Christmas Door Decor

 On November 30th, my school had a door-decorating competition. My festive seniors from last year are making their way in the world and were not around to help me plan for door decor this year. We also were given much less notice of the door decorating contest this year, so I was working with a mostly apathetic crew and limited time. 

We decided to go with an easy "Battle Plan" rendition from Home Alone. We printed off some quotes and images from the movie and drew Kevin's battle plan. We didn't win (didn't even receive recognition) but I knew my own kiddos would like it and that spurred me onward. I even made a last minute "Little Nero's pizza" with a printed label and an upside down school supply box. 

Like I thought, my boys really liked it! Avery did too until she realized the pizza was fake, then she was upset which is why she's hiding behind Michael in this picture. 

She did, however, really like my coworker's Chemistree. :) 

Until Next Time, 
Much Love, Reba

Hello, August!

At some points, I'm sad that summer is over.  At other times, I'm glad that we're transitioning into fall with such an early start to school this year!  I went back last Monday for a few days of in-service to get prepared for the upcoming school year.  The kiddos went back on Thursday, so we're really off to the races now and all systems are go!  

Both boys and I enjoyed our first couple days of school and I'm hoping that's a testament to the blessing that this year will be.  I'm so pleased with all of the ways that God is orchestrating His hand throughout our days.  He has made several things become possible that I didn't think would come to exist.  He provided both boys with my "first choice" teacher options, and I know they'll excel in these classes.  

God transitioned my dad into getting a new and fantastic bus route, and to see my dad so happy makes me so happy.  This also meant that I changed the bus route that my kids ride on so that they can come directly to me in the afternoon and not get dropped off at home.  I was nervous about who their bus driver would be, and I hoped it would be someone my dad knew from being part of the transportation crew.  God worked His hand, and the bus driver not only is someone whom my dad knows but is a good friend of my dad.  This bus driver is fully capable of managing the delicate balance of treating Michael for low blood sugars while maintaining focus on the bus route.  I am very comfortable placing my children in the care of this bus driver, and these first couple days of bus drop off have been very smooth.  That makes my mama heart happy!  The boys then follow me inside of school in the afternoon and we work in my classroom for a bit (meaning they have a snack or drink, and I prepare my boards for the next day).  They like for us to walk up to the front office when we're finished so that they can meet other teachers and hopefully see some of our church members who also work at the school.  My mom said they will remember these special afternoons and make good memories from them.  :)

I have met each of my classes one time so far, and they each seem to be a lively bunch.  I just went over the syllabus and class rules with them this week and we'll get into our instructional material next week.  It's so funny to me when I'm preparing the upcoming lessons and making sure I have things printed off because I'll check the material topic and think "wow, is this right?! It seems like I just taught that topic to last year's students!"  I'm taking this to mean that God is making me comfortable enough with this subject area that He's enabling me to experience excitement  (instead of nervousness) about what's coming up next. 

In non-school related news, we've got two birthdays coming up this month!  I'll be buying birthday decorations and wrapping paper in the upcoming weeks to get prepared for Avery's 4th birthday and for Michael's 9th!  I have steadily purchased fun things for Avery when I've come across them, so she's pretty set for her birthday gifts.  Michael is my "expensive taste" kid, so he has put a few things on his birthday list knowing that we'll probably choose just one or two to get for him due to their prices.  He's okay with this and is eagerly anticipating what could be chosen!  He's decided against a school party or friend party this year and just wants family members to come over and enjoy his day with him.  That's okay with me-- less prep!  My goal is to have both of my August babies enjoy their day and truly know how special they are and how they make this family complete.  

I'll post a photo recap soon!

Until Next Time, 

Much Love, Reba

Thoughts on This School Year

This school year has been pretty long.  It began for us on August 24^th with two full weeks of teacher in-service.  Usually, we get 2 to 3 days of teacher in-service at the beginning of a school year.  So to get two weeks of in-service really testifies to the degree of information we had to learn before beginning this covid-protocol year. Students returned to school on September 8^th, so our school year was already starting out roughly a month late. 

In our county, students were given the option of being a traditional or a virtual student, and each school then got to choose how often students could transition between the two. Each school also had the option of assigning certain teachers to only be virtual teachers or traditional teachers, or if the teachers would be required to shoulder the burden of being a traditional and virtual teacher simultaneously.  In our school, students could choose to go virtual at any time, but could only return to traditional learning at the beginning of a new 9 week period. In our school, we were instructed to teach in the traditional classroom setting and also to manage virtual students.  Therefore, despite whether the student was obtaining his or her biology education in the traditional building or via an electronic platform, the teacher was the same.  Me.  At first this was SO overwhelming.  Eventually, I hit a groove and feel like I settled into a routine where I could survive.  It wasn’t easy.  In fact, when I think back about all we’ve accomplished in this year, I’m surprised at the way in which we made it through.  It was a lot.  Mentally.  Emotionally.  Physically.  Educationally. 

We also had to wear masks all year long from the time we stepped out of our cars in the morning until the time we got back into them at the end of the day.  I felt so bad for school bus drivers and school bus riders because they had to wear masks during our long summer & spring afternoons on our non-air-conditioned buses.

In looking forward at the upcoming fall, and now hearing that we will not be required to teach virtually this next year, I am giddy with the thought of how easy the year might seem.

We’re also told that we won’t have to wear masks next year (barring some ridiculous rise in cases). The thought that I could teach “mask free” is an enlightening one.

I’ve often referred to this year as “eating our vegetables.”  I’m such a “save the best for last” person.  I savor all desserts and enjoy looking forward to a reward. It makes the trudging through the pain bearable because I’m heading towards a reprieve.  However, the entire 2020-2021 school year was written in the dialect of “you just had a 5 month break, so now you have to pay for it.”  In reality, though, that 5 months off was in no way a “break.”  We couldn’t go many places.  We couldn’t have a “normal” summer.  Several businesses weren’t open (like the library, etc.).  The news around us was so scary that I didn’t feel comfortable taking my children in any stores anyway.  My kids actually didn’t go into any store until November.  This being said, our summer was spent in our own home and visiting my parents and my in-laws.  It wasn’t “normal” and it wasn’t a “break.” 

Therefore, the pain that continued into the 2020-2021 school year was nearly devoid of breaks.  What breaks we had were partially used as “eLearning Days” which meant that all students in the county were doing virtual learning on those days.  So I still had work to do—I was just able to be in my home while doing that work and monitoring my own sons’ work for their classes, too.  These days still counted as school days and certainly put a damper on what a true “break” felt like. We had these days in September, in November for Thanksgiving break, in December for Christmas break, and in March for Spring Break.  We had some holidays removed from us (Columbus Day, President’s Day, Good Friday, etc.).  It was a very rough year.

So since we were essentially told that we had a big long “break” before school began, that was akin to us eating our dessert first and needing to suffer through eating our vegetables throughout the remainder of the school year.  One that would last until June 4^th. 

Along the way, we had a few increases in morale. At Christmas, I had a couple teacher gifts that were nice and provided a little boost to get me through the first semester.  In March for the second half of Spring Break, my family was able to travel and not wear masks during that time.  In early May, we celebrated Teacher Appreciation week at school and were provided lunch and some snacks (to include M&Ms, trail mix, etc.) on a couple days. 

My year ended with a family providing a Starbucks gift card and a sweet note showing their appreciation for what teachers have endured this year. 

I’m grateful for the experience; I truly am.  It was eye-opening.  I firmly believe it made me a better teacher.  I am grateful for my opportunity to be the parent of school aged children during this time too because I had the unique chance to see what the electronic database looked like on the student side of things.  I count the experiences this year as character-shaping ones, and it makes me truly relieved to be looking towards a future school year without all these requirements in place.  The pandemic year was a long one (technically, it was more like a pandemic year and a half), and if we can correctly say that it’s behind us now, then I will shed some tears of joy in the hopes that we made it through and that we just might see “normal” again.

Until Next Time, 

Much Love, Reba

My Anti- Covid Protocol

Since I'm around roughly 100 different kids every day (plus additional kids that I'm around in the hallways), I figured I needed to stick to a consistent vitamin routine this year. I get most of my vitamins from Costco (the Kirkland Signature brand) but the same vitamin type can be found at other stores or on Amazon. If it doesn't say Kirkland Signature then I ordered from Amazon or bought at Walmart. 

Everyday I pack a combination of these tablets and I take them at lunch time. I take one of everything, but 2 of the elderberry tablets. 

When I get to school, I use part of a water bottle to fill up my Keurig (priorities) and I use the rest for a packet of Emergen-C vitamin C powder. 

At bedtime I add an acid reducer (Pepcid AC) to combat acid reflux during the night. Apparently this also helps decrease the ability of covid cells to latch on to cells inside the body, so it's killing two birds with one stone. Even people without acid reflux are taking this in order to lessen the security of covid symptoms (obviously I'm not a doctor, so check with your Healthcare professional before adding it to your routine). 

My kiddos take gummy vitamins each day (the boys take two and Avery takes one since she's not four years old yet). I also add in one elderberry gummy for the boys. I don't give one of those to Avery since the label says it's for ages 4 & up, and because she's not in a daycare setting around lots of kids. 

This is just our basic routine. I know others add in more things but this is what works for us for now. 

Until Next Time,

Much Love, Reba

Transitions

 In our county this school year, we have the option for students to attend school in-person the traditional way, or to complete their assignments online virtually.  Students can switch their option to attend traditional or virtual school at the beginning of each nine-week period.  Since we started school later than normal (on September 8th), we just completed the second nine weeks on Friday.  Therefore, tomorrow we start our third quarter. 

Now, in my school (the high school), we allow students to become virtual at any point they want to.  This gets them out of the crowded classrooms and allows the remaining students to spread out a bit more to lessen the chances of quarantining, etc.  However, if a high school student was virtual, he or she can only return to the traditional setting at the beginning of a nine-week period or if the student is failing and the principal makes the student return to traditional learning.  I teach the virtual and traditional students so if a traditional student became a virtual student in the middle of any given week, I am still going to be their teacher and I will handle all of their lessons online.  It seemed overwhelming at the beginning of the school year, but I feel very comfortable with it now.  It also makes for an easy transition if or when that student returns to the traditional setting (ie, I already know where they'd sit in the classroom, I already have their grades, etc.).  

At my sons' school (the elementary school), students have to choose the virtual or traditional path and have to remain that way until the nine weeks ends. This is because at their school, some teachers teach the traditional students and some teach the virtual students.  Since the beginning of the school year, my sons have utilized the virtual option.  My mother-in-law watches them during the day and conducts their school work with them and makes sure that they attend their Zoom meetings, etc.  At this halfway point in the school year, though, we have made the decision to switch them back to traditional learning. 

A number of things went into our decision.  I do feel as though they need the interactions with their peers.  It's nice to have all three kids around each other during the day, and they can get along well together but I think there's something special about getting to hang around people in one's own age group.  I think my third grader needs to run around with third grade friends at PE, and my first grader needs to make some first grade friends, etc.  My husband and I have paid attention to the Covid cases in our area and are seeing the decline in the Christmas spike, so we feel safe in sending them back to the traditional school setting.  Also, Avery is in the middle of potty training and has kind of had to fit her own schedule into the Zoom call and academic schedule of her brothers.  I think by sending them back to school, she will get more one-on-one attention and this will aid in her potty training efforts.  I also want to relieve my mother-in-law of some of the stress that comes with being the designated adult in charge of the virtual learning of two children.  Although she says she enjoyed re-learning their topics, I do feel as though it put a lot of extra pressure on her. 

I feel very much at peace with our decision and I do hope that it works out as well as I'd like.  Last week, I engaged in a multi-day and several hour communication ordeal in trying to get Michael's medical plan sent to the school in order for him to even be able to attend.  I also had to buy a few extra school supplies to supplement the supplies they needed while virtual learning. Just this morning, I finished up assembling their backpacks and their textbooks and all of the medical supplies for the nurses and teachers. I ordered some plastic water bottles (since the water fountains are turned off), and some mask-lanyards from Amazon in order to assist with the mask wearing at school and the hopes of not losing (too many) masks. :)  This is the world we live in now and I guess I need to fully embrace it.  I am at peace and I am content and confident.  I can't help but feel anything else other than this is God's will and He will bless it. 

Until Next Time, 

Much Love, Reba

November Happenings

 It's hard to believe November is almost halfway over already!  This month has been very busy so far.  We began November three days after a major wind storm blew through our area from Hurricane Zeta.  It knocked out power for several thousand people in our state.  We only lost power briefly a few times during the storm around 1:00am (so I was awake and battling our house alarm system because the code box kept chirping since it didn't realize what time it was and it would reset every time the power went out!).  We had some wind damage and some slight roof damage that caused some rain water to leak into our home.  We'll call a roofer out soon to take a peek.  However, our damage was so much less than what it could have been and we're very thankful that no trees fell on our house, etc.  

My dishwasher's start button was fried during the storm, so I haven't had a dishwasher since October 29th.  My new dishwasher's name is Reba and she's a hard worker. :)  I'm super grateful to be married to an electrician who can figure things out and he has narrowed the problem to the circuit board and we'll be ordering a new part soon.  Whether or not it will officially fix the problem, we are unsure but it was a better use of our money to try to repair it first before buying a new dishwasher right before the holidays. 

At school we ended the first nine weeks on Monday November 9th, so I scrambled around during the first week of November to solidify grades and to complete the make-up assignments so many students needed since lots of students were without power for some of that first week of November.  In the end, though, I got it done and am glad to be in the second nine weeks.  This section of the school year moves quickly because of all of the holidays and breaks.  This nine weeks technically won't end until January 29th, but once I'm in the spring semester, I feel like it's a downhill ride to summertime so that makes me happy.  

The boys have done well in being virtual students this year.  We had the option to send them back to school for the second nine weeks or we had to choose to keep them virtual until the second nine weeks is over. We opted to keep them virtual since flu season is starting to pick-up around here and I didn't want to expose them to flu and covid in the school setting.  

They are both excelling academically and I think they truly enjoy the extra time they get to spend with their grandma during the day while Aaron and I are at work.  Noah's teacher is pregnant and will be leaving in the spring semester, so we knew he'd have to transition to a new teacher at some point.  The school decided to go ahead and switch his original teacher back to in-person teaching and bring in the kindergarten virtual teacher to teach both virtual kindergarten and virtual first grade.  So his new teacher took over last week for the virtual first grade class and I think the transition went smoothly.  Noah's original teacher worked alongside the new teacher to show her exactly how the students submitted assignments and what lessons they were currently working on, etc.  I'm so very thankful that she took these extra steps because it made the transition seamless.  Michael's teacher has been the virtual third grade and virtual fourth grade teacher since the beginning of the school year so she's already used to juggling two class loads at the same time.  He's continued to do well and is even working on cursive writing! 

At my school, every teacher is both a traditional (in-person) teacher and a virtual teacher.  So whenever I have students transition to traditional learning, they come in my class as an in-person student and they don't have to undergo a teacher transition.  At times it feels like extra work to load and create lesson plans online and tweak those plans for in-class learning, but it's really not so bad in the end.  

We have one full week of school coming up, then we'll begin our Thanksgiving break by having Monday and Tuesday as county-wide "eLearning Days" which is code for "everyone will be virtual students on those days."  It's nice for me because I get to be home on those days (just checking email every few minutes and answering any questions that students ask during the 7:45am-3:00pm time frame).  It's also nice for my boys because they don't really know the difference between a regular day of school and an "eLearning Day" since all of their schoolwork is online anyway.  

On Thanksgiving Day, my parents will host the meal in the late afternoon once my mom gets off of work.  I'm super excited because my older brother and his family are coming into town and my younger brother is off of work so we all get to be together.  My dad and I will handle the bulk of the cooking so that my mom doesn't have to do much of anything once she gets off.  Aaron will fry a turkey breast and my dad will roast a whole turkey with stuffing.  I plan to make a green bean casserole, a sweet potato casserole, bake rolls, and a couple of pies (cherry and crustless pumpkin).  My sister-in-law or me or my dad will assemble mashed potatoes and a seven layer salad.  Thanksgiving is certainly one of my favorite holidays mainly because of all of the family time.  

The weekend following Thanksgiving, we'll have a meal at my mother-in-law's house when my brother-in-law comes into town with his family.  I'm not sure what I'll be making for that but I imagine it'll be a green bean casserole and maybe a pie as well.  

I had my follow-up at my doctor's office on Wednesday.  Although my a1c went down, I'm still technically considered a Type 2 diabetic but able to be controlled by diet.  I would say exercise as well, but I've slacked off on that regard so I won't say that my medical improvements are due to something if I'm not actually doing that something. I do plan to incorporate exercise again though.  The doctor didn't write in my chart that I have Type 2 because she says with the labelling comes a change in life insurance options, and she won't prescribe a medicine because I've shown that I'm able to adjust my eating habits to accompany this new lifestyle demand.  As a side note though: I will not change much on how I eat at Thanksgiving.  I don't overstuff myself anyway, and I'm going to allow myself to participate in the day's eatings and not feel sanctioned off. 

This was a big update and I'll write more soon about Michael's recent endocrinology appointment and Noah & Avery's well check-ups!

Until Next Time, 

Much Love, Reba

Preparing for School

I gave myself the month of June off of school mode.  This was not a 100% abstinence since I checked my school email during this time, but didn't spend any time actively planning or adjusting lesson plans.  I knew I'd wait til July to really get started with the whole "preparing for school" thing.  Now that it's July, I'm gearing myself up for spending a couple evenings (possibly a couple evenings each week) reviewing and tweaking my lesson plans.  Working in the evenings is better for me.  That way, I don't feel like my morning with a cup of coffee is ruined by having to exert mental energy.  Also, trying to do any type of lesson planning while my kiddos are awake is a difficult feat.  If I wait til the evening, Aaron can oversee everyone while I retreat to the office and have a few minutes of quiet and structured mental tasks.

In getting myself ready for school, I thought I'd share a few things that will make the start of school just a bit easier.

My Bogg Bag:

I have the Baby Bogg in the blush color and I love love love it!  It's the perfect teacher bag.  I bought it last fall when it was half-off and if I ever catch a half-off sale again, I'm going to stock up for all of my sons' teachers, aides, and nurses.  The bag almost has like a tire-tread pattern on the bottom, which provides grip.  It also stands up on its own.  It's made of material that can be hosed down if dirty.  This was great for our Memorial Day Beach trip-- I used the bag to carry our supplies to the sand and I could just wipe everything down once we were finished!  I love anything blush colored, so this bag is perfect on so many levels.  I can fit my school planner, a clipboard, extra spiral notebooks, a drink,  my lunch box, a pencil bag, and my purse in the bag and carry it all into my classroom from the car each morning.

My Flair Pens:

These pens are great for planning out lessons in my calendar planner.  They're like fine point markers but they don't bleed through the pages.  I like to designate a color for each class type (Honors, Standard, etc.) and then I like to have a color for my own personal To-Do list items, and a color for things my kiddos have going on.  Right now on Amazon, it looks like the pack is $10 which is about half off!

Academic Planner:

For planners, I like having one that I can see the whole month at a glance, and then I like to have a weekly view too.  For the weekly view, I prefer to have all of the days of the week listed down the left side of the left-hand page, with the whole right page left to leave notes for myself (and to jot down the To-Do list for my kids and myself).   The page styles that I like are the ones shown in the link above, but the outer cover is the bicycle cover shown here.  Usually, I take a ruler and draw a few vertical lines down the page showing the days of the week.  That way, I can create columns for each class that I teach.  Having the days of the week down the side and the headings of the classes at the top, allows me to quickly see what each week is supposed to look like at a glance.  I also absolutely prefer white pages so that I can use White Out tape for any scheduling changes that need to take place.

Lunch Bag:

Again, blush makes an appearance in my school supplies! :)  I like this lunch bag because it's tall and narrow rather than wide and bulky.  This type of bag fits into my Bogg bag easily, which is a definite plus.  It also has an expandable zipper to accommodate those days where my leftovers container is a bigger size, etc. I buy slim freezer packs, and with the insulation of the bag I have never had my lunch not be cold by the time I'm ready to eat.

Jump Drive:

I'm not exactly sure what size file my jump drive can hold, but it's similar to the one listed above, except mine is blue.  I save all of my lesson plans and PowerPoints, etc. to the jump drive, then I'm easily able to transfer these files between my desk computer and the computer at the front of my classroom which is hooked up to the projector.  I also bring the jump drive home with me everyday so I can add things to my lessons at home if I need to.

That is a basic overview of things that I keep handy for the beginning of the school year and getting myself mentally prepared to go back to a full-time away-from-home type of job starting up in the next few weeks. When I have things planned out and ready to use, I feel more at ease.  With all of the uncertainty about schools starting back despite the continuation of Covid, I know I'll rest better once I have my lessons ready and my supplies gathered in one place.

Until Next Time,
Much Love, Reba

School Lunch Planning

We send our boys with a packed lunch to school 90% of the time.  For the month of September, the boys and I all bought lunch at school each day but then I really did start to understand that although buying a school lunch is cheaper than sending a Lunchable, it's not cheaper than sending a sandwich.  And in my case, my school lunch wasn't appetizing enough to justify the cost.  For the boys, it costs $2.25 for lunch, and I have to pay $3.25 as a teacher.  Buying lunch at school also meant that I had to go to the lunchroom during one of the three lunch times.  Lunch time falls during my planning period and having to pause a stream of planning efficiency to go to the lunchroom is somewhat of an annoyance.  So I began packing lunches again in October and I think the boys and I have only bought a school lunch on one day since then-- they each chose a random day and I chose the day that the cafeteria was serving their Thanksgiving lunch which was pretty good.

Packing lunches, although cheaper, is certainly more of a hassle.  It requires careful grocery lists to make sure that I actually get things that are suitable for lunch.  I pack a lunch and a snack for them. I always packed their snacks, even when they bought lunch, because the snacks sold at PE (which is always right before snack time) are solely candy-ish items. It takes some planning to pick out the items I want my kiddos to have for lunch and snack, which also means that I am specific in where I shop since not every store carries what I have come to rely on for their midday meal and snacks.  When I pack lunch, I have to write the carb amount of every item packed for Michael so this takes extra time.  Over the weeks, I've developed some time savers.  I try to pack up any pre-packaged and non-refrigerated items the night before, then I just have to pack the sandwiches, yogurts, or any other refrigerated items in the morning.

Here's some examples of what I pack.

The Pirate's Booty Cheese puffs, strawberry applesauce pouch, Slim Jim and one juice pouch (Koolaid Jammers or Capri Sun Roaring Waters since those two types are the lowest in carb count) are snack items.  The raisins, chips, other juice pouch, sandwich, and sugar free Jello pudding are lunch items.

Noah's food just has to be labeled as "lunch" or "snack."  Similar to Michael, Noah took Pirate's Booty Cheese puffs, strawberry applesauce and a juice pouch for snack.  For lunch, he took Fritos, pudding, 2 small Chips Ahoy, another juice pouch and two pepperoni-wrapped cheese sticks instead of a sandwich.

On this day, I took a photo the night before the lunches were packed which is why I don't have a picture of the sandwich.  Michael is pretty consistent with what he wants for lunch-- which is typically a PBJ sandwich.  We use Polaner's or Smucker's sugar free grape or blackberry jam, Jif peanut butter, and Sara Lee "45 Calories and Delightful" bread which is very low in carb count.  On this day, Michael would be having a sandwich along with 2 mini Chips Ahoy cookies, some Cheetos puffs, and a juice pouch.

For snack on this day, he would be having roughly 21 Goldfish, a juice pouch, Slim Jim, and a strawberry applesauce.

I also include a little joke/note for Michael.  On one side is a little Knock Knock joke, and on the other side is a spot for me to write a little encouraging note to him.  (When Noah reads with more ease, I will include notes for him too).

Sometimes it is hard to remember all the items I could use for lunch making, so I made myself a little list on the fridge that includes main dish ideas (PBJ, pepperoni cheese sticks, ham sandwich) and side item options so it's not so overwhelming.  I make sure my grocery list includes most of these items each week to make the lunch packing easier.

Until Next Time,
Much love, Reba

Classroom Wish List

First things first:  I passed the science exam!  Now I am officially qualified in the state of Alabama to teach science at the high school level!  Did I ever think I would be a teacher?  Yes.  Did I ever dream it would be in science?  No.  But, I'm excited for the challenge, and to be fair-- they could always switch the subject I'm supposed to teach and assign me elsewhere, but for now I will relax and enjoy this first ever summer break with my kiddos!

As I'm letting it soak in that I have a job and a real classroom, I have started to daydream about things I'd like to get that would make the classroom a bit more welcoming... for myself and my students!

Here's my wish list so far:

• Rolling cart
• Expo markers (in lots of colors!)
• Snacks for students
• Keurig
• Coffee and reusable K-cups
• Extra clothes/ hair tie/ deodorant
• Pens/ spiral notebooks
• Pet roller
• Paper towels
• Paper plates/ plastic spoons and forks
• Lapel microphone system
• Diffuser
• Purification essential oil
• Grapefruit essential oil

I'd like a rolling cart similar to this one.  I like the bright cheery blue and the fact that I could store the expo markers and Smartboard keyboard around the room as I teach. 

I plan to stock up on Nutrigrain bars, Capri Suns, granola bars, etc. for students who may need a snack at break time but don't have the money to get one. 

I have an old Keurig that I plan to bring with me, along with my favorite ground coffee (Folger's Black Silk) and some reusable k-cups like these. 

Since I'll be doing science experiments in class, the chance of a spill is likely, so I want to have some spare clothes that I'd be able to change into between classes or during a break.  A pair of slacks, a shirt, and my favorite hair ties, plus my favorite deodorant stick are good staples to have on hand. 

When I was an intern this past semester, the teacher had a plastic set of drawers in the front of the classroom with one drawer specified for students to be able to get paper and pens from if they ran out of their own stash.  I thought this was a great idea! I plan to get some packs of loose leaf paper and some spiral notebooks and pens to incorporate something similar in my own classroom.  Once the rush for school supplies is over (around early September), stores usually heavily discount these items.  I got several spiral notebooks last fall for two cents a piece-- yes.  Two cents. I plan to super stock up this year as well. 

Since our dog is a miniature Blue Merle Australian Shepherd, he sheds like there's no tomorrow-- so I constantly have fluffy white hair floating through the air and landing on our clothes.  It drives me crazy!  I have a couple pet rollers at home in the kitchen to wipe over us before we leave the house, but if I forget to do that, then I have to hand-pick the hair off.  I'd like to have a spare roller in my classroom just in case. 

The paper towels are more for my lunchtime use than for experiments.  I will get some sort of a classroom budget to buy necessary items like paper towels, but I'd like to bring my own roll for personal use like lunchtime.  I'm also planning to bring my own paper plates and plasticware so I don't have to eat out of ziploc containers each day at lunch. 

The teacher I was an intern for had a lapel microphone system set up in his classroom because he has a very quiet voice.  I thought this was fantastic, and as a soft-spoken person myself, I would like to set up something similar.  Fortunately, my dad uses a lapel mic in his job every Sunday (he's a pastor) so I'm hoping he can offer assistance on a best quality one to get!

I have several diffusers at home, but plan to buy this slim version for the classroom.  Two essential oil scents that I'll bring with my from home are Purification and Grapefruit.  Purification actually removes odors from the air, and Grapefruit is just a nice, clean, uplifting scent.  I won't diffuse on days that we do experiments that might involve creating a substance that has a scent, but I plan to diffuse in the morning before classes start, and most likely at the end of the day before heading home.  

So there we have it-- the first look at my classroom wish list!

Until Next Time, 

Much Love, Reba

Job Update

Last week on Tuesday, I received a phone call from the principal at the school where I did my internship and where I interviewed for the science teacher position.  He asked me if I was still interested and said that he was going to submit my name as the recommended candidate to the personnel director.  That Thursday afternoon, the board of education met and I received a phone call that afternoon telling me that the board had voted me in!  My official first day is July 31st and I'm excited, but also a bit anxious!  I haven't been told yet what subject I'll teach (I am guessing it'll be a combo of biology and either physical science or environmental science, and probably forensics as the elective).

This week on Friday, I will take the state's science test to prove I'm "highly qualified" to teach science to high-school students.  If I don't pass the test on Friday, I can wait 21 days and take it again.  I bought a study book on the third week of May when I interviewed for the position, and I booked myself on that same day to take the test on June 14th.  Since that time, I've been studying and researching science topics hoping to be able to pass the test on the first try (it's not a free test, so I'd like to financially be able to pass it on the first attempt!).

So, if it's a little silent over here on the blog, this is the reason why.  After I take the test on Friday, I'll have more free-time with which I can do some leisure writing.

After the test I'll also be trying to truly soak up these moments at home with my kiddos this summer.  This is one major perk of being a teacher and I want to make sure I treasure it!


Thanks for hanging in there and giving me grace as I study for this test.  I have been writing down some blog post ideas and can't wait to be able to actually write out some complete posts!


Until Next Time,
Much love, Reba

Internship

My internship this past semester was so fun!  The internship was by far the most nerve-wracking thing on the list of what I had to accomplish in order to obtain my Master's degree.  I even put-off applying for this degree program for an entire year because I was scared of the internship.

Once I knew that this was just part of it, I applied for and got accepted into the Master's program.  After working full-time for a year while pursuing this degree online in the evenings and on weekends, I quit my full-time job in May 2018 to complete one intense summer of classes before my field experience and internship.

My field experience was a trip in itself.  Supposedly, Master's candidates would be assigned to a school classroom (or potentially three or four) to assist the teacher and observe the ins and outs of classroom management.  I chose to complete all four field experience requirements in one semester.  I did this in the fall of 2018.  Although I was supposed to be assigned somewhere in August, I wasn't assigned anywhere until October 2018.  I substitute taught in September while awaiting my placement.  My field experience requirements were due in late November, so I didn't have very long to complete the forms and field trips necessary for these programs. I was given the option of an extension by my professors, but I didn't want to do that.  I would feel unfinished over the Christmas holidays if I chose an extension.  So I buckled down and did the work.  I turned everything in on time and was able to have the entire month of December free to substitute teach.

I was very apprehensive about the internship process since it took nearly half the fall semester to even get an assignment for field experience.  On January 7th at the first seminar for internship, I quickly discovered that interns are golden children and field experience candidates are the stepchildren.  Interns get emails responded to within a couple of hours.  Placement assignments are handled beforehand, and every single intern walked out of the first seminar with a location to attend the following morning.  I got my top school choice and couldn't have been more blessed.

My field experience was in an 11th grade classroom, and although I was anticipating a 10th grade assignment for my internship, I received 9th grade World History.  This was seriously the best thing ever.

The cooperating teacher (ie, teacher I had to shadow and take over from), was my age and therefore was up to date on current events and we had lots to talk about during our planning period.  He was kind and offered constructive criticism in a way in which I never felt embarrassed.  I took over two of his five classes (the smallest class: 15 students, and the largest class: 31 students) and had an absolute blast.  During the first couple of weeks that I taught them, things were fast-paced and I scared a lot of the students with my expectations and requirements of them.  This was mainly because I had SO MUCH to turn in for my program and I needed concrete examples of students work in order to complete my own assignments.  After that first month, we settled into a routine and teaching was easy and fun.  The students from my large class started coming into the classroom during break to hang out before our class period began.  Students from both classes really developed a rapport with me quickly and it was easy to teach all 46 of these 9th graders.  Students from the remaining three classes that I did not teach kept asking me when I would teach their classes also.  Now, I am not someone to wear rose-colored glasses, so I understand that some students just wanted a change and wanted something new in their class, which is why they wanted me to teach it.  I will say that some of the students whom I taught were quite resistant to change when it actually occurred to them, and I had to work at breaking through the barriers and showing them that I had the credentials and aptitude to be there.   On my last day (which happened to be my birthday), I had several students wish me well.  One of the toughest students presented me with a gift-- a candle and a hand-written note.  Usually, I am not one for opening presents right away, but I could tell she wanted me to, so I did and when I praised the candle and thanked her for the note, her whole face lit up in a grin and that completely reaffirmed to me that I am needed in the school system.  I want to be there for these kids and show them that an adult really does care what they do and who they become.

On Tuesday of this week, I will meet with the principal at this school to talk about potential openings.  These openings may not be in my field of study, but in our state, teachers are allowed to teach "out of field" for a year.  So we'll see what happens.  God knows how much I want to teach there and I am trusting Him to prepare a path.

Until Next Time,
Much love, Reba

First Grade Performance

On Tuesday of this week, Michael participated in his school's 1st grade performance. The theme was Candy Shop, and students who chose to participate were encouraged to wear bright colors or dress like Willy Wonka characters or like candy.  The participation was voluntary, and parents were sent a note home in early February asking if their child would like to participate.  Michael was eager to do so, which makes my mama heart so happy. 

Michael would come home from school over the past couple of weeks and tell me some of the songs they were working on (like "Lollipop, Lollipop" and "The Candy Man," which he said he didn't like).  He's not a big one to wear costumes, but decided it would be fun to wear Skittles wrappers on a shirt. So on Tuesday, I cut open some small Skittle packets and then used safety pins to attach them to his shirt. He was quite proud of himself. 

At the performance, which followed an APT meeting, the 1st graders got up on stage and performed 5 songs. It was cute! Michael didn't fully do all the dance moves though, which is typical for him and he said later that he was nervous. All 6 grandparents were able to attend which is so fun and such a blessing!

Until next time, 
Much love, Reba

Precautions and Erasing the Board

The flu has hit our state hard and it just won't leave!!!  After Christmas break, we sent Michael to school as normal.  By that Friday, the nurse had called me to tell me that she was sending multiple kids home with the flu and it was so bad in the school that they were not letting Michael even come into the nurse's office to get his blood sugar checks-- the nurses were going down to his classroom to check him and administer insulin.  (I was SO thankful for that!)

I called my mom and emailed Aaron. My mom suggested that I call our pediatric nurse line and ask what to do.  The nurse suggested I pull Michael out of school for a few days.  I called the 504 Coordinator at Michael's school and arranged to do just that.

Michael was out of school for a full week, and the school nurse kept me informed as to the level of flu exposure at the school.  By the end of that week, the flu was still in high presence, so we planned to keep Michael out another week.  We had a holiday weekend in front of us, and then it happened to snow the remainder of that week, so we thought maybe the flu had run its course.  In fact, during this time of snow and ice, Noah came down with a fever and lethargy and I'm pretty sure he had the flu.  We instantly sent Michael to my mother-in-law's house to keep him from being around Noah.  Noah came around within 48 hours and we were able to get Michael safely back home (once the roads cleared up!).

I can tell you that as soon as Noah had a fever, I felt like I had been punched in the gut.  I was terrified that Michael would get the flu.  A Type One Diabetic with the flu is not a good combo.

Miraculously, Michael didn't get the flu.  We sent him back to school on Wednesday the following week when it seemed like the flu cases were down.  I had a 504 meeting on Friday at school to override the district policies regarding absences so that we could keep Michael out of school as a precautionary measure so that he didn't get the flu.

We thought things were finally looking up in the school.  However, on Monday morning, Michael's teacher and the school nurse were both calling and texting me to say that multiple kindergartners were coming down with flu symptoms.  I told them I'd come get Michael right away.  I got him and kept him home with me that day to watch for symptoms.  He didn't have any.  I made the decision to keep him out the rest of the week, and the nurse and his teacher kept me informed as to the number of students out.  By Wednesday night, Michael's teacher had the flu.  She would be out til Tuesday.

I thought about sending Michael back on Tuesday.  Then I was told on Friday that half the kindergarten teachers were out with the flu, and it was so bad that they couldn't find enough subs to cover the classes and they were having to combine classes (which just means more kids are exposed to each other).  The rest of the affected teachers couldn't return until Wednesday, so I decided to at least keep Michael home until then so that he wouldn't be in a combined class just in case the school couldn't find enough subs again.

On Tuesday night, I was informed that multiple kindergartners were still being sent home with flu like symptoms, and Michael's teacher had half her class out.  I decided to keep Michael home the rest of the week, to the agreement of the school nurse and his teacher.

As of Friday, 104 students were absent, which is a lot, but also considered "normal" for this time of year.  The nurse had sent home fewer students on Friday than she had been sending home earlier in the week.  My mom is a nurse at a hospital and notified me that she had seen a significant decrease in flu patients.  Michael's teacher texted to say that only 3 kids were out on Friday from his class, and one of them was Michael who isn't sick.

So Aaron and I made the decision to send him back to school this week on Monday.

I feel confident knowing that the school nurse and Michael's teacher will inform me if kindergartners are still being sent home in large numbers.  So far so good.

I feel, though, like I'm in a warehouse and looking at one of those white boards that say "Days Since Accident: 396."  Except, I feel like my board says "Days Since Exposure: 13."  And I'm about to have to wipe the board clean and say "0 days" since exposure.  I'm nervous that he'll end up getting it still.  But all I can do is trust God to keep him safe.

Until Next Time,
Much Love, Reba