If You Have Your Health, You Have Everything

I was thinking to myself last Sunday that I had not been sick once this year and congratulating myself on avoiding any germs, so naturally when I woke up Monday morning I had a slight headache and a bit of a scratchy throat.  I ignored it as I bustled into school quickly to get out of the (still) frigid temperatures around here.  By noon, I had to take a couple of Tylenol but I told myself I wasn't going to get sick.  I had made it to February and I wasn't going to let it happen now.  Besides, I haven't had any students out sick lately.  How in the world could I have caught something?  It couldn't possibly be the fact that I work in a building with 450 little germ magnets.

On Monday night I went to bed extra early in the hopes that some sleep would cure this approaching sickness.  I drank three extra glasses of water to hopefully drown out any germs that might be multiplying.  I even knocked on wood, but it was way too late for that.

On Tuesday morning I woke up and knew I was getting sick.  My head felt like it was stuffed with cotton, my nose was running constantly, and my head ached.  However, the thought of putting together sub plans seemed like more time and effort than just going into school,  so I decided I would power through.  I would take some DayQuil and everything would be alright, I told myself as I sluggishly got ready for school.  

At noon, I was hanging on by a thread.  The third graders were performing their musical concert that evening and I couldn't even imagine myself standing vertically at that point. As the students ate lunch I sat at my desk and ate some chicken noodle soup.  One little boy approached.  They were all sensing that something was wrong with me, but they hadn't quite figured out just what it was yet.  He was the brave one to find out.

"Mrs. Jeppson?" he began as he watched me spoon some noodles into my mouth.

"Humm???" I responded. 

"Is that chicken noodle soup?" he asked.  

"Yes.  It is.  I'm not feeling really great so I thought some soup would help," I explained.

"But that's not enough.  That little bit of soup won't make you better," he declared.

At this I picked up a bag of oyster crackers from my desk and waved them near him.

"Oyster crackers!" he shouted, with glee.  "I love oyster crackers!  But I'm glad they are not really oysters."

"Aren't we all?" I told him as I opened the bag.  

And then he did something that made me feel better than any bag of crackers or soup ever could.  He moved closer and he hugged me and he said he hoped I felt better. 

I missed the performance that evening.  I missed school the next day.  

On Thursday, even though I was nowhere near back to 100%, I figured I could make it through the day.  I apologized to the little ones that I was not able to see their musical performance.  I mentioned that the other teachers had complimented them on their wonderful singing and concert.  

Finally, today, Friday, I feel mostly back to my normal, healthy self.  I'm thankful that I work with amazing teachers who always are there to jump in and help.  When I knew I was too sick to be there for the concert, a teacher friend stepped in to volunteer to walk my class to the stage and be there for them.  When I needed to make sub plans, a teacher friend offered to write my plans and gather materials for me so I didn't have to do it.  When I passed my teacher friends in the hallway, they all asked if I was feeling better and I think they even genuinely meant it.

They say if you have your health, you have everything.  

But, lucky me.  I have my health and great teacher friends and amazing students and a wonderful parent community.  

I guess you could say, I have it all. 


To read another blog from last year read: "Sick Day"

Quid Pro Quo

Many times throughout any given day students ask me for things.  A pencil, an eraser, a copy of the lost homework paper from the night before, help with [insert a wide range of things here], zipping coats, etc.  The list is endless, really.   Most times, I grab what they need or help them, all the while not missing a beat at whatever teaching I am doing at the same time.  

Every once in a while I like to create a ruckus by responding to their plea with the phrase, "And if I give you an eraser (or whatever), what is it you will give me?"  

Even though my students are by now used to my unusual(?) sense of humor and sense of play with them, they never quite know how to respond.   Over the years I have been offered food from lunch boxes, rulers, marbles, Kleenex (yes, I said Kleenex), Post-It notes, and a variety of other items.

More often than not, the student responds with wide eyes and a rather frozen look on their face.  Rather like a face that says, "Please make me invisible right now so I don't have to deal with her."  

Once the students catch on that this is all meant to be in fun, as well as a little life lesson in give-and-take, we have a lot of fun with it.  I always explain to the students that their return "thing" doesn't have to be material.  I offer up suggestions such as a hug, a smile, a compliment or some other positive action or deed. 

Today, a darling little one approached and asked me for a plastic baggie for his spelling words.  I could see him coming from a mile away. 

"Mrs. Jeppson?" he began, tentatively as I was involved in some spelling activities with a small group of students. 

"Hmmm?" I said glancing his way while I pointed to the past tense words we had been discussing in the group. 

"Can I have a baggie for my words?"  he asked, holding out his little hand with twenty-three rectangular pieces of paper with spelling words on them.

As the spelling group at the table got busy on their assignment, I turned to look the little boy in the eyes.  

"Welllllll, If I get up and walk all the way across the room to get you a baggie, what will you give me?" I said, arching my eyebrows with just a hint of a smile.    "Sounds only fair that you would give me something if I give you something."

I waited.  He shuffled his feet.  He twisted up his mouth.  The spelling students were much more interested in our exchange than their spelling and were listening in intently.  

"How about a pencil?" he said, offering a two inch stub towards me. 

"Ew.  No, thanks.  It's barely big enough to write with.  And besides, I have an entire drawer full of pencils.  I certainly do not need another one." 

"Well, I have an eraser shaped like a doughnut," he continued, trying to sell it.

"Interesting, for sure.  But that would make me hungry for a doughnut, so that won't do," I countered. 

He was running out of ideas.  The spellers started to chime in to bail him out.

"Give her this blue dry erase marker," suggested a fellow student. 

"I bet she would like that bracelet you made," said one girl to another.

"Maybe she wants some chocolate.  She really likes chocolate," suggested another helpful student.

(Sigh) "Nah.  I really don't like blue, and I wouldn't want to take your bracelet.  The chocolate sounds great, but I need to cut back on the sweets," I answered.  

"I know!" said the student who had started this whole thing by wanting a baggie.  "You are the best teacher in the world!"

OK.  Hard to top that one.  Even with chocolate.  So I caved and quickly walked across the room, handed him a baggie, and returned to my spelling group to finish up the lesson.

Later in the day, a student straggled in from another 3rd grade classroom to ask if I could give him a copy of tonight's homework for his teacher.  Of course every student in my class had stopped, pencils in midair, curious to see why this intruder was interupting us. 

"Welllll..., " I began, looking at him.  "If I give you that homework page, what are you going to give me?" 

And I winked at the two students sitting closest to us. 

One For The Books

Last night the temperature here fell to -10, a new record.  Tack on the winds and most areas experienced temperatures plummeting to -20 to -30.  In addition, we broke the record for the most snowfall in January with 34.6 inches.   And the month isn't even over yet.  Brrrrrrrr doesn't even begin to cover it.  Makes me glad that while I was doing my online Christmas shopping this year, I managed to find time to purchase a heavy-duty winter coat for myself.  

So, to all of you that read this blog and haven't had the pleasure of experiencing this phenomenon known as the "Polar Vortex 2014", let me try to explain what life is like lately.   And for all of you that read this blog from a warmer, more tropical spot, shut up.

First of all, do not, and I mean do NOT go outside unless you absolutely have to in this kind of weather.  We Michiganders are tough, but this is even too cold for our blood.  If you do choose to go outside, pile on the layers until you are at least five times your normal size. Boots and gloves are a must and I don't mean the fashionable ones.  You need the ugly, warm ones if you don't want to get frostbite on your toes and fingers.  Trust me, you won't care what you look like and no one can recognize you anyway with all that snow stuff on.

When you open the door you are hit with a frigid blast of air that, literally, takes your breath away.  Any exposed skin tingles immediately and the only thing on your mind is to get back inside quickly before you freeze.to.death.  No joke. Making it to your car is somewhat of a relief, even if the temperature inside your vehicle is -3 and it will take your car twenty minutes to warm up.  At least you are out of the wind.  Your best bet is to just stay inside your house and postpone doing anything that would require you leaving.

Today was another snow day for my school, which really should be called a "cold day".  In these temperatures it's even too cold for the snow to fall. Which is a good thing, since we have over two feet of snow already on the ground. We don't really need anymore, thanks anyway.  This marks our fifth day in January that we have been out of school - something that has never happened before. In all honestly, I kind of miss school.  Now don't get me wrong.  Snow days are like a wonderful surprise gift and I enjoy them as much as the next teacher.  But there is so much to do and I admit, I miss the kids.  

Just about every school district was closed today due to weather.  When watching the weather channel, I saw that even the southern states are getting hit with some colder air.  It must be awful to have your temperatures fall into the 30's!   Someone I know in Louisiana even posted pictures of *gasp* snow on the ground.  Although, technically, it looked like no more than an inch which certainly wouldn't even qualify for snow here in the mitten state.  I imagine the southerners are amused and tickled by this freakish snow  and chilly weather.

We Michiganders, however, are no longer amused.  Enough already. I think I speak for all of us when I say that we do not feel the need to break any more cold records, or snowfall records, or windchill records, or snow day records.  And for all my friends and family in the south, since we sent you some snow, how about reciprocating and sending us some warmer temperatures and sun?

Wah.  How long until spring?