Five Weeks and Counting....

We just finished our fifth week of school. Hard to believe. I remember when it took FOREVER to get from one birthday to the next. Once, when I was around 14, I mentioned this to a youth leader at my church. He told me, "Just wait until you hit 21. You won't believe how fast time will go by then." Boy was he ever right.

My current count of students with ADHD is up to six. I am running out of room arrangements to accomodate their need to have their own spaces. I like to put desks in groups of six, and I have done so for years, but that does not appear to work with this particular group. The more kids I have to put into their "own space," the smaller my room becomes.

This class seems to be better behaved than my previous class. There are several who have the potential to be major pistols, but I am keeping them on a short leash. So far it's working, so cross your fingers. A parent wrote me the nicest email this week about how much she appreciated my structured class and high student expectations. I wrote her back to thank her for taking the time to email me. Parents always let you know when they don't like something, so it is always especially nice to hear compliments. I even keep a file of such notes and have done so for several years. Every once in a while when I am feeling overworked and under appreciated, I get out my "feel better file." It always does the trick, and reminds me that the way I spend my days does make a difference in many lives.

I have read The Power of Now two times, but I find that I have to constantly remind myself not to fall back into old habits, i.e. staying at school until 5 or 6 and then bringing a bag full of papers home to grade, worryiing about pleasing Reading First higher ups, agonizing over test scores, pondering the many students I have this year who need more than I will ever be able to give them. I am doing better with the stress level this year, and people have noticed. I just leave things undone that I would NEVER have left undone before. I have found, however, they get done eventually, and that no one worries nearly as much about things as I do. Life is too short to spend every moment being anything less than content. All we have is now, and I am trying very hard to live my life with that in mind.

On the personal front, I am planning another date with the man I met through the dating service. I think it is obvious we have an attraction, and I am looking forward to spending more time with him. As to whether or not it will lead to anything long term, I don't know. But I think the journey to find that out will be a pleasing one. I often wonder what my life would be like if I had made different choices about my career and living in a rural area. Then, the answer becomes clear--I wouldn't be who I am. As the line in the Woody Allen movie, Crimes and Misdemeanors, says "We are the sum total of our choices."

Two Weeks Down...and Counting 8/16/08

A second week of school is behind me. I have sat on them from moment one. Too many of these little whipper snappers have the potential to be hellions if I give them so much as an inch. They can call mean, bear, witch, etc. They can call me anything as long as they mind me.

I have three, or maybe four, on ADHD meds, and I got a new one this week who is supposedly getting on them soon. I believe God puts people in your path for a reason, so I guess the reason I got the new one, even though I already had the highest number in my grade level, will be made clear to me in the future. I asked the principal why I got him even though I had the highest number. She said the roster she was looking at had not been updated, so she put him in my room. She offered to move him, but I told her I had already talked to the mom, created a rapport, and felt that she would be comfortable with me. If it was my kid, I wouldn't want to meet a teacher, create a connection I felt comfortable with, then find out he was moved.

I do not like getting new students. It upsets the apple cart and messes up the entire groupd dynamic that has aleady been established. However, I would rather get them in the beginning of the year rather than later on, so maybe it will work out for the best.

His mom wrote "we will talk about this at the IEP meeting" on just about every piece of enrollment paperwork she had to fill out. As I told the special ed. secretary, she is "jonesing" for a meeting. Might be an interesting one....

I love the fact that I am typing this while watching TV. Going wireless is the BOMB. I highly recommend it. I still use my desktop, mainly because I don't have all my files transferred yet, but I'll get there sooner or later.

I have almost finished my second reading of The Power of Now. My principal is now reading it, and she stops to talk about it with me from time to time, which I enjoy. I would love to start a book club and use that particular book. I have found it amazing! I remember reading in Oprah magazine that Meg Ryan was on Oprah's show several years ago, and she told the audience, "If you only read one book, read The Power of Now. It will change your life." Oprah took her advice, reading the little known book. When she went public with her approval, the book made it to the top seller lists and the author became famous. Anyway, I'm glad the book found it's way to me.

The Blurter, the Tattler, and the WILD MAN

I survived my first week and am well on my way to surviving the 2nd. So far, they are a pretty good group, but I sat on them from the first minute. They can learn how nice I am later--better they learn to "believe" first!

I have several blurters. In fact, I wrote on the board OUR GOAL: NO BLURTING OUT! I told them it would be up until it was achieved. That was last Thursday. Needless to say it's still up. If anybody has a cure for the "blurts" let me know. It would be worth its weight in gold!

Then I have the tattler. He is constantly in everyone else's business. He can't get his work done for telling me the kids sitting across from him are not doing their work. He tattles on people for things, then turns around and does the SAME things himself. I have told him that life is soooooooo much better when you worry about your own business and let everybody else take care of their own.

Then I have the WILD MAN. This kid is absolutely precious, and I can't help but love him, but his ADHD medicine doesn't kick in until around 9. Until it kicks in, he is literally jumping up and down, hollering, clicking pencils, and practically standing on his head. Once the medicine kicks in, it is like a switch has been flipped. He becomes quiet and cooperative. I often find myself praying for 9 AM.

All in all, they seem to be a good group. They seem fairly typical, basically the same blend I have seen for the past 24 years. I will survive.

This morning when I got off the treadmill, I found myself praying, "Thank you, God, for this day and all that it will bring."

It was a usual day. Things were just normal--nothing extreme. Just an ordinary day. It was a good day. Thank you, Lord.