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One Part Patience, One Part Artistry, One Part Trust and Many Parts Faith

Slicing every day in March!!!

Today I got home close to 6:00 pm.
Almost 12 hours after I had left to go to school.
I took a shower.
I cleaned up the kitchen
while my husband cooked.
I had dinner with my husband and son.
I cleaned up the kitchen again.
I sat down to flip through my FB and Twitter feeds.
Then, I checked my email.
When I looked up at the clock and realized it was getting late,
I panicked. What am I going to write today?
I had no idea.

It's almost 10:00 on the east coast.
It's almost 9:00 here.
I open my computer to start a slice
and realize, again. that I don't know what I'm going to write.

I think about the tasks in my bag
the ones I lugged from school to home today.
Every day I think I could tackle at least one of these tasks before I go to bed.
But, after dinner I am tired.
I'd prefer to read a good book,
talk to my husband and son,
write a little,
watch the soccer game that's on TV right now.
Anything but do schoolwork.

I've been having such a great time with my kids.
I have fallen in love with my class.
And, once that happens, there is no going back.

We are a team.
We look after each other.
We listen to each others' ideas.
We support each other.

We are becoming a community of readers.
We are stretching ourselves in math.
We are writing and writing, and then some more.

It's not perfect, but it feels great to be in my classroom,
with my students.
To see their growth and to know that we're happy together.

This is my latest revelation -
after struggling for most of the year,
I now know what I've always known:
when left alone to work things out with my students,
just me and them,
we do amazing things.
We bloom like the most beautiful rose.

Teaching is one part patience, one part artistry,
one part trust, and many parts faith.
Relationships matter.

So, I am excited to walk into my class tomorrow.
Greet my students.
And, experience the joy of learning together for another day.
I am grateful.



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