Hello, reality

 

Well, the day every teacher dreads is upon us: the first day of a new school year. The end of summer. Oh, 5:30 am is going to hurt tomorrow.

We had open house last night, and I always forget how tall and tan and grown up they all look after two months of not seeing them. For the most part, they're excited to see their friends and maybe even their teachers (although they wouldn't admit it). And I have to say, I was excited to see them, too. Say a little prayer for all of us tomorrow. We're going to be tired puppies by the end of the day!

Dear Avocado

Dear Mr. Avocado,
Thank you for being the catalyst behind a wonderful Spanish Club with some of my Jr. High students today. Who knew making guacamole together could lead to so much conversation and fun. Sometimes as a teacher I forget that my students are actual people and not just part of another group to keep quiet while I tell them what their homework is for the night. Thanks for reminding me how great it is to get to know my students on a personal level, avocado. I guess you really are a super food.

Until next time,
Mrs. Brooks

Bits and Pieces

Here's some bits and pieces from my weekend.

 

Surprise flowers from a co-worker/Much-needed encouragement from a student/Loading up on yarn wreath supplies/First-ever bowl of rice noodle soup/Shopping date with mom/Music coming from the Man Cave

Grown Up Lessons

I learned a few grown up lessons today.

1. Even the best of intentions can backfire. 

2. Not everyone interprets information the same way I do.

3. Composure and grace can go a long way. You are more respected if you use it.

4. I should not judge. People most definitely can surprise you in very positive ways.

When you have a hard "Grown Up Lessons" kind of day, this helps a lot:

Boy, did I need to hear that.

I smell like zucchini.

My student council kids have started a garden at school. We're growing all kinds of things to serve in the cafeteria, but we also decided to make zucchini bread later on in the year as a fundraiser. I knew we wouldn't get enough from our garden, so I asked parents for any extra they had. Um, ask and you shall receive! I ended up with three garbage bags full of zuch.

Luckily, I have a wonderful dad that is willing to learn how to work a food processor to help me. I think he secretly liked it...it's basically a kitchen version of a power tool, right?

Behold: Forty cups of blended zucchini.

In other news, a first grader tried to get my attention today by calling me "Mrs. ManDyke". That is most definitely one name I have never been called before, for sure. :)

Mrs. Brooks

Today was our first day back to school for the year. I was getting my school mail when I saw it...my new name plate: "Mrs. Brooks."

It is CRAZY to think that we're close enough to our wedding to even think about my name changing. I am so excited to marry Jake, but I won't lie, I will miss being "Ms. VanDyke" a little bit. But, changing my name mid year is hard to remember for the little guys, so I'm sure I'll hear it for a least a few months after the wedding!

Who DOES that?

Today was an errands kind of day. Ate lunch with Dad, did some wedding shopping, and even got a swim workout in with Miss Aud. And through all of this running around, here is the back of my car...

Why in the world would I have a headless dummy and an ear canal in my back seat, you might ask? Because I'm a teacher, and a very frugal one at that. Church wanted to get this out of their closet and I found a teacher friend that wanted it for her classroom. However, being 90+ degrees, I wasn't in the mood to lug it in to my classroom just yet. I'm lucky I wasn't pulled over for having a heinous crime scene in my car...

Best. Compliment. Ever.

I believe today I was given the best compliment I have ever heard in my three years of teaching. This compliment was given to me by a 2nd grade boy:

"Ms. VanDyke, your class was better than Gym today!!"

Now, if you have ever been around a 7-8 year-old boy, you know this is the highest compliment a teacher can recieve. Gym is as close to recess as you can get during the day.

What were they doing, you may ask? They were exploring the website Quest for Compassion.
It was made through the organization Compassion International (which I am a big fan of). It gives kids a chance to virtually explore countries around the world and find out what life is like for the kids that live there. Many of the homes these kids live in are shacks or other sub-par housing. I love how Compassion explains and approaches these issues. I highly recommend it to any church workers/teachers/parents out there!