Spin It to Win It Show & Tell

I love getting ideas from teachers on TikTok.

The Spin It to Win It idea is from Monica Genta (@monicagentaed), and I explain it to my students in this video. Monica's podcast is here.

My last class - who has figured out how a few things that helped them win the monthly contest this month - chose "show and tell" for their reward. We dedicated 20 of our 80 minutes to the end of class Friday for this event. I had no idea who would want to show something, and I was pleasantly surprised at how it went!

One of my (mostly) quiet students shared some awards/ribbons for robotics and karate - I could tell he was proud, and many students were impressed.

Three of my social students (sort of) got a routine together, along with snazzy hats and music coming from a stuffed monkey, and then they did a "fit check." EVERY student in class was smiling and/or giggling. How fun, and how great they were able to enjoy the spotlight!

And then... "The beast" showed up... One parent dropped off their son's bearded dragon, Dino, and he stole the show. Luckily for me, the beast doesn't walk fast, has no fur, didn't poop (I hear it's terribly stinky), and was able to be kept in a shoebox until the end of the next period.

If I were able to share students' smiles, I would - I think we all enjoyed those precious 20 minutes. I don't think Dino would mind being in this post, so...

Head over to Two Writing Teachers for more slice of life stories.

Why would I want more stress?

I moved my apps around on my phone on January 1, trying to not play so many pointless games. I'll still do the Wordle and Connections game with my husband every night, and I still do three small exercises on my Elevate app, but the Blockudoku, Fishdom and Puzzledom are largely based on luck of what pieces come up next. I was still playing Nonogram and Sudoku for a bit, but even those became easy for me. So I relocated them all together in one bundle of apps and labeled it "WRITE INSTEAD." And here I am!

Sadly, I'm still looking for a better game. One that helps me learn or helps me become more intelligent somehow. I'm still on TikTok about once a day, and here was an ad for a game that popped up on my feed:

The two pics are the same game. (The videos came one after the other.) As I'm preparing to share "Shifting Away from Stress" at IDEACon in February, I wonder... isn't this game causing more stress? Shouldn't we be "playing" games instead of stressing ourselves out? Why would you want to play something that gives you anxiety? What a terrible advertisement.

So... the apps I used the most this month on my phone are Duolingo, Babbel, Calm, and, of course, TikTok - but I have a time limit on that one. 😉 I have my family and friends, my walks, my books, my journals, and my blog for when I know I need to be off my phone. Here's to more of this in 2024!

Head over to Two Writing Teachers for more slice of life stories.

The Only Thing I Can Control...

I've been reading at least one "self-help" type book a month since the fall of 2020. I've been trying to apply the myriad lessons to my teaching life. I keep thinking I've simplified them, to make them easier to remember, but none have really stuck with me... yet.

This week, this is my focus: 

         I will not let a 12-year-old's words or actions dictate what I say or how I act.

I re-read a blog post from George Couros, and the line that got to me was, "Never let an 8-year-old ruin your day." Yup. And how do they ruin my day? I LET them.

You might think this is common sense. If so, you've probably never taught middle schoolers. If you've taught them, you KNOW how difficult it can be to snap at them, to yell, to grit your teeth and say something that you'll probably regret later. Only to feel like crap afterwards, knowing you weren't your best self. The pot can only hold so much steam before it blows, and 12-year-olds know how to push all your buttons. So this is my goal this week: to not let a 12-year old's words or actions dictate what I say or how I act. The ONLY thing I can control is what I think. (I'm learning this from reading about and trying to practice Stoicism.) The next thing I can (usually) control is how I act.

I still have my "pause button," and I'm going to use it.

Here's a snippet of how I did during one instance in one class yesterday... 

     We'd been reading quietly (a slice of Heaven for me), and one student had been "in the bathroom" for ten minutes. When he returned, he shouted, "Mrs. Kirr! I was walking down the hall and some boy called me Black!" Many of the kids laughed. He loves to get people laughing.

     I closed my eyes. I took a breath. I looked at him. I said quietly, "If you'd like to report this, you may head to the office. If not, you may sit down and read quietly."

     "But Mrs. Kirr! I am NOT Black! I don't like that he called me that!"

     I repeated quietly, "If you'd like to report this, you may head to the office. If not, you may sit down and read quietly."

     I don't know how many times I repeated this. Maybe two more times? When I shifted to go get a yellow sticky note as a warning (before writing this incident in a form we've been using - see this post), he went to sit down. The rest of the kids got back to reading. I felt proud of myself.

And today...

     Once again, we'd been reading quietly (a slice of Heaven for me), and one student was tickling another student. The other student laughed, or I wouldn't have even noticed. I quietly told him to get back to his seat. "But I thought it was free seating today! Why do I have to go back to my seat! I didn't do anything! I'm reading, Mrs. Kirr!" I quietly pointed to his chair. "It's not fair! I wasn't doing anything! Why doesn't anyone else have to move! It's not fair!" I quietly pointed to his chair. 

     When he finally went to his chair, I whispered, "I'll answer your question now that you're here. You were tickling ___ and we're supposed to be reading."

     "I wasn't tickling him! I was getting something off his neck!" he "whispered" back.

     I quietly responded with, "And you were supposed to be reading." And then I walked away with my book. After a few more huffs and puffs, he opened his own book.

I don't like getting riled up by an outright lie or a made-up story.

I know I can't win an argument with a 12-year-old.
I like how I feel when I stay calm and simply repeat myself.

I like how these instances are over fairly quickly, and I feel like they're small but mighty "wins."

I hope this lesson will stick with me.

Head over to Two Writing Teachers for more slice of life stories.

Slice of Life - Sledding

I've never sledded (or is it just "sled" ??)  down a hill before. Hubby and I realized this about a month or so ago. Last night, he gave me an early birthday present - a red sled!! 

We're heading to a hill today after eLearning ends (around 1pm). I'm excited. I'm nervous. I'm a bit frightened! I know I'll be fine, and I'm looking forward to it. 

I'll add a photo of my not-quite-51-year-old self (on a sled!) later today. For now, it sits in the dining room... waiting for me to pull it up its first hill.

UPDATE 1/18...

We FINALLY got to the hill today - ON my birthday!!

I screamed, each ice bump hit my butt, I got snow up my pants when I first put my legs out, I fell off a couple of times, and screamed a bit... The hill was pure ice - Hubby says it'll be better once we get more snow. The hardest part was getting down on the sled! LOVED it. I love that Hubby gave me this experience, and we'll definitely do it again!

Head over to Two Writing Teachers for more slice of life stories.

Thankful Thursday (Friday) Jan 12, '24

Who cares that I'm one day late? I'm writing for myself these day... no need to share it with educators via Twitter. I'm writing to document these days, and I like the shift. ;)

Today I'm thankful for the oh-so-thoughtful letter from a student I had nine years ago. When I shared it with Hubby, he had tears in his eyes, too. (And... yikes! She said she reads my blog!!) 

I'm thankful that I was ready for the eLearning day today - and I'm thankful it became an emergency day due to the power outages - and I'm thankful the power outages didn't last long!! I'm thankful I'm strong enough to shovel this heavy slop we've gotten (so far), and that the snow blower works for my love to use. I'm thankful I have this energy enough to help neighbors, too. I'm thankful my attitude is not that of our neighbor (crabby!!) when the plow comes into our cul de sac and puts snow right back in front of the drive. I'm thankful we could get out should there be an emergency, and oh-so-thankful we haven't had an emergency. I'm thankful Hubby helped me with the snowperson, and I'm thankful I've thought of calling it a snowperson. (It has a uni-boob, so I'm not really sure what it is, and it doesn't matter!) 

I'm thankful I can put a stop to talking politics with my mom, and I'm thankful we can both still vote. There's a lot more to be thankful for today... I'm now going to print out that email and put it in this school year's stack of things I'd like to add to my scrapbook come June. 💚

In every moment, there are a million reasons to be thankful.

Slice of Life #1 - The first 20 min of my work day.

I went back to school - with students - today. We had two blissful weeks off (well, some of us did), and we had a professional development day yesterday which wasn't painful.

I got back in the groove quickly this morning once I went through that door to the classroom. I've often wanted to document all the things we do in the morning, and since I've decided to try the Slice of Life Challenge this year (since I'm not spending time on Twitter - AND - I want to write again, I'll try this small slice of my life... just in list form (because I'm tired from shoveling - I'll sleep well).

Thank you to the Two Writing Teachers for hosting this #SOL24...

Put my bag on a chair.

Take off my boots & switch them for my gym shoes.

Put my coat in the closet, and my boots underneath.

Take my lunch out of the bag, and take my sunflower seeds out of my lunch (to eat during team time).

Take my kid's book out of the bag and put it on my shelf that says, "Mrs. Kirr is reading..."

Remind myself to put on my to do list: "Bring book home." (I want to read it tonight.)

Turn on my computer and log in.

Log into Google.

See that I have 12 unread messages, and deliberately do what I need to do first instead.

Move plans from the "working plans" file over to "Today's Plans" for the kids and I to access today.

Copy the same slides and rename those "084 January 9, 2024 (Tuesday)" and save under the folder "All Plans" for the kids and parents to access.

Create a folder called, "December," and add all of December's plans to it. (Soon that folder will go into the "Q2" folder.)

Turn on the class computer and open up "Today's Plans," "Homeroom Announcements," "Spotify" (log in through Google, get the two-factor authentication, it says I don't have an account, try to log in again on my school account with an older password, try a different password, get the playlist ready for independent work time), the Headspace App (log in with my school account, find the one-minute cat breathing video and press "play" - because for some reason you have to press "play" TWICE to get it to go).

Write today's date and agenda (what are we doing again? Go back to look) on the board.

Come up with a warm-up activity for students.

Change what book I'm reading on the sign outside the door.

Remember and add "Bring book home" to my to do list.

NOW I can open and answer (or delete!) emails... 

Go back to my to do list to see what I forgot, then do those things...

And that's all in about 20 minutes - before students arrive.

If someone comes up to talk to me about something, the list doesn't get done.

Maybe for my next slice, I'll try another 20 minutes of my day.

-----

I had a solid day to day, no less. Plans went ... as expected ... because I was able to let some things go. I was calm, I was friendly, I got to chat with kids one-on-one, and I enjoyed the pace I'd set. It was a good 84th day of my school year.

Thankful Thursday Jan 4, '24

I used to post my #ThankfulThursday posts on Twitter... I'm now off of TWitter.

Since I'm going to try to reflect more on my blog, here's today's quick post. I'll try to keep them at a limited number of characters. 😉

I'm thankful for my morning routine and all its conveniences... The mouth guard that helps me sleep and not clench my jaw, a new toothbrush every six months, a new bar of soap, deodorant so I stay not stinky, the stick Hubby "made for" me to allow me to open a hair product easier, and a beautiful bathroom we designed to refresh - and do our business - in.

In every moment, there are a million reasons to be thankful.

My One Word for 2024

I typed the title wrong just now... I used "2023" instead of "2024..." Then I looked back on my previous posts and realized I didn't change my word last year (I kept "present" for the past two years), but I'm writing this to work out what my new word will be this year. "Present" worked pretty well, and I'm ready for a change.

I saw three blog posts in my Feedly this morning that tackled the "one word" idea. 

     Claim Your Greatness - Why #OneWord Will Define Your Year from Andy Milne

     One Word, One Wish from Sheri Edwards

     It's Tuesday! Join Us for Slice of Life! #SOL24 from Jenna Komarin (Two Writing Teachers) 

          (The comments are FULL of #OneWord posts!)

And I've received the seven days of "how to" from Jon Gordon (signed up through an email - here's his book on it I haven't read).

So this is my first #SOL24 Slice of Life post!

Disclaimer: I've read how to create a word for the year, and yet I've only followed the steps when it comes to doing this in class with my students. And that's AFTER I've already chosen a word. I choose it based on how it sounds, how it feels in my mouth, and what it does to my brain and heart. I've learned I like consistency, as I noticed I'd had the word "gratitude" from 2014-2022!! My life is full of gratitude - it helps me in so many ways, and I checked it out in my posts - I write about gratitude OFTEN! Practicing gratitude is a huge part of my thinking.

I've read so many "self-help" and focus and attention books the last few years. I've focused on being present and in the moment for two years now, but the word "present" itself doesn't do as much for me as maybe "listen" or "breathe" or "attention" ?? could now. I collect quotes from books (they're all here), and from one of the last books I read, I saved this one: 

I'm not a big fan of the word "attention" by itself, as it sounds... military to me. But attention is what I want to give. I want to give love in the form of attention. I want to give it to others by being fully present in the moment. I also want to give it to myself by noticing all I'm grateful for in each moment, and noticing where my attention is (or is going!), so I can work on keeping it in each moment.

Two things help me pay better attention - breathing a couple of deep breaths (sometimes even just one helps bring be back!), and listening fully. I'm not sure if it was during one of my mindfulness sessions (with the Calm app), or if it was something I was reading about Stoicism, but something had me think about the sun. The sun gives and gives, and it never asks, "What can you do for me?" This made me think about the act of giving attention - giving that consistent and unconditional love. I've been toying with the idea of a tattoo (but OUCH?!), and so I've been drawing a sunset on the inside of my right wrist for a few days now. 

Not just a sun - to remind me to give attention without expecting anything in return - but a sunset - to remind me of something my nephew once said to us as we were in awe at the sunset in Holland, MI, "This happens every day." It's consistent. And also to remind me that now I'm kind of (sort of? actually?) in my own sunset years. My life is at least half-way through, and what will I do now? How should I live my life right?

But "sun" doesn't work for me, and neither does "sunset." They are nouns, not actions.

So....... I look up "sun." It's at the center of our solar system. That brings me to "center" - which is what I try to do to myself to ground myself when I'm upset or shaken by something. I center myself. And I'm noticing more and more what's in my center of control - my thoughts and my voluntary actions... but "center" sounds too... ego-driven. I read more about the sun... "energy," "heat," "radiation," "light," "life," "elements" ...  It's mass consists of a lot of gas... ;) And it formed from the "gravitational collapse of matter," which reminds me of how our challenges change us.

What about "radiate"? Can an adjective like "consistent" work? Not for me. I might want to change further, and "consistent" won't help me accept change, unless I think of it for how I should act in the face of change... consistent with the behaviors that help me stay in the moment? I want to go back to providing my attention as an act of love. I want to stop, breathe, listen, and give love through my attention to the people around me and the present moment.

So... I went for a walk in the middle of writing this blog post.

Words that came into my mind: shine, notice, accept, recognize, appreciate, quiet, pause, observe... To me, "shine" means positivity, and I can't act positive all the time - some people are put off by that. I thought of "shine" meaning to "radiate" or "share," but that won't work for me. "Recognize" means what, really? To "know again?" I can "notice" and not always "recognize" or "accept," and that's plenty okay. I think it's important to notice without judgement, so "notice" is my favorite right now. I said "Happy New Year" to someone on my walk, and they didn't respond, so I said it back to myself... immediately I thought of the word "quiet." Like, really, Joy, just shut up. My snarky reaction was to say it back to myself? I was judging, that's for sure. But "quiet" to me is not as good as "listen," and I've already taken that out of the mix for this year. I like "pause," but I like "breathe" and "notice" better. As for "observe," to me it has a negative connotation - only because of classroom observations. Observing is great. Noticing... better (in my opinion).

Yup. I'm going to go with "notice" for this year's #OneWord. I'm going to pause, breathe, and notice the sights, sounds, smells, what my body is doing (heart rate, breathing, tense or not), what other people look like or are saying or how they're acting... and then I can decide how best to act. During a startling or angering moment, I'll take this break, notice what I can, and then be my best self. I'll notice that the sun comes up each day (even if it's hidden behind the clouds) and sets somewhere in a beautiful way each evening. I'll notice the constant heat and warmth it provides - without asking anything of me. I'll notice what I'm giving my attention to and redirect it if it's not beneficial to myself or others.

Here's a snapshot of the point in my walk when I realized I wanted my word to be "notice." I heard a squirrel eating, birds chirping, wind rustling through the weeds. I was noticing the steam above the water, the reflection of the trees and sun, and I was looking for the hawk I'd seen land in the trees (it eluded me). I could smell winter - crisp, cold in my nose, old leaves and maybe a tiny scent of skunk? I could feel the breeze on my cheeks, the sun in my eyes, and the quiet peace of this spot.

If you'd zoom in, you'd might notice the blue heron at the edge of the far right side of this tributary on our creek in our forest preserve. 

I've seen this big bird on my last three walks near the dam. Here's a bonus photo of it - it was about ten feet from me and didn't fly away when I recorded it and took its picture! :D

If you'd zoom out, you'd notice the sun trying to light up the morning.

I hope to notice more in 2024. When I notice, I hope to pause and breathe, listen better, provide more attention, make fewer judgements, and stay centered in more moments.

I'm excited to NOTICE and give attention to other bloggers in 2024, as well! 

Thank you Two Writing Teachers for creating a space to share our stories.

Best Books of 2023

 My list is not extensive by any means, but I need to share out my favorites from 2023 like I have the past seven years. Maybe these aren't my favorites, actually... maybe they're books I believe other people could benefit from if they read them. I read a bit for myself, along with many books I thought my 7th graders would enjoy or books they recommended for me.

     2022 Favorites

     2021 Favorites

     2020 Favorites

     2019 Favorites
     2018 Favorites
     2017 Favorites
     2016 Favorites
     2015 Favorites
     2014 Favorites

Here are the books I would most recommend from my list of 100 books I've read this year... I tried to whittle it down to one or two per genre, but I read some genres more than others! I'm not going to describe them for you - you can check out the complete list with my thoughts for this year here. Another note: One of my goals this year was to read more adult books. Young adult and books geared toward seventh graders just aren't holding my attention like they used to.

Biography / Autobiography / Memoir
     Adult - Eddie Jaku's The Happiest Man on Earth: The beautiful life of an Auschwitz survivor

Fantasy

Young Adult - Neal Shusterman's Game Changer

Graphic Novel

Middle School - Two true stories.

Tommie Smith, Derrick Barnes, and Dawud Anyabwile's Victory. Stand! Raising my fist for justice along with Christina Soontornvat's The Tryout: Making the Squad Means Risking It All

 

Historical Fiction

Adult - Kurt Vonnegut's Slaughterhouse Five was one I chose simply because it was banned.

YA - Krystal Marquis's The Davenports (#1)

Middle School - Amina Luquam-Dawson's Freewater

and Jennifer Nielsen's Lines of Courage

 

 

How To / Self Help

Don Miguel Ruiz's The Four Agreements has four tips anyone should follow.

Ryan Holiday's The Daily Stoic had me reading a bit each day. I'm now going to read a follow-up book on the Stoicism philosophy, because it, along with the Calm app and my pausing to stay in the present, has helped me grow.

 

Mystery

I'm not a huge mystery reader, but Robert Traver's Anatomy of a Murder was a fun one to read with my husband. It was MUCH better than the movie.

Nonfiction

Adult - Robin Wall Kimmererer's Braiding Sweetgrass reminded me of how I need to take care of our earth.

Poetry / Prose / Novel in Verse

Middle School - Andrea Beatriz Arango's Something Like Home

Rajani LaRocca's Mirror to Mirror

                                Jarrett Lerner's A Work in Progress

Professional

Angela Watson's - Awakened: Change Your Mindset to Transform Your Teaching reminded me of what she already has shared with her readers.

Realistic

Adult - Toni Morrison's The Bluest Eye ... so grateful for the afterward.

Shelby Van Pelt's Remarkably Bright Creatures

Middle School - Sarah Everett's The Probability of Everything - The payoff was worth the confusion.

Alyssa Hollingsworth's The Eleventh Trade was a stretch I think my students will enjoy.

Antony John's Mascot grabbed me from the first chapter

  

Romance

Middle School - Julie Buxbaum's What to Say Next was recommended by a parent, and it had alternating narrators that I LOVED.

Science Fiction

Adult - Nikki Erlick's The Measure is still in my mind many days.

Sports

Middle School - Tommy Greenwald's Game Changer was a fast read! (Wait a minute... Do two of my favorite books this year have the same title?!?!)

A Book that Inspired Me to Write

Adult - Tiny Beautiful Things: Advice from Dear Sugar by Cheryl Strayed

This was the last book I read in 2023. Just this week I purchased a journal - to write to myself... I'm asking myself for advice, and I'm answering myself. I imagine it's kind of like Cognitive Behavioral Therapy... using my own negative thoughts and showing myself what's okay (or even beautiful) about the struggle. I'm excited to keep writing; I've never written like this.

I'm still on the lookout for books that stretch my thinking, are written by those with different experiences than me, and are written well. Please comment your favorites (from this year or all time) down below, so I can add more to my list! Cheers to more reading in 2024!

Twitter Journey

My own Twitter journey is coming to an end... 

If you don't want to read the history, jump down to how I think this is going to affect my life. (Side note, I refuse to call it X. It's still at Twitter.com, so...)

My Personal Twitter History

• August, 2011 - I signed up because my principal asked us to. It was my first full month as Joy Kirr, so I used that name, and I decided I would only use it for professional purposes.
• February, 2012 - I learned how to use Twitter, and I started to follow hashtags. This led me to learning about Genius Hour, EdCamps, following conferences from home, and a TON of PD in my PJs.
• From then on, I've used Twitter to join chats, host chats, learn about what I'd like to do in my own classroom, and help others in theirs. I wrote about much of this while reflecting on just my first year.
• I remember spending hours on the Twitter app, on Tweetdeck for chats, and looking at so very many educators I wanted to follow. (I've lately gone down to 30 min a day, and I'm never on it after 8pm.)
• If you'd like to know more, I have documented my Twitter thoughts and tips here on this blog.
• I have been using Twitter for professional use only, Instagram to connect with (former) students, and TikTok to connect with my current students.
• Eleven to twelve years later, it's probably time to be done.

Why am I leaving?

I love using Twitter on my laptop. It's much easier than on my phone, and I can interact with more people using my laptop. First they took away my Tweetdeck, because I'm not paying. As of today, I'm locked out of Twitter on my laptop, as I never finished the two-factor authentication process when Elon told me that's what I needed to do. I had to clear my cache and history to help my (old) laptop work better, so now I'm locked out, as it logged me out after this process, and it's not enough to just use my username and password. I was going to leave a bit earlier - when Elon took over, but some of my favorite people online were still there. I was still learning bits of tech and opportunities and about people, too... And I was limiting myself to half an hour a day. While I ate my breakfast before school, I got somewhat caught up. Now that it will be difficult to use, I don't see a large reason to stay. I'm glad I follow the blogs of some of my teacher pals, I'm glad I've connected with some of them on Instagram, TikTok, Goodreads, and even Duolingo. I have some of their phone numbers and addresses.

How will my life change?

• I may read more of a newspaper site (instead of using Twitter for news, too). 
• I won't be writing on this blog to share via Twitter. This relieves me of some pressure.
• I may be writing more on this blog, as now there's less pressure. I don't know how many readers I have, but when I tweet out a new post, I feel it has to be "worthy." When I simply write for myself - to reflect or to document - I am more my true self, and I can write, write, write.
• I won't be sharing self-help tidbits (which has been my go-to tweet lately) on Twitter. I hope to simply be LIVING them. I'm sharing some at the next IDEACon in February, so maybe I'll continue to do this, and maybe I can even share them with my coworkers (which I really haven't done).
• I won't be comparing myself to other teachers (as often). Although I feel I've learned this lesson, sometimes it still smacks me in the face.
• I won't be lured into reading accounts I don't even follow. I won't be sucked into what's "trending."

How do I feel?

• Ready. I'm so done with Elon Musk. I'm so done with the anonymous Twitter handles that feel they can comment any and all nasty things that (I feel) don't belong in this world.
• It's another change in my life. I was ready when I jumped on, and now I'm ready to leave it be. I do hope, if someone pulls up my feed, they see things that could still help them - new teachers, teachers new to Twitter, and old friends.
• I'm also feeling a bit old. I still have at least 4.5 years until I retire, but I feel my work now needs to be done IN the classroom. I will still learn from my students and colleagues, and I'll still learn from teachers on TikTok.
• It's been such a journey that I needed at the time. I'm so grateful for the access, the connections, and the learning that came with that journey.

Thank you for reading. Thank you for commenting. Thank you for keeping the conversations going. If you need me, you can find me on this blog, on TikTok (JoyKirr), on Instagram (JoyKirr1), on Goodreads here, and my email is my name at gmail... Let me know what you need, and please share with me what you love and value.

EduWins - The Small Things

There is so much pain and suffering and hate and sadness in this world right now.

In my own small slice, I've decided to collect and share small wins from my job of trying to teach children who are in my seventh grade ELA classes.

Here are some EduWins from the past two months...

• One student said, "Thank you" for the fidget stickers another teacher on our team provided. He also put them on his Chromebook right away AND threw away the backings.
• One of my students struggles with struggle... after he calls me over to help, he often gets angry with me when I come and try. I found him in a calm moment and sat next to him. I shared, "When you want my help and I try to help, but then you act like I'm a terrible person who doesn't understand, it makes me sad."
• I sent a lot of good notes home one day when I didn't have a team meeting, and many parents replied, sharing more about their child that was enlightening, sweet, and funny.
• Two students called me "Mom" (or Mamí) this month.
• I was able to diffuse an angry student and allow her to chat with an administrator.
• Sending a parent a virtual hug via email helped her see she's not alone. Her child had had a tough class, any help I tried to provide backfired, and I wanted her to know that he may come home upset. She welcomed any hugs.
• Our homeroom raised the most money out of any other because we offered an incentive based on student suggestions... my good-humored co-homie and I will soon be putting a streak of pink in our hair. 
• I was able to see two of my students at their hockey games on two different Sunday mornings.
• One student asked me what my favorite book was. As I was thinking of an answer, I suggested one of them to three girls that like to read together. I had two copies already, and I got another one from a coworker - they started reading them five minutes after I showed them where they were!
• The bookmarks I make are always a hit. And some students even give me back the one they'd been using!
• One student told me another student was really struggling. Another, on another day, told me about another student struggling. I love how they take care of each other - without making an announcement to the entire class.

May you be able to reflect back and find so many things to be grateful for this week before winter break.