The thing I l-o-v-eabout middle school is the incessant change!! This constant state of limbo is pretty scary, but can also be a lot of fun. This week, we’ve spent nearly every minute of English class taking the fabulous M.E.A.P. test (she said facetiously). What I’ve noticed during these testing sessions are the ways in which my students really are kids. Added to last week’s work time on neighborhood maps, when tongues were curled and lips were pursed in concentration, this week I’ve seen some pretty interesting faces as well.
And if there’s one thing students l-o-v-e about the M.E.A.P. test, it’s the suckers!! That’s right. A simply little Tootsie pop has them all a-twitter! Today, in fact, we actually celebrated getting suckers when I noticed one particular student do a little “happy sucker dance” when he acquired his favorite blue sucker via trade.
I guess it just reminds me that life is full of simple pleasures. And even if I want to pull my hair out sometimes because I’m so frustrated by students…there still are these moments when they totally crack me up and allow me to remember why I love my job!
What about you? What are some of your simple pleasures in life? What makes you “do the dance?”
This is funny, I am in an challenge where one of the things the team coaches do to motivate the players is give them “blings”. Blings are really nothing but a star next to your name on the team page. You win nothing except “Bling Queen” for the week. You would just laugh at how hard we work to get those blings. Anyway, some on my simple pleasures in life are, hmmmm… oh! Earning blings, having my checkbook balance, Erica being ready on time without me nagging her, a phone call from my son in the Navy, quitting time at work, sunny days, snow days, getting my mom’s lawn mowed and knowing that I don’t have to do it again for at least a week. There are just a few things that make me smile.