Dear Teacher Who Has Climbed the Mountain,

Seasons greetings! I would say Merry (belated) Christmas, but it has been so long since I posted that I should be saying Merry Christmas, Happy Thanksgiving, and even Happy Halloween!

Fellow teachers, you have climbed the mountain! Whether you feel as though your students just walked through the door for the first time or if you thought you would never make it to this point, our school year is half-way through.

I love this time of the year.  Besides, you know, that whole Christmas thing, this is the time of year when I always feel like I start to hit my stride with my class. Routines are tweaked to run smoothly, organization is well-established, parent-teacher relationships have been nurtured, and I have grown attached to each of my students.

Okay. So maybe I don't feel that way EVERY day!... It is easy to look back on the first half of the school year fondly while enjoying Christmas break, easy to forget the months of September, October......But everything just seems to look a bit brighter this time of year and there is a noticeable shift of perspective in knowing we are about to begin the descent of our school year (weird to think we are at this point already!).

But NOW! Wait just a minute. That is not to say that just because you are descending you can go on autopilot. Going down the mountain requires just as much skill and careful attention as going up because you wouldn't want to start going too fast only to end up tripping and faltering. That overwhelming stress of days past will still sometimes creep up and you will wonder how you will ever get everything done, but.... this is the time to remember what keeps you in this vocation you love, to remember the motivation you had when going back to school.

I have found my motivation this year in my students, my class of 14 lovely young women. And I do say women now when before I was said girls because the growth I have seen in each of them this year is astonishing. I don't know when I will every again have the opportunity have such a lovely group of students. I feel so blessed and fortunate to be able to share in just a small piece of each of their stories and this drives me to be my best each day for them, to give them everything I can during this short nine months we have together.

There is so much more to share, but all in time. For now, I leave you all, dear teachers,  to find what motivates you to once again feel invigorated on this mountain top. What is it that will drive (and improve) your descent this year?

Dear Teacher Who Keeps Forgetting to Breathe,

After these first few weeks in 6th grade, I was kind of forgetting to do that sometimes.

Whew.

In preparation for the move from 2nd to 6th grade, I spent my whole summer, day after day, week after week, organizing my classroom, studying up on the curriculum, and trying to become super teacher to fill the shoes of the woman who spent more than two decades in the position I was taking over. I was so prepared. I was over prepared. No one had ever been this prepared, I was sure. I was quite pleased with myself.

Eek. That was mistake number one.

Do you know Phillip Phillips? I am kind of an American Idol Fanatic :).

Call it weird if you want, but I have always had this intense connection with music. I keep hearing the line from this song in my head, "Troubles they might drag you down, but when you're lost you can always be found. Know you're not alone, I'm going to make this place your home"....

I was confident teaching 2nd grade. I was good at it and I LOVED it. Each day, I start to love 6th grade just a little bit more, but every time one of my little ones from last year comes to give me a hug, my heart melts a little and I just miss them so much! One day at a time, I sure hope I can make 6th grade my home :).