet enlightening.  And unfortunately, at times, just brutal.  Painfully brutal.  Today was one of those days.

I ended up leaving work with Matt so that we could take care of our family.  Together, as a team.  A united front.  After a good deal of silence, some yelling, and lots of crying, I laid down for a nap.  Needless to say my throat was now throbbing.  My eyes were swollen and my nose could put Rudolf to shame.  When I woke from my short respite, I felt a little better.  Physically and emotionally.  I started to think again about how teaching and parenting are alike.  You try something.  It doesn't work.  You make adjustments.  You progress monitor.  You make  more adjustments.  You celebrate the small gains as well as the big ones.  You go back the next day.  And the next.  So, I will get up tomorrow and get right back at it!

Comfort

I am blessed with a wonderful family.  I work with amazing people.  I am a good teacher and a great mom.  Sometimes, I just need to remind myself of that.  Sometimes, I just need someone to tell me. Sometimes, I just need a hug.

Just hot tea tonight (Celestial Seasonings Sleepytime Tea)

~Cab Love

Living in a Petri Dish

Sicking...

Have I told you lately that I love teaching?  I really do!  Each day brings a new challenge, a lot of love, some enlightenment, and...Germs.  Lots and lots of GERMS!  Someone told me yesterday that teaching, at least being around kids all the time, is like living in a Petri dish.  Ugh.

We had a professional development day on Friday.  It was awesome.  I spent the entire day sharing and learning from others.  I was so excited to come home and put some of my new learning to work.  Planning.  Researching. Rearranging my schedule.  Instead, I was out of my work clothes (jeans and a t-shirt...after all it was a non-contact day), and into my jammies by 5:30 p.m. 

Okay.  Well, I can work from the couch, right?  As long as I was sitting up (I couldn't breathe lying down) I could function.  I was able to show Matt how to use Google Docs to create  a survey for his detectives at work.  Google Docs is awesome, and in fact the Google Doc session on Friday was fabulous!  I plan to use it as a progress monitoring tool.  Anyway, I was able to work a bit on Friday night.

Somehow, overnight, my sinuses were filled with cement.  I couldn't breathe, and therefore, couldn't sleep.  When I did happen to dose off, I guess I snored so loudly that I shook the room!  Still, my sweet husband stayed in our bed and tried to comfort me.  Thanks, baby! 

It's Sunday now.  Still can't breathe.  The cold medicine that I have been taking (much to my dismay) no longer has any affect.  None.  I have to breathe out of my mouth so I sound much, much worse than I feel.  And, tomorrow is Monday.  The day I was to put all of my new wisdom to work.  Hopefully, as long as I remain in an upright position, I will be able to be somewhat productive.  I just hope that my heavy mouth-breathing doesn't freak out the kids.  If it does though...paybacks are a booger (pun intended)!

Decisions, decisions...

Goodbye, DayQuil...I'm going to go try a Hot Toddy now (with Crown Royal)!

~Cab Lover