VBS

My friend and I got our room and activities ready for Vacation Bible School at the church building today. 

Our topic if "What We Want Our Kids To Know About Jesus"

Such a broad topic! It took me forever to write the lesson. Normally I write the lesson in March or April so we can find actives and songs but I had a hard time narrowing the topic so I didn't finish the lesson until the first week in June. I was having a heart attack! But it's done now. 

And so is our room! 

Photo Dump: Tyler

We are visiting my in-laws the last part of the week. 

Here's a photo dump:

Cousins!

Brothers, cousins, a dog, & a ball

Gramps' Birthday 

Grandparents

Reagan & I are in Houston the first half of the week (we'll be in Tyler the second half of the week). We decided to visit my grandparents (her great-grandparents) while in town. 

We stopped by my dad's parents on our way into town yesterday. They like to play cards so we played Yancy. 

My papa doesn't know who we are any more but the man beat the pants off of us in cards! He would ask what are we doing this round? And we would tell him what he was supposed to be looking for. I kept thinking when he lays down it's going to be all wrong. But every time he laid down it was right!  I'm not sure what it says about me that my papa can't remember me but can beat me in cards. Ha!

Around last Christmas my dad took a picture of Reagan and Grandma standing back to back, my daughter was almost as tall as Grandma. Yesterday we took a picture of them back to back and as you can see Reagan is now slightly taller than Grandma. 

Today we went and visited my mom's mom. Granny lives in a very nice apartment with a very nice swimming pool. So Reagan and I swam this morning while Granny watched us. After we clean up at her apartment while she fixed us lunch. It was delicious! We left before the traffic got too bad on the freeway.

Now we are back at my parents house waiting for them to get home from work. We'll eat dinner, probably play some more cards and my mom wants me to make her a necklace and some matching earrings. 

All for a good half of the week and a great start to our summer!

End Of Year Report

The librarians were encouraged by our awesome lead librarians to jazz up our End Of Year Report.  We still did the 14 page report but we wanted to showcase some things we do in the library that the report didn't highlight.  So here's my jazzed up EOY report!

https://magic.piktochart.com/output/6219678-carpeoy14-15

Nerd Award

I saw a friends post on Facebook that her kindergartener won the Nerd Award for Intelligents and Hard Work. 

The Nerd Award. 

Is it just me or is that annoying?

Hard work and being smart makes you a nerd? That's what we are teaching our students?  Really?

I love reading, learning and bettering myself. So am I a nerd?

I don't feel like a nerd. Although I'm not really sure what a nerd is suppose to feel like. 

Why do we do that? Why do we label people with such generalities? Athletic people are are cool but intelligent people are nerds. 

I think it's ridiculous that adults, not just adults but teachers who shape our students little minds, are contributing to such labels. 

Maybe I'm overreacting, analysising it too much. Maybe I just need to get over myself and see the fun in the award. 

But I just can't. 

Professional Reads

The first 11 years of my teaching career I hardly ever read a professional development book. Honestly I can only think of two professional book though I'm pretty sure I read a couple more. How sad is that?!

My excuse? There just weren't any good books that applied to Deaf Ed. I think that's an excuse a lot of Deaf Ed teachers use (totally including myself here!) for a lot of subjects related to Deaf Ed. 

Then I became the librarian for Jonathan Kegler last year. He brought some amazing, inspiring men to come speak to our school. Men like Damen Lopez, Todd Whitaker, Dr. Eric Thomas, Principal Kafele, and Dave Burgess. He bought us some of their books too. 

I devoured those books!

This year Mr. Kegler brought some of the same men back plus a few more. He brought Craig Boykin, Dr. Stephen Peters, and Robert Jackson. He also bought us their books. 

Students and teachers Sykped with Jon Gordon. That was so cool and my first school Skype. I can't wait to do that again!

I decided at the beginning of the year (teacher code for August not January) that I would read one professional book a month or twelve for the year. I'm a little short on my reading. I've read 8 books so far. I'm going to read four more this summer to reach my twelve for the year goal. 

The following books are what I've read so far this school year:

Reading in the Wild by Donalyn Miller

The Time is Now by Jonathan Kegler (eBook form only)

Do You Know Me Enough To Teach Me by Dr. Stephen Peters

Closing the Attitude Gap by Baruti Kafele

Greatness is Upon You by Dr. Eric Thomas

The Energy Bus by Jon Gordon 

The Shark and The Goldfish by Jon Gordon

My Life, Your Inspiration by Craig J. Boykin. 

So here I am so excited about reading 8 professional books when I got to thinking... ís that really a lot of books?

My world changing question: How many professional books do you read each school year?

Book Fair

There's just nothing like Book Fair tired! 

After setting up, running, and taking down the Book Fair, I could sleep for days. 

I want to sleep for days. 

My daughter's private school got out for the summer last Friday. She asked if she could go to school with me and help out. I said yes!

On our way back to our house the first day she went to school with me she said "I'm exhuasted. I didn't know your job was so tiring."

Yes, yes it is. 

She was a great helper! She did a little of everything. She ran the register, helped students pick books, past out free bracelets, gave out dum dums to those who donated, ran errand and did anything else that needed to be done.

I could get used to having her at school with me!