Not bragging, just blessings…

- It’s been a while since I have mentioned/updated you on my health. I am doing better. Slowly gaining my strength/stamina back. I don’t sound like a creepy stalker person when I walk down the hall and back at school and then try to talk to my class. I am even back on the treadmill. Probably not eating enough red meat (cough cough, Hubby, maybe you need to grill me some steaks!) But I do have a new found love of gummy vitamins. Chewy, fruity, and good for you.

-Still have the greatest friends in the world; cyberspace and real life. My former student and fellow blogger has the most beautiful new baby boy and her toddler is just as cute as ever (www.livingtheerwinlife.blogspot.com to see the most precious pictures.) My former classmate in high school is still inspiring me with all of her creative home school ideas and new tower plant garden thingy (www.homeschoolshus.blogspot.com to see this amazing plant thing.) Our neighbors took us out last weekend to the most fabulous, best kept secret, hole in the wall, 5 star quality seafood restaurant… gogo gumbo. It’s in Boyd, TX, and totally worth the drive. It’s fine dining taste in a casual atmosphere and byob. So I did. A bottle of Skinnygirl Margarita. Last night I met up with a friend that I went to school with from kindergarten to our second year of junior college. She left to become an Aggie and I left to become Mrs. Too Tall and a Screaming Eagle at UNT. We talked for hours. Literally. And ate our favorite soups and salad at Olive Garden. She is a great Mom, Wife, and Friend.

- Mom is ROCKIN’ retirement. Of course we all knew she would. Throughout her career she has always taken care of people. Whether it was as a nurse’s aide at a hospital in Wichita, KS, as a pharmacy tech in White Settlement, or as the receptionist/appointment maker/lab result caller for Dr. E, it was ALWAYS about the other person. She could teach a master class for Customer Service. Retirement is no different. She’s now volunteering and giving of her time and talent to the Senior Citizens Center. She has joined their choir; practicing on Tuesday, performing on Thursday’s, and helping out once a month when they have their “give-away” days. She is my inspiration. (She could really inspire me with some bread from her bread machine that has been waiting for her retirement to roll around  ) I love her more than all the shoes in the world!

-Dad is my hero too. He is still getting, well, I won’t use the most accurate term for what is being done to him by the crappy Arkansas government. It’s bad. And I have put my four-letter word filter on for this portion of my blog. If I was on live television, all you would hear is one long bleeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeep! They took his land to widen the road. They put in a bridge. In the WRONG place. Stupid hillbillies. And instead of correcting THEIR mistake by redoing the bridge, they are just going to take some more land, WITHOUT COMPENSATION, to make it work. Are you kidding me? My Dad is a bigger person than me. If I had to endure what he’s going through, I promise you that in a blink of an eye I would be front and center in the face of the criminals that run the Arkansas Highway Department WITHOUT my four-letter word filter giving them a piece of my mind until they dragged me away in cuffs. Of course, I would make sure they filmed me from my good side for the evening news cast. Geez. Every time we think they can’t find another way to “stick it” to Dad, they take a swig of moonshine and come up with something new. He deserves the biggest reward in heaven for the hell he’s been put through. Stay strong Dad. Karma has to kick in before it’s all over. I am so proud of how you have endured!

-We’ve got 6 days of school left. Now THAT’S bragging!

The ugly truth...

I am a sore loser. Wait, let’s be honest. I HATE losing and I don’t take it well. At all. Ever. So when I found out recently that I “lost” something I have wanted to “win” for a long time, make that a very long time, I did not react well. And it’s not so much that I “lost”, I just didn’t get picked. Which is actually the same as losing.

I think this can be traced to my childhood. I have vivid memories of my losses. I lost being a cheerleader to Tonja in 5th grade. We tried out in front of our student body and ONE girl made it from each elementary for the next year in Middle School. What possessed me to think I could beat a girl that was on target to become an Olympic gymnast? Talk about misplaced confidence. I lost lead roles in our elementary plays. I am pretty sure those always went to Tammy and Deneise. I managed to be one of many sheep in Charlotte’s Webb, one of the nuns in the Sound of Music, and many other roles in the “chorus” throughout the years. Never the lead. I hated it. I tried out for a special Drill Team performance my freshman year. Going up against junior and seniors. Again with the misplaced confidence. I didn’t get picked. Deidre did. She was a freshman. I hated her for a little while. I was a very sore loser. I am sure I privately pouted for days. Losing stinks.

We don’t let kids lose anymore. Why? When did we adapt the mentality that losing is “bad” for kids? We tell them everyone’s a winner. We let them all play. We don’t keep score. We are doing them a disservice by taking away the opportunity to experience loss. Even though I probably could have handled all of my losses better, I learned a lesson from each and every one of them. I have my Mom to thank for that. She didn’t let us pout for too long. It was “pick yourself up and move forward”. She taught us to set a new goal and to work harder for it. I am sad to think about how these “everybody wins” kids are going to handle loss when they grow up.

So, after “losing” Friday and sharing my temper tantrum with my best friend, I began to think about all the ways in which I have “won”. I want to share with you. Because it makes me feel better. And less like a loser.

I won…
* the best kid. He is so sweet and polite. I get compliments on him from many of the adults he interacts with. (yeah yeah, this must come from his Grandma because I am not sweet.)
* best friends. The one that lets me rant about losing. The one that lets me rant about her being too far away. The one that is my sister but chooses to be my friend anyway.
*great parents. Who are now both enjoying retirement and are most deserving of their leisure time.
*a great Hubby. He puts up with a lot. A lot. Let me repeat. A lot. I am not always easy to live with. He’s not either, that’s why he’s a winner too. (just had to throw that out there)
*a great “ex” family. Boy is so blessed by having 2 sets of awesome grandparents. Divorce is ugly and it’s hard and it can be categorized as losing but in this case, we eventually became winners. I love my “ex” family so much. They have never made me feel anything but loved and welcomed. Even Too Tall and I found a way to look past our mistakes and make it the best situation for Boy. To use the cliché, can’t we all just get along? Yes. Yes we can and we do.
*a spot in heaven for eternity. Don’t doubt that just because I haven’t been warming up a pew in church these past several months that my place at the Pearly Gates is in jeopardy. I am a born-again Christian. A sinner redeemed. A child of God.
*you guys. My people, my friends that read this crazy mess that I babble out a few times a month. Your comments keep me going and make me feel like a winner!

This is the reason

If you have read any of the posts on here, you know that I love my job and you know that the world of education is on rocky soil right now. The Texas Legislature is in the middle of determining the budget cuts that will affect every Texas teacher and more importantly every Texas student. You are smart readers, I don't need to point out the various ways that budget cuts affect your kids.

So, why do I keep doing what I do? Because I love my students. I love spending the day in the classroom and talking history and current events and weaving them together. This week happens to be Teacher Appreciation Week. It comes and goes quietly each year, without fanfare and usually without a lot of appreciation from the students. This year was different. Monday morning every teacher at our campus walked into their rooms with a poster filled with "thank you" and "love you" and "you rock" notes written by our students.

I cherished every moment reading these notes from my kids. I will keep this poster up in my classroom as a reminder that even if I am making a lot less money next year, I do it for the kids.

The above picture is one of my favorites. I don't know if you can read it, but the note that says "your class is easy and you're nice" and is signed with a nickname that I bestowed upon the student. When they refer to themselves by the name you have created for them, you know that you matter. Now, turn your head sideways and look at the pink note written upside down. Apparently, my fashion sense has made just as big an impression as my teaching because this commends me on my "cloths" and shoes. These ladies are future fashionistas! Love them.

I am thankful for my job. I love my students. And a great big THANK YOU to the teacher that helped their students make this the best Teacher Appreciation Week!

(Sorry for the wanky pictures... I have no idea how to format pics on this blog...)