Holiday Happenings

So here are a few of the things that happened in December...

Girl Scout Ornament Workshop

Violet's Girl Scout troop took part in an ornament making workshop. The whole event was run by older Girl Scouts. I'm always so impressed when we attend these events. The idea that Violet is a part of an organization that encouraged girls to take on challenges and be leaders... it's cool! The troop is great this year - cookie season is ramping up and the girls are saving up for an overnight cabin camp-out at an official Girl Scout camp. 

One of my family goals this December was to do a faithful job following the advent calendar. I'd say we completed at least 75 percent of the activities! One night the activity was to make hot chocolate and go look at Christmas lights!

Taking our hot chocolate on the road!

Another great part of this winter break has been watching the girls play together. Violet can be so creative and inspire Annie to all sorts of imaginative games. They rigged a Halloween candy bucket on a rope and dropped it over the side of the stairs as a makeshift basket. They use that to play some game called "invention" that I haven't quite figured out the point of yet... Other favorite toys and games include legos (Violet is quite the master builder) and their Hatchimals. When I can tear them away from technology, that is.

Sweet girls!

Elf Violet!

I was blessed to be able to go to Violet's Christmas party at school this year. One of the great ironies of being a teacher is that while my own child is just a few steps away, that doesn't make it any easier to actually do classroom things with her. But pulling the strings to find a substitute for a few minutes was worth the effort.

Merry Christmas from First Grade!

Snow (Half) Day!

You know how the weather guys are always making a big deal about "potential" snow here in the South, and then it never amount to anything? They will claim a weather situation is on the way, the news hypes it up, everyone rushes out to buy their usual bread and milk, school closings start scrolling on the television, and then it all amounts to nothing and everyone on social media starts making fun of us for overreacting once again?

Well, when the murmurings of potential snow started cropping up earlier this week, no one really paid attention to it. Even the official email to school staff on Thursday was "you might want to consider being potentially prepared for possibly moving into our weather plan" but was followed with a "we're definitely not cancelling school though so don't get excited about anything" (paraphrasing entirely my own). However, not one to hedge my bets, I did suggest to the students that they put a spoon under their pillow and wear their PJs backwards. You know, just in case.

Friday morning, I checked outside and sure enough, it was just rain. Recess rolls around and still, just rain. Not ten minutes later, my phone blows up - look outside! Snow! I immediately called for silence in the room and then whispered to my little friends, "Get your jackets, it's snowing!" 

Bumped into Violet on the playground, enjoying the snow!

We got the official email from the county, saying "yes, there's snow but nothing is sticking and the roads aren't freezing so we're in this for the long haul and good luck trying to accomplish anything vital with your kiddos today." The kids enjoyed a snowy ten minutes before we headed to the cafeteria. My students have just all made it to the table and a new message comes blaring over the radio... The powers that be have changed their minds and we're having an Early Release. Whoo hoo!

Although there was a slight problem. Legally we have to feed all our students lunch. And during a regular early release schedule, everyone will already have their lunches picked up by 11. Now it was almost 11 and lunch was just starting! The cafeteria had basically one hour to feed over 1100 students. God bless those women. Then teachers started scrambling to call parents, figuring out transportation for all the kids scheduled for afterschool activities. God bless our admin. I must have had eight people stop by my room, making sure I had heard back from everyone, making sure we were good to go.

Since the day was a wash, I threw in the towel and went for broke, passing out the elf hats I'd bought for all my students to get us in the holiday spirit, as if they needed any help! We wrote letters to Santa, asking questions about life at the North Pole. We packed up and loaded buses in the quickest dismissal I've ever seen, then proceeded to hunker down and wait until buses reported back so we could leave as well.

Loading up and heading home in the snow!

Someone was excited for her snow day!

By the time we left the school, snow was starting to stick.

Talk about perfect timing. Friday is the perfect time to have snow - we had the rest of the day to enjoy it without a) having to deal with online learning and b) having to worry about going in the next day. Instead the girls got to run around outside, start building a snow wall (whatever that is!) and I got an extra three hours in my day. And let me tell you what a gift that is! In those three hours, I managed to get all my papers graded and school work done, I got to enjoy coffee with my husband, I felt relaxed enough to enjoy decorating the gingerbread house with the girls, I made a batch of cookies to share, I even started wrapping presents! We had dinner with the neighbors in a snowy repeat of our very first neighbor dinner together, now almost eight years ago. And the snow just kept falling! I've never seen snowflakes so huge and wet. And due to the fact that no one had really hyped this weather event, no one had really expected it to actually come through, made it feel all the more magical.

My snow bunnies!

Nice job, ladies!

Back to School

And then the summer was over, and we all headed back to school. Somehow I ended up with a second grader! How did that happen?! The days are long, but my how the years are short! Violet once again wants to be a teacher when she grows up. (I'll keep my opinions about that intended profession to myself.) She was totally ready to go - no tears, no whining, no "please walk me to my classroom while I hang onto your leg". I was so excited to learn Ms. Post was her teacher this year - I have a thing for second-year teachers. They're still full of enthusiasm and innovation; they haven't been beaten down by the system yet, haha!

Off she goes!

Violet and Ms. Post!

Matt took a "first day" picture with Annie too, even though she officially started a week early due to my pre-planning schedule. She's in Early Pre-K this year, thanks to that September birthday. She just missed the cut-off! This is hopefully our last year of daycare - my school opened up two special needs pre-k classes, and each classroom has two "typical peer" slots for staff kids. We toyed with the idea of trying to get her in this year, but it was too last minute for me to think through properly. Plus there would be no guarantee of a slot next year, which is when she is supposed to go. So, we're with Carrington for one more year. It's not a bad thing, either. Her teacher from last year looped up, so it made for a smooth transition, and we LOVE Ms. Breanna!

The first-ish day of Pre-ish K!

Annie's class... see her self-portrait in the top right corner?

And as for me... well, the best part of starting this year was not being the new teacher anymore! It's a relief to have a year under my belt at this beautiful school. I know how things work, I know what to expect, I know what's coming up. It makes a huge difference, let me tell you. And although I was sad to see the summer end, it reaches a point where you just want the school year to start and get the waiting over with!

A beautiful day to go back to school!

First grade team!

Home Run

I found Bobby Cox!

So, how's summer going, you ask? We are now more than halfway through June, also known as the month I don't think about school at all. Come July, it starts creeping in. But June is held sacred. Professional Development books to read? July. Open House materials to make? July. Thinking about school in general? July. This year had a slight exception, in that I went to the school's Leadership Retreat a couple weeks ago. We gathered at the new Braves stadium conference center, worked hard, played some hilarious team-building games (there were blindfolds involved - but no trust falls!), and then got to enjoy dinner and the ballgame afterwards. And if you must work in the summer, it's good to be amongst some of nicest, dedicated, top-notch teachers at the school.

We are now two weeks out from the famed Peachtree Road Race 10k happening on July 4. My training has been... varied. See, it turns out my knees start hurting if I run to much. Every time I increase distance (example: first time I broke four miles), I pay for it afterwards, often putting me in a no-run recovery period for up to a week or more. Stupid knees! When it happened for the first time back in May, I was super bummed. So I started doing a bunch of workouts focused on building leg strength (I use the Nike+ Training app). Slowly I added in some runs, most around one to two miles. I've worked out a little system where I take the girls to swim practice and in the 30 minute window while they're both in the water with their instructors, I run around the neighborhood. I've noticed this method has been increasing my pace as well, since I'm so paranoid about getting back to the pool before they're out of the water! My goal has been to do some type of workout/run/both every day leading up to the Big Day (I'm also a little obsessed with closing all my Apple Watch circles). I ran 5k on Saturday while Matt had the girls at the playground, and I figure if I can pound out that distance without too much struggle, I can probably go the full distance on the Fourth, even if I have to grit my teeth and blow out the knees to get there. I've found, as I've gotten better at it, I actually enjoy running. But I'm already wondering how on earth I'll be able to keep it up once the school schedule starts again. Short of getting up at four in the morning, there's no way to squeeze in a run before work. Ah well, it's still June. I don't have to worry about that yet!

School's Out for Summer!

Last Day of First Grade! 

We did it! One more year is in the books! I officially have a second grader! Violet has turned into an awesome reader, and her speech has improved to the point that she might get to graduate out next year. Most importantly, she enjoys school. She likes learning. I never get any "I don't want to go to school" complaints from this girl.

Look how much she's grown!

It's been a privilege to have her at the same school where I teach. I saw so much of this girl during the day, passing through the halls, on the playground at recess each afternoon. Next year will be a little different because our paths won't intersect as much. But that's probably a good thing, too.

First Day/Last Day with the fabulous Mrs. Lockett!

It's been such a busy week, what with our end of the year carnival, our first swim meet, the general last week of school busyness of packing up the classroom and setting up our first grade "camp" that I don't think it truly hit me that the year was done until I saw the buses pulling out of the parking lot for the last time. There are always so many mixed emotions to watching the kids load up for the last time - a little bit of sadness, a whole lot of relief, some giddiness thrown in... I'm relieved to have my first year at this new school under my belt and I won't be the new kid on the block anymore. It's been a good ride, but man am I looking forward to summer!

That's a wrap!

Marching On

My Little Leprechauns! 

We survived St. Patrick's Day around these parts. It's always a weird day... not really our holiday (not being Irish or anything), not really an official "holiday" (what, exactly, are we celebrating?) but always a day full of craziness. I made a big deal at school of telling my kids the leprechaun doesn't get in. We made sure to lock the door every time we left the room, and I tried to keep it as low-key as possible. No pinching here! I did incorporate a little scientific method experiment using static electricity and "leaping leprechauns" but that was about it, until the very end of the day. Finally that sneaky leprechaun got in (under the door? through the vents?) and left a trail of glitter all the way to a gift of magic green pudding. Thank goodness he waited until the last 30 minutes of the day, because things rapidly went downhill after that! Haha! 

Spring... is just around the corner?

After days and weeks and months of what seems like unseasonably warm weather, Old Man Winter made one last attempt, leading to several days of indoor recess (if those aren't words that strike fear and dread into your heart!) we manned up, grabbed our blankets, and headed back to the playground. Oh March, you've flipfloped on us more than any politician in power, but perhaps Spring really is just around the corner? March also brings us the official start of Quarter 4, so hold on to your hats, people, the finish line is in sight!

In a lovely spur of the moment surprise, I scored tickets to The Head and the Heart along with one of my favorite friends. Such a fun show! We watched the sunset from the rooftop of the Tabernacle (didn't even know they had rooftop access) and then enjoyed our perfect balcony seats (as Emily pointed out, we are too old to stand through concerts). It was such a good show. The sound! The energy! It's a little hard to recreate the experience here, but rest assured, it was well worth the mere four hours of sleep I ran off of the next day.

The Head and the Heart

Grey-Out for the Gretos

Finally, our school nurse had the unbelievable tragedy of having her teenage son diagnosed with an aggressive brain tumor (this news coming just weeks after she had a new baby. I can't even imagine). We had a fundraiser at the school to support the family, and there is more info here if you are so inclined to help #justisforall.

Gimme a Break!

First Grade ready to board the Polar Express!

We did it! We made it to Christmas Break! The school calendar is a weird one this year, forcing us to teach the Monday and Tuesday of Christmas week. Fortunately, all we had planned was our holiday party (snowman style!) and Polar Express, so we survived.

I love my snowman party. This is the third year I've done it, and it is always a hit. The kids wrapped each other (and their parents) up in toilet paper to "dress like a snowman", we had melted snowman ice cream sundaes, complete with pretzel "sticks" for arms and candy corn "carrot" noses. They also used my indoor snowball fight set to go snowman bowling in the hallway and made a snowman ornament using their handprint.

On the last day, I had everyone clean out their desks (no weird surprises this year!) and passed out brand new supplies... there's nothing like a fresh box of crayons to start the new year! Then we settled in to watch the Polar Express in our pajamas, drank hot chocolate with marshmallows and whipped cream, and generally just tried to survive until dismissal. I busted my butt to get report cards done, papers filed, things ready for January, and I was ready to blow outta there 10 minutes after the bell rang! It's time to get this holiday started!

Nope, not a hair cut.

And let me tell you, I need a break. These last two weeks have done me in. Our kitchen sink started leaking. Matt thought he fixed it, but it started leaking again. We ordered a new mattress but then needed a different box spring, leaving us with a bedroom full of mattresses stacked around but nothing to sleep on. Then there was the Lice Incident. Which, after an immediate do-not-pass-go-do-not-collect-200-dollars visit to the Lice Ladies and eight straight hours of vacuuming and laundry, has resulted in me just feeling paranoid. But things are turning around. We got a new disposal courtesy of a very nice plumber. The old mattress was hauled away by a creepy hope-he's-not-a-serial-killer guy and the new box spring arrived, leaving me with a lovely new bed. Ninety percent of the presents are purchased, fifty percent are wrapped. Book club party, small group party, neighbor dinner have all been crossed off the to-do list. I got my pedicure for the wedding. It's going to be a whirlwind holiday, but we're going to make it. And it's going to be awesome!

Book club has become a family affair!

These Days

These days I feel like I'm constantly running behind. I just cannot dig myself out of this hole. It's partly the beginning of the year rush, plus the whole new school factor, with some random stuff thrown in (it's curriculum night week, both girls just started tumbling classes, we're joining a new small group with a significantly longer commute, my alarm goes off at 5:30 every morning...)

And it's partly that I refuse to press pause on this crazy little thing called life just because I'm a bit over-extended. There are things I want to get out and enjoy, gosh darn it!

Toad the Wet Sprocket at Suwanee Towne Center!

With my handsome date.

I mean, when your brother pops the question to a beautiful woman who is about to become your amazing sister-in-law, you gotta drop everything to celebrate, right? A recent Saturday had two huge life events occurring for two very important people in my life - one of my oldest friends was giving birth to her first child and my brother was proposing to Virginia, and neither one of these people was giving me regular updates! Lukas was hiding somewhere in a lighthouse with a diamond ring, my friend was pushing to become a mama for the first time, and I was sitting at tumbling practice refreshing my phone every two seconds! Ah, but how sweet it was to finally hear about both beautiful new beginnings.

I'm so lucky! I mean, he's lucky too. But seriously, we're all hitting the jackpot with this one.

Back on the home front, Violet started tumbling with her pal Taylor. Since they are at different schools this year, I was so glad we could get them signed up for the same class. I spent a lot of time explaining to Annie why she could not go as well. Then lo and behold, I found out there was a 3-4 year old class happening at the exact same time! Annie's not quite three yet, but hey, she's always been big for her age... I signed her up for a trial class the next week and apparently it went well enough that she can come back! Watching her, I was actually impressed by her ability to follow directions. I was markedly less impressed by her ability to perform a somersault, so I guess I know what our homework is. Thanks Olympics, you're as inspiring as always!

The newest gymnast.

And I must admit, getting up at such an ungodly hour every morning does lend itself to quite a Godly view...

How Great Thou Art

O Lord, my God, when I in awesome wonder

Consider all the worlds Thy Hands have made

Back to School!

We did it! We started school again. This will be my seventh year in first grade. It will be Violet's first (and hopefully only!) year in first grade.

She still wants to be a teacher. 

First Grade with Mrs. Lockett!

It has been strange starting the year at a new school. I've only taught in one place, so many things we did I just assumed were county policy. Apparently not, because things are definitely different here. Many things are just small differences, but it is enough to make me do a double-take, or wonder why. Fortunately, even though she doesn't know anyone in her class, Violet knows her teacher already, which helped to make the first day go smoothly. I remember having to pry her off of me in kindergarten. Now she marched down the hall (we are as far apart as you can get on the first grade hallway - probably a good thing). We do get recess together, though, which is a sweet little treat at the end of the day.

I've had to break up with my last school. That's how it feels, anyway. Almost like going through an actual break up, I've been mentally boxing up all our shared mementoes, avoiding places I associated with my ex-school, burning old photographs while listening to sad love songs... okay, perhaps it hasn't been quite that dramatic. We met up with the old team after Open House to catch up and it was great to see everyone. And it's hard to completely escape, considering my former teammate lives next door. But I have needed to make a mental separation in order to embrace my new school fully. I'm still getting whiplash on a daily basis as I continue to learn how things are done, but I'm happy to be there. I think greater things are yet to come, greater things are still to be done... and I'm thrilled to get to be a part of that.

Truth be told, after the past three weeks of getting the room ready, attending trainings, five days of pre-planning, it was a relief when the kids finally came through the door on Thursday. As much anxiety as you have before it starts, once that bell rings (or rather, doesn't ring at this school, weird) and the kids flood the halls, your teacher training kicks in, the show starts and you're rolling with it. Your muscle memory takes over and we're doing what we do.

My kids! This was the picture I sent to all the parents halfway through our first day.

By the way, shameless plug below to try and get a classroom iPad for this crew:

I want to make sure my students have the materials they need to succeed. So I've created a classroom project request at DonorsChoose.org, an award-winning charity. 

I'm asking for donations of any size to help my kids. For the next 4 days, any donation you make to my project will be doubled (up to $100). If you know anyone who is passionate about education, please pass this along. Your donation will brighten my students' school year, and you'll get photos and thank yous from our class. 

Here's my classroom request: 

Explorers: Columbus had a Compass, We Need an iPad! 

One last picture, because I can't help it.

Getting Ready

The listening center by the window with the ladybug chairs in my favorite, although I love how the library turned out too.

Preplanning officially starts this Thursday, but I've been unofficially on the clock for the last two weeks. New school means new curriculum to get trained on, new room to unpack and figure out, just lots of new that I wouldn't ordinarily be encountering my seventh year in this business. So as much as it pained me to head into the building early, I know it's a special case that won't have to be repeated every year.

I've been dropping by the building for the last two weeks now. At first I would take Annie on my way home from dropping Violet off at camp, and we would only stay an hour, long enough for me to move furniture or unpack my desk, little things. Last week, I took the girls to Camp Mimi and Camp Grandma and I worked all day every day. It stinks to not get paid for all the work I've put in, but the payoff is that the room is done and I'll be ready to focus on the new school year (open house paperwork, daily schedule, all those other things) once preplanning starts.

By far the most complex Ikea undertaking so far.

It was also great to have a week without the distraction of the girls. After their Ikea dresser got recalled, we decided to take the opportunity of a full refund to go ahead and upgrade them to something they could both share. They seem fairly committed to sharing the same room, so it's probably time to migrate Annie's clothes in there as well. Even though our house is pretty much 80 percent Ikea, it was still daunting when all the pieces spilled out. We had to take a break halfway through to nourish ourselves (we decided to only eat at places we would never want to take the girls) with some excellent sushi. But all's well that ends well. We also went to the movies, a nice Italian restaurant, shopped at Avalon, met a friend for drinks... you know, all those adult-y things we never do anymore. It was nice to have the one-on-one time with Matt to reconnect, since once school starts we won't see much of each other. Seriously, with a 7 a.m. start time, I'll be lucky if I see 9 p.m. anymore.

I made all the drawers.

Wonderful Joy Ahead

New digs.

Every year, we are required to empty our classrooms, packing up the year into various tubs and boxes, stacking them neatly in the school hallway outside our doors. I believe this is to allow the summer cleaning crews access to our rooms, but it may also be a forced purging/cleansing ritual. This is always an arduous task. It starts optimistically enough (I'm going to finally clean out my filing cabinets!) and ends in a frantic panic (just throw it in a box and I'll deal with it in August!) If you are unlucky enough to be moving classrooms, this means hauling all your boxes and bins to your new doorway using whatever means you have at hand - carts, rolling chairs, burly teenagers pressed into unwilling service.

This year, my end of the year pack up also meant I had to get six years of my life into boxes, down the hallway, into a car, over to a new school, down a new hallway, and into a new closet. I managed, barely. There were multiple car trips, two extra vehicles pressed into service (thanks neighbors!) and a trailer manned by two polite young men that all combined to make it happen. And when it was all said and done, a day and a half later, my teaching life was crammed into a bathroom and closet and a chapter closed.

Six years of my life, crammed in a bathroom.

We finished the job in time for the wrap-up luncheon at DCE. The principal, the man who took a chance and hired me, the unexperienced teacher/new mom/former journalist looking for a career change, said a kind word about all of us who were leaving (a slew of folks this year). I received my parting gift. Reminisced with my coworkers about what we termed the "golden age of first grade". Gave a few hugs. Surrendered my badge. Walked out the door for my last time. Shed a few tears as I drove away. Oh, it was bittersweet. This is the place I learned to be a teacher. I went from not knowing what I was doing and crying every morning in the parking lot to, well, knowing what I was doing and doing a fairly decent job at it if I say so myself.

Goodbye DCE. You've been good to me.

As I've mentioned before, I hate change. I have a strong aversion to the unknown. Yet here I am, willingly volunteering and stepping out into this brave new world. It will be so strange to start a new year without the familiar faces that have become my family. But then I look around at how much has already changed and realize that, even if I had stayed, next year wouldn't be the same anyway. It was time. The right time. A good time. Time. But it is still not easy.

As I was trying to think of something to give my wonderful crew of co-teachers that got me through this year, I came upon this verse and claimed it for my own. I'm secure in the knowledge that my path is set before me by One who knows the master plan. And I'm confident that His plan is good. There is wonderful joy ahead, my friends. And until then... summer.

Claiming it.

And Then... The End

Ready for Field Day!

The further into May we've gotten, the more "lasts" I've experienced at DCE. It is bittersweet. This school is the only place I've ever taught, my home away from home, my family. I'm swiftly realizing that every school is different, and so this may be the last time I ever experience these things again. Our last DCE field day, the last DCE fifth grade walk, the last day of kindergarten for my baby. And as pumped as I was to get my first graders out the door and onto summer, I tried to remember that this moment will never come again.

Ah, Field Day. I have a love/hate relationship with field day. Love - the awesome music blaring across the field, watching my kiddos tackle each station, cracking up at their lack of coordination, getting to take a break from the rigor and just enjoy watching kids being kids. This year had a Star Wars theme, so some of the stations were a lightsaber battle (using pool noodle lightsabers) and a Storm Trooper relay (the kids wore these GIANT boots to race back and forth - hilarious). Hate - the heat, the sun, the fact that it takes forever (and the whining starts creeping in around hour two), the way the classroom smells when we return. But this field day was extra special because I got to sneak away from my class for a few minutes and visit Violet.

Lunch Date! (I regularly dress like a ladybug... it impresses the kids.)

I also got a chance to sneak away and have lunch with Violet. I told Matt if he ever wanted to eat lunch at school with V, the next-to-last day of school was pretty much his last opportunity. So he showed up, we ate in the courtyard, and then these two rascals hatched a plot to skip out the rest of the day and hike to the top of Sawnee Mountain.

Mountain mastered! When I asked what was at the top, Violet said "a really big view".

Our last DCE Wild Animal Dance Party

First grade also celebrated our end of the year party. We wrap up our curriculum with our animal unit, so recently we've been banding together for a grade level Wild Animal Dance Party in the gym where all the kids (and teachers) dress like their favorite animal and we "dance" for half and hour before splitting up back to our rooms for food and the end of the year slideshow. This year's dancing was more like loud milling about the room and the world's longest conga line snaking around (I'm sure the parents were like... "we took off work for this?") Then of course I teared up during the slideshow when I told parents how special this class has been to me. Truly, despite the craziness, these kids have been the most loving and generous kids I have ever taught. I've learned so much watching them and sharing the room with my awesome special ed co-teachers. It's been a long, hard, hilarious, blessed year.

For my support teachers... we're all going somewhere new next year, but we will "be truly glad, there is wonderful joy ahead". I'm claiming that promise for next year!

Last Day of K!

Then suddenly it was the last day of school! Just look how much my baby has grown! I still remember the first day, forcing her to walk down the hallway to her classroom, watching her struggle to hold it together. Now she's out of my room before I can give her a hug, nary a backwards glance. Sigh. They grow so fast (said every mother ever).

So sad to leave the incomparable Ms. Howington.

And then I put the kids of the bus for the last time and it was over! I mean, I still have two more days of post-planning, and entire classroom's worth of boxes to move into my new school, and plenty more teacher goodbye's to say, but it's pretty much over. I came home Friday feeling so light... I didn't realize (okay, I did realize) how much weight I've been carrying this entire month. May is the worst. Every day there were 47 things to remember (specials cancelled, new lunch time, bring gifts, bring cooler, field day clothes, grades due, report cards due, pack this, don't pack that yet) that it was a relief to come home and not have anything left to remember. The to-do list was done. So Matt made me a Moscow Mule in my new cups to celebrate. And then, you guys, I passed out in my bed. Peace out, May, you have been conquered. Bring on summer.

Hello Summer