Have you thanked a teacher today? Teacher Appreciation!

Have you ever had a week where you are like "What day is it?" "We need a bun for dance pictures?" "I have an IEP TODAY??" "I'm so full of food." "More candy?" "What day is it again?" "What's tomorrow's spirit day?" "Oops I forgot to e mail you back." "Which day is it again?"  "More snacks?" "I think I'll just eat my stress away." "The field trip is THIS WEEK?!"   ????  HAVE YOU EVER FELT LIKE THIS?  Well this is me this week!  It is teacher appreciation week (hence the snacks), MAP spirit week (which I am planning the assembly on Friday!) AND our field trip is on Friday.  Can you say busy?

Anyway, enough about me!  Let's talk about people.  The people we work with.  This week is teacher appreciation week and I am so grateful each and every day for the people I work with.  Today was "twin day" and I have this little gem ...

(We even have matching shoes and bows!!!)

Ashton is my teaching partner this year.  It has been such a pleasure to work with her all year.  We are not only partners, but I have also had the chance to be her "mentor" this year.  As her mentor, we meet once a week (aside from our normal planning and other meetings), and we chit chat about anything: about behavior, building plans, curriculum, procedures, rules, things to say, things not to say :),   It has been such a breath of fresh air mentoring a brand-new teacher this year.  She is so sincere and is a true learner.  I cannot say this girl has had any easy ride either!  Her first year of teaching has been ROUGH!! Dealing with problems and things that some veteran teachers have never even had to think about or deal with.  She has been strong through it all!  She's had students with emotional disorders, a student lose her mom, severe bullying issues, disrespect, learning disabilities, parents, and even more than that!   We've had tears (lots of tears) and I've tried to be there as a shoulder to cry on.  

As I look back on our year, I remember Ashton coming to me the night before the first day of school.  She got emotional because she just didn't know what to expect.  She wasn't sure if she was ready.  My heart dropped for her, because even though I knew she would do fine, she was so scared.   At that moment, these are all the things I wanted to tell her:  

This will be an emotional ride.  You will want to quit.  You will cry.... A LOT! You will not know what to do ...ALL THE TIME.  YOU WILL BE TIRED!  YOU WILL WANT TO SCREAM! YOU WILL FEEL CONFUSED!  Some people won't be nice.  YOU WILL FEEL LIKE A FAILURE!........................

but.. let's just say...I didn't want to overwhelm her, so I told her the same thing that everyone says before the first day of school, "You'll do great! :)"            And she did.

Every day, every month, every trimester... came and went.  Ashton stayed strong.  Her will-power was outstanding.  I began to see that she really cared for her kids.  She had the "it" factor.  She was a compassionate and loving teacher.  Her kids NEEDED her.  It's like magic!

This experience has been more than a "procedure" to me.  It has been a learning experience for me too.  So rewarding to see someone learning and utilizing things with her kids that we've talked about.  She keeps me together most days with planning.... "I'll take a copy of that great lesson plan idea Ashton!"   

I am glad I am able to share my experiences, expertise, and knowledge with her.  I can't wait (and I know she can't either) to see all the things she has in store for next year.  I know there is so much to do/ change!  It's my favorite part!

If you are ever in a teaching rut, go visit a first-year-teacher.  They will remind you why you got started in the first place.  They will remind you that teaching is more than just following a manual.  They will probably ask you for advice, and if they do, they are keepers... because just like our kids, we are learners too.

LOVE YOU ASHTON!  YOU ROCKED IT THIS YEAR!