This is me and my Super Assistant

I'm back!!!!!!! In full swing with a new program called HEADSTART. Nine years of teaching Pre-k and nine different ways to teach it. I was in on the very first grant for Pre school education nine years ago and it changes every year. I won't bore you with the many ways I have taught, maybe later when I'm feeling funny. WELCOME all new and old readers ( not age wise). My blog is for teachers to read, to laugh, cry and get some blessings from above.
First of all they do not pay me enough to do this job. I am raising America. With that said, I love teaching and do it because it is my calling to do God's will. He has given me an infinite knowledge of how to do this job. Most of all He wants me to show HIS love to my little ones. Maybe one by one they will learn love, discipline, caring for others and trust. Trust means being secure. I have them for approximately 7 hours and those seven hours, they will feel secure. Hey maybe they will learn something academically on the way. I say to you in this new beginning of school "Show the love of the Lord with your whole heart , mind and soul. Go gett'em. God Bless You Today!

SUMMER FUN

You'll think I'm crazy, but I hate Summer vacation.  As a teacher I am so busy then it stops.  Help what do I do now?  That's just how it seems the first week.  Next week I have four Technology workshops and one craft day.  I'm booked every week for something.  I must admit adult ADHD does not like confusion or change.  I like going to school everyday, knowing what I'm doing.  This mishmash schedule is a little unsettling.  Sometimes I want to tell everyone all about ADHD.  Summer is not cohesive to my disability.  Think about how your students who suffer from ADHD feel?  Is there a camp out there for us?  Maybe I should organize one or teach year round. That's a thought.  Through the years I have had to manage  on my own my attention to order and it's exhausting.

Hyperactivity is too.  I was diagnosed  over a year ago and have been receiving treatment ever since.  I'm not ashamed to admit it, because it has helped me so much.  I feel so much better and can think so much  clearer.  I feel sorry for the students out there or even teachers who suffer these disabilities and don't have help.  That's my prayer today, Lord let our souls rest in this time of summer,  let us learn to give our selves permission to just let go and smell the roses or irises.  In your name Amen.

Today one year ago my grandson was born. He has filled our life with joy. They say you'll never know love until you are a grandparent. He is the cutest, smartest, and most curious little boy ever. The happiness he has brought to us is unmeasurable. Happy Birthday little boy!

The joy of life

My baby birds grew and left the nest. I documented every day of their life with my camera.
I hope you enjoy the pictures I took. The day I took the last picture.....the empty nest...I felt sad. I philosophized this bird experience. It gave me an analogy of my year of teaching. My class started out as little eggs ready to hatch and they grew into birds who could fly. They became eagles and are soaring. At the end of each year, I find myself so worn out and ready for my summer break. I pray you give yourself time to remember what has happened this year with each student. Thank you Lord for the talents I have used this year. I feel the joy of being a teacher today, because of my little eagles.

Miracles

You won't beleive what happened to me! I'm a GRANDBIRD! My two cardinals were trying to announce the birth of their two chicks and that's what the fuss was all about on Sunday. When I finished my blog Sunday I went outside to the pool and watch those crazy birds. I finally realized there was a nest in the rosebush and quietly walk over to see. Much to my jubilation there was the first baby out of the egg and one more egg to go. I had taken my camera with me and I took the most incredible
picture of my first grandbirdbaby. Wow isn't God fun. He is always listening and knows our every moment. The surprise came on Mother's Day after I wrote my blog. God, you are something else. I hope I can post the pictures of the birdies. I've named them Twedlle and Dedelle. Listen when it's silent and maybe you can hear the words from God. Trust me he is always there.

Mothers Day

I'm sitting in my breakfast room at 8:00a.m. on Mother's day and listening to my two red birds Twidder and Twidde (Boy and Girl). They are trying to get me to come outside to the pool area so that I can see them sing. No, I am not crazy. Come over sometime and you can meet them. They are very social. What does this have to do with Mothers Day? I think it is being aware of your surroundings. Maybe to your inner self. Quiet...... Motherhood is so noisy. Kinda like the classroom. We have to stop the noise and smell the roses or here the birds. How often does this happen to you? I joined Facebook and I' m doubting my membership, it's just to noisy. I love blogging because it gives me a chance to think out my thoughts and feelings. So often as mothers or teachers we miss the little "I love yous" and miss the moments of tenderness our children speak to us. Thank you God for all the sounds, smells, and feelings we can receive from you through our children. Help us to hush the noise and feel the moments of your grace and love. I pray that the last few days of school I can listen and enjoy my students fleeting moments of joy.
In Your name Amen.

Days of joy

Sunday was my birthday and I joined Facebook. My girls were shocked. I got so many Happy Birthday greetings that day. I loved it. We will see how it goes. I enjoy writing on my blog much more but, no one reads it or comments. If you want to comment you can go to anonymous
and post. I would love to hear from more of you. Yesterday and today I am in a workshop on Autism. I didn't know I knew so much about the subject. My two years of Inclusion did pay off, although those were really tough years. Now I know why little Johnny did the things he did. Kinda..... I of course would rather be in my classroom with my Kids. We are still in outer space and studying the planets and the stars. I'm missing out on all that. I mention this to the presenter of the workshop and her reply was "Get over it". She has a mission.......Autism. I think she's a burned out teacher whose found another area to associate with. Thank God we have people in our profession who want to do this job. I can't get over the hugs and kisses I receive each day. Also, I would miss the daily communication with my four year olds. I guess it's a gift or vocation each one of us have. Different strokes for differ folks. Thank you God for all the gifts you have given us. Teaching is not and easy job and you bless us all the time with your grace and strength to do great things.

I will be attending a workshop on Monday and Tuesday next week. I had to prepare my class for my absence because usually when I am gone they do not behavior for the sub and my assistant. At circle time at the end of the day I warned them that, if Mrs. Sandoval called me with a problem, I would have to get another teacher to come in to take care of them. This teacher has black hair , a big nose with a warp on it and is really mean. They were looking very suspicious at me (some were laughing). One student said" she's like a witch". Oh no, I said. Mrs. Sandoval told them that if this teacher came she would not want her around and they would she the only teacher. I told them her name was Viola Swamp. They were still half believing me when one girl said "she's like a devil"!
I quickly said "No, no,no she's just mean. I had to do a fast change of subject.....I think they finally got the message. We will see. The same morning our library hosted a quest character, Miss Wishy Washy. She has a farm and she is always washing her animals. It's a darling series of books. This particular book, the animals ran away from the farm and went to the city. Of course they get into trouble and get thrown in jail.......Miss Wishy Washy recued them and took them back to the farm. One of my students stood up and said "When the animals got back they said"HOME SWEET HOME". I was so proud. She was thinking out side the box! In our profession, this is one of the new cliches. We are striving to teach our students to think in a higher order. What's new about that? I thought that's what I was always suppose to do. I guess that's why everyday I pray to God to help me do the best job I can. I'll leave it to the HIGHER ORDER to guide me. I pray that you too pray for God's help everyday you go into your class to begin your day.

Time sure flies when you're having fun. This week we started our Trip to Outer space. Yes, every year I have some frantic student ask the big question"How far are we going in outer pace"? Concerned about this imaginary trip they will tell me their mom or dad does not want them to go. I can't laugh,they are dead serious. I explain that it is in their imagination and we are going to PRETEND to go to outer space. That takes care of that problem. I have collected at garage sales and thrift stores over the years all kinds of space toys. I have a whole plastic tub full of ideas and books. Only a few years ago, I started putting my material in tubs and marking them. Sure makes teaching allot eaiser. The only problem is storage. Oh well it's worth it. Next week will be even more fun when I pull out all the books on aliens and they get to make their own alien book. Fun, fun, fun, what can I say. May will be here and our unit on the ocean and vacation land will wrap it up. Every year I choose and island theme and really go all out. I have often said that my students haven't had the opportunities of most four and five year old so......
That's my job, to bring it to them. Here's some questions I ask myself today. What is my personal spiritual creed? What beliefs sustain me through difficult times? What does being a child of God an heir with Christ (Romans 8:15-17) mean to me? My answer to all of these is......
Being the best teacher I can for the love of God and his people on this earth (especially his little ones). Maybe my love for God will spill over and I can show his love through teaching. I pray that you as teachers can see and feel the love of God when you are with your students doing the best job you know how. Praise God for all your gifts. And.....use them!

Five year old's are so much fun. I was remembering when I was five. First, I lived on a ranch in the sandhills of Texas. Life was very different back 50 years ago. My parents were old when I was born. So........ When I went to my cousins skating birthday party in the city, I didn't know how to roller skate. I was a little fluffy at five and I riped my new pants and had to sit on the bench the whole party. Needless to say I never learned to skate. My cousin was from the city and would come visit on Sundays. All is fair in love and war...... when she tried to ride my horse, the horse ran down the road and cousin was hanging on for her dear life. She never learn to ride a horse. My Mom and Dad would saddle up that pony and I would ride for hours, all over the country. What were they thinking? They were thinking, thank God she's gone and we can have some peace for a while. You see ADHD children back in those days just had to cope and so did parents. The only problem with riding the horse so much, was when we got anywhere close to the barn it would tear off running and make a very sudden stop at the barn. I was of course on the ground having been thrown off at the abrupt stop. It happened every time. Ouch! One more story..... When it came time for my Holy Communion (I was brought up Catholic) I received money from my brother who was stationed in Germany. All I wanted from the money was to buy a Beebe gun. It was not powerful enough to kill an ant but I got it. I was playing like Annie Oakley on my horse and shot the gun like in the movies and landed in a castus plant, with my horse looking at me like "What the heck was that about". Ouch! Wow, I"m really impressed I can remember all that. Thank you God for that great life I had growing up. I pray that you as educators share your stories with your students and make them laugh too. Isn't Life fun?

April 20, 2009 This weekend was the beginning of Fiesta and My husband and I attended the Southwest Craft Center Art Fair. Enough said, I"m getting old or things are changing. Everything look like Ghetto art or was 3,000 dollars. We have very little on our walls at home and I guess that's the way it will stay. We went to our neighborhood King's Party and had a nice time. The King comes and passes out medals to all the underlings. This is Monday I wore all my of my medal from years past and told the students all about the King. We got right to work making our own medals with student picture and lots of glitter. Wow, here we go again. Tomorrow we willbe making our Crowns(more glitter) and get a little more excited. Our float parade is Thursday and the Mini Fiesta too. The King comes to visit our school during the fiesta party and by Thursday afternoon I'll be one tired cascagone (yes misspelled. Ha. Ha!) To say the least, I will never look back and say, "I didn't do my job"! The difference is, I LOVE IT. Thanks be to God, that I have a job (yeah) but most of all it is a job that is full filling. I pray that you teachers out there look at you job as I do, a joy that has been given to us. Praise be to God.

Easter is over, all the decorations are removed and onward we go to the next exciting adventure... Yes, San Antonio celebrates big time at Fiesta. Some of my students don't even know where they live,so, I produce a mini fiasco I mean Fiesta. What is a Fiesta? It's a party. What goes on at a party? Food, games, dancing, music, parades, kings and queens, fireworks, carnivals. I even have snacks that are representative of foods served at fiesta. Foods like kabobs, cotton candy, Popsicles, bueneulos, candied apples,chips and sauce. We dance the chicken dance , the Mexican hat dance and La Raspa. We have our own parade with floats that the students and their parents build (what a competition). And to top it off we have a mini fiesta and the King Antonio and his entourage come and pass out coins. When Fiesta really begins, I am so burned out I really don't care whats going on in town. When I think of this celebration I remember the big party in the Book of Ester. It went on and on and sounds sorta like Fiesta.
In Ester's case the King was trying to impress the people of his kingdom. Are we trying to do the same thing with Fiesta? I know it's important for my students to learn about the culture in our city and they do learn allot of vocabulary. I hope my students learn something. I'm having fun and I pray that your teaching role is a joyful experience. My niece who is a super educator says, "If it's cute it should count". Live it up, Vive Fiesta!

Eater Sunday

Here it is Easter Sunday and I'm relaxing with my family. Did the egg hunt on the kitchen floor with my grandson(it was raining). Made the birthday cake for my oldest daughter's birthday and now waiting for the big dinner at 1:00. Holidays for me are for resting, I get so stirred up with my class that when the real thing comes I am exhausted. I've tried to slow down but my emotions are still racing, I must remember my exhaustion is nothing compared to the pain Jesus felt on the cross. The holes the nails made on his hands and feets make my health problems seem trivial. Jesus came to save us from our sins. He also was resurrected on the third day. Today should be for me, a day of feeling the joy of New Life which Jesus gave to me on that heavenly day He rose from the dead.

Rejoice I say for He has risen!!!! I pray for all teachers that today they feel the NEW LIFE Jesus gave to each one of us.

I am here to confess.....I need a head check. This week is Easter week and I am on over load.
I volunteered to teach and enrichment class after school (for money) and I went for my first volunteer hours at the Saddle Light Riding Club. Of course you know I am ADHD and take medication, but, sometimes I get as worked up about celebrating as the kids do. I can't help it.
It's a jelly bean high. We made these special bunny cards for the parents and had the annual Easter egg hunt. After the hunt we graph the eggs and count them. Well the morning class had 209 eggs and when it came to the afternoon class I just couldn't. Know your limits. My back was killing me and we had double the amount of eggs. We just stuffed every basket as full as we could and sent them on their way....Happy Easter. Now I can concentrate on enjoying my Grandson and daughters. Sorry, Lord, now I can think about this weekend and the true meaning of Easter. I pray for all your sweet teachers out there that you Easter egg hunts are over and that you can now have time to celebrate.

Easter is just around the corner. I"m doing my best to hype my students up about the big event. Today we made a bunny cake. I just love being a Pre-K teacher. They were so thrilled about this cake and they even liked eating it. Wouldn't it be nice if we as adults could feel the "thrill". It was just a simple cake and so easy to make. Think back to the last time you felt "thrilled" I'm a big believer in angels as God's helpers and many times I have been thrilled by simple things that happen to me.
I have many stories about my angels and I will share them with you sometime. God thrills me with his greatness and love all the time. I pray that your teaching gives you that child like "thrill".

Anwser to a prayer

If you've read my blog,you might remember one of my fantasies was to ride horses again. Well over the weekend I found a request for volunteers at the Saddle Club for special needs children. Wow, thanks,God! It's once a week for 2 hours. It will be walking the horses while the child rides. I'm thrilled at the opportunity to work with horses ,but, most of all to be able to help children with this kind of therapy.
What a wonderful God we have. I hope your life is filled with little surprises from God, it sure makes life fun. Ask that you may recieve. I pray that you as a teacher can hear God's messages to you.

Springtime is so much fun. Bugs and flowers and the change of weather. It just makes you feel better. Every year I do a bug unit using the books of Author Eric Carle. This author has done so much for children's literature. His spring bug books are awesome. My favorite is the Grouchy Ladybug, my theatrical talents come a live with this book. The kids love it. The second favorite is the Very Hungry Caterpillar (40Th anniversary of this book). We even get ladybug eggs and caterpillars for gestation. The kids go wild when we finally release the adult bugs. Along with these books come lots of artistic activities. I really needed to change my huge bulletin board and decided the kids could really help out with this dreaded duty.
I'm very creative but, I hate doing bulletin boards (one of those teacher duties).
So my little sweat shop went to work making huge butterflies, ladybugs, bubble bees and beetles. Next we made a huge Caterpillar in the middle of the board and topped it off with flowers of all kinds of designs. The students were so proud of their contributions and it turned out to be really pretty. I will post a picture and maybe you can get some ideas from the picture. I'm going to use the bulletin board for a backdrop for a student photo for their Easter card. Two birds with one stone. Hope you can get some ideas from the picture. Happy Spring!!!!

Fun Friday

Today is Friday. On Fridays in my class we have fun. Today we are going to make bird nest with jelly bean eggs for snack. Take some noodles, honey, peanut butter....stir together and spoon out and mash in the middle for the eggs. Let sit in frig for and hour to harden. Spring is here and eggs, bugs, flowers and new life can be seen everywhere. This time of year always reminds me of renewal of the spirit. The weather is great and everything is turning green. We celebrate Easter at this time and hopefully have a renewal of faith. God sent his only Son to die for our sins to give us new life. Celebrate!!!

Back to work.....or play

Wow it took 50 something years of growing and therapy to do that last list. Try doing one for yourself. It's a hard, but, rewarding assignment. I have to share today's story. I introduced the letter Cc today and their "Little Cc Book" had a picture of a cup. I laughed and told the class they could color it the color of coffee because coffee began with the letter C. Well, the new little guy in my class looked up and said "My cups going to be colored yellow cause my mom likes beer and I'm making her a cup of beer. How can you argue with that? Speaking of beer..... One time I was talking to a single mom and asked her how she did it, working and managing two young children? Without a skip of a beat she said "I drink allot of beer. Again, how can you argue about that? That's enough of my beer stories. God Bless your little hearts, teachers of all ages.

Twenty five things to know about me:

1. I am truly in love with my husband. I married him twice. Once at age 25 and again at age 54. Second time is twice as good.

2. I have found the total love of Christ. I know I am saved because Jesus died on the cross for my sins.

3. I believe in angels. Many times in my life I have encountered their presence.

4. Our family trips are one of the highlights of my life. Trips to Santa Fe, NY,Pennsylvania,Colorado, and the many trips to the Beach.

5. I can not explain the power of childbirth. Each of my daughters are miracles from God. They are the love of my life.

6. Living in the country is awful. I love carpet grass and pavement and shopping centers right around the corner.

7. I have a terrible fault..... I feel empathetic for people to much. I need to measure my feelings instead of taking in everyone's feelings.

8. Fault number 1 I can't say I'm sorry. I need to work on this. I'm a redhead, Irish and egocentric.

9. I can shop all day without eating a thing.

10. I love antiquing and finding something old for a great price rather than buying something new.

11. I love teaching for about 6 years and then I get ancie and want something more.

12. I love dancing with my husband. I remember the many fun parties we danced the night away.

13. I don't believe in Friday the 13. Everyday is a lucky day for me.

14. I pray more now that I'm older.

15. I love fashion of all kinds....even if it's not my age. That's when I get in to trouble with the fashion police.

16. One of my fantasies is to ride a horse again ,just to see if I can.

17. I received my ESL certification, read 7 books in the summer, and wrote a grant for 2200 hundred dollars for play equipment and was given that grant ,all this in one year.
What's so big about this? I'm ADHD and have found the medication that helps me use my brain and not feel dumb.

18. I miss my Dad everyday since his death. I swore I wouldn't. I was wrong.

19. I love my grandson! Being a grandparent is super!

20. My son-in-law is the best. He's the boy I never had. He's a wonderful addition to our family.

21. I am very creative,but, I usually want to make money from my creations. I had a Line of clothing called IRIS ANN for ten years. I also manufactured jewelry to go along with the line. I still love making things to sell. My theory is don't make just one. Make a lot of the item and sell sell sell.

22. I remember my birth in the Santa Rosa Hospital. I was pampered and was a precious baby to all. The nuns tied pink ribbon in my hair and paraded me around like a doll. I was born seventeen months after my brother died of a heart condition. He was four months old.

23. I am a real mush ,but, don't like showing it.

24.Europe,especially Italy, is more than I ever dreamed it would be. I waited 30 years for a trip to Europe and when I got there, I didn't want to leave. I love it.

25. I'll never regret the effort I put into living my life to the fullest. I'm a give it all kinda girl.

SPRING BREAK

This is my first post so bear with me. I want to be able to make you laugh, or cry, or laugh until you cry. I am a veteran teacher, but have had several other careers. I manufactured clothing universally for ten years, went back to teaching for six years then worked for my husband's lawfirm doing Public Relations. I couldn't stand it; I caught crayola fever and went back to teaching. Anyone out there want to change careers? I say go for it. The newness of any job is great for your morale. Often teachers just get burned out. Just remember, you can always go back to teaching. When my girls were growing up, I had the dress company and could arrange my schedule to do all the MOMMIE things. There is one down fall to all these careers, I lost the years of experience to retire at the right age. I now will be 93 retiring with full benefits. Ha. Ha. I have a walker and am doing fine. Just kiddding. If you are tired of the struggles of teaching, take a break. It will make you a better person. If you have any questions about my careers, let me know. I am back to teaching Pre-k and have gotten over leaving the profession. This is the last stop and I will be here until I retire. I am also writing a book about the funny stories I have experienced in my teaching career. I would love to hear some of your stories, too. That's the joy of this blog. I will also pray for you all out there who are teaching your hearts out. May God give you strength to see joy, joy, joy down in your heart.