The Mother Ship Has Abandoned Me

I suppose it was inevitable.  It had brought me such joy- surpassed every expectation I had.  Never, ever let me down.  But a mere 14 minutes ago, the Mother Ship closed its doors.  Shocking, but true.  My beloved, local Dollar Tree closed today.  I went to the store, bought about 10 more checker boards (they are so darned handy!), bought the rest of their beads (400 for $1!), grabbed some great contraction cards, used my last Dollar Tree gift card and tearfully said goodbye to the lovely Dollar Tree ladies.  How is a teacher to survive?  During the tearful exchange I shared with the lady in aisle 3, she told me there was a lease issue and they MAY reopen in about 6 months in a nearby location.  Well, this information is the only thing keeping me going.  Six months will be tough, but I loaded up on all my favorites today so I might just make it through.  If this 6 month thing is true, then I should be able to start restocking my classroom in August.  Keep your fingers crossed for me, bloggers- I hope I can make it.  They say the first step is to admit you are powerless.  Well, I am and I'm not ashamed to admit it.  I love you, Dollar Tree and I don't care who knows it!

Please offer a few moments of silence out of respect for the mother ship that has left us for the time being.  And please, please think of me anytime you visit your own Dollar Tree. 

All good things come to an end.  Hopefully this end is temporary. 

Thanks for sharing my pain.

Good Night, Irene

Well, like Elvis, Irene has left the building.  In her wake Western Massachusetts has some rising, raging rivers (love the alliteration). 

I don't know if I mentioned that my grandmother's name was Irene.  Of course, to me she was Nana.  My mother and I have been joking that my Nana would have loved a terrifying hurricane sharing her name! 

I am off to put the finishing touches on my classroom tomorrow before my little ones join me on Thursday!  Hope you have  weathered the storm well! 

Sunday with Irene

I am continuing to watch Irene.  She has been downgraded to a tropical storm.  The rain is coming down pretty hard right now, but the wind is minimal.  This afternoon the wind is supposed to pick up.  The eye of Irene isn't due to hit Massachusetts until around 2:00 this afternoon.  There may be more to report later.  I am preparing for Thursday, the first day of school!  Hope you are all well and being safe!  I'll keep you posted!

Enjoy,

Irene Cometh

Well, as you know Irene is working her way up the East Coast.   We have followed all the sage advice from the local media regarding preparations.  All we can do now is wait and blog!
Be on the look out for a post this afternoon!
Be well and be safe!

Western Massachusetts Adventures

I was off on another adventure today.  I saw an amazing Impressionist exhibit and did a bit of hiking.  Beautiful views and time to clear my head.  Perfect day!

Summer Adventures

True to my word, I am trying to get out and do some things that are fun, but not work related.  This is tricky because, let's face it, our work is a lot of fun!  I took these pictures on a recent hike.  It was a cloudy day with intermittent mist and sprinkles.  Really, I think the woods are just lovely when it rains!

Tomorrow I am off to my favorite museum to linger and absorb some beauty.  After that I will take another hike.  Fresh air and New England scenery, it doesn't get much better than that for me!   Do something just for yourself!

Be well!

Summer Greetings

Well, summer is already coming to a swift end!  I realized how easy it is for me to become uber-focused on planning for next year.  It is not easy, but I am trying to take some time to reenergize and take care of myself.  I hope each of you take some time to reflect on your successes and give yourself some time to relax and recharge.  Having said that, I did think of the blog while on vacation... 

New Beginnings and Farewells in Sight

Dear Friends,
I'm so glad you are joining me in this new adventure.  I returned to teaching first grade in the fall and have fallen in love with it all over again.  I can't believe I stayed away so long.  This year I started a website to help my families be better informed and connected to our learning.  Now I begin this endeavor in blogging.  This should be an interesting ride!
Recently, I was looking for ways to make math more interesting and hands-on for my students.  I stumbled upon some great blogs like Swamp Frog First Grade and Teacher Tipster.  I found so many ideas that I was able to implement immediately!  As I discovered genius idea after genius idea, I realized that the sharing that happens online is an important kind of professional development.  When we go to conferences or participate in common planning time, we are asking for ideas and sharing our best thinking.  When we do this online, our learning community becomes much larger.  This can only lead to immense professional growth.  I thought that if I could learn that much visiting other teachers' blogs, then I could experience more by writing a blog and inviting you to join me.
I am attending a conference next week that would interfere with parent teacher conferences so I decided to hold conferences early.  While I shared my students' work with their parents, it suddenly hit me that we only have one quarter left together.  I have had a few  glimpses of our inevitable farewell, but the conferences made it so real.  Just recently I noticed impressive learning and thinking happening.  It's interesting that we spend so much of our time working to ready our students for the next school year.  As I mentioned earlier, I have been a special educator for the last 6 years.  The nature of my role meant that I worked with my students for about 3 years.  I'm used to teaching them and being part of their learning process for more than just one year.  Well, one of the occupational hazards is that we meet amazing little human beings and get to be part of their lives for a heartbeat and that is all.  As I prepare my students to transition to second grade, I prepare myself to say goodbye to them. 
In the next few months there is much to do, many skills to sharpen, and many lessons to learn.  Thanks for sharing this time with me!  I'll post about the conference I'm attending later in the week!
Be well!