All About Me in a Good Way!

(Picture will be explained)

Sometimes you just have to put yourself over everyone else. Today is my first day off of work and let me tell you it was very difficult for me to walk away. I am blessed this year with awesome co-workers and three amazing ninety minute classes. 

My first class is my gifted group who loves a good debate and to speak passionately about literature and other topics. A few weeks ago we started a unit on Anne Frank and we discussed how the media still has such a powerful influence on us. Kim Kardashian (yes I find my clip funny) even entered our conversation because we are currently brainwashed to think true beauty exists in a woman who couldn't be more fake. She paints her face (as Tom calls it) with too much makeup and wants to look picture perfect all of the time.  This process has to be exhausting and we believe true beauty is real beauty. My first and second period are like a family and they have shared many personal experiences/conversations as a group while shedding some tears. I have not experienced an open and close class like this since my first year of teaching.

My second group is one that consists of many struggling students, but this is the class that I have seen the most improvement from.  Their confidence in their reading and writing abilities has skyrocketed since the beginning of the school year. A student named Juan used to stare out of the window and probably wish he could be anywhere else. I can honestly say I have changed him because he writes poetry at home, shares it with me, and tells me how much I have improved his writing. All he needed was some encouragement. He sadly shared with me that no one really supports him at home and after all of our talks, I now have faith that he will be fine and make good decisions. 

My last class is filled with goofy but respectful boys and the quietest group of girls I've ever seen! Thank goodness the girls are introverts because I have a handful of boys in that class that love to joke around (but they get their work done).  This class is a great way to end my day because who doesn't like to laugh a bit while working?? 

I remember struggling with my decision to leave Self-Contained (SC) because being with the same students all day enabled me to have a close bond with them. The 2011-12 school year started and I still missed SC, but now I've come to love my current position so much more because I'm able to see close to ninety students a day and hopefully change a high percentage.  

However, like I stated above, it is time to take care of me. I've been experiencing some bumps along the road with my pregnancy. I am trying to stay as positive as I can because I know pregnancy is a blessing from God. I'm really taking this time to sleep in, relax, eat right, and maybe just maybe complete some things in my Paris themed journal that I previously wrote about.

PS: This morning, I ate a spinach and tomato omelet and went for a relaxing walk. I'm trying, really trying this time for a whole new me.