Grateful Friday

I'm grateful Adam is back!  He was gone a whole week and that is too long.

I'm grateful for infrequent but happy flashes of teacher inspiration!  

Yesterday I had some math papers for them to do and I have a little pocket of girls who do anything and everything to avoid work.  They doodle, they chat, they go to use the bathroom, they are suddenly thirsty, they need to tie their shoes.

I said, "I have a google form for you to fill out who you want in your group on the field trip."

They all practically quivered with excitement.

I said, "You can't fill it out until your math is done."

When these girls started up their nonsense, I said, "I guess I'll just assign your groups."

You never saw them work so quickly!  Sadly it was for only that time, but what a glorious time it was.

I'm grateful that yesterday we did some Kandinsky inspired art work.  It was fun!  I had biome pictures hanging in the hall that they'd made for the art exhibition but the art exhibition had been pushed later and the biome pictures were disintegrating like everything does in the hall that gets brushed by 500 students every day.  We needed an alternative and Kandinsky concentric circles it was.

I loved how colorful they were.  The art teacher loaned me brushes and water basins and brand new watercolors because she said I have such a good class.  

I was demonstrating for them and one of them reverently asked, "Are you a...painter?"

Another said, "My sister told me she used to be an art teacher."

It's true.  For one day.

I'm grateful for my school.  It was teacher appreciation week and I felt appreciated!  Maybe my favorite thing all week was the three 6th grade student council members who delivered me breakfast yesterday.  The two boys were in white shirts and ties and the girl wore a pretty apron.  They gave me my breakfast as well as a little stack of yellow cards.  I asked, "What are these for?"

They looked uncomfortable.

They looked worriedly at each other.

One boy said, "Ok...cover your ears."  I obediently did, but I still heard him say, "These are for you to write thank you notes to your teacher."

It was delightful.

Also yesterday we had a meeting after school where some teachers shared ways to help us be better.  I'm grateful for the fun Matt has restored to Bonneville, but also the ways he pushes us to improve.  He has this incredible knack for validating our efforts and asking for more.

I'm grateful it's going to get warmer.  Full sunshine in the forecast!