Honorable mention

 I think I've had harder school days--like when I had a migraine--but I think yesterday at least deserves an honorable mention. 

I walked into school and I thought, "Oh no.  What am I doing?"  I did not feel well.  

In the 10:00 hour, nausea hit me with a full force.  Foolishly, I hadn't brought my nausea medicine. (Mark said, "It's like my diabetic supplies. You should just always have it with you."  He isn't wrong.)

I hadn't really been needing it and I didn't take any on Monday.  Why won't cancer just behave?!?

I had the thought to see if Mark could bring it when he went to class at UVU.

Mark for the actual win.

He thinks I eat toddler food.  He brought me animal crackers, a cheese stick and some applesauce.  And my medicine.

He saved me.

My nausea improved and I felt kind of dizzy and kind of weak and a lot tired, but guess what?  I survived!

Every day I survive.  

And even honorably mentioned bad days are not all the way bad.

My students (and Lela, my stellar sub, left me these):

Alissa said, "You did your first chemo!" and brought me these:

One of my students wrote this on the back of her math paper:

Maren did the paperwork for my multilingual learners while I was gone.  Matt stopped to ask how I was (and it was hard to take him seriously as he had dyed his hair blue because we had over 100 people sign up for PTA--it helps that it is basically mandatory for teachers).  The school nurse checked in.

Everyone and I mean everyone is so kind.

And then third grade is my happy place.

We discussed the meaning of toad and scold and coal.  (We are doing long o sounds in phonics.  One of my English learners thought toad was the same as toe.  Another boy laughed and I said, "Do you know Spanish?"  He meekly said no.  I said, "He does and he is amazing.  There is no laughing."  Nothing gets under my skin like that.  No one knew that coal is not just something you get for Christmas if you are naughty.)

In math we had 6 x 7 and they were about to come unglued so I said, "Go ahead."  

They all said, "6-7!"

(If you don't know what that is, just feel grateful.)

The same boys who lose their minds over 6-7 begged me for Takis or Hot Cheetos.  I said that I would buy some for my prize box and suddenly everyone cares more about earning stars (5 stars = a prize).  I will buy all the Takis and Hot Cheetos known to man.

"But not today," I said.  "I'm not going to the store after school."

"OK, but when?" 

"Sometime.  No promises."

"But you do promise you will get some?"

"Yes.  Eventually."

They were OK with that.

My student who won't really do anything finished the sentence I started.  Another student who threw his paper rather than write a sentence, wrote two sentences after I retrieved the paper.

We are all learning along together.  We are all learning that we can do this!