Teaching is Never an Easy Job

A post is long overdue. I have been absent from my blog simply because life has become hectic and chaotic. 
School, also known as work, as has consumed me and taken over my life. If I have time to sit in front of the computer I have been working on planning lessons, creating activities, and grading assignments. 
Unfortunately it has effected the amount of time I have been at home, so I have been trying to work less at home while my kiddos are awake. It is unfair to them how tired I have been because of work, but we are trying to make the most of our time. Seriously, how can I resist mommy time with this cutie? 

Aside from our district lengthening our school days to make up for the 7 snow days, a few things are happening in my classroom that are incredibly stressful and keeping me really busy. 
I am thrilled to report that I am seeing the light at the end of the RTI tunnel for one child. It is a relief to know that I will be able to send this student off to middle school with a plan in place to help them.  It has taken a village, but we have finally made some progress!
On the other hand, I had a horrible experience recently and felt incredible despair. Nothing like watching a train wreck in slow motion. I have done my best to pull in help from elsewhere, but time will only tell. What helped me through that? I knew that I was surrounded by a team that was in agreement, believed in what I did, and pulled together to make the best of an awful situation. 
Being a teacher is never an easy job. Nope, never. Sure, some years progress smoothly and you see tons of rainbows. But even during those years, it is not a complete paradise. Some years are plain out challenging. Those are the years that you dig deep and work hard, day in and day out hoping to see success. During those years the acknowledgements about your efforts may also be non-existent. 
That is the funny thing about teaching, you work hard without the expectation of praise or a raise.  You do it for the right reason, for the benefit of the kids. 
Well, as you can guess, I am having one of those years.The funny thing is this year I really love my job. It has been difficult. I wish I could work less and carry less stress with me. That just isn't reality.  
Recently something made me stop to reflect upon how I feel. Instead of feeling like I should give up, I had an overwhelming feeling that I was where I was supposed to be, I felt that I was accomplishing things despite the bumpy path. I was able to recognize the little praises that were being tossed in front of me. The simple thank you from a parent, the smile and pat from an administrator, the hug from a teammate, the "ooh I love it" from a co-worker, the excitement in a child's voice about sharing something they learned and couldn't wait to tell me. Although gold and higher pay would be nice, those other things were enough to keep me going. That metaphorical silver lining was enough to keep me moving. 
I love watching the kids learn, love the connections I make with them, and I love where I teach. I have amazing friends at school. Without them, I would be ready to toss in the towel. They keep me going and inspire me to do my best. 
These feelings took a while to congeal. I have had them before, but perhaps my maturity helped me see it more. Or maybe I needed to see it more this year because it has been a tough journey. 
Recognizing all of this has helped me become more at peace with the difficulties of the job. Accepting that the stress will always be there and learning how to conquer the stress instead of the stress conquering me is an essential part to finding peace. Reflection built my confidence, helping me see what I am doing well and what I can improve upon, then knowing that I can make those changes. 
I hope that you are also feeling that sense of accomplishment and the inner peace to inspire you to keep going. Take some time to reflect and find those silver linings.

  

Tried it Tuesday Stitch Fix & Pencils

It has been a whirlwind few weeks. I have been running on fumes, burning the midnight oil, burning the candle at both ends. You name the idiom and I am probably the epitome of it! 
Tomorrow is a big day for my class. Tomorrow is the 5th grade state writing test. It is a big deal, because where I work it is still promotional. Not all counties require them to pass, but my county does. We feel the pressure and take it seriously. 
My performance as a teacher is judged according to how the students do. Part of our school evaluation is based on how they perform. High stakes doesn't even seem strong enough a term. 
While I have been working hard to prepare my kiddos for the writing test, I have not been writing beyond my classroom. Instead I was preparing for our last hurrah writing celebration and swimming through the sea of other activities the school year and life have thrown my way! 
No, I haven't been eating bon-bons with my feet perched upon an ottoman.Instead I have been....

• Completing winter parent teacher conferences.
• Helping devise a plan for the extra 30 minutes a day that were tacked on to our schedules in order to make up the snow days. 7 snow days is a lot to make up!
• Surviving parent conference week with my 3 boys while my hubby was on the other side of the country for a work conference.
• Prepping for Saturday school to prepare for the week long state test that are 6 weeks away.
• Helping out teammates who are dealing with family crises. 
• Guiding my struggling student teacher through the realities of education. 
• Starting a new sport season with my boys (flag football for the oldest and youngest).
• Trying to finish up a few products for my TpT store. 
• Attempting to remain sane during this crazy time of year. 

Seeing as this is not my first year teaching nor my first year in 5th, I think I have rolled with the punches pretty well. I am not panicking. Using what I know from previous students, I know my class is ready. A few might struggle, a few will definitely shine. In the long run, I know that I have done my job. My team has done a fabulous job together to get our kids to this day. We will conquer this test!  

I am linking up today with Holly for Tried It Tuesday. I have peeked at a few posts, and they are fantastic! I highly recommend that you check them out. 

I have read a plethora of reviews about the pencil sharpener from Classroom Friendly Supplies. They were enticing and yet, I could not break down and order one. I tried to win one on many occasions. Then I discovered that a friend had one in her classroom, so I tested hers out. I really liked it. She said I could use it any time, but did she really want me hanging out in her room daily with a batch of pencils?  
My son happened to be in her class and he told me how great the sharpener works. I decided it was time to act. Unfortunately snow and ice thwarted the delivery, and I did not get it as fast as I wanted. 
When it arrived, my husband decided to check it out and see why I was so excited. He liked it. The boys all played with it before I got a chance to really test it out. 

 My youngest son loves it so much that he questioned why I took it to school. Yes, it is easy enough for a 4 year old!
In my classroom I keep the sharpener up, I do not want it to be broken. I will happily sharpen for the kids when they need it. I often sharpen a stash and swap out their dull ones. 
It works so well on their pencils. Produces sharp points and does not eat up their pencils like my electric sharpener. 
I mentioned the writing test, well guess what? I really am ready. Look what I did tonight...

I tried it. I like it. I approve it! If you are skeptical like me, you might wonder if it is really worth it. It is! 

I also have been reading about Stitch Fix. I decided to give that a try too. I received my first fix today and I am glad I tried it out. 

I really liked the styles of clothing they sent me. Many things I might not stop and try if I went shopping on my own, but all things I really liked. 
I am not super fashionable, but I like nice looking things. I tend to go for cheaper things, and with limited "me" time shopping is low on my list of things that I get to do. 
Here are some pictures of things they sent me...

Skinny jeans, White sweater, Striped top, Blue blazer, and chevron infinity scarf.

Love the dots on this. Too bad my muscular arms did not squeeze in easily! This was the only item that did not fit. 

Chevron infinity scarf. I liked it a lot, but chose ti send it back. It was bulky on my neck thus not super flattering. Since I did not love the way it fit, I could not justify the price.  

I love that I could keep as much as I wanted. The discount for keeping all 5 items would have been nice, but I was not in love with the white sweater and my arms did not love the blazer. THe white sweater was a little too see-through for teaching 5th graders. Even with a camisole or tank top I would have felt self-conscious. 
I would never try on or buy skinny jeans. I am not a skinny girl and tend to hide my muscular thighs. But man, they were so comfortable and they made me feel good. So I splurged and am keeping the jeans. It is jeans week so I am going to proudly wear them on Thursday. I need to push myself out of my comfort zone and be comfortable with my body. 
I love the striped top. I am going to wear that tomorrow with some slacks. We cannot wear jeans on testing days, but I cannot wait until Thursday to wear my other "fix."
Here is a bad selfie in the striped top...

Think I might need to get a cute red beaded necklace to accessorize this top. until then, I think my turquoise necklace will do. 
If you are looking for something to do for yourself or want to try out something, I recommend trying it, click here. I used a referral code by another buyer and they got a $25 credit toward their next fix. Since I bought some of the items in my shipment, the $20 styling fee was applied to my cost, worth it for a little personal shopping. The other great part is the other items get shipped back at no additional cost to me. 

I am hoping that after tomorrow I will feel a little less crazy, and be able to keep up with blogging a little more regularly. Stay well and keep smiling as you make your way through the hectic testing season! 

Slim Down Saturday (on Wednesday)

I am joining Third Grade Tidbits for her slim down party. I am late to the link up but I need to stay motivated and figured this is a good way to keep myself in check.

I love this link up because of the focus on being a better me. Being balanced means better health, better wellbeing, and having more options.
Here are my results.... 

Ultimate Goal: Lose 20 pounds, and be more fit. I am trying to accomplish both with T-25 workouts after school 4 days a week and making better eating choices.
I missed Monday's workout, had a killer headache. I am doing better with food choices, but the temptation of chocolate is tough.
Gains/Losses for last week: Last week I did not lose anything. That is OK. I did not gain either. Since I was snowed in, I was pretty inactive. I played  a little outside with the boys, but my heart was not pumping as much as during the workouts.
I have lost and maintained 4.2 pounds since getting back in to the workouts since January. Totals: Woohoo. Last night, I even thought I could feel a change in my body shape. And for the first time, someone said, "Are you losing weight?" I will take that.
Positives for the week: Saying no to food is not my forte. I like to eat. I was taught to comfort myself with food as a child. I am slowly breaking that. I am working at not turning to food to ease my stress. I am not feeling guilty if I indulge a little. I am learning to stop when I am full. These steps are making  me feel better about myself.
Something to improve: Workout even when I am home. That is tough with 3 boys at home, an always growing chore list, a school bag full of papers to grade, and projects I want to complete. I need to make time to take care of me.
Goal for this week: Drink more water. I am simply bad at it. If I have water on my desk from the get go I may do better with drinking more.
One word: Overwhelmed. The snow days last week really wreaked havoc on my class. They forgot how to do everything and we are so behind. I am taking it one day at a time, one crisis at a time, and one behavior at a time. I am leaning on my friends and we are working our way through it together!

It isn't too late for you to link up with Third Grade Tidbits. I will be posting again in a few days, since it is also my goal to be on time to this party!