I miss my students

This week my school system was supposed to return from Spring Break, but instead we are quarantined. Instead, I walked into my classroom with a lump in my throat and tears in my eyes as I prepared to call my students and their families to check in with them.

I love a good break, and I think breaks are well deserved and necessary (ask any parent who is currently attempting to home school 😁). Breaks are good for students and teachers. But this break, well it sucked, and it continues to suck.

For me, a break allows me to rejuvenate, get refreshed, and get pumped back up for my return. I always look forward to a break, and I always look forward to returning from one. For me, my breaks are when I have my teacher “aha” moments. Whether that’s my daily break during my planning, my nightly break when the baby goes to bed, my weekend breaks, my holiday breaks, or my Fall, Winter, Spring, and Summer Breaks.

I am able to reflect on my teaching and how my instruction is reaching my students. It allows me to figure out how to extend one student’s learning while re-teaching the material to another student to match their learning style. It allows me to think about one student’s behavior and analyze their emotions and body language to determine what is going on in their world and how to approach the situation. It allows me to talk through tough conversations that I need to have with students before actually doing so. It allows me to plan celebrations and room transformations. It allows me to study the curriculum while learning to own the content and teach it to match my students’ learning styles.

While teachers are in the trenches, we often forget to reflect on our own teaching abilities, but, thankfully, breaks allow us to do that.

But this break, it is so different. Now, we are reflecting on the school year and what we taught and didn’t get to teach and what we are going to do to still keep in contact with our students until April 24. That’s FIVE.MORE.WEEKS! Most of us are clinging to those “aha” moments our students had, their terrible jokes, their smiles, their hugs, their laughs, their handshakes, and even their frustrating moments.

I’m praying for my students. I’m praying that they are making the most of this break. I’m praying that there is more sunshine than rain so that they may go outside and play. I’m praying that their bellies stay full. I’m praying that they are getting to rest at night. I'm praying that they are continuing to learn. I’m praying for grace. I’m praying that they are given grace and they are giving grace, as this is a very trying time. I pray that years down the road we get to look at this as a time when we got to do the things that we “never had time to do.”

Yesterday, as some of my grade level teachers and myself sat in the hallway (6ft. apart) to plan materials for our students, we talked through how we would feel if we were not allowed to return to school. Most of us said we would be absolutely heartbroken and definitely shed lots of tears. We don’t want to be without our students, we want to be in the trenches. As we talked, it was very prevalent that, although being in the trenches is tough, and these next 3 weeks we’re supposed to be deep in the trenches since testing is coming up, that we would do absolutely anything to get back our normal. We were all feeling yucky that we had to create material for our students instead of present it to them in our homes away from home, our classrooms.

There are so many things we want to tell our students. I want mine to know that I’m so proud of the accomplishments they have made this year. My 17, sweet thirdies have worked so, so hard this year. They have made such great growth, both academically and socially.

Thankfully, I teach third grade, so my students have two more years at my school, but I want them to have two more months in my classroom.

I pray often that we get to step back into our classroom and rejoice in each other’s presence. Oh, what a day that will be! We will never again take for granted the ability to go to school and learn.

I know we will come out stronger from this, but I miss them. I miss their morning greetings. I miss repeating myself 750 times a day. I miss being referred to as mama. I miss having my second run girls make sure the classroom is in perfect condition for us so we can come in and learn the next day. I miss all my leaders taking control of their jobs and never missing a beat, so that my focus is on educating them physically, emotionally, socially, and academically. I miss singing and dancing with them. I miss reading to them. I miss each one of them so fiercely. 

I miss number 1 coming in with his bright smile and forgetting where he puts everything.

I miss number 2’s many stories and how sweet of a friend she is to everyone.

I miss number 3’s energy and love for Kahoot.

I miss number 4 laughing at EVERYTHING.

I miss number 5’s calmness and ability to brighten everyone’s day.

I miss number 6’s assistance on everything.

I miss number 7’s efforts to try so hard to not smile, but we always make him.

I miss number 8’s sweet smile when I beg him to sing louder for us.

I miss number 9’s work habits and how great she is at Habit 3.

I miss number 10’s giggles and many, many stories that she has to share.  

I miss number 11 telling me she loves me each day as she goes to wait for her bus.

I miss number 12’s personality and how willing he is to do whatever he’s asked.

I miss number 13 asking me every day if I need ice and what else she can do so that I can go get Lewie from school because she knows how much I miss him.

I miss watching number 14 come out of her shell at recess while cheering with the girls.

I miss number 15 and her precious compliments.

I miss number 16's sense of humor and understanding of my sarcasm.

I miss watching number 17 grow each and every day, in each and every way.

Today I was supposed to walk in to my classroom and get ready to shake 17 little hands, look them in the eye, and ask them how their break was. Today, I was supposed to begin reading Peter Pan. Today I was supposed to watch their imaginations come to life with Wendy, John, Michael, Peter, and Tinker Bell. Today, I was supposed to introduce area. Today, I was supposed to teach my favorite science topic, weather. But today, I’m making plans on how I can see their sweet faces through a computer screen.

- Mrs. Lauren

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Hey Mama

Shout out to my mama...she the real MVP.

I just have to brag on her because...well I can!

There is no one in this world that has a more giving heart than my mama. Many call her Honey, but only two of us have the blessing of calling her Mom. We are the lucky two.

She is Honey to all my students, her dinner table at church, and her beloved grandchildren. My brother chose that name for her and it fits her perfectly. She is as sweet as Honey.

I get so much joy in watching her be a grandmother to her 4 grandchildren (2 biological and 2 chosen). They all love their Honey and light up when they see her! She always has the most fun activities planned, which always involve learning whether they know it or not (she should have been a teacher!). She will do anything at the drop of the hat to make Natalie, Allison, Mary Carr, and Lewie happy.

She is like The Fairy Godmother as my boss says. Whatever needs to be done, she will make it happen. My mom and my husband spend countless hours helping me prepare the "home" for my students and myself for each new school year. She also spends time and money helping me prepare experiences for my students. Not fluffy lessons (that's a topic for a different day), but experiences that take learning to the next level. She comes to visit and always has a treat in hand for our (because they are hers, too) students. She makes a trip at the beginning of each school year to buy supplies and clothes for our future students. When a student is in need, the items they need magically appear just as a Fairy Godmother would do. My students know her as Honey, but they love when The Fairy Godmother visits.

State testing is coming up and just like every year, she will prepare a note for each student and a treat for each day. Seeing the reaction of my students when they get to experience the sweetness of Honey makes me realize just how much of her "sweet" she has given me and my brother over my 26 trips around the sun.

My mom loves so fiercely. She shows her fierce love through small acts of kindness, and it goes such a long way. She never expects anything in return, and it makes her the happiest person when she is able to do something for someone. She doesn't seek to be praised, she simply looks for the next person she can serve. I love to watch those react when they receive an act of kindness from her, but I revel in her response to serving others.

She always wants what is best for her children, our spouses, and her grandkids. She always has our best interest at heart. I look forward to our daily phone calls at 4:30 so that I can reflect on my day with her. When I'm in a dilemma and seek out her advice, she empathically listens and never tells me what to do but guides me to make the appropriate decision.

One of my favorite things about my mom is her relationship with my husband. They would both do anything for each other and anything for Lewie and myself. When Nick and I were in college, we spent most of our nights with my mom. We often talk about those memories...like when Mom learned how to "rap" and the many dance parties we had. We did and still do lots of things together. They are a perfect team when it comes to me. They worked so well together during my 28 hours of labor and were the best support I could have ever asked for. During all the intense labor, I was in awe of how seamless they were through all the bumps along the way...from epidural complications to Nick needing a snack 😂, they worked hand in hand to get Lewie here safely and to keep me healthy.

My mom feeds Nick's belly by always having a treat for him when he comes over, and Nick feeds my mom's soul with how he cares for Lewie and myself. Having a mom who loves your husband and a husband who loves your mom is quite an extraordinary thing. Their bond is so special to me.

I could go on and on about how amazing Honey is, but all that know her are already aware of that. I'm just so proud to be her daughter.

-Lauren

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Giving

“Find what fuels the fire in your heart and never let it burn out.”

I teach and preach this to my students, I have it painted in my classroom, and I hope this is the one thing they remember about 3^rd grade. I also hope you remember this as you go throughout your life. Do what makes you happy, and don’t let anyone or anything put out your fire.

For me, the fuel to my fire is giving…giving my time, giving gifts, giving encouraging words, and giving tips that have helped me along the way. I am an enneagram 2w3, and I am the house leader at our school for Altruismo, which means to give in Portuguese; hence the reason I absolutely LOVE to give in all its forms.

I have been encouraged by quite a few friends to start a blog. It’s totally out of my comfort zone, but when God continuously puts something on your heart…well you do it!

I pray that this is place you can find tips that worked for me. I’m by no means an expert, but when I find something that works, or that I enjoy, I want to share it with the world…that keeps my fire burning.

I pray this is a place where I can reflect on events that have happened in different seasons of life, so that others may say “me too” and be seen, while also using this for my personal benefit so that in years to come I can come back and remember the mountain top victories while also remembering the valleys.

My goal is to share all things mama, lifestyle, and teaching.

-Lauren

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