170/180 Fantastic Fridays

The DRDP goal for our kiddos is about 10 letters at this time,

with a goal of learning most of the letters as they transition to kinder.

I know they will go over the letters again next year,

but it's just nice to have a head start.

Tough year not having them in person,

but so proud of what they are able to accomplish despite it all.  

*Yes, the chart is public. 

It is usually in a Leadership Binder,

but this year's in person group of kiddos are pretty kind, 

so the goal is for them to recognize we are all at different points

and we know who to go to for help

and who we can help.

Together is better.

Fine motor work with chopsticks and tongs.

Simple, but effective.

What a special treat we had today.

Ms. Garrison's 5th grade students presented Action Theater (courtesy of Skirball Education)

Students were able to watch a skit and discuss how to change being Unkind to kind.

We can't wait to create our own puppets and skits to have meaningful conversations!

PM Zoomies have been doing science.

I love science so much!

Today's challenge...

Create a maze!

And create they did!

It was Bryce's last day of 8th grade.

He didn't want to walk to school to pick up his swag bag,

So I rushed over after school.

They got some nice stuff in a year where they didn't get the traditional dinner dance.

I got 2 dozen roses too!

Nice surprise.

Spent Friday night at my favorite place.

Sat in the vaccinated section tonight.

Strange to be back with the crowds!

Long game.

Could have had a dream outcome,

but it wasn't to be.

169/180 And then there were 10

Tomorrow will be day 170.

10 more days left in this crazy year.

Even though we started our 7 Habits of Happy Kids late,

I really wanted to introduce my students to at least a few of them.

We have been working on goals.

What I would have started in August,

I started in May. 

Science is not something that should be solely taught from a book or video.

You just gotta DO it!

Kids need to experience, explore, discover...

today it was magnets!

We were able to do make discoveries at home with our Zoomies 

and around our classroom with our Roomies.

Same, same, but different.

It was J's birthday today.

He is now 5.

That leaves two more 4 year olds in our class.

J signs in from his babysitter's home.

It's not easy when you have to do things on your own.

This year he went from no videos, signing on and off, and a mute button

to someone who was sharing and expressing himself in Spanish. 

Someone who signs in daily and tries to complete the tasks

even with no help.

I have a few kids that are not signing on from home.

I am grateful they are signing on.

Today was J's 5th birthday.

He likes hamburgers.

I added a cookie for him to share with his sister.

168/180 Celebrating Bryce

 Sometimes you just have to take a day.

Today was the first day of the school year I took off.

It was worth it.

#8thgradeinapandemic #toughwaytoendmiddleschool #movingforward

When you know talented people that will make you a beautiful ribbon.

#thanksSandra #noyoucannottakethemoneyoff

And a big brother mentor that takes you to get fitted for a fancy suit,

and shiny shoes!

#thanksBrian #Luckyboy

So lucky to have this wonderful lady in our lives.

She drove after work nearly an hour...

to sit in the hot sun with us for another hour,

But we are so happy she did! 

#bestgrandma #partofourvillage 

Did I mention how hot it was?

Black suit, black masks, hot sun!

Drive By Celebration...

Every child should have a teacher like Ms. Carter.

She went way above and beyond to support me and Bryce.

Forever grateful and blessed.

Next year we will be parents of two freshmen boys.

#classof2025 #boymoms #partofourvillage

Promotion Lunch of choice: Pizza and 3 rounds of root beer!

There will always be cake!

#itsNutella #thankyouVerna #sherocks

At the end of the day, 

it really is okay

 if he is the ONLY one wearing a Dodgers hoodie

in his yearbook picture right?!

#teens #middleschoollife #wardrobemalfunction #ontohighschool

167/180 Reuse

My friend Joy and her daughter donated a wonderfully preserved dollhouse to my class.

I hadn't taken it to school yet 

because technically, "playhouses" were challenging in a preschool classroom...

during a pandemic.

But we are in the Yellow tier now... 

So...

Playhouses foster dramatic play, imagination, problem solving, creativity, and so many social skills.

The dollhouse wasn't the highlight of the acquisition,

it was all the detailed pieces of the furniture.

So an added benefit is all the language being used when playing with the dollhouse.

It was hard to limited the number, 

but we took turns

and there was joy

and language,

and imagination,

and sorting

and D told me where you have to do #2! (FYI: there was a toilet)

and there will be many more opportunities to practice

all the social and problem solving skills my students need.

Thank you J and J,

you made a difference in the lives of my students today!

I bought this sorting, counting set about 30 years ago when I was working part-time in a toy store. 

During my first years of teaching, I had a second job.

Most of those jobs were at toy stores.

I spent most of my money there too!

Some items lasted the test of time,

some did not.

This set did.

Yesterday was Wear Green for Mental Health Awareness Day!

We wore green.

Mental Health is important.

 

166/180 Magic Monday

When you see a child in Zoom all year,

you begin to make assumptions about them

from observations made daily.

But when you have to make a huge decision about their education,

you want to make sure your assumptions are correct.

J has been off and on our Zoom all year.

He actually started attending recently and engaging in language.

He comes in and out of class,

knows how to enable his drawing tool and draws on our virtual zoom meetings.

I'm just glad he shows up more now.

Lots of growth,

but what would be the best and appropriate classroom for him?

It was too difficult to tell how he would react being away from the safety of home.  

Today he was waiting for us in line.

He didn't have transition issues or trouble following directions.

He danced, sang, and played with us.

He was able to identify characters he found

explore different materials, and asked friends to play.

He kindly helped a friend with his smock,

played nicely, took turns, and was independent when using the bathroom.

All these wonderful skills he had,

but we couldn't see them in a zoom meeting.

Now we can!

Welcome J, we are so happy you are here!

It was glider building day!

Lots of pieces,

but kids were determined.

And they flew!

Andy wasn't my student.

His younger brother J was.

Now he is a college graduate.

How super, duper cool is that!

Proud teacher! Go Andy!

Love graduation season!

Donuts Made Me Cry Today

Donuts made me cry today.

I wasn't expecting it,

but it happened.

*A little back story...

It's the time of year when emotions are high.

Mother's Day just passed,

the school year is ending,

graduations have begun,

and Father's Day is around the corner.

Generally happy occasions.

It was a tough start to this past weekend.

When you think you've moved a few steps forward,

only to realize that you have to take a few steps back again.

I recently saw a post saying that we get 18 summers with our children.

I get the message, 

with a blink of an eye, 

they are no longer our children anymore.

They will graduate high school,

go to college, 

and be independent people 

living lives of their own.

I do get that.

But the post hit me in a different way.

In some cases,

that's not entirely true.

Some cases,

children do grow up,

but they don't go to college,

they don't lead independent lives,

at least not entirely.

and 18 summers may last a lifetime

and beyond.

That worries me.

It worries me a lot.

I know there are things I cannot control

but I would just like to feel confident that things will be okay.

I'm not at that point yet. 

And raising a disrespectful teen

that lies hasn't been easy either.

I know I should let personal hygiene 

and room cleanliness go,

but lying about it is disappointing.

Where did my little boy go?

And who is this rude person that has taken his place?

I know I am a good teacher.

I am struggling to be a good mother.

The weekend wasn't all bad.

D and I went to watch a wonderful movie (Raya and the Last Dragon)

in an actual movie theater.

Walked Burger all weekend.

Didn't eat out once.

The Dodgers swept the Giants and 

spent a lovely Sunday morning walking and chatting at the Arboretum. 

Back to the donuts.

After the Arboretum I went to one of Mom's favorite Mexican markets.

I wanted to buy some fresh chicharron.

I always do when I go there.

It was something mom always bought to share with me.

Not healthy, but something we both enjoyed.

It's a comfort food for me now.

On my way to the market,

I drove by mom's old neighborhood.

I passed by the tiny donut shop that she use to talk about.

I had never seen it open before,

but this morning it was,

and there were donuts on display.

I remember mom saying that it was never open when she went,

but one day she managed to get there

and bought a donut, I think it was a fritter... and liked it.

On the way back from the market,

I stopped to get donuts for the boys,

just one.

When I arrive at the store front,

there were no more donuts left in the display case.

I don't know why I didn't just leave,

but I decided to inquire.

A young man appeared and asked who the donuts were for.

Strange.

When I told him for my sons.

He said, "I got you."

Then he proceeded to tell me a story,

one that I am sure he has told many times over...

The Story Behind the Donut Shop  <--click here. 

Short summary:

It's not just a donut shop.

He has one message to share: Moms are the hardest working people.

He was a caregiver to his beloved grandmother.

He loves meeting people.

He makes the best apple fritters.

He opens from 5:00am till sold out, usually 9:00am.

The shop is not his passion,

serving people is.

It was nearly 11 today.

After sharing his beautiful story

and telling me that moms are appreciated and that I was wonderful and hardworking,

he went back into the kitchen and came out with two boxes.

He wouldn't accept my money,

told me to not look in the boxes until I got home

and to remember that moms are the best.

I could feel tears begin to well up.

I left with the two boxes.

I cried on the way home.

It had been a tough month as a mom and I missed my mom.

I wish she were here.

And here was this stranger telling me how wonderful I was because I was a mom.

It felt like mom was there.

When I got home I opened the boxes with the boys.

I was hoping to find an apple fritter (it's my favorite donut, but only if it's a good one)

No apple fritter.

It's his specialty so it didn't surprise me,

but what I did find were two boxes of delicious donuts and a few croissants,

gifted with love and appreciation because I was a mom.

By the way, the strawberry ones were pretty incredible.

 

165/180 Long Road to Friday...

Friday couldn't come soon enough this week.

The end of the year is such an exhausting time,

even more so when you are teaching two classes each day 

and trying to make them the same, but different.

Today we continued to explore air and weather.

Yesterday, my Zoomies used straws to try to get objects to move.

We can't do that in person,

but we can use plastic syringes (#fosskit)

and do the same investigation.

Then we made spiral wind socks. The wind decided to cooperate today!

When you have to do ELPAC testing virtually and kids need to listen carefully

but there are 4 people on Zoom in the classroom

and 15 kids chatting on screen. 

#sciencelab #twodevices #longafternoon

Had to get in on the science action on Zoom.

Nice break from testing.

Today's investigation: Capture air!

11 years ago today, I was parenting a 3 and 9 year old.

Today they are 14 and 20.

It's not as cute these days.

It was a very horrible, terrible, no good, very bad afternoon. Some days are like that... even in Australia.

#hopingforbetterdays

164/180 Creative Team

I love the Arts!

I love having my students involved in the Arts.

This year we, I, accepted an invitation from our local district

to participate in their annual art festival.

This is the first time I have entered.

The theme this year is: Healing through the Arts.

I sent in a dance video because 

we dance and sing everyday and it fills our buckets!

The coordinator of the festival asked for teachers to submit artwork.

So...

My team partner is a talented artist.

He thinks creatively and created a loteria card for 20-21.

The rest of us decided to just paint and see where it leads.

I had students do self portraits

with and without a mask to symbolize the year,

I decided to follow their lead/theme do a self portrait in mask too,

and added words and symbols to tell my story of this school year,

my 34th with the district.

 

163/180 Taking Flight

 Highlights from day...

Paper airplane races.

DIY obstacle course

Imaginary pool

Loving tribute for a friend...

Reading bench dedicated to legacy and future Bears.

162/180 Tuesday

Early morning mobile Covid testing.

My kiddos did great!

OT time!

Let's explore air!

I love my job!

Filling air... 

lots of air!

Had dinner out with high school buddies

in an actually restaurant! #beenalongtime

Happy Birthday Laura!