I dreamed a dream

Somewhere in the wee hours of the night, I dreamed a dream.  Oh, what a beautiful dream it was.  It was a dream that one wouldn't want to wake from.  It was my real life dream turned into a mystical night dream.  This dream combined me working as a first grade teacher again and being a stay at home mama at the SAME TIME.  I know it's not possible.... but anything is possible in a dream. 

I wouldn't regret my decision to stay home with London in a million years.  Not regretting, doesn't mean it wasn't one of the hardest decisions I have ever made.  If you know me well, you would know that I LOVE to be busy and LOVE to work hard..... So, making the decision when I got pregnant to stay home after the end of the school year had me making adjustments like crazy.

I think I'm feeling a bit nostalgic lately because all my old coworkers are yet again busy preparing for the school year.  I can't believe school starts again on Thursday.  I pretty much begged my good friend and coworker Alyson to let me come help her with her classroom.  She better call.  :)

In the short year that I taught first grade, I experienced some of my best memories and learned much that will be forever cherished.  Here are a few:

•    Managing 19 six and seven year olds is a lot harder than appears. 
• Being more nervous & excited the first day of school than any of my students. 
• Having a hibernation party where we just hibernated in our pajamas, read, and ate lots of treats.
• Being a friend, mother, teacher, counselor, & nose picker police all in one.
• Learning that you can't change a students home life... but you can change a students life forever.
• Ryker
• Telling Logan to turn out his pockets because he had live worms crammed in them.
• Lighting my students imaginations with fun picture books as well as making their imaginations sore with chapter books. 
• Trying to hatch sea monkeys... never hatched and so I went to pets mart and got some.... the kids totally bought it.  
• Incredible science experiments.. such as: Growing crystals, growing plants, dissecting fruit, observing frogs, and many many more.
• Watching my students fill with excitement as they finally understood a concept. 
• Taking Dot to school with me every Friday.  My students loved to read to her at the reading center.
• Having the best two coworkers in the entire world (Alyson & Dwight).  Also, extending our Friday PLC's to an hour longer...just because we got too busy chatting. 
• The anxiety of telling a students parent the honest truth. 

• Me: "Since it's almost Thanksgiving, what are some of the things you guys are thankful for?" 

Student 1: "My family."

Student 2: "My dog."

Student 3: "School."

Megan: "Heavenly Father."

Connor: "How many times have I told you? Do not say the Lords name in vain."

Me: Trying to suppress my laughter in the midst of changing the subject.

• During our 2 minute timed math tests:

Class: quietly writing the answers.

Connor: "Shit"

Me: "Connor, what wrong."

Connor: "My pencil broke.  Now I'm never going to pass."

Me: "Go get another pencil." while suppressing my laughter once again.

• Arriving to school around 6 A.M and staying until 5 P.M.  Long days, wouldn't trade it for the world though.
• One morning, as I arrived as my usual early time of 6A.M, (I was usually the only one at the school for at least an hour) I unlocked my door and out falls a dead human.  Ok, not a real dead human....a dead dummy.  I thought I would die.  I will never forget the jokes constantly being played on me by the janitor (Robbie) and the speech teacher (Rod).  Those hulligans. 
• Full out dressing like Thing 1 on Dr. Seuss birthday.  The kids thought it was hilarious.  
• Racing with the kids at recess.
• Telling my students I was pregnant on April Fools Day.... It took a lot to convince them that I was telling the truth. 

 I can't believe my 1st graders are going to be in 3rd grade this year.  Time flies.

These are just a few of the hundred memories and things I learned while being a 1st grade teacher.  Schools of Cache County, you're not through with me yet.  I will yet again join the teaching field as soon as all my babies are in Kindergarten.  

Until we meet again.