Morning Effort #SOL15

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Two Writing Teachers

I'm really excited to be working in a new school this year.

I'm really exhausted since I'm working in a new school this year.

I'm back in the reading support game, but lots of new materials, procedures, people and spaces.

Today I slid out of my car, feeling every day of my forty-six years.  The humidity, cold air and dark morning did nothing to make me feel better.  I reallllyyyyy didn't want to get out of bed this morning.
I left my bags in the car and slowwwly walked over to my colleagues at the car line.

"Hello, pumpkin!"  called Michelle L.

"On the struggle bus today, Chris?" teased Michelle Z.  (She knows I tend to drive the struggle bus!)

I whined a little lot and considered getting back in my car.  MZ offered to tell the office I was going home sick.  ML encouraged me to do what I needed for me.

I decided to stay.

What changed my mind?  My 3rd graders.  They are my final two groups of the day, yet they come each day (mostly) without whining or complaining.  They are eager to have their reading time, write with pens! and leave with a pile of books each day.  If they could have stamina, so could I.

(D does ask every few minutes, "Is it 5:00 yet?"  He knows he is released from small group at 2:25, so we need to work on his clock-reading skills, hee, hee) 

I welcomed a bunch of kiddos to school, went back to my car for my bags, and I walked in with a kindergarten student who was dragging tail (and his Alvin backpack).

"I'm glad you came to school today," I told him.

"You, too," he said.

Push and pull #SOL

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Two Writing Teachers

I've had some interesting conversations with fellow parents of teenagers, especially those in their senior year of high school.  We've decided that we may be the WORST parents in the WORLD, but then again, maybe it's just the stress as we consider that our children are graduating.  In a few months.  Oh. No....

We've talked about the stress the kids are under:
sports,
academic,
social,
WHERE DO YOU WANT TO GO TO COLLEGE,
peer pressure,
HURRY & CHOOSE WHAT YOU WILL DO FOR THE REST OF YOUR LIFE,
social media,
fashion,
DID YOU CHOOSE YET?

Wow.

I don't envy any of these kids.

Some of the kids are "push" kids... these kids just need a little push to get their motors started and rolling down the right path.  Other kids (like some of this year's seniors) are "pull" kids.  The kids who we have pullllllled through homework and social skills and making good choices and helping them develop their lacking executive functioning skills.

Ugh.  I'm tired.

It's time, fellow parents of HS seniors.  Let us release the ropes of parenting (or in my case, cut the enabling cord) and let our kids FALL.  We've done it before.  Remember when they were learning to toddle around the house?  We let them!  We were there to pick them up, kiss the scrapes and help them move on.  We can do it again.  Really.

Well, we can at least try.

We can be there for each other when the stress gets to be too much.  We may even laugh about this school year one day, MANY years from now.

It's time to let them figure it out and find out what they are made of.

They can do it.  So can we.