Filed under: Monday
So, I survived another Monday, despite really not wanting to go into work today.
It was actually a really good day, and we got a lot of things done.
I have a good deal of preparation to finish up for a thing later this week. Lots of cutting and pasting to do.
I hope you had a great Easter; I know mine was nice and relaxing. Spent some quality time with the familia which is always lots of fun.
I’m sorry I’m a bit disconnected right now, but my brain is pretty drained from this day. I went into this day with not a ton of energy so it kind of affected me throughout the day.
Anyway, this week should be interesting, especially since we have Field Day on Friday and that takes up almost all day. It’ll be fun for sure, but part of me is hoping that maybe it’ll rain and wash some of this pollen away before we spend half a day outside inhaling it. We’ll see–there’s a slight chance of thunderstorms on Thursday night, so maybe it’ll clear some of this stuff out. It’s like it snowed pollen out here…we’re tracking it into buildings and our cars are building up ridiculous amounts of yellow. So gross. Definitely looking forward to our first real rain!
I’ve gotta bounce, so sorry this one was a little short, but I hope you had an awesome Monday. We’re over that part of the week now, anyway. One day closer to Friday!
See you guys and gals tomorrow!
So I did it.
A 40-day journey of looking for the silver linings even when they’re pencil-thin. I’m pretty proud of myself, really. This was a pretty big commitment, and I wanted to go all in for sure.
So thank you to those of you who have been with me through this journey from beginning to end. Thank you also to those who may have just discovered this whole thing recently. Your involvement only pushes me to keep it up.
So here we go, for day number 40. Let’s see what we’ve got.
Today’s Silver Linings:
1. We tried some new things today in our reading block, and I feel like it was a really productive period. We worked independently, I worked with small groups, and the kids had writing conferences with each other all at one time. Pretty cool.
2. My kids are getting so much better at hallway behavior. I feel like I’m walking with a different group of students at times with how much they’ve improved.
3. We got to go outside today, and I really didn’t think we would. And toward the end of recess, the sky opened up and we saw sun and blue skies.
4. Praise the Lord; this week is only four days long.
5. Have you seen the new Harry Potter website? It’s incredible.
6. I had such an awesome phone conversation with one of my favorite people last night. It’s always nice to catch up with good friends.
7. I could be homeless, but I’m not.
8. I could be jobless, but I’m not.
(I know those seem like trivial things, but really, they’re a pretty big deal.)
9. On a less socially-conscious note, there’s a new Gossip Girl on tonight that I am all over.
10. It’s been an interesting Monday, but I’ve survived it (I think). And hopefully tomorrow will only be better, right?
So, starting tomorrow I’ll probably stop numbering my posts. Each day will probably have its own title. My goal will be to keep this up as often as I have been, so continue to look back each day.
If doing this has affected you in any way, I hope that it’s made you open your eyes a little wider. There’s a lot in life that’s broken. But that doesn’t diminish the beautiful things.
And believe me, there’s a lot of beauty to be seen.
Filed under: Monday
Howdy, partners.
It’s Monday and, as usual, everybody (including me) is a little slower-moving. We long for the weekend we swore had just begun, and we’re just not ready to dive into a new work week. And yet regardless of our protesting, Monday always comes.
So why not give a go at looking for positives on a Monday?
I know, I know. It feels contrary to human nature to see Mondays in a positive light. But try it. You’ll be surprised, I think.
Let’s get today’s list going!
Today’s Silver Linings:
1. My kids were really quiet this morning. It’s either the calm before the storm or they’re all still half asleep, but I certainly hope it’s a sign of good things to come today.
2. He is so into reading The Diary of a Wimpy Kid books. I know he likes to read, but it’s cool to see him into something that’s longer and probably a touch more challenging for him to read.
3. As of this morning, both copiers are working in the work room, at the same time. This is something we haven’t experienced in a while, so that’s pretty exciting.
4. My kids worked really well during independent work time today. I was really happy with how quiet they were, and it let me get a lot done with the group I pulled today.
5. He’s having a pretty good day, really. Which is always a silver lining.
6. I read one of my favorite books from when I was younger to my kids today…there was something really neat about the moment.
7. We’re close to finishing book 2 of Charlie Bone, and I feel like we just started it. But the nice thing is that there’s more after book 2, and I think they’ll want to continue to read them.
8. Even though this morning was pretty yucky looking, the sun has come out and the sky is blue–which means we get to go out for recess!!
9. My dad made it home safe and sound yesterday despite numerous obstacles in his way. I’m glad he’s home, and I’ll be even more glad when Linda is home with him! 🙂
10. So there you have it: silver linings found on a Monday. It didn’t seem possible, but there they are. And the cool thing is tomorrow can be even better!
So I wish you all a happy Monday! Have a great start of the work week and I’ll see you guys tomorrow! 😀
Filed under: Monday
Hola, amigos.
Hope you’re having an awesome Monday, though I know that phrase feels a bit like an oxymoron. My Monday is going alright, actually. Here are a few reasons why.
Today’s Silver Linings:
1. I started using a program called Coach today that we’ll be using daily to review EOG skills in Reading and in Math, and I thought that our session today went really well.
2. He’s on green still. Big deal, especially on a Monday.
3. We went to check out our preview of the Book Fair, and I created some really cute Wish Lists for them to bring and fill out. I’m really proud of how well most of my kids did in previewing the things that they wanted to buy.
4. We came back to the room and tried this new strategy that we’ve learned about in staff development where the kids pair up and one person talks for 45 seconds, then the other person talks, then they each talk for 30 seconds, then 15. I wasn’t sure how well my kids would do with this, but we tried it out today and I felt like it was actually really successful.
5. Over the course of the weekend, I have gotten to see some really amazing pictures of my mom from when she was in college. It’s all because one of her college friends has found me on Facebook and has started to share both pictures and memories with me. I invite you to check out her blog, which you can find by clicking here. I’m excited to continue getting to know her and, by extension, getting to know my mom better, too.
More to come at the end of the day. Later taters!
~*~*~* (Looks like we’ve made it…) *~*~*~
6. He stayed on green all day. Holy crap.
7. I mean, I ate my PB&J sandwich today while doing our read aloud of Charlie Bone. I pretty much rocked the multi-tasking thing.
8. Even though the clouds were a little on the menacing side and it was a little cooler today, it was still really nice at recess.
9. Tomorrow is session #2 of my workshop I started attending last week. I’m looking forward to learning more and more about how to work with those kids that need extra differentiation in terms of behavior management. The more I learn, the better teacher I’ll be.
10. I’m a little tired and a little worn down by this day, but you know what? Tomorrow can be even better.
Hope you didn’t have a horrible case of the Mondays, friends. Stay smiling and I’ll see you back here tomorrow!
Here we are, at the start of another work week!
Mondays really aren’t so bad if you’re armed and ready for them, you know.
Let’s see what we’ve got so far for this day, eh?
Today’s Silver Linings:
1. My kids have been sitting and working on practice EOG stuff almost all morning and they’ve been troopers about it. I know it’s way less interesting than the stuff we normally do, but I’m glad that they’re taking it seriously.
2. A few of my kids just cannot help themselves from rushing through their practice tests. Out of 50 questions, one of my students got only 27 right. I asked him to go back to his seat and revisit all of the questions that were circled. He did, and now he has 41 our of 50. See? All it takes sometimes is just s l o w i n g d o w n.
3. I know that the weather has taken a regular role the past few days on my lists, but seriously. It’s beautiful outside, again. Which means we get to go outside! Yay!
4. We had a tornado drill this morning for the first time ever, and my kids rocked it. They were all following directions and I was very proud that I didn’t really have to speak to anyone.
5. He came this morning in a focused mood. He walked in and I asked him to finish something he had been working on last Friday. I’ll admit, I was a little nervous because that something was primarily a writing activity, but he sat down and did it–and did it well. 😀
6. I found a great interactive website for one of my ESL students. It’s called Roy: Tale of a Singing Zebra, and she was doing all kinds of exercises that were helping her better understand sentence structure, using capital letters, and punctuation.
7. I don’t have hallway duty this week! 🙂 I don’t mind doing it, as it is often a very entertaining ending to my day (see previous week’s lists), but it’s nice to have a few minutes in the afternoon to take care of odds and ends so I’m ready to walk out the door at 4:15.
8. One of my best friends will hopefully be bringing her mama home from the hospital today. I love her and her family dearly, and we’re all glad that this last “episode” seems to have been mainly caused by one of her medications running out and nothing that can’t be fixed. I know she’s ready to be home and I know her family is ready for the same!
9. There’s a certain awesome music teacher I know, who happens to occasionally read my little blurbs on here once in a while. Today is her birthday! If you’re reading today, Happy Birthday! I’m very glad you were born, because you make my job a little more pleasant just by being a friend.
10. Holy cow! This is what happens when you decide to find the beauty in a day (even a Monday), no matter what. You wind up with your list finished before the day’s even half up! I love it. Hopefully your Monday will rock as much as mine, but even if it doesn’t–there’s always tomorrow!
Happy Monday, folks! Hope your work week is off to a great start!
Filed under: Monday
Happy Monday!
Today has been pretty amazing so far, especially considering the fact that I tend to have a massive coughing fit every 25 words or so. Yaaay, water!
Let’s get this show on the road, shall we?
Today’s Silver Linings:
1. I just have to say…my cold bbq chicken pizza is making an incredible lunch. (Thanks, Linda!)
2. I was observed this morning, and even though I get nervous every time, my students were fantastic! (All of them!) There were a few minor redirections, but overall, they were really great and I felt we had a great reading session this morning.
3. It’s still working! For those of you curious as to what my miracle solution for him has been…it’s music. While he works independently, he has on headphones and listens to one of my CDs. It doesn’t seem like the solution should be so simple, but I have theories as to why this simple solution makes such a major difference for him and his level of focus.
4. My students, bless their little hearts, are being troopers and bearing with me through my constant fits of coughing. They are more patient sometimes than I give them credit for, I think.
5. I do believe we’ll get to go outside for recess today! 🙂
Halfway through at lunch time; I’d say that’s a pretty great start of the day. I have to run down the hall (bbq chicken pizza in hand) and make copies of something for math today, so I’ve got to scoot, but I’ll see you back here after school today!
Have a wonderful and productive start to the work week, folks!
——- (Just another manic Monday…) ——-
6. So, wanna know how much my kids rock? We were ALL on green at the end of this day. Yeah, I know I just blew your mind.
7. Again, the weather is bringing me to my knees laughing. MORE snow? Isn’t it March? Doesn’t that indicate the start of SPRING?
8. We got almost everything done today. For those of you who are teachers, you understand just how infrequently that wonder occurs. I just feel really good about my pacing today.
9. Tomorrow morning some of the staff are coordinating an awesome staff breakfast! I love being able to come into work and eat food that I didn’t have to buy or prepare! 🙂
10. And, yes, I repeat it everyday, but it remains true: There is always, thankfully, tomorrow.
I think I’m coming into the home stretch with this mysterious cough/drainage/hoarseness randomness. Let’s just pray that I’m right and it will only get better from here.
Hope everyone had a good Monday, all things considered. See you kids tomorrow!
The cool thing about doing this is that now I have my eyes opened wider, looking for silver linings. That’s a pretty neat side effect, if I do say so myself.
(And I do.)
Today’s Silver Linings:
1. He doesn’t have silent lunch! Hallelujah!
2. Even though it’s raining and that means no outside recess, now we can start our next book in the Charlie Bone series today! (Update: unable to begin the book, but we had fun doing what’s listed as #8 instead!)
3. My classroom library is looking particularly organized today, and I know I had nothing to do with it. (I love when my kids turn into cleaning pixies.)
4. That special boy of mine has made my heart smile today.
5. I’m getting more and more excited about this concert my kids are putting on this week…I can’t wait to see how it all turns out. 😀
6. Today we’ll get to the prize box and he just might scrape by with enough tickets to go. (Update: not only did he leave early, but we didn’t get to it today…I suppose that’s better, though. Means he’ll still have a chance tomorrow!)
7. No hallway duty this week! Woo hoo!
Check that out! Only lunch time and I already have 7! I’ll put the last few up after school.
Happy Monday! (And, go figure, I mean it.)
——— (And now, for #8-10)———
8. We played a fun, fast-paced multiplication game today and I discovered that my kids have been practicing their multiplication at home!
9. I feel really, really good about the way I’m teaching fractions this year. I don’t know if it’s the new program’s way of introducing it, or just that I’ve grown up as a teacher, but my kids are really blowing me away. That means I must be doing something right, right?
10. Siempre habrá mañana. (Any guesses?)
See you tomorrow!
The Positivity Project 