Tree Fillers

I forgot to add a little blurb about my close to finished bulletin board!  I love it!  The students will trace their hands on fall leaf-colored paper and then cut out their hands.  On their hands, they'll write their names and what goals they are working on in speech class.  The hands will be put up on the tree and "falling" off of the tree to look like leaves.  I am pretty excited to start filling my tree!

Donuts and Love

Donuts.  Who doesn't love donuts?  My favorite is definitely Boston Creme filled with chocolate icing!  A real treat for me since I try not to indulge too often in donuts.  But today, donuts had a much bigger meaning to me.  Yes, I am still referring to the sweet treat but they are way more than that.  Donut Friday's will commence this Friday for the staff and will continue every Friday until early June.  My mouth is watering as I think about it.  I found out about Donut Friday's earlier in the week and what everyone was referring to as "donut groups".  I didn't have a donut group and no one had asked me to join them yet.  I kept thinking I should ask someone if I could join their group, but right when I got up the nerve, I saw their name on the donut group list with three other staff members (four is the limit).  I decided I'd just wait and see what it looked like by the end of the week and if there was a group of three, I'd just add my name to their group.  Until today when I got an e-mail, entitled "donuts" from one of the learning support teachers.  It simply said "Do you have a donut group yet?"  My heart skipped a beat.  How in the world could the word "donuts" make me so happy?  But it was more than just the fact that I'd get to eat a donut every Friday.  It was acceptance and friendship.  I was overjoyed that someone thought of me and wanted me to be in their group.  I obviously replied: "No, I do not... but I'd gladly join yours if you need someone!".  And there I was, in a donut group.  My new donut friends are going to be great, I already know it!  I just hope they don't judge me for buying a whole box of Boston Creme filled donuts and probably eating them all myself!

On another note, love was definitely in the air today.  I spent some time with my mentor's second grade class today.  We broke into groups and I got to sit with a few of the students that I will be working with and a few of the other students.  We all took turns asking each other questions about our hobbies, interests, families, pets, etc.  It was the first time I got to really sit in and spend time with any of the kids in the school.  Second grade is full of a lot precocious little buggers.  They aren't the babies anymore; they are veterans and they know what is expected of them.  They have had two years to get to know their peers and two years of getting to know the school.  My two favorite kids in the group won't be receiving speech and language therapy at all but boy did they put a smile on my face.  We somehow got into the topic of recess (which I guess isn't that difficult of a topic to get into when you're a kid) and the little girl, we'll call her "M", burst out "You know what I like to do at recess? I like to run around a chase boys" and the entire time she's staring at one of the boys, we'll call him "D".  So "D", without skipping a beat, says, in his confident yet hopeful voice, "So does that mean you're going to chase me around at recess?" "M" chimes right back in with a true Minnie Mouse batting of her eyes, hands clasped to the side, shoulders shrugged and enthusiastic, "Sure I will!"  This type of "flirting" went back and forth between the two "love birds" for the entire session.  There was even jealously beginning to arise when one boy "S" raised his hand, ever so politely, and asked "Why does she always ask him her questions and not the rest of us?" And this is where I had to jump in and ask "M" to direct her questions to some of the other students in our "get to know you" group.  Who knew that these things started at such a young age?  I sure didn't have any interest in boys when I was in second grade... at least I don't think I did! 

So my day was filled with donuts and love.  A perfect day in my eyes.  Donuts and Love will always prevail in days where life seems to get you down.  So I leave you with this:

Enjoy the little things, for one day you may look back and realize they were the big things.
                                                                                   --Robert Brault 

Molder of Dreams

Today was a great day and a stressful day all in one. I knew the stress part would be inevitable but for some reason, today it just hit me like a ton of bricks. But, since I am trying to hard to be a "half glass full" kind of person lately, I'm going to skip the complaining about the million things I have yet to do and talk about the reality of today.

So, I survived my first all staff inservice at the high school! It's scary walking into a building alone and not knowing 95% of the people there. Luckily, a few of the girls I've already met and spent some time with waited for me in the front so I wouldn't have to go in by myself.

Let me take a minute and talk about where I came from. At my previous job, we were all one big family. We loved each other and it was obvious. We were all females, with exception of one male speech therapist, and I considered these girls and guy to be like my brother and sisters. We looked out for each other in work and in life. They were not only my colleagues, they were my friends. For two years, I worked hard and long to accomplish great things with these wonderful ladies (and gentleman) and I wouldn't trade those experiences for anything. They are still a huge part of my life and I know we will be friends forever. There is one person in those two years that I would not have gotten along without and that is my mentor, Julie. I can't put into words how much her friendship, support and guidance helped me through my first two years as a speech therapist. And if you were to ask me the one thing I will miss most about my previous job, it would, without a doubt, be my "family".

Now, there's something almost empowering when you walk into a room full of teachers, principals and superintendents and see the amazing sense of comradary they all share. I want so badly to be a part of that "family". I can only hope to find the love and respect and guidance in this group of people that I had before (although it is almost impossible to find something as great).

One by one, we began the year by filing into the high school auditorium for our "Welcome Back" speech from the superintendent. I still have yet to formally meet this man but let me tell you, today, I have a new found respect for my "higher ups". The morning started with the pledge of allegiance, because believe it or not, we live in America. And believe it or not, America is "One Nation Under God". This made me proud, proud to be an American and proud to be part of a school district that still takes a moment out to pledge allegiance to the country that gave us our freedom. And believe me, God was not absent from ANY part of this inservice, which was led by our superintendent. And when he started reading a poem about counting your blessings, I knew this was the right place for me.

Public education is by far under attack. And for those of you who know anything about me, you know that I am not one to talk about politics because to be quiet honest, I know nothing about it. But I am one who will fight to the end in the belief that every child should have the access to a public education and a good one at that. Which is why I think I'll fit in very well at this district. I can say 100%, without hesitation, that every single person in this district has a heart as big, if not even bigger, than mine. With four+ years of education, my current and former colleagues are more than qualified to provide a quality education for children of any age. With the insane amount of budget cuts in public education throughout the state and throughout the country, our district was lucky enough to not furlough any teachers and hire about 5 more, including me!

With that said, we heard from the business manager, the union president, the retirement plan guy (not really sure what his official title is) and a few others before we were allowed a quick stretch and bathroom break.

After the break, we were scheduled to watch a "docudrama". This was the first I've ever heard that word but let me tell you, I am more than pleased with their choice of "speaker" for this morning. In an effort to save money, the "speaker" would be on video in the "docudrama" we were about to watch. So, the superintendent comes back on the microphone and introduces the Docudrama "Molder of Dreams" by Guy Doud. The lights turned off and on came the film and the first thing that comes across the screen is "Focus on the Family" production. If you are not familiar with "Focus on the Family", it is a global Christian ministry that believes "that the purpose of life is to know and glorify God through an authentic relationship with His Son, Jesus Christ." My mother listens to Dr. Dobson and Focus on the family every morning and it is something I grew up listening to with her. The film was so close to life changing that it's scary. There were a few times during the hour that I had tears in my eyes. If you are a teacher and you have yet to see this video, I highly recommend it. Although it's an old one, it is definitely a good one. The impact it will have on you will be worth the really cheesy acting! Here's a very brief synopsis of the main focus: Guy Doud was National Teacher of the Year during Ronald Reagan's presidency and was honored to the point where he was invited to the White House to meet the president. During his visit, the president read this poem to Mr. Doud:

Teachers
You are the molders of their dreams
The gods who build or crush
Their young beliefs of right or wrong.
You are the spark that sets aflame
The poet's hand or lights the flame
Of some great singer's song.
You are the god of the young, the very young
You are the guardian of a million dreams
Your every smile or frown
Can heal or pierce the heart
You are a hundred lives, a thousand lives.
Yours the pride of loving them
And the sorrow too.
Your patient work, your touch
Make you the gods of hope
Who fill their souls with dreams
To make those dreams come true.

So, teachers, as you enter into a new school year, remember, YOU are the molder of dreams. You have the ability to change the lives of the children who walk through your doors. Take it. Take it and run with it. Make a difference and change the world. The future is all in your hands.

Common Battles

This day was a struggle from the time my alarm clock went off this morning. There was no way I was getting out of bed, it was my last day to "sleep in" before having to start my real work schedule. How obnoxious would it be if I just let the thing beep while I attempted to stay warm under my covers (it was a chilly morning in the 'burgh). Then I remembered that my best friend, Lindsey, was spending the night and she was in the other room. So I got up, hit the snooze button and went back to bed. 6:00 a.m. is way too early for someone who's used to waking up at 7:00 and rolling out of the house by 8:00. And now I'm supposed to switch the schedule I've had for the past two years... and for what, a big raise, less travel and my dream job? Sounds pretty crappy...NOT! But still, I need to get in the habit of this waking up early thing. Even though I didn't have to be there any specific time today, I was seriously aiming to be there by 8:30. So, 9 minutes later, the alarm goes off again. I hit snooze. 9 minutes later, the alarm goes off again. I hit snooze, again. Seriously, what alarm making company decided that 9 minutes was a good snooze time? I'm thinking 20 minutes sounds a lot more reasonable! Finally, the alarm goes off one more time and I hear Lindsey getting up and moving around. It's probably around 6:30 at this point. I pulled myself up and out of bed and turned off my alarm and went out to help Lindsey finish folding up the futon and pushing it back into place. Actually, I think I just pushed it back into place. And then, I plopped my tired little self right on the couch while Linds got ready for work. When she left, I locked the door, set my alarm again, and fell quickly back to sleep until 7:40 a.m.! I think this battle with my alarm clock is a battle I will never, ever win.

So at 10:00 a.m., I finally make it in to work. My goal for this morning was to copy all the IEP's for the children on my caseload, since I still did not have access to my computer or e-mail. I'm not quite sure why there aren't copies of their current IEP's in my speech files in my office but I'm going to do things just a little differently than the previous therapist. To each their own.

Now onto the battle of the copy machine. Now this copy machine is the most daunting copy machine I've ever seen, but like they say, "don't judge a book by it's cover"; it was one of the easiest copy machines I've ever used! Grade by grade, I copied the IEP's, but not without a hassle. Since I pulled the files by grade and wanted to return everything to their proper places before taking the next set of files out, I had to leave the copier open to anyone in the building. No fair - I don't have time to share access to the copier with anyone, I have 51 IEP's to copy! The first 3 grades were smooth sailing, with the exception of needing a little assistance on where to find more paper. And then came 4th grade... I pulled the files as quickly as possible and walked toward the copy room. There in front of me stood my first road block. One of the teachers had decided to jump in on my copy machine time and she wasn't just making one copy. It was going to be a while and then she warned me that someone else was in line after her! Oh no! What am I going to do now? I smiled and asked her to let me know when she was finished, being as polite as possible and walked back to my room. Trust me, there are a ton of other things I could do with my time, I just REALLY wanted to get this done today! So, defeated, I started working on other tasks but with the thought of finishing this task never leaving the top of my list. Periodically, I'd take a walk past the copy room to check on the availability of the copy machine. Finally, after about an hour and a half, I carried the files down with me and there it was, like a present from God, an empty copier. I cranked out 4th grade and hurried for 5th! I felt like I was running a 5k! I took a deep breath and walked back to the copy machine to finish the last grade. I turned the corner and ahead of me I see one of the secretaries about to walk in and start copying student handbooks - at least 60 some pages for every student in the school! Not again - there is no way I was going to get this done before the end of the day now! Luckily, her and I have been talking throughout the day and I took my chance and asked her if I could cut in front of her for about ten minutes to finish up the last set of IEP's I needed to copy. I just about hugged and kissed her when she said "sure!", without hesitation! Finally, I had all the IEP's copied and ready be filed in my new filing system! Tomorrow, I'll work on putting them in the files!



It's such a relief when you finish such a big task. I just wanted to have the IEP's copied before the first day of school, even though it really wasn't necessary. In the end, when I looked at the stacks of IEP's on my table, it didn't look as bad as I made it out to be. Somehow I have a feeling that the battles I will fight with the copy machine and my alarm clock will continue throughout the school year. But nothing, and I mean absolutely nothing, will keep me from enjoying and loving every minute of this dream job, even if I am absolutely exhausted.

Bulletin Boards

Day 1: I've decided that if there is ever a job opening for professional bulletin board maker, that I should not apply! My computer hasn't been set up yet so getting the paperwork part of my new job as the Speech-Language Pathologist at an elementary school was seemingly impossible. So today I dove into the task of decorating my bulletin boards instead.

A simple task, right? Pick out some different colored paper, grab a stapler and some scissors and away we go. Yeah... right! What a mess I made!

My big bulletin board is up pretty high so I had to stand on a chair to be able to measure the board. Instead of using the meter stick that was sitting on my desk, I decided it would be a bright idea to just hold the paper at the top and then unroll it to the right length and then "Voila!", it's done! Nope, I'm not that lucky, or smart! I ended up dropping the roll and watching it tumble to the floor as I stand up the chair empty-handed. I decide to just eyeball the measurements due to my already extreme frustration and pray for the best. My scissors didn't glide down the paper like the glide down wrapping paper to create a nice, smooth edge. Instead, it looked as if a two year old took a pair of scissors to it.

I finally get the huge piece of paper back up to the board and get ready to staple it. I eyeball it again and "line it up". I smack the stapler on one corner and then other and I feel quite satisfied that I finally got this bright orange piece of paper to hang up! I step back to admire my work and alas... it's crooked! Of course it is! Just my luck! So I take the staple out of one corner and then the other and line it up again. This time I'm sure I got it right! I step back and finally success overwhelms me!

But those jagged edges are killing me and they look horrible! I have no "borders" to put up so I have got to make it look good! So I try and "glide the scissors along the edge like a razor blade to clean up the edges. Not a good idea. It worked, to some extent, but it was not a good idea. Now it looks even worse. I decided to give up and move on to the next piece. This one needed two orange pieces because the paper wasn't wide enough. So I try again with the scissors. No luck. I'm still a two year old trapped inside a twenty-six year old's body! I decide to still use the paper because it's long enough and wide enough so why not? Seriously, I SUCK at putting up bulletin boards. It ended up crooked and a really big mess, again. I had to use scraps to fill in the holes that I couldn't get covered up due to my huge lack of visual perception at this point in my life.

*On a side note, I went to the dollar store and found some really cute "borders" today so I'll get to cover up those horrible jagged edges tomorrow!*

I just had to walk away. I went and got more staples. God knows I used a whole "stick" of staples for one bulletin board.

I threw away the rest of the scraps and took a deep breath as I looked up at the three remaining beasts that I had yet to conquer. I kicked off my shoes, rolled up my pretend sleeves and rubbed my hands together, ready to tackle the job (Okay, not really, but it adds a nice touch to the story)! Scissors in hand, I tried again with the cutting. This time, on blue paper. And... it liked me!!! The sound of the scissors gliding across the paper reminded me of Christmas and presents and I was so unbelievably happy! I decided that I would fold down the edges before putting it up on the bulletin board to make a cleaner, neater look. I cranked out three bulletin boards in the time it took me to do one! I was more proud of myself than my parents were when I graduated from my graduate school! Maybe I can be a professional bulletin board maker after all! Oh, the excitement! How much do you think they make?

Anyway, now as I look back on the past 20 minutes, I realize that this task really had a bigger impact on me that I thought. I mean I just wrote a blog entry on bulletin boards! It's going to be a good year! I just know it!

In the words of Winston Churchill:

"Never give in--never, never, never, never, in nothing great or small, large or petty, never give in except to convictions of honour and good sense. Never yield to force; never yield to the apparently overwhelming might of the enemy."