On a personal note...

I really wanted this blog to be about work and not really about my life but somethings need to be written down.  Waking up this morning was very scary.  I woke up at 8:55 with the Sun streaming in my window on a beautiful day and jolted out of bed very very freaked out.  Yeah.....I forgot it was Saturday.  I was freaked out for about a split second.  I said a few things that I probably shouldn't have and then the best words of the day came out of my mouth...."It's Saturday."  I fell back onto my bed and chilled for about another 30 minutes.  When I finally got up and going, I made it to Verizon where I upgraded my phone b/c my bb curve decided to act stupid.  I got a bb bold.  It's different but I'm getting used to it.  Kind of irritated that none of my chargers work with it.  That's kind of irritating but I'll live.  I found out yesterday that my amazing Godsister has to have surgery Monday.  I hate that I live so far away from her and can't be there for her when she has the surgery.  We'll just have to rely on facebook and txt messages to make it through though (no more speedball....PLEASE).  I've also found out that my brother and his family might be moving far away so I'm trying to help my sister-in-law research schools for my nieces.  She wants to make sure that they are making adequate progress on their report cards, have a large percentage of passing scores on the state tests and have thriving extracurricular activities.  I'm working hard in the research department to figure it all out.  My classes start back this week and I'm going to be extremely busy (well, busier)....but, that's life.

"Life is what happens to you while you're busy making other plans."--John Lennon

First Friday

The first week is done.  Thank God.  This has been a very long week.  Today I left my house at 6:30 this morning (after waking up late) and I walked in my door at 11:07 tonight.  It was such a long day.  We had a bit of trouble at marching band tonight with discipline.  Standing up straight and acting like you belong to the group is very difficult to some of the kids.  "I'm hot."  "I'm bored."  "Do we have to play again?"  Yes, it's hot....South Carolina in the summer.  Yes you're bored....you're working at a football game and not walking around with your friends, wow, there's a football game.  Yes we have to play again.....we're the freakin' band and they scored another touchdown, it would be time for the fight song.  I didn't teach elementary school so I wouldn't have to put up with the whining.  We sounded GREAT!!!  Take advantage of that and be proud of those accomplishments.  I heard people in the crowd say that this band was the best sounding band at a football game in years.  I have messages on my phone (which I can't get to because it's acting stupid) from people who were at the game.  I hope to read them soon.  Stupid blackberry.  Well, it's 11:30 and I'm exhausted.  I've spent longer away from my home in the past 48 hrs than I've spent at my home and that includes the hours that I was asleep.  Hopefully, my phone will work soon though and I can get those messages about how amazing the band was tonight.  I am really proud of all of them (especially those rookies who still have to work on discipline).

"That's my chair..." and a huge mistake

After lunch, the 6th grade band comes to the classroom.  The best and worst parts of my day happened in that class period.  When they came in, I was still in my office finishing up my lunch.  I turned around to see half of the class running as fast as they could through my classroom.  I got worried and jumped up to see what was wrong.  They were running to their seats and fighting for the front row.  I felt like Gwen Stefani.  Last summer, I went to the Paramore/No Doubt concert and saw huge crowds of people running to the stage to get a better view of the band, even though they were going to show close ups on the big screens.  These kids made me feel like a rockstar.  It was great.  Unfortunately, the huge mistake happened during this class.  Halfway through this class, a bell rings for the start of 7th and 8th grade lunch.  Well, this class was going GREAT and I had lost track of time.  I heard a bell and released the students.  I didn't realize it until my 8th graders dropped by to put their bookbags in the room.  They didn't understand why I let my whole class go to 2nd lunch.  So, I finally got them all back and we kept going with class.  The best part about the whole situation, right before I let them go, I had told them that we all make mistakes and we don't laugh at the person who made the mistake.  I told them that I make mistakes all the time and I own up to the mistakes.  Well, that was definitely a mistake that I had to own up to.  I did learn one thing though (besides to memorize the bell schedule)......take each mistake and learn learn learn.  I'll always make them but the process of learning from them comes with experience.  I also got to teach the kids that it is ok to laugh about the mistakes, we definitely laughed the rest of class about it.

"All men make mistakes, but only wise men learn from their mistakes."--Winston Churchill

Hump Day

This entry will be a short one.  Today was a definite hump day.  I've been living in my candy store and everyday I'm praying for my students, co-workers and myself.  God gave me this amazing career and these children that I am responsible for teaching.  Sometimes I feel like a mother.  101 kids depend on me to give them what they need and want from the 75 minutes that I have them.  Sometimes this realization makes me elated to have been given this opportunity by God and sometimes (more often than not) it scares me to death.  I have stood up for these children, kept them safe, fed them, fussed when they needed it, loved them even when they felt no one else did, cried with them and prayed for them continually.  I thank God for this opportunity and know that no matter what, I will continue to try and do my best even when it feels like the hardest thing in the world.  Btw...reached 101 today.

Ephesians 4:1 "As a prisoner of the Lord, I urge you to live a life worthy of the calling you have received."

Too much work...

Well, I reached the 100 mark today.  100 students enrolled in my classes.  69 band students, 31 music appreciation.  That's a lot of kids.  First though, let me back up.  Yesterday, the first day of school, like most teachers I sent home a beginning of the year letter.  Attached to this letter, I gave my parents an assignment.  "In a million words or less, tell me about your child."  In the letter, I explained that this was a time for the parents to brag about their kids.  I had one student tell me today this quote..."My momma said that she wasn't going to do that because it seemed like too much work."  I didn't really say anything about it but my mind was definitely working.  I'm sorry but it's too much work to brag about your child????  Are you FREAKIN' kidding me???  Parents like that annoy me.  I had one parent e-mail me their assignment today and she thanked me for the opportunity to brag on her daughter.  It was one of the best e-mails I had gotten about a student.  It was great work and I thanked the parent for her cooperation and response.  Yes, I know that most parents work.  Yes, I know that most parents are single parents.  Yes, I know that most of my children are not only children and the parent(s) have to take care of multiple children.  I get that but bragging on your children is something that I just don't understand.  I have no biological children but I have 100 "kids."  I love every single one of them and I brag on them every chance that I get.  I also brag on my nieces every single time I talk about them but apparently it's too much "work" to brag on your own biological child.  Maybe I don't understand and it is hard but should it be?  Maybe I shouldn't be putting this online but I hope I can figure this out and I want to be able to work with my parents and not against them.

Trying to follow my passion, one student at a time.

All you can eat candy store

Starting a blog is more difficult than one would think.  What do I write about?  Will anyone read it?  Does anyone care to read it?  Well, even if no one reads it, I will.  The school year started today so I decided that I would blog about it.  I am a band director and graduate student and many other things that will be exposed eventually through this blog.  I have decided to take an "all you can eat candy store" mentality to this school year.  Now, I will explain.  Yesterday, I BBMed (BlackBerry Messaged) a friend of mine, who is also an educator, and I said this phrase that we all utter at least once a year....month....week....day....hour......"I don't want to go to work!"  Now, let me tell you a little about my friend, while keeping her identity a secret.  She is a bit older than I am (I'm 26 so all the veterans are older than me) and she is much wiser.  She's been teaching for a while and has definitely made a difference in not only her students' lives but also her co-workers' lives.  Well, as the young teacher, I look to the veterans for wisdom and advice whenever I can get it.  So with my adamant outcry that I didn't want to go to work, she gave me the best advice I could possibly ask for and now I get to share it with you.  At first, this was her answer..."Suck it up! U gotta work! Make the most of it!"  Yes, I know that wasn't the answer you were expecting, it wasn't the answer I expected either.  My response..."So lucky to have someone who always finds the silver lining."  Well, that was when my friend got deep....real deep.  "She's learned that the mind is a powerful tool.  If you can trick yourself into thinking you are in an all you can eat candy store, then you are there...wisdom comes with age...you will learn my dear jedi!" Hmm...thinking I'm in an "all you can eat candy store."  That's interesting.  It's also true.  As an educator, I look to the veterans (btw, that doesn't mean old) to guide me through the school year.  Well, today I wanted to be in a candy store.  99 students.  99!!!!  Four years ago when I took this job, I had 23...total.....for a band.  It sucked!  Well, this year, I have 68 band students.  The others are music appreciation students.  I'm excited about this year.  68 band students is HUGE for this program.  There are more students in the 6th grade band than were in the entire band four years ago.  HUGE!!!!!!  


Well, for the first blog post, I believe that I have given you enough ramblings for one day.  I'm not sure if this will be an everyday thing but I guess we will find out.  No matter if you are a teacher, bank teller, soccer player, student, truck driver or stay at home mom/dad.....live each day like you are living in an all you can eat candy store.  

"If you follow your passion, you'll never work a day in your life."