Catching Up

What would a blog post of mine be without a picture of nature? This Stellar's Jay wouldn't sit still for a portrait, so I have three poor shots. Also, HAVE to include proof that we grew tomatoes this year!







Railroaders Festival at Golden Spike was another big hit this year. I love to watch K in action while on duty. He is a GREAT park ranger! The little girl is the daughter of another ranger. Love her face. Doesn't hurt that she told K, "Your wife makes the BEST cookies!"






Just wanted to throw in some proof that I always start out being very organized. Oh, I have plans, indeed! This is how my classroom looked before the children arrived. It does not look this way now. In education these days, it's all about the statistics. Numbers. No Child Left Behind. Merit Pay. Test Scores. So, if we're just looking at the numbers, my class this year starts out with a one, two, three, four, five-five. One hearing impaired child, two who go to speech therapy, three with ADHD, four who attend a resource class in special education, and fifty-five percent of my class is reading BELOW grade level. You were wondering about the meltdowns? Yeah, I take my responsibilities seriously. Other teachers beam with happy test scores. How am I supposed to get happy test scores? It is a truly daunting task to teach these children. Fortunately, they are not numbers to me. They are kids that throw their arms around my belly with a genuine hug as I emerge from the cave. They are kids that leave shy little drawings and love notes on my desk when I'm not looking. They are kids who say, "YAY!" when I tell them we're going to the library and p.e. They are wonderful children and I pledge to do my best.







Mmmm hmmmm. When school starts, everything else goes by the wayside. K has been helping me at school a lot. So sweet. He doesn't like the meltdowns either.