Mel's Box of Chocolates

The kids and I drive 45 minutes one way to school. It's a long drive! Many days Zoe usually falls asleep and Dyl plays his video games leaving me to listen to some music or lose myself in my own thoughts for a quiet ride.  It used to be I would try to get a couple calls made, but with the new law, I find that I don't talk on my cell nearly as much since my bluetooth is a speaker phone and I don't like my conversation blared through the car. But, lately I've been trying to use our commute to have more conversations.  Of course we talk about school.  I never ask how their day was because that conversations shortly ends with "good" or what they learned because inevitably they learned "nothing" or "can't remember".  Instead I try to ask questions like what made them laugh, or who did they sit with at lunch {Dyl loves talking about lunch}, what did they read, or what did they play at recess. I found this book {affiliate link} helpful i...

September was a looooong month. I was so ready to kick it to the curb and welcome October with open arms. I guess I should have known considering it started with an earthquake, tornadoes and a hurricane ! This year going back to school has been rough.  Absolutely the hardest out of my 8 years of teaching. With so many federal mandates coming down the pike requiring paperwork, paperwork, and more paperwork not to mention meetings, after meetings, after meetings, it's been quite overwhelming.  I go to school and hold my breath, hoping that I can tread the water and not drown today.  If only I could go to work and just, you know, teach!!  What a JOY that would be. When it comes to my students, they are what keeps me going!  I have 22 of the nicest children you could ever hope to have in a class.  Everybody gets along, they help each other, they smile, they laugh, and a month into school they are finally getting down procedures.  September can be qui...