Carry On

It's amazing how quickly a week goes by when you're on break, like I was from school last week.  Today, Monday, the students and staff returned, a great majority of them tanned and renewed by their trips to sunny destinations, family time, and some much needed R & R.  My break didn't consist of any sunny vacation, but it was full of catching up with friends and family.  

After commiserating with my hallway teacher friends about the fun we had over break and how we knew in fifteen minutes we'd feel like we never left at all, the students began to stream in. My students arrived with their usual happy dispositions and many hugged me as they passed by me and into the classroom.  You could tell they were happy to be back; they missed their friends and routines.  We quickly settled in to begin the day.  

I had noticed when I arrived this morning that the clocks in the building were all off by an hour.  They were an hour ahead which was very frustrating because I am such a clock-watcher.  I'm sure I could guess at any point during any day what the time is and get it correct within one or two minutes.  I mentioned to the kids as they were getting out their planners this morning that the clocks were off and nothing much was said.  They glanced at the clock, shrugged, and went back to their planners.

At 11:35, with the clock display reading 12:35, one of my little darlings began waving her hand urgently while we were working on some fractions in a small math group. Thrilled that she was finally understanding fractions on a number line, I looked her way.

"Oh my gosh!" she squealed with her hand still waving madly in the air.  Naturally everyone stopped what they were doing and looked at her to see what all the fuss was about. 

"Oh my gosh!" she repeated, in case we hadn't heard the first time.  "We have been so busy we forgot all about lunch!"

This started a whole wave of excitement amongst the little boys and girls.  Everyone had apparently forgotten about the clock having the wrong time, including me for just a brief moment.  My stomach sank and for a split second I actually thought maybe we were so busy we really did forget about lunch today. Was I losing it? A glance down at my watch confirmed to me that we had certainly not missed lunch.  Therefore I was not losing it.  
 I quickly recovered and quieted the masses who were now standing and milling about the room wondering what I was going to do about their missed lunch.  

"Boys and girls," I began in my calmest teacher voice.  "Remember when I pointed out this morning that the clock was incorrect and was showing an hour ahead of time?"  I explained, pointing to the clock a la Vanna White. 

Several nodded their heads and smiled remembering from the morning and immediately placated.   A few others looked as if they didn't care what I had told them, the clock showed 12:35 and we eat lunch at 12:00.  The truth of the matter is, that if, in fact, it truly was 12:35 that would mean they also had missed five minutes of precious recess time and that hadn't occurred to them yet.  

"Here," I offered, quickly walking to my desk and retrieving my cell phone.  "If you don't believe me, look at the time on my iPhone."    

Fifteen eager heads pushed together and zeroed in on my phone and looked for the time.   "What time is it?" I prompted. 

"11:37 a.m.!" four or five voices hollered with relief so everyone could hear.  

"It's a good thing phones don't get messed up with the time, like our clock does," said one little girl, with a happy sigh.  
  
I smiled at them.  I put my phone back on my desk.   And we went back to math for another twenty-five minutes until it was time for lunch.

Because that's what we do. 
We carry on.


[Note:  The song "Carry On" by Fueled by Ramen is a favorite song of mine. I listen to it to remember to keep going, even when things are tough.  To all my teacher friends, as we approach the end of the school year and an extremely hectic time, don't forget to just carry on.]
Play Carry On  

Award Winning!

I'm one of sixteen bloggers that the website "We Are Teachers" chose for the Best Teacher Blogger Awards 2012!  Yay!  Thanks to all the people who are reading and enjoying my blog.  According to We Are Teachers, I am not just a blogger, I am an edu-blogger!

Click here to read: We Are Teachers

Runs In The Family

[My school is on spring break, so my stories of school and kids are on break too.  In lieu of my daily stories of life as a teacher, I've blogged today about life as a mother]


About a month ago, my daughter told me that she was looking into volunteering in another country and experiencing a different culture.  My first reaction, as her mother, was to ask way too many questions about safety and details and all that parent stuff. But, she had done her do diligence and checked everything out, even contacting prior volunteers in the organization to see how their experience went.  I quickly informed her that she had my full support and jumped in to help her with preparing for her six week adventure.  

Sure enough, she  is currently living in Costa Rica volunteering in an orphanage. What a positive thing to do in your life!  She's young, she's courageous, and is open to new people, experiences, and cultures.  

I went to Chicago last weekend to help her organize and prepare for her travels. We purchased some international texting on her phone but planned to communicate mainly by email.  Early on Easter Sunday, I dropped her off at O'Hare for her flight and watched her backpack disappear into the lit terminal.  I'd be lying if I said I didn't fight back some tears as I drove off and began my five hour drive back to Michigan.  I was proud of her and excited for her and wanted her to have a wonderful time.  In all honesty, I was even a bit jealous, thinking back to a time in my life when I could have/should have done something so daring!

Through our conversations, I know that she is out of her comfort zone.  She doesn't speak Spanish.  She's never worked around little children.  She has only previously been outside the U.S. to Mexico, Turks & Caicos, and Canada, all with her family.  She arrived in a foreign country alone and had to find the "meeting spot" and a stranger with her name on a sign to drive her to the volunteer center for orientation. She doesn't have her high heels, her girly dresses, her hair dryer, or many of the other comforts she's used to.  It's new foods, new people from around the world, a new home, and even a new mom. 

Before she left, she started a blog to document her six week journey. It's a good read; I highly recommend it!

Read her blog:Stephanie's Blog

I'm going to have to step it up on my blog.  She's giving me a run for my money.