One Fourth Finished

I have survived the first nine weeks (ten now)! It is hard to believe that the year is a fourth of the way over. It is getting easier as we go along. We have added a girl to our class, so I'm now up to 4 girls! Bless their hearts for having to put up with 15 boys all day! I continue to be so grateful for the other 3rd grade teachers, two of whom have a wealth of knowledge and ideas for things I might be struggling with. The other one is brand new like me, and she is such a blessing. Anytime I am overwhelmed or frustrated, I am comforted by the fact that we are going through it together. We have become great friends and have been hanging out on the weekends! Last night we hung out with her college roommates, who were AOIIs at UGA! I am so glad they have included me and are showing me around the city!

I am slowly getting used to living the city life and being in the Eastern time zone. I am still not loving that my shows start an hour later; thank goodness for DVR. Dancing with the Stars has not disappointed this season! I am patiently waiting on Amber Riley to show off her voice like she does her dance moves! Revenge and Scandal continue to keep me on the edge of my seat. Two weeks ago was the Glee episode where they said goodbye to Finn, Corey Monteith. I cried the entire episode. As always, Grey's Anatomy has grabbed my heart. My college roommate, Kali, didn't watch tv at all when we first lived together. After three years of living with me, I managed to turn her into an avid tv watcher like me! I have missed watching the shows with her and freaking out about the crazy twists and turns!

Very rarely do we get to do fun, cutesy things in school anymore. I vividly remember all the fun things from when I was in school, and it makes me sad that I can't reenact those things. There is so much emphasis on Common Core and the CRCT, it leaves little time for cutesy. That being said, when we do get the rare opportunity to treat the kids with something fun, it is a big deal! The kids' extended text for this nine weeks was Because of Winn Dixie. At the end of the book, they have a party with egg salad sandwiches, pickles, and dump punch. We reenacted this for the kids while they watched the movie. Its things like this that make teaching worth it!

Last weekend was a three day weekend for me! Tuesday was a teacher workday, so I only had the kids three days last week! I spent Friday night through Sunday morning in Auburn for homecoming! It was a relaxing weekend being back in my favorite place! I spent all of Monday catching up on tv I had missed. I felt so rested and refreshed on Wednesday to start the second nine weeks! This week we have the ITBS (Iowa Test of Basic Skills). This will take time out of each day, throwing things off just enough. The good thing about this is less papers to grade and lessons to plan! 

I can't write this post without mentioning the Auburn game yesterday! I woke up today with a smile on my face knowing that we have returned to competitive football! What a thrilling win that was for us! War Eagle! 

Please continue to pray for my kiddos. It seems like each week I learn something about them or their home life that breaks my heart and makes me so thankful for what I have. Hug your loved ones and let them know you appreciate them. This job is a daily reminder of putting my faith in The Lord and trusting His plan. I can only hope I am letting His light shine through me to reach these sweet children who need His love more than anything.