Cheshire Cat

One thing I'm going to miss in 7 days is my daily serving of hot chocolate. The Life Skills class at school brings around hot chocolate and coffee to us every morning around 10:30. In exchange for their services, I pay them with a "$1 bill" printed on a sheet of paper. They collect this money from alllllll the teachers and then are able to use it to purchase things in their own little community! My love for this process is two-fold:

1. I get hot chocolate no matter the outdoor temperature!! (watered down and soapy tasting as it might be)
2. They bring me the money to pay them with. And I don't even technically work for it!! (I like to pretend it's my own trust fund. Provided by the LMS Life Skills students.)

For some unknown reason, they have begun drawing designs on my styrofoam hot chocolate cup. It's always been labeled with my name. BUT NOW is has a picture of.......wait for it.......the Cheshire Cat!!! (I know what it is because they always label their pictures.)

Only problem: I can't for the life of my figure out what this animal has to do with me or my hot chocolate. Any ideas?

(If I'm supposed to be offended by this, please enlighten me.)

Update

I've reached new heights of worthlessness. I'm watching GAC and doing nothing productive. Just call it "Spring Break Hangover" (it has nothing to do with alcohol consumption. promise). Lesson plans and paper grading are looming...and it's midnight. It's just the price you pay for a few days in paradise.

More on that later!

I always have liked peaches

No, really. They're my favorite fruit. And fruit is my favorite food. So basically, peaches are the best thing ever.

Consider that a sidenote, because the real purpose of this post is to update you on the progress toward my non-resolution. In case you don't remember, I made quite the list of books I wanted to read this year. It's really nice to have them written down to refer back to as needed.

I read James and the Giant Peach by Roald Dahl during our independent reading time at school, and finished it a couple of weeks ago. I know it's a classic, but something about it just wasn't that great. I found myself constantly wishing for something better and more exciting to happen....and then the book ended.

A discussion my students and I often have is about connecting with the book and the characters. We talk about reasons you connect with characters (i.e. you have something in common or you think you might want to be their friend). Perhaps the reason I didn't really like this book is because I never was able to connect with any of the characters. I felt like it was a stream of events, without ever really giving a "feel" for their personalities. Sure, Roald Dahl does a great job of telling you what each character's faults are, but these aren't effectively shown.

So, I've never lived in a peach. Basically this is why I didn't like James...or the book, really. Glad I've finally read it, though. Something tells me I read it as a child, but it didn't make an impact on me, and now I can see why.

On to my next book...Maniac Magee by Jerry Spinelli. Loving it so much that I did an impromptu read aloud from it on Thursday, and the kiddos were spellbound! I'll let you know what I think at the end of it.

Love!

Generosity

Backstory: My friend Lauryn teaches first grade down the street from me. She is one of the most patient, calm, devoted teachers (and people) I know.

Lately, Lauryn and I have spent our infinite snow days discussing the generosity of others. We both teach underprivileged children and are always looking for ways to make their lives better. Try as we might, we can't do it all ourselves.

You know all about my DonorsChoose page. OUR PROJECT GOT FUNDED!! I don't even know how to properly thank everyone who donated to this endeavor. Our supplies arrived on Wednesday and I stayed there until an ungodly hour to unpack and organize everything. My students oo-ed and ah-ed over the transformation of our supply cabinet. They are so excited to start using their own supply boxes and to have access to everything they need! Pictures to come!

This morning, I went to LP Pencil Box to shop for free school supplies. The Pencil Box allows teachers to come once a semester and pick up a few things that are needed to keep a classroom running. Though there are limits on how many items you can take, this is a fantastic resource for teachers. I left there with somewhat of a holy grail: pencils and three-prong folders, scissors and magazines. And BOOKS. These are precious commodities in the middle school classroom.

I sent out a plea for magazine subscriptions back in November, and the response was beyond what I could have hoped for. My kids are reading everything from Sports Illustrated to Discover Kids. Great to see!

Lauryn's students got to have a Christmas party with the Vanderbilt student-athletes and experience their first pajama party thanks to a friend of her family.

The generosity is astounding. It's good to know there are amazing people out there. You rock. :)

Extreme Makeover: Classroom Edition

Extreme Makeover: Classroom Edition

My students could really use your help! DonorsChoose.org allows donors (like YOU) to help us meet needs for our students. The fact is, I was given $200 to spend on my classroom this year. That was gone before the students even walked through the door in August.

I'm asking that you send this to anyone you know who might be able to help us.

LOVE!