worth it

I feel like I am working harder this year than I have in the last two years of teaching combined!! It's exhausting. It's frustrating. Sometimes, it feels defeating. But other times, often the smallest moment, it's the most rewarding experience I could ask for. And at the end of the day, even the worst ones, I love my job and am often reminded that it's worth it. Here are some of those small moments...

I was helping a student with an assignment at her desk. But, like most teachers, I was also watching and listening to the others about in the classroom. Two girls were looking through last years yearbook in the classroom library. One is new this year and the other was introducing her to all the people in the yearbook and pointing out all the photos that featured her. When they got to the 2nd grade class photos, this was their quick conversation:
Returner: "That's my old teacher. She was kinda mean."
Newbie: "Yeah, that's why I like Miss Mikyla, she's nice."
Returner: "Yeah! Way nicer"

One mom brought chocolates to the conference for my assistant and I. She insisted they weren't from her but instead from her son. She went on to explain that he loves coming to school this year. Even when he was ill he wanted to come to school. She went on further to say how difficult last year was for her son because the classroom expectations were difficult for him to comply with. Where was her son during this you may ask... he was break dancing in the class library. Which he then continued to do throughout his entire presentation. Not just dance moves, but also different voices. The whole presentation. His NeverEnding wiggles sometimes make me laugh, but they usually drive me nuts. But it's also who he is!

At the end of each month the elementary school has an assembly. Teachers select a few students to be recognized for showing a specific character trait throughout the month. Those students are given a rubber bracelet with the character trait printed on it. It's quite the honor! 
At the end of the day the little boy who received the 'creativity' band came up to me while the others were packing up and said, "Miss Mikyla, I want to give you this awesome paper glider because I am creative and you can play with  it if you want." 
I accepted the awesome paper glider- which looked more like an upside shark- and immediately started flying it around the room. I have another student who likes to be too cool for everything. I pretended to nearly crash land into his head to which he responded, "Oh my.... I can't believe an adult teacher is playing with a paper airplane." Before I could tease him (lovingly, of course!) the awesome paper glider creator came over to inform me I had to share the awesome paper glider with Kristine, my assistant. I told him we would see about that. :) 
He ended up being the last one at pick-up time. He looked around noticing that all the other students had left and we shared this fantastic conversation:
CreativeBoy: "I have to walk home now don't I?" 
Me: "Yep, have a good night. Or, you could use the paper glider to get home..."
CreativeBoy: "well... I am practically a bird so that could work."
Me: "What!" 

And these are just a few of the little moments.

blink blink

Oh Man! How does the time go by so quickly!!!! Alright, another fast update....

International Dinner: Very fancy. Quite fun. I love when the students can dress in cultural costume. It's so fun to see the different patterns and colors!! Most of the classes sang, but the third grade did a skit. They performed Baba Yiga, a Russian folktale. Some were narrators, others were silent actors. Then halfway through the whole cast changed as there are two Grade 3 classes.
After the performances it was time to eat! Parents bring in food representative of their culture and guest can travel around from booth to booth sampling! I had SouthKorean sushi, Indian curry, Canadian venison and maple syrup, Swiss chocolate and cheese, Russian pancakes, and falafel from Israel. It was a delicious evening!!

Report cards were due the following Monday so the day after the International Dinner, I didn't leave the house. I wrote. And wrote. Four paragraphs per kid.

We started a new unit all about healthy lifestyle and balanced choices. (I am really mastering that work/life balance.) We took the kids to the local grocery store for a scavenger hunt where they had to find things from each food group. It was the first official field trip, although some of the students said it didn't count because we walked there. The poor little market was infiltrated by little bodies, not once, but twice because the other third grade class followed shortly after mine.

Parent Teacher Conferences. Actually, the student did most of it. I was not told that the digital portfolio students had been working on would be presented at these conferences. So, despite the many lessons and things we could (should) have been doing the day of conferences we instead took almost the whole day to polish and publish the sites. The end results were cool though and the students did a great job presenting. Plus, most of them took the whole 20 minutes and saved me from having to talk a bunch! ha!

Conferences were Thursday after school and Friday morning. Once they finished we were free for a four day weekend!! I went with three others from the school to Istanbul for the weekend! It was really the first I have left Latvia since moving here back in July. (Finland doesn't count because I wasn't even in Latvia for 24 hours). I was Istanbul last November too and it was fun to go back. We stayed near the Galata Tower and had the Best possible view. We had a great few days of relaxing, wandering about, shopping, and eating. Oh the food! It was good!

As wonderful as the trip was I have to admit I was eager and excited to return to Riga. No real reason other than I love this place. It is indeed my home!

We returned from Istanbul for a three day week. Thursday was our first 'real' field trip. My class went to the Lāči Bakery. The students watched a quick film, made a giant pretzel, stamped out a few cookies, and got to hold some huge loaves of bread! We also got to wear some awesome outfits!! It was a blast and the students did really well. I am excited for our next field trip.

Friday I went shopping to find a dress to wear Saturday night and bumped into some from the school on my way. After successfully finding something I met up with them at new restaurant for a few drinks. And a wine-tasting of sorts.

Saturday night I attended the Marine Ball with a few others from the school. We spent the afternoon doing hair and nails and then enjoyed a fancy evening. The honored guest speaker was actually a student's parent and I saw several other parents there too. It was another fun night of dancing and laughs.

After an easy week and a fun weekend, I was of course greeted by an overwhelming Monday. I am discovering that things come in waves here. I survived one wave but forgot another was close to follow. Really close.

Dear Grandma Ree,

I love that you take the time to hand-write letters to me. And this week I was blessed to receive not one but three of them!! It made my day! And I do hope to return the gesture, but today a blog post will have to do ;)

Today is the International Dinner at the school. It's a chance to celebrate all the different nationalities represented in the student body. All the kids sing or perform. And then there is a large selection of foods from around the world (or at least the former-soviet block) to try. The teachers were all asked to bring in a dessert.

This is where not having an oven made for an interesting challenge. Can't really bake cookies in a microwave. Or maybe you can. But I can't imagine that being anywhere as delicious. I did recently attempt to make an apple crisp in the microwave/wantstobeanovenmachine. It was pretty good, but not enough to take to the dinner. Then I remembered that delicious peanut butter cheesecake you made! No baking required!

I found a recipe and headed to the store. That's where the real fun begins! Obviously, things here have different labels. So I shop largely by looking at pictures because all the words are in Latvian, Lithuanian, Swedish, Russian, another language, or a glorious combination of all. Except for English.
Finding 'graham crackers' was easy enough. Sadly, the 'decent' peanut butter was sold out. So I had to settle for the other brand. It's more like peanut flavored sugar-spread. yum. Chocolate chips... hah! I have to buy the bars and then do some demo. But that's kind of fun.

The powdered sugar though, that one proved to be a challenge. I walked around the baking corner several times. I know the words for flour and sugar. But powdered or confectioners sugar is different. I poked and shook several bags. I may have even sniffed at a few. Finally, I took a picture of something I was mostly sure was not powdered sugar and sent the picture to a friend here. It was starch. haha! They sent the words for powdered sugar and I walked around the area again until matching the label.

Everything becomes an adventure when living overseas!

I got home ready to start only to realize I have no measuring cups. :( Guess that tells you how much cooking and baking I have (not) done over the last few months. It was a lot of guessing and creative measuring but I managed to make it!! I even had some left over for an extra little one.

Obviously, they are not as good as yours, grandma! Nothing ever is!! But, I have to say they aren't terrible. ;)

Thanks for the letters, recipe ideas, and continued love and prayers!

Love you. Miss you.
ky

Smelly

Working at a private International school means most, if not all, of the parents are quite wealthy. And on breaks they travel to fancy places and stay in swanky resorts and shop at stupidly overpriced stores. But sometimes, they also bring gifts from those places.... I once had a mom give me some Victoria Secret perfumes. Awesome!

On Monday, a student came in with gifts for both my assistant and I. Perfume from some store in Turkey. I left school on Monday in the middle of a downpour. Thankfully, this time I had my rain jacket ;) On the bus home I was next to an elderly lady and silently accused her of wearing far too much perfume-- a nasty old, musty stench. I also had a headache, which was not being helped by the smell.

I finally got home and out of the rain. I removed my soaked clothes and laid out all my papers and what not that were also soaked. That is becoming a normal routine. I noticed the perfume box was also soaked. I opened it up and took a sniff. It smelled like an old box of clothes that have trapped in a cold and dark space gathering dust and mold for far too long. I laid it on the table with the other wet goods and decided to get rid of it later. 

Later came Tuesday when I walked in the apartment door from school to be greeted by an overpowering blast of that stench. That thick, slightly musty, headache-inducing smell had taken over the apartment!  The perfume box was not wet with rainwater. It had leaked. And the smell soaked box was acting as a strong air 'freshener.' I quickly turned around and took that bottle and box to the dumpster. Then lit seven candles and opened the windows despite the cold air.

A few days later, think my apartment is finally okay. And warm again! 

Sound Bites

I have great kids. And on any given day most of them say something ridiculous. But one little guy manages to stand out a bit more than the others.

Here are a few of his comments from Monday....

One student walks in and says: "Mikyla! I missed you!"
This Student: "yep. That's a lie!"

Discussing text features:
Other student: "It could help you find what you want so you don't have to read to much information"
This Student: "T. M. I. (said with sass and a wrist flip)"

After taking about healthy habits:
"We should add safety to our healthy habits because, you know, you could be walking down the street in India and BOOM (slaps head) You got the Ebola."

In the middle of a math lesson:
"Hey. Hey. HEY! (Frantically poking my arm) Look at my eyebrows. They're almost IN my eyes! (wiggles his surprisingly thick eyebrows)"

FALLing in Love with Latvia

We had a break recently as well. Normally, I would travel if given a week off. But this time I chose to stay and see more of Latvia. I have to admit, I am in love with this place! It's absolutely gorgeous. Here's a bit about what I did and saw...

I started the first weekend off with the always exciting apartment cleaning! I love cleaning. Except vacuuming.... it's so loud. I am sure my downstairs neighbors really appreciated that at 8am on a Saturday. heheehe! It actually rained for a large portion of the break, but I love the rain. I did some shopping on Saturday! Found some lovely boots, just in time too because the temperatures started dropping as fast as the rain fall! 

We ventured to Lithuania on Monday. We being myself, two other teachers, their visiting friends, and the school's director. It took a whole 2.5 hours to get there. Half way there we realized we didn't have our passports, but it's okay since the border consisted of a small building, a few flags, and two officers (who, I think, were asleep!). haha. There is spot in middle-of-nowhere, Lithuania called the "Hill of Crosses." It was set up as a memorial and sign of defiance and resistance centuries ago. Over the years more and more crosses were added for various reasons and causes. It was also completely demolished a few times by the soviets but has always come back. Now, there are hundreds and thousands of crosses there from all over the world.

On Tuesday we went to Turaida near Sigulda. The name means God's Garden and I can see why- it was beautiful. It's an open air museum featuring some castle ramparts and ruins. It felt a bit like Greenfield Village just showcasing a different era. Latvia is very flat, but this castle is situated in the one hilly region the country has to offer. The day we went was rainy, and there was lots of steam rising off the local river and low hanging clouds that made the setting even better.

After exploring the castle and museum for a bit we decided to stop for lunch. The place we found was empty except for one other group. We sat down and began looking at the menu. It was then I realized the family was speaking English. And that I recognized their voices. I peeked around the corner to see not one, but two of my students. To be fair they are twins, but that still counts as two. They spotted us on the way out and said a quick hello. They even offered a recommendation for the shrimp.

On Wednesday, the others toured about Riga's Art Nouveau district. Riga is actually quite a popular destination for architecture nuts and Art Nouveau enthusiasts especially. Since I live in that district, I opted to do other exciting things like go to the bank and the grocery store. I also made some delicious soup and attempted an apple crisp in my microvenish. I also thought about doing some of that work I brought home. It's the thought that counts right ;) 

On Thursday we were back on the road again, this time to the Koknese castle ruins. The castle sits a the meeting place of two large rivers. It changed hands a few times between Poles, Swedes, Russians, and everyone else who likes to beat up on little Latvia. In the 1700s it was blown up and never rebuilt. Instead it was flooded for bit after a hydroelectric station was put in. Now the ruins go right down to the water, but not in. From some perspectives, I'm sure it looks as though they rise up out of it. It was super cold on Thursday, so we didn't stay out for long. Instead we found a quaint little cafe for lunch. It was traditional Latvian food, some of which we couldn't identify. But it was good. And it was warm! 

The last place we visited was the Salaspils Concentration Camp memorial. It's hidden away in a forest only a few miles from Riga. You could take a city bus out to it, it's that close. This particular camp was more of a transitional and 'work education camp' but still a somber place to visit. Many of the memorials were covered with stuffed animals and children's toys because of the large number of children who were at the camp. Most of the memorial was built by the Soviets, which is interesting since evidence was found that the Soviets were guilty of committing crimes there as well.

On Friday I finally started looking at the work I brought home and that largely consumed my Saturday and Sunday. It rained all day again on Sunday so I stayed in my cozy (and clean) apartment. Even after a week and some odd days off, the break still went too fast!

Can't get enough

I don't think I knew how much I loved the autumn season until I had a few years without it.

A lot of people love the spring because the weather is getting nicer and there are bright flowers and what not popping up after a dark, dreary winter.

Not me. I like the fall... the weather is getting chillier, but not really cold yet. It smells of leaves and apples and warm baked goods.  It rains leaves (I got smacked in the face by one yesterday. hehe) And the colors in the fall are far better than those of the spring in my opinion.
Silly confession: Those "What's your season?" make-up and clothes color guides make me nervous because I am pretty sure if I found out the burnt, warm tones of fall weren't for me I would be devastated. Perhaps that's odd, but it's also pretty accurate.

It is SO nice to be back in a place with all the seasons fall. Let's be honest, I don't care about the others. This past week I ventured around Latvia and saw lots of nice things. But really, I was just enjoying the beautiful fall colors.

Here are some pictures.... I hope you enjoy looking at my new home as much as I do!!!

  

Sometimes....

...it's just best to smile.

While attempting to help one student with her math assignment...
boy: Whoa, your earring... its just... oh my gosh!.... its like... whoa. ...
me: side glance. teacher look.
boy: sorry. (momentary pause) but seriously, your earring... it's.... it's like reflecting on your skin.... and is .... shinnnnnyy......
me: [boy's name.] teacher look
boy: okay... yeah.... sorry...
*seconds later as a little ET-like finger floats toward my ear*
me: please don't touch me.
boy: gasp! How did you even know? oh my..... but.... that earring.... ...whoa


Waiting for a student to be picked-up...
girl: What test will we take tomorrow?
me: The language usage test
girl: What is that?
me The language test is about things like punctuation, subjects, verbs and nouns
girl: Is that why we learned about verbs today?
me: Uhmmm. We didn't learn about verbs today.
girl: Oh....(confused look)
me: You're gonna do great.


During a plan period....
boy: Miss I have a question... I don't know where the other kids are.... Are they at recess?... I was washing my hands...
me: Did you look in the music room?
boy: No. But are they at recess?
me: Nooo, look in the music room
boy: Okay I'll go look outside for them just in case.

Fall Time Fun

I love the fall. 

I don't think I truly realized just how much until living in Morocco and not having it. No changing leaves. No crisp air. No apple cider. No harvest festivals.

It's just not right.

What is also potentially not right is the joy I get in now seeing these things. I have genuine glee when I see a path covered in yellow and brown crunchy leaves. Watching the sun shimmer and dance through the trees and having to zip up my jacket a little bit more is bliss. Perpetual fall... I want that to be my next destination.

As much as I love fall, I have to admit I've been really bad at actually enjoying it. Sure, I see the trees every morning on the drive to school. And I breathe and shiver in the wind during recess duty. And last week I tried to walk home through the park each day to see those trees and leaves before burying myself under piles of papers and lesson plans at home.

Thankfully, I was able to actually enjoy Latvia's beautiful fall this past weekend. And in style too...

Several of us ventured to the edge of the city to a Mezaparks. There we rented little pedal carts and spent a few hours roaming about like a group of small children. I guess when you work with them long enough, it starts to wear off. 

 The scenery was absolutely beautiful!! The paths go around a lake and since Latvia is super flat, pedaling about for a few hours was plenty easy and relaxing. We did stop for a while to enjoy the view and quiet and snacks. And drinks ;)

As we started packing up and getting ready to hit the road again, a van of police officers pulled up. We played the foreigner card! (minus the one and half natives we had with  us.) Once the officers saw that we were moving on (and speaking English) they didn't really care anymore. 

We stopped for lunch at a meat shack. I don't really know how else to describe it. It was delicious though. Everything in this country comes with pickles. It's amazing!! I ordered a quesadilla the other night.... it had pickles in it!! Don't knock it-- it was great. Not very tex-mex tasting, but great.

After lunch, we ventured back to the city to the 'hipster area.' We went to a micro-brewery and sampled some tasty beer. Yes, I said 'tasty beer.' The bartender read me well as I stood there looking at the choices thinking, "I don't like beer." He gave me one with a raspberry hint to it. I even had a second one (granted we were there for several hours.)

After grabbing some dinner and being hit-on by a dirty mechanic with poor English, we left the hipster brewery and headed for home totally exhausted.... it was 9:30pm. haha!!

It was a great Saturday though. And I am so happy I enjoyed the beautiful weather. Because this morning..... let's just say it was Not warm. Not warm at all. I think my next adventure will involve buying boots. Maybe a few pairs.

figuring it out

Its been nearly a month since I posted! I honestly don't know how that's possible.

Actually, I do. The last month has been absolute chaos! I work and work and work. And then sometimes, I work. Okay... a slight exaggeration. If you know me at all you know I also sleep. A lot. hmmhmm. 

But truly, the last month has been very work oriented. I wish I could say I am farther along in planning and having in things in place with all that time spent, but sadly, not really. I was told at the conference in Finland, teaching at a PYP school can feel like your first year of teaching all over again. And it was so very true. So true.

You know that feeling when you've studied or spent hours preparing for something and then the test or moment arrives and you think, "I don't know this! What!?" That has been my life. For the last six weeks. 

When I take a step back, it's still a bit true. There is a lot I don't know-- new programs, curriculum, culture (in and out of school). But I can figure it out. And that's where I've been and what I've been doing. Figuring things out. 

Of course, that is a lovely learning process all in its own. Failures. Successes. Full-proof plans that blow up in your face. Figuring things out is fun.  But I have felt the slightest growth in my confidence each week. Again, plenty of slips and dips as well. But I am growing. I am learning. I am figuring things out. 

Not just at school, but outside of school too. When I can pull myself away from that world ;) 

I have this microwave/oven appliance in my kitchen. Even with all my culinary know-how (insert hysterical laughter here) I don't get this machine. I don't think it gets itself. Microwave- fine. Oven- fine. Combining them.... things seem to get a little....soggy. Or dry. Or burnt in one corner while the other corner isn't really cooked even though I rotated it half-way through. I asked the landlady about it and so kindly handed me several user guides in various languages.... not the English one, of course. But after several attempts, I managed to make a half-way decent pizza for dinner.
After a day of not figuring things out at school, I will take that and call it a little victory.

Ms. Who?

Last Monday was the first day of school. But with the 20th anniversary and it being the first day, the schedule was totally different. So today was really the first Monday we've had.

I truly cannot complain about the schedules I've been given in the past. Two consecutive years of specials at the end of the day. Three specials in a row on Friday afternoons, essentially meaning I was 'done' at 12:30. Yeah, it was amazing!

But this year, things are a bit different.

I hardly see the students on Mondays. And I'm not exaggerating. They came in at 8:30, left at 8:35 for PE and library and I saw them again at 9:55. Then they left at 10 for recess. At 10:20, I saw them for a whole 40 minutes before they left again not to return again until 1:45. When they came in, I totally forgot what my plans were because I was just happy to see them! I missed them!!

I'll need to be reminded of that on Friday when they only have two special classes. Both of which occur in the classroom, meaning I am with them ALL day Friday. haha! I have a standing date with silence at 4pm on Fridays. It will not be cancelled. It will be Necessary.

After school, I was talking with Kristine- my teaching assistant who spent more time with them today than I did. We agreed that if I just didn't come to school on a Monday, it might go unnoticed. I told her I actually missed them and she just laughed!

I think know I will appreciate this schedule some week! And it certainly makes 'surviving' a Monday easier.

What is on me!

My afternoon mishap... as told in comic form... enjoy!

 I should have known that was a poor choice....

I really did say "What is on me!?" and a random  old man entering the store really did laugh. As did the little security guard. He kept asking if I had a tag on my clothes. Of course I do... most clothes have tags. I have noticed the tag on the pants before-- when it starts to scratch at my leg-- but it never seems to happen at an appropriate time or place for me to remove it. 

And be thankful I packed the #fancypants instead of wearing them to the airport!! 

standing proud

When I announced that I was moving to Latvia, most people asked about the relations with Russia. With the events in the Ukraine and what happened in Crimea, it's a fair question.

I've asked a few Latvians at school about their opinions, concerns, thoughts, but their general answer is that 'Latvians are proud to be Latvian.' They love their traditions. They treasure their language. They value their past and they are happy with where they are now and the continued growth of the country.

Riga is the current city of culture, but this weekend most of the festivities were surrounding the 25th anniversary of The Baltic Way. For more information on it check out these sites...

http://www.thebalticway.eu/en/history/
http://www.balticway.net/index.php?page=baltic-way&hl=en

They explain the amazing historical event far better than I could.

Firstdays@school.com

After a weekend that went FAR too fast, it was ready-or-not, here-they-come, the first day of school!!

Kristine (assistant) and I

This year is the school's 20th anniversary! So it was decided the celebration should be Big. There was a flag raising ceremony and the national anthem. The Latvian Minister of Science gave a speech, as did the school's director. The (temporary) US ambassador and a few others came, lots of embassy people, all the students, most of the parents, reporters and photographers.... it was quite the scene!

It is also tradition here to give flowers for just about everything. So as I was attempting to meet and remember several new names I was also juggling more and more beautiful bouquets of flowers. They are now in beakers and pencil jars all over the classroom and in cups and pitchers throughout my apartment.

At the end of the day, students were given little cupcakes to celebrate... that was definitely their favorite part!

The first day was full of get-to-know-you's, welcome back to school's, an assembly, and of course those cupcakes. I have 17 students again this year. All 17 of them came! Latvian schools don't start until September, so to have all the students there is a pretty big deal... I already have one who has missed a few days for vacation, and a few others who have left early for sports practices. (hmm)

All this week, the focus has been on making school a nice place, teaching the kids the routines and rules of the classroom, and getting them to work together. The school is small-- most grades only have one class. But there are two third grade classrooms. They didn't mix the kids at all from last year, so they are quite familiar with each other. Thankfully, the few new ones are fitting in well. We have also been doing a lot of large group activities this week where the two classes are mixed together. Our goal is to create a unified third grade.

We were told not to worry about teaching curriculum for the first few weeks but instead to make the kids as comfortable as possible in school. But I think most of us are ready to establish a more solid routine in our classroom, which involves using the curriculum.

Today, the students made a heart map. It's an image they will be able to use throughout the year for story ideas if/when they get stuck. Sometimes these activities sounds silly, but I was able to see who doesn't really listen to directions, who takes their time, who rushes along, who has lots of ideas and is confident in sharing, who is more shy and afraid to share. It did get them talking, that is for sure!

After lunch they had technology class. Technology is a big thing here! I have a Promethean board in my classroom (confession: I have ZERO idea how to use it) and each student K-5 has their own netbook to use throughout the year. Today my students practiced opening their email and played a little with google drive. We had a small block of time in between their tech lab and a group activity with the other third grade. I was going to have them do a writing piece of some kind, but decided instead to let them email me.

I wrote my email, and my assistant's email as well, on the board and told them all to email me about anything. Their thoughts on the week, a funny story, what they were nervous about, anything at all!! Most of them had to finish up their heart map, so the email was a perfect 'I'm done' activity. And they were obviously thrilled about it!

Suddenly my inbox was bursting with new emails!! I ended up with 25 emails total, even though I only had 16 students in class today. They really did write about anything! Most included little stickers or emojis and some even attached pictures. One little guy had me laughing out loud... he sent SIX emails. The first one was about stepping in dog 'droppings,' the next two were empty. The fourth was identical to the first email. The fifth one was just too adorable...

"so what pet would you rather have? a dog, a fish, a cat, (ect). I would have a dog and I have one, too. So once this time, I had a pet fish, I took very good care of him. I named him Simon. But one day, I forgot to feed him in the morning. so that time I checked on him, he was...DEAD! I cried super hard and I Woke up papa and he also checked, and he saw an upside down fish that didn't move. We just knew it was dead. we put food in it, he didn't eat it. we tickled him, He didn't Budge to move. So that's when we buried him dead and a few weeks later I cried again and I wanted to check him so bad, so papa let me check on him. I brought my plastic shovel with me and when I dug, guess what I saw? NOTHING WAS SEEN! I tried to look all over that area, and he was gone. that's when I felt happy. he was taken to heaven! I was so happy, I nearly jumped like a kangaroo."

And his last email said "Dear Ms. Mikyla and Ms. Kristine:"
That was all it said.

Friday is a long day in our classroom. I might keep this block as a catch-up, review, email the teacher time. Their number one question was, "will you respond?" and of course my answer was "YES!" I was actually excited to rush home, get comfy, and read/respond to their thoughts, stories, questions, and anything else they wanted to share. I think one of my goals for the year will be to continue this. I love the direct communication and I think my quieter ones were thrilled to finally have an outlet.

Overall, it was a wonderful week! I really like the kids and I think we will have a great year. My assistant and I are slowly but surely figuring out how to communicate and operate together in the classroom (I may have some control issues in this area). And I like to think I have a better idea of what's going on here at the school.

One thing is for sure though... after this past week, some serious sleep is in order!