Year in review!!

2014 was the year I made my year.  The year began with me turning 40 years old.  I embraced turning 40 and decided to make it my year to focus on myself.  Being a single mother of two, it is only natural for you to put your children first before yourself.  I have to start putting myself first in order to give them the best of me as well as the best of me for my students.  I chose to enter 40 with a big party.  With the help of my friends and my family, we pulled off my masquerade birthday party. 

 My beautiful cake my sister-in-law made for me.  In my favorite color...purple.  Almost too pretty to cut and eat.  With 40 candles added, I blew out the candles and made my wish.

It was so fun choosing a dress, the mask, invitations, and more.  My friends and family helped me ring in my birthday in style.  This was a very unique  year too.  There were major milestone birthdays.  Mine started the year off with the big 40, my oldest son turned 18 a few days after mine, my youngest son turned 16, my step mom turned 60 and her mother turned 90.  God has blessed us all.

We got to explore our artist side at Pinot's Palate for my step mom's birthday and my youngest son also shared the day with her.  It was nice to paint with my son and other family members.  I also got to explore more painting a few more times. 

I got to also try new places.  I took my oldest son to Joe Momma's Pizza for his birthday.  Many other new places I got to try throughout the year expanded my palate.  My favorite was exploring chocolate at Glacier.  I got to taste different kinds of chocolates and learned a lot about how your taste buds work with the chocolates.

2014 wasnt only a milestone with birthdays but also in events.  My son graduated high school and got accepted in at a local junior college.  I am very proud.  I had many emotions during this time.  My babe was growing up and starting his next chapter in life.

Another milestone after his graduation was sending him to Paris.  This was the first time for me to not have him at home.  He was gone for all of June.  He got to experience many "new" things to him from a plane ride to seeing another country.  We also opened our home to a foreign exchange student.  Pierre came in April before my son left for his trip.  It was quite an experience to have another boy in the house as well as learning about him and his culture.

While he was gone I got to explore many professional development classes.  I also made a big choice in going back to school to get my master degree.  But I decided not on one degree but to do two at the same times.  I decided on Reading Specialist and then Administration.



I joined thousands of educators at our capital building.  We wanted people to hear our concerns and for them to make a change.  The people also wanted changed and voted out our state superintendent.  We need education to be the first priority.

I became more an advocate for my students and my parents.  I joined PTA and became our Vice President. It has opened my eyes to a different aspect of education from the parent point of view.  I decided one of my goals this year was to get parents more involved in their child's education.  As I worked on this goal I also helped build our PTA into a better one.  This year it actually has made a difference at our school.  I work with great ladies and parents.

Another big change in my life was changing my health.  I joined a gym.  I am in no way a gym person.  I am very uncomfortable in that setting but I needed this change in my life.  I joined at the beginning of the year and was working with a bad knee.  I had to have surgery on it in April.  This was the first time I was away from my students for that length of time.  During those three weeks, I continued to work and strengthen my knee at the gym.  My main goal for joining was to get healthier and lose weight to avoid knee replacement surgery that I was told WILL happen.  It has now been an year since joining, I am stronger, have more energy and the weight is starting to fall off.  (I also found out this year my thyroid wasn't working right)

The new year is approaching and new goals and experiences are in the horizon.  2015 will have new journeys for my and my students.  In just a few months, we will be moving into a new classroom.  Later, in 2015 I will have my first master degree and doors will open.  God has blessed me in 2014 with many experiences and opportunities for me and my family.  I pray that he continues to bless me.

I welcome 2015 with open arms.

Many Memories

I started working in my classroom today.  We begin school in about 9 days.  This is the beginning of my 14th year of teaching and my last year in the room I have been in for the last 8 years.  I am excited about moving to a brand new classroom (which is still under construction) but sadden too.  In the last 8 years I have had 160 students.  Many of those were siblings of ones I have taught before.  Watching each child come into my room scared, curious and even excited to be at school.  I have dried many tears, clean up my far share of messes, and much more.  I too was scared, curious, and excited all at the same time each year with the new batch of babies that walked through my doors.

As this year is about to start, there are many changes taking place some I like some I don't like.  I am once again scared, excited, and curious how the year will be.  I am starting to prepare my room for the new students and as well as packing up those things we don't need for the move to a new room some time this year. What will behold us this year?

PTA Conference

I got to attend the Oklahoma PTA Conference that was held in Tulsa, Ok this past week.  I was pretty excited to have a mini vacation.  I attended with two other ladies who are my BFFs and are part of our PTA board at my school.  I became active with my PTA this past school year.  I was voted in as the VP of our PTA.  We got to stay at the Renaissance Hotel.  The conference was a 3 day conference with mini sessions and then several general sessions.  Our first key not speaker was our Governor and she proceeded to pretend she has education number 1 in her books.  But those were all lies.  I won't go on about her and why but lets just say her and our State Superintend have both screwed our children over during their rule.

 The lovely ladies I attended with.  We had some fun being silly for a photo and learned quite a bit.  I am not a person who follows politics and such but I am starting to find my voice as a parent and as a teacher to speak up for my students.  This year I want to educate the parents on their voice as well.  We need to take back our education system for our future and for our children.  We are letting people take away our rights and our student's rights.  We did show the state and the politicians we are tired of the BS and we voted out our superintendent.  We will have someone fresh and someone who has taught before help bring Oklahoma from being 49th.

 Selfie of me and my bff while waiting for the conference to start after breakfast.  I am excited to be working with her as our PTA president and this year as her son's teacher.  She will be making a big difference in our school.  In the past my school's PTA didn't do anything and couldn't stay a functioning PTA.  This last year she helped get new members, started several new things to the students like a skate night, school dance, and a silent auction dinner.

If anyone reads my blog please take the time to be a part of your child's PTA, go register to VOTE, and have a voice in education.  We need to let others know education is the number one priority.  Without education our future is grime.  We want our students to be competitive thinkers.  One day they will be running this country and taking care of us when we are old. 

Sorry Been Busy

I haven't been blogging in a while.  A lot has been happening. And Lots of big milestones.  I turned 40 in January, my oldest son turned 18 in January as well.  Then my youngest son turned 16 in April. I made it through my oldest son's senior year in high school.  It was sad to see him hit those milestones you have in high school and to know those were going to be his last ones.  No more football practices, games, the prom, and more but he is moving into the next chapter in his life......COLLEGE!!!  I am very proud of him.  He has his plan in place and I am ready to see him succeed there as he did in high school.

My summer has been busy as well.  I always plan my professional developments really well during the summer months.  June was kind of easy ...I attended the Harweldon Art Institute workshop again. This one explored art through the five senses.  Each day we worked with one of our senses through different art mediums.  My favorite was working with charcoal.  I have never used it or looked at myself as a great drawer.  But the ladies walked us through the processes.  I have to say I really was impressed with my drawing.

Mine is the one on the far right.  This was the first one we did using flowers as our subject.

 My clay hand I made.

 This is another charcoal drawing and is my favorite thing I did.  We had a real model to work with and this is my  work.

These are fish prints using real fish.  It was ok doing this.  I certainly didnt like to touch the fish.  I only touched with the paints not my hands lol.  The rest of June was pretty quiet except for the fact my oldest son got to travel to Paris France as a foreign exchange student.  It was his first time on a plane, out of the country, and away from me for that period of time.  I was excited he got to experience this and I had to let the strings go for him to fly on his own.

Goodbey 2013, Hello 2014/January Currently

2013 is in the memory books. 2013 was not a bad year for me nor was it a good year.  A few highlights of the year: 1. This fall I started my 13th year of teaching.  I made it through the first principal change I have ever had. 2. I did a bit of traveling with my boys to see my sister in Turpin, Oklahoma.  Along the way we stopped at several locations to mark them off our list of places from the book WEIRD OKLAHOMA 3. My family welcomed two new babies from my sister and brother. 4. I thank God for watching over my youngest son, who suffered a serious 2nd degree burn from a grease fire in our kitchen.  (He learned a valuable lesson. Don't' add water to a grease fire). 5. This fall was the beginning of my oldest son's senior year in high school.

 

Now I am welcoming 2014 with excitement.  This year will hold many milestones for myself and my family. 1. I will be turning 40 in 3 days.  I am not freaking out about getting older I am embracing it.  I don't feel 40 either.  2. Four days after my birthday my oldest son will be turning 18.  He is on the last leg of his senior year in high school. And I am holding it together(so far) I have my moments and tears about it but I am proud of my son.  3. My youngest son will be turning 16 in April, my step mom will be 60 and then her mom will be 90 this year as well.  I feel 2014 is my year full of moments I will remember, as well as excitement for what the year has to hold for me and my boys.

 

 

As for teaching, 2013 has held it challenges.  I was nominated again for teacher of the year and was in running with some awesome ladies.  I feel honored each time I am nominated by my peers.  I have had the opportunity to work with a new pre-k teacher and some other new teachers to our school.  I have made new friends and learned from them as well.  2014 I hope holds more learning for me and the chance to return to school to re start my masters.  But this time in administrative. 

So HELLO 2014!!!!!