I’m sitting here with 10 minutes until my next class and I’m wondering how the heck I’m doing this. I’m the get-into-bed-by-8pm kind of girl. And the clock is about to strike 11pm and that is when my last class BEGINS.

I knew that this is what I signed up for.

And, fortunately, this isn’t an everyday thing.

But, during a week when all my papers are due, when all our kiddos’ progress reports are supposed to be sent home Wednesday, and when I’m supposed to be lesson planning for this upcoming observation, it feels like a lot.

I’m just sitting here though. Taking deep breaths in. Deep breaths out.

And reminding myself that this is what I wanted.

It is.

There’s no doubt about it.

And though it feels like a lot, I know I will get through it. Because that’s just what happens. You do what you need to do to get by. It won’t be perfect. I’m getting rid of all the fancies and frills so that I can just SURVIVE these next two weeks. But that’s OK.

The fancies and frills can come back after December 8th. When ALL THE THINGS are turned in.

But, as I sit here, waiting for my next class to start, I’m just thinking about all the things that have helped keep me going. So, I figured I would journal this out. Because it helps to pay attention to the great things. The things that make me happy.

Healthy Lunches

Have you ever seen that teacher meme about what lunches look like in August versus what they look like in May? We start the year off solid with beautiful salads filled with all sorts of veggies. We food prep and make sure we fill our body with all kinds of healthy goodness. And then, by the end of the year, we grab whatever looks edible and call it lunch. Stale cereal that’s been sitting out for a few days? Lunch. A frozen meal I found in the back of the freezer? Lunch.

I’m not quite in May-mode. But I’m definitely not where I was in August. Since I’ve been spending Sundays doing schoolwork, my food prep has taken a back seat and I’m just scrambling in the mornings. But, this past Sunday, I went to Whole Foods because I was in the area and did a little shopping at the salad bar.

This can’t be a consistent thing because, y’know, expenses, but MAN, the Whole Foods salad bar makes me so happy. I wish I could eat that for lunch every day. I just love the way I feel when I’ve got a healthy, filling, YUMMY lunch.

Independent Work Stations

I talked a little bit about this over on my Facebook page. But this little space in our classroom has made me so happy. We went from a 1-2-3 bin system to something a little more complex and engaging. But, the reason it’s “keeping me going” is because I feel like this system has made me feel a lot more organized about their independent stations. Instead of just grabbing whatever is prepped and throwing it into a bin to keep my kids occupied, I’m able to pull out a specific task focused on a specific skill and have them work on something meaningful while I’m able to pull small groups. It’s absolutely nothing compared to some of the classes I’ve walked through, but it’s a start. And it is helping me keep my sanity and makes me feel happy that my kids are practicing different skills even though I’m not standing directly over them.

Live Session Bingo

Many of the people in my cohort live on the west coast so the 6-9pm chunk of time for Monday night class isn’t too bad for them. Lisa (my friend who lives in Vermont) and I s-t-r-u-g-g-l-e on Monday nights because we’re both exhausted from our day jobs and we’re both on east coast time. Anyway, Lisa made this fun little Bingo board to keep us engaged in our classes. It makes me giggle every time I look at it.

I’d like to make it clear that my coffee mug has green tea in it today. FOR REALS. If I tried to sneak a cocktail in there, I’d be zonked.

Anyway, I’m just really grateful for my fun friends I met through this program. They are truly helping me survive this craziness because they, themselves, are going through it too!

Text Messages Like These

I got this sweet message from a former parent I worked with and it, obviously, brought me to tears. This little girl played such an important role in my life as an educator and as a person. She made me a stronger teacher. She helped me see that kids can – and should – have a say in what their education looks like. To put it simply, she taught me more than I ever taught her. I’m so grateful for these relationships I’ve made over my teaching career. With kids. And with parents and families. They keep me going when things feel tough. They remind me of the bigger picture when I get caught up in the trivial stuff.

Firenze

Is it too soon to talk about Firenze again? I LOVE HIM. And he definitely keeps me going. Because when you have these late nights working, it helps to cozy up next to a REALLY GOOD SMELLING TWINKLING TREE.

Questions of the Day:

• What’s keeping you going this week?
  
• Did you participate in Cyber Monday? What’d you get?!