Friday Pep Talk to Myself in Early January 2017

8:45 am: I can do this, breathe, focus on what I want.

9:15 am: Golly, when is lunch? Ok, smile, love, do what is right.

10:30 am: Ack, the lesson went quicker than I thought, now what? Pull out that sticker story paper, teach it, smile.

10:50 am: Well done, the stories are great

11:20 am: Already 5 minutes into lunch? It is going so fast!!

11:50 am: We need to count, but they need to move. Jack Hartman!

12:30 pm: The outside temp is 10 degrees F. Another inside recess, breathe, focus on sharing and kind words

1:15 pm: YES! Today a kiddo blended a cvc word without my help!

1:45 pm: So much to do.

2:35 pm: Almost there--keep smiling, use kind words

3:00 pm: Use kind words, smile

5:00 pm (At home reflecting on the day): it was a great day, maybe the parents will bring the kids back for an evening session, I have so many ideas...

Being a kindergarten teacher reminds me a lot of the time I was a parent of young children. My sister and I said this to each other a lot:

The days drag on, but the years are flying by.

All day long with my kinders I find myself thinking--how much longer til the aide/para/parent volunteer comes in? I just want to use the restroom. Please, someone bring me a hot drink. This lesson is not going where I expected. (The days drag on. I feel isolated in my classroom.)

And then the kinders go home. 

And I miss them. I think of what I want to do the same the next day, or different the next day. How I want to do an interaction over, better, with more love. Smile more. Sing more. Teach with more purpose. 

And I see that the year is flying by.