Rough couple of days...

I wish I had pictures to post as I know that all great blog posts include pictures but I don't really have anything that would capture what I am going to talk about.
These last two days have to be two of the hardest teaching days of my career. It included crying in front of my class, breaking down in tears in my boss's office and going to bed at 8 o'clock the last two nights.
I am just exhausted and drained. My kids are wearing me out and it has been hard. My aide was even in tears yesterday saying that she has never seen a class like this before.
My boss came in and observed me today which was good. The kids were, of course, perfect but the funny thing is that he thought they were naughty. So if he thinks that is naughty, wow! He had a few pointers for me and it was hard to take but things I need to learn from and change. He really is a great guy and a great leader.
Anyways, I am too tired to really write a lot and I promise that I will post some interesting pictures real soon.

Too long

Wow, it really has been too long since I posted a new note! Sorry for the delay! Ever since coming back from Christmas, life has been crazy and I have been so tired. By the time I get home every night I am ready for bed! How sad!

Today I write with a thankful heart. Thankful that my students have had an amazing day after such a rough week. Thankful for my job and the people I work with. Thankful for conversations I have been able to have with a few friends that have challenged me to grow in so many areas. Thankful for God's love even when it is not deserved. I am just happy. Admist the chaos of life, I find myself happy and so thankful that I am at a healthy school where I can thrive and truly feel like God has gifted me as a teacher.

I think I am so mindful of what I am thankful for because of something that happened this morning. I had a parent (the one that obviously doesn't care for me and thinks her son is perfect) snap at me for something so small and minute. She even snapped at her own son and was seriously acting like a Nazi. I walked away angry and just wanted to fight back but kept my cool. The more I thought about it, the more I realized that this woman is just angry. She has been hurt by someone and now is trying to hurt other people and it really is not worth it. I am thankful that I am not that angry or bitter that I have to find enjoyment in hurting others.

I must say that I am angry and bitter about my last job and how my boss treated me. He caused me to think twice about being a Christian and a teacher. He really screwed with my mind and only now am I trying to pick up those pieces. But I am thankful that I have other things in my life to be thankful for and set my mind on that this is much better harboring the emotions and hurting other people.

Okay, this has turned more into journal entry than anything else. I just wanted to update those out there that actually read this.

My favorite Christmas

This Christmas has been one of my all-time favorites. I love my family, I love that we all get along so well and have such a fun time together. It is so fun being an auntie to two of the cutest kids in the world! I am sad that our time together is coming to an end and am already looking forward to our family vacation in August!

The cousins waiting in front of the Christmas tree to open gifts.

My cute family (minus my brother in laws and niece and nephew).

Micah loving the King's game (his favorite part was the mascot!).

Sydney at her best!

Part of the reason this has to be one of my favorite Christmas's is because of the generosity I have seen from people. I was able to hand deliver the gifts from my class to the Oates and they were blown away and felt blessed, which is exactly what I wanted! They are an amazing family! It was fun visiting with them and getting to know the kids a little more.

This past Friday my class held a bake sale to help raise money for Isaiah and his family. Isaiah is a son of a childhood friend that was diagnosed with leukemia in May. My class decided to adopt him and his family for the year. As a class we decided that instead of giving gifts to each other, we would buy gifts for Isaiah's family (a total surprise!). We raised over $400 and I was blown away at the generosity that was shown during this bake sale. People just generously donated money without buying any baked goods. My students were so excited and so proud, it was fun to watch. Now comes the fun part of shopping for these gifts and presenting them to the family when I am home next week. God is so good and His goodness has shown through in a huge way this week.

Along with the bake sale, I was able to lead 11 of my students in a prayer to accept Jesus into their hearts, something that was not expected or planned but just a divine appointment.

On Friday, my 4th grade teacher from Cali was in town and wanted to come visit my classroom, I was SO excited and it was so fun to see her! She was only there for about a half hour but it didn't matter to me. The fact that she just wanted to see me was what meant so much.

So, this has been a week full of emotional highs and has been one of the best weeks of my life. I have seen God like never before and the generosity and love of people have amazed me. Here are some pictures of our fun times on Friday. Enjoy! :)

My adorable class

These pictures do a pretty good job at capturing the cuteness of the kiddos in my class. Even as today was a rough day, I do have to say that I love them very much. Through all of their craziness and misbehavior, they have sweet spirits and they are the reason I teach!

Julia and Zach are so sweet!

Katelyn proudly displaying the can used for collecting the money for "Isaiah's Christmas Fund." I am very proud of the kids as they have not complained one bit about not receiving a gift from a classmate. Instead, we are giving money to go towards a gift to help Isaiah and his family. That is the true meaning of Christmas!

Preston and Jared working away on spelling sentences.

Let it Snow!

The snow has been coming down for the past few hours and my roommate and I decided to go play in it for a bit and here are some pictures that don't quite catch the beauty of the snow!

Different Generations

Today my students went on a field trip to a retirement center and played BINGO with the residents there. It was amazing to watch the interactions between the students and the older folks. At first, my students eyes were about to bulge out of their sockets as they had no idea what to do (even though I prompted them on what to do and say) and at the end of our time, they were sad to leave and saying goodbye to their new friends. It was a joy to watch this interaction.

With people at retirement homes, you never know what to expect. You never know if they will really talk to you or just stare at your blankly. I struck up a conversation with a lady who had been a teacher for over 40 years and I really enjoyed our conversation. It got me thinking how fun it would be to visit people in retirement homes and just get to know them and their stories. I don't have a lot of extra time but would love to make some extra time in order to do this.