Currently and the Year of the Beaver

It seems each year or class can be summed up in a few words. 2 years ago was The Year of the Beaver. I did not just have kiddos who chewed on pencil ends or ate the eraser off. I had a kiddo who ATE entire pencils. At first, I thought someone was hiding pencils. Then, I thought someone was taking pencils home because many of my kiddos do not have pencils, pens or crayons at home. Well, pretty soon my OCD was kicking in and it was my MISSION to find the pencils that kept turning up missing. We did backpack searches, I asked the kiddos to be detectives, and finally one little friend came to me to tattle helpfully inform me that Beaver Boy had something in his mouth.

I ask Beaver Boy what he had in his mouth. Nuffing Beaver Boy told me. Are you chewing gum? No ma'am....and all of this is said with marble mouth talk. Open you mouth Beaver Boy. Nothing. I am asking you to do something because I am worried about you being safe. Please open your mouth. Nothing. Open your mouth or I will open it for you (yes, these words did come out of my mouth as I was praying no one was walking by to hear) He opens his mouth and half a pencil is a chewy wet mess. Disgusting does not even begin to describe this. This poor, sweet kiddo was also one I was going to have to learn how to brush....but that will be for another post! =)

Last year was The Year of Snot. NEVER, EVER in my life have I seen so much snot come from such tiny people. AND to make it even better, we are talking about projectile snot that shot across the room. We would go through a box of Kleenex in 2 days. This is AFTER a lesson on how to use Kleenex instead of just smearing it and the snot all over your face. I Lysoled everything and we bathed in Germ-X.

This year we are all about GAS! Burps and Toots are the music of our room. It got to the point we weren't even listening to our classical music as we worked because Mozart and burps and toots are just not something I want their brains to connect together. Maybe it is because I have double the amount of boys as I do girls but OH MY WORD! Is it rude for me to go spray the air around them after they have passed a toot that lasted for 12 seconds??!!!??? At least I can say we can now successfully withstand the orchestra of the original wind instrument without any giggles, smirks or comments. For a Firstie, that is HUGE...probably more of an achievement than mastering reading all of your sight words but I have yet to find that on any of our district assessments. I, however, am learning to breathe through my mouth and be well stocked in Bath & Body Works air fresheners! =)

I have linked up with Farley finally (after thinking about my OLW for a long, long time)!!!

When I come home from school, I let my bunny out for Hop Time. He and my cat Edison play and I cuddle with them. My bunny's name fits him because I have elaborately had to wire his cage shut because he kept escaping!

I love 3 day weekends and am ready for the break even though we just had a break but it has been a LONG 2 weeks. My nieces are my Chickadees and the weekends are a time I cherish with them.

Yes, I did tell my cat he was being a Bucket Dipper when he took Houdini's carrot away from him. Yes, my cat is weird too and eats carrots and cilantro.

I AM seriously considering buying someone toothpicks. This person picks her teeth while you are talking to her and then EATS whatever food she foraged...am I the only one to find that gross??!!!??? I try really hard to not let it bother me but it does. In the WORST way.

I have spent a lot of time thinking about my OLW (one little word). HEART is my word that I am going to try and embrace. I share on my profile the verse from Colossians 3:23 about "whatever you do, work at it with all of your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men."

We all have things we pour all of our HEART into because it is something near and dear to us BUT we often do not show our heart's priorities in our actions and everyday life.  Too many times, I put my love for God on the back burner. I let my quiet time be taken up by other things. My pastor shared about how time is like tithing. Where you spend your time is what is the most important in your life. I know my love for the Lord will grow even stronger when I put ALL of my HEART in His word and following Him.

I also need to put ALL of my HEART into the things I don't like teaching as much. I LOVE word study and therefore, know I do a pretty great job teaching it to my kiddos because of that. But Social Studies??? BLAH! It is hard for my kiddos to understand a subject so abstract therefore, I know I do not always do a very good job with those standards. I need to teach each thing with passion, creativity, and my HEART.

I also need to do everything with a joyful HEART. My negative attitude (which is not often) does not make an unpleasant task easier and whatever the situation is I am blessed to be going through it. Whether it is a time of praise or a time of storms, it is a time to turn and give my whole HEART  and praise to God.

When I look at all of my kiddos with Eyes of the Heart, I will touch the lives of each little one God put in my classroom. As I tell my kiddos: when you walk through the door, you walk into my heart and I will love you forever!

From My Heart to Yours,