11/12/13 Brings Out the Number Freak in Me!

When I saw my friend Becky's post of Facebook, suggesting we plan something fun to commemorate the special moment of 9:10 on 11/12/13, my mind went into high gear!  What to do?  What to do?  

The last time I had celebrated a cool date and time was my last year of teaching.  My fifth grade class will be the high school graduation class of 2020, such a cool number, and I had shared my love of repetitive numbers and number patterns with them on many occasions. When I realized that we could celebrate 12:12 on 12/12/12, I was all over it!  We grabbed the calendar and took the clock off the wall, and we took a picture. Never mind that we discovered I had a clock with lazy hands.  Trust me; it was 12:12, not 11:13.  Dumb clock.  We had it replaced immediately after this picture was taken!

I knew what I wanted to do to celebrate, but would I be welcomed by this year's teacher?  I knew I would.  Mrs. Keisel is always good for a celebration!

When I arrived at the middle school, the principal was sitting on the bench outside his office.  Now I felt a little sheepish.  He and I had been teaching colleagues for 15 years.  He would probably think I was being silly, but he is a good friend.  After a little congenial teasing, I scurried off to find my now 6th graders.

The class was so quiet; I hardly dared to disturb them.  When I caught Mrs. Keisel's eye, she waved me in.  My kids looked so grown up.  They were still so well-behaved, and on-task.  "Let me just stand here, and look at you," I told them.  My eyes started on the right hand side with Lia, beautiful Lia, and scanned across the room.  Damien was grinning from ear-to-ear.  He was wearing glasses.  How handsome he looked.  All the way on the left was Michayla.  She seemed to squirm with excitement.  

Before I knew it, Mrs. Keisel had thrown a Zumba DVD on the projection screen, kids were pushing their chairs out of the way, and we had an impromptu dance party.  The kids are learning a dance for the upcoming Christmas program, a local tradition.  While the kids danced, I walked from child to child, calling each by name, and giving them a hug.  After about a dozen hugs, I put my purse and camera on my shoulder, and started doing Zumba with them.

The door to the hall opened, and a line of kids, lead by Bo, was coming straight back to me. "I want a hug!  I want a hug!"  Yep, that's Bo.  He's a hugger, too.  I was surrounded by more of my kids while Mrs. Keisel gathered all of my little chickens from the other classrooms.  Pretty soon, we had a big old party happening right there in 6th grade.  All the time, I kept one eye on the clock.  Some of the kids were noticing, too.  We started making our way to the doorway.                                                                                           Just before 9:10, we had the kids gather under the clock, and I started taking pictures.  They looked so much older. And taller.  This time next year, I won't be leaning down to be in their pictures.  After we took a few shots of the class with the clock, I had Mrs. Keisel take some pictures of us as a group, and she took some of the hugfest that continued for awhile longer.

While my homeroom was lined up at the back of the room, she told them to sing their song.  There's a song?  I thought.  These kids were always singing with iPods or YouTube videos when I had them. "You know a song?"  A few of the voices started in tentatively.  Other voices joined theirs.  

I recognized the song at once.  It's the One Direction song that I loved from last year.  "That's What Makes You Beautiful."  They were singing a song for me.  How could this day get any better?  

Mrs Keisel was concentrating on the Zumba instruction on the screen.  My boys were trying to keep up!

My boys were there.  My three wonderful boys.  Seth marched right up with a big grin on his face. "May I give you a hug?"  He came in closer, and just grinned. He was fascinated by an Avengers DVD box he was holding; I was thrilled he paid any attention to me at all!  When Adam saw me, he pushed through the crowd.  "Adam!  I have missed you. Have you been to the Philippines?" He gave me a one word answer. "Yes."  I hugged him, and we had our pictures taken.

Calvin just wanted to know about our class fish. I finally broke the news to him.  "Calvin, Elvis died."

"He's dead?"

"Yes, but I'm going to get a new fish. And I hear YOU have a fish at home named Elvis now, too."

"Elvis died?"

Oh, my sweet Calvin.  Always wanting to talk about Elvis.  He let me take his picture on my way out of school.  He is so full of innocence, and love.  You'll never meet a happier child. 

As I got ready to go, I received a few more hugs.  It's so awesome that 12 year olds aren't too old for hugs.  They're not too cool to tell someone they miss them.  They aren't so aloof that they hide their feelings.  These kids will always be special to me.  There is a bond we formed last year that will last for a very long time.  

My brief visit was so full of love, and laughter, and hugs.  These children bring so much joy wherever they go.  It's hard not to miss them.  Don't get me wrong; I don't miss going to work.  I just miss the good people with whom I spent every school day.  They are very good people, indeed.

Austin and Talmagge

Adam still has a special friend in Bo.

Nash has always been a protector and friend to Adam, and especially, Calvin.

My boy Damien. He just seemed to beam the whole time I was there.

Brinlei, Taylor, Michayla, Marnee...such awesome kids!

Brailey, Bo, Brinlei and Taylor

Maddie is always getting everyone to show the love.

They did a great job singing "That's What Makes You Beautiful."  Love the actions!

Adam, so tall, and as handsome as ever.

I adopted Madison as one of my own last year.

Austin and Brooklyn, peas in a pod.

Had to get my Lilly loves.

Seth, Talmage, and Aubri.

Elise gets a hug, while Kenzie waits her turn.

My beautiful Kenz.

What? Another hug from Bo?  ;-)

Good old Ethan!

So glad Jett and Jaden haven't gotten too old for hugs!

Mr. Nash, my right-hand man.

Teaching in a Place Like Mayberry

Andy Griffith was one of my favorite shows when I was growing up. Little did I know, I would end up working at an elementary school in a town like Mayberry for most of my career. 

As I return to teaching after my brief year of retirement, I've been contemplating what a blessing it is to teach in Utah's own little Mayberry. Remember Opie's teacher, Miss Crump? 

Helen Crump's got nothing on me. Well, okay, she may have been dating the sheriff of Mayberry, but I feel like I live in a rural paradise, where everybody knows my name, and I feel like I have the respect a teacher deserves here. The parents and community are so supportive of our elementary school, which makes my job as a teacher so much easier.

If it takes a village to raise a child, you better have a lot of willing villagers if you're trying to teach a whole class full of children. Lucky for me, I had the best village of all, a down-home place like Mayberry, as I took on the task of teaching my fifth graders.

Did I mention I had 35 students my last year? Did I tell you that as the inclusion teacher, I had three children who were mainstreamed into my classroom through the special needs program? Did you know one of my sweeties was battling glaucoma at the tender age of ten, and was learning Braille to help her adjust as her eyesight worsened? Did I tell you that I had several of the smartest kids I've ever taught?

Adia and I showing off our leopard spots.  She is learning
Braille so she can continue her love of reading later in life.

I laugh as I read articles about the inclusion of special needs children with "typical children." Typical covers the gamut, I guess. Any regular ed classroom is filled with "typical" children, meaning, any child who isn't covered in the special needs program.  In any given mix, a teacher is going to have children who are unmotivated, dyslexic, learning disabled, emotionally troubled, neglected, shy, gifted, athletic, and, if we're lucky, a few who are simply healthy, happy, and well-rounded.

Our challenge is meeting all of our students' needs, and helping them all to progress from where they are academically to the next level.  No child left behind? With this big bunch, any day was a good day when I got all of their names straight, and remembered who the leader was. There were some days I was so busy teaching children, the curriculum may have not been my biggest priority.

Adam and Mrs. V

I believe it does take a village to raise a child. We had so many good people in our village to help us succeed last year. I could never have done my job without the many adults who were involved in our classroom.  

First, and foremost, I would like to thank my special needs assistants. These paraprofessionals were my lifeline when days were chaotic. Our liaison with the Utah School for the Blind made sure that Adia had worksheets and textbooks with print that was large enough for her to read. My fifth grade team was so supportive of what we were trying to do with maximum inclusion. They each willingly taught science to my class without an instructional assistant so our dear assistants could have a lunch break. 

Every teacher needs a parent like Becky!

The parents of this group of children were phenomenal. We were linked by email and texts. If I ever needed anything, I would send out a quick message, and I always received the help and supplies I needed. (BIG TIP FOR TEACHERS: Collect parent emails at the beginning of the year, and send class emails whenever you need to update families or send reminders.) There was never a shortage of parent volunteers with this class.

One mother in particular, Becky, made it possible for me to attend planning meetings with my team by teaching wonderful hands-on art lessons to my large class. One day each month, my room was filled with the fresh scent of citrus, classical music, and an energetic art teacher who wanted to get my kids excited about the arts. I couldn't have had better support from the administration, my team, and the children's parents.

The biggest blessing I had in our little village was the children in our classroom. These kids supported one another in ways that made teaching such a large group manageable.  In a class this size, just like in a large family, there were those who took on the roles of mentors, peer tutors, and big brothers and sisters.

One of Seth's goals was to complete a worksheet, copying his numbers from 1-50.  Mrs. V and I weren't having much success getting him motivated to look at it, let alone complete it. Nash offered to take him out in the hall where it was less distracting, and help him get it done.  I honestly got busy and forgot my boys were even out there, when Mrs. Anderson came in laughing.  

"Do you know how amazing that Nash is? He is out there singing the numbers to Seth while Seth writes them down. He's singing, 'You just wrote a tweeeenty. Now you're gonna write a twenty-ooo-oone. Twenty-one...twenty-one...you're writing a twenty-one. Good job.  After twenty-one, you're gonna write a twenty-two...'"

The day that Seth finished the whole paper was a BIG DEAL. Finally, in January of his fifth grade year, he completed an entire worksheet. The whole class cheered and clapped when we found out he had accomplished his goal. The next day, he and I celebrated the way we do in fifth grade when the kids pass of their big math goal;  we went to Bullies across the street for a treat.

At the beginning of the year, I just paid for a whole class's worth of milkshakes so I could take a small group over each month to celebrate their accomplishments without worrying about cash. There was only one problem. Seth didn't like milkshakes, but he DID like funnel fries. I called in my order like I always did, early in the morning when they were busy prepping for their lunch crowd.

"Bullies."  I recognized the voice right away.

"Cassie, it's Mrs. Jackson.  I have a student who doesn't want a milk shake.  Could I get funnel fries instead?"

"Is this for Seth?"

"Yes, it is!"

"We'd be happy to make some funnel fries for Seth!"  You just gotta love small town service.

Brandy Schaugaard, the owner of Bullies, was another key person in our village. Every month when I took my students to her locally-owned fast food restaurant, she would always make a big deal out of the kids, and praise them for being so smart.  She would take a picture of us all together before we walked back to school. Bullies doesn't open until 11 for lunch, but she was always happy to unlock the doors for us at 10:15 so we could come during our morning recess. I loved the special treatment Brandy always gave us.

If you can't picture what it's like to live in this little paradise, just imagine Opie, Aunt Bea and Andy Taylor in Mayberry. That's just a glimpse of the kind of village we have here.  I count myself lucky to be a teacher in such a wonderful place with such wonderful people.

To read more about these amazing kids, and what made the difference in this exceptional year,  check out:  The Secret of the Best School Year Ever. If you've never tried Morning Meetings with your class, I highly recommend them!

I wish this were not so blurry, but the thing that is so clear to see in this picture is
how comfortable Adam is with Mrs. Anderson.

You're Going to Miss This, They Said

Credit:  1bluecanoe/flickr

Last year when I was starting my thirtieth and final year of teaching, this beautiful photograph caught my eye. It made me feel so melancholy and sentimental to even think about starting my last year.  I knew my approaching retirement would bring a mixture of emotions for me.

Trace Adkins song, "You're Gonna Miss This" has made me cry more than once this year.  Whenever I considered that this was the end of a very good run of a very wonderful career, I was overcome with gratitude.  The song made me stop and think. I just love the chorus:

"You're gonna miss this.

You're gonna want this back.

You're gonna wish these days

hadn't gone by so fast.

These are some good times,

so take a good look around.

You may not know it now,

but you're gonna miss this."

My friends would tease me throughout the year, saying, "You're going to miss this." Sometimes it was true; sometimes it was pure sarcasm. When I found sweet notes from students on my desk, it was true.  When the announcement for faculty meeting came over the PA system, it was sarcasm. When my kids "got it," when the lights went on, when we were deep in conversation, and real learning was taking place, it was true. When I had to stand outside in the falling snow during recess, it was sarcasm.

Knowing this was the end of my career, I was acutely aware of the precious time I had left to enjoy the best parts of a teacher's life. The camaraderie, the warm work environment, the children, the professional educators who were my very good friends; all of this became even more important to me as I passed each milestone of my last year.

Do I miss "it?"  Well, it depends on what "it" is.  I will tell you what I don't miss. I don't miss traveling back home on Sunday nights so I can be at work Monday morning. I don't miss counting out worksheets, checking papers, testing, class disruptions, or dealing with bullies. I don't miss inhaling my lunch in 12 minutes so I could manage the masses at lunch recess. I don't miss evaluations, district inservice meetings, or organizing a school day for 35 students.  

Now, let me tell you what I miss. I miss those few precious moments just before the first bell, when I had a chance to visit with fifth graders in my classroom, or members of our faculty in the hall. I miss bringing treats to share with my friends and my class. Here's a weird one:  I even miss filling up my plan book with great ideas I'd found on Pinterest or in workshops. I miss walking down the hall and getting high-fives and hugs from students. I miss eating lunch with my girlfriends, because that's what my team became; my dear friends. I miss them. I miss them so much, it makes my eyes sting, and my throat tighten.  

"My Girls"

Many teachers work entire careers without developing close relationships with their co-workers. They come to school, they teach, they go home.  I feel so sorry for those teachers. I would not know how to act if I did not have these women as my friends. We were there for each other.  Working together is just part of what we did.  We helped each other through parents' illnesses, deaths of loved ones, relationship struggles, miscarriages, motherhood, divorce (that would be mine), sickness, and bad days. We knew that if we were at home "hugging the porcelain," someone at school would take care of the poor substitute left in our stead. We always knew that someone had our back.

What do I miss? I miss my people. I miss the kids; I miss my team; I miss the teachers and assistants; I miss our librarian, our secretary, our principal; I simply miss the beautiful people that filled our school. I miss hearing Marilyn's reply to my "Good morning!" with, "IS IT?  Get back to me after 11."  I miss Kellie's delightful lessons in the media center. I miss just too many things to keep mentioning folks by name!

Work is work. I don't miss having to be there at 7:30, which meant I felt like I had to be there by 7, or I was running behind all day.  I don't miss dragging myself to school when I was worn out or getting sick. I don't miss GOING TO WORK. I miss spending the day with so many wonderful people who made me laugh, made me think, and made me feel loved. I don't miss THIS, I simply miss THEM.

You might also enjoy "I Just Can't Stay Away".  Work doesn't tug at my heart strings, but the kids and teachers still do!

Shhhh...Teachers Are Still on Vacation! A Public Service Announcement for My Teacher Friends

Do your child's teacher a favor this summer. DO NOT BRING UP THE "S" WORD ANY TIME SOON. There's THE "S" word. And there are, of course, other words that start with "S." I'm not talking about the word that could get a kid's mouth washed out with soap. (I've known a few teachers who use that word themselves, under extreme conditions.) I'm talking about the "S" word that nearly every parent mentions when meeting a teacher in public during the summer. You might be thrilled by the prospect of shopping for back to school bargains, and finding out when your little darlings will head back to class, but for now, trust me, don't talk about SCHOOL just yet.

If you must use an "S" word, let it be summer. Or seashore. Or shaved ice. Strike up a conversation about anything besides her employment. Ask her how her vacation is going. Thank her for going the extra mile. Ask her about her summer reading or if she has any upcoming trips. Just don't ask her about school.

This is the first year I haven't felt like running away when I see parents at the grocery store. Now that I'm retired, I can laugh and joke with the best of you, but up until this last year, summers were sacred. They were for unwinding, relaxing, and recharging my batteries for the inevitable challenges that were in store for the upcoming school year.

My kids always knew they'd see me grit my teeth, and try to make polite conversation with anyone who dared mention school to me before August. Seriously? Teachers have the summers off, people! You may laugh as you insert the figurative knife, and ask, "So...are you ready for school to start?" Then you might want to twist said knife and follow up with, "By the way, when IS the first day of school?" Teachers may respond, and actually give you an answer, but we really savor our days of summer. Let us wallow in the precious weeks, days, and hours remaining. If we're in the school building, joke away! If you see us buying our classroom supplies in town, we're fair game. But, if we're soaking up rays at the pool, and have to peer over our dark glasses to respond to your questions, be kind and ask us questions that won't drag our minds kicking and screaming back to school before we're ready to face the music.

Summer is sweet.  Summer is short.  Summer is the proverbial carrot dangling in front of our noses all school year long. Let us enjoy every minute of our time away from work. When school starts, we'll be ready; you can count on that. Just hold off on using the "s" word for as long as you can. Teachers everywhere will thank you!

August 2012...the first day of school during my last year of teaching.