A couple of days ago in the teacher's lounge, one of my friends was making some coffee in the Keurig machine. Now, since I am pretty much a total cheapskate, I don't ever use the Keurig machine because I don't buy the K-cups. I made a comment about how good this particular brew had an amazing odor. She responded that she enjoyed this "Mocha Swirl" flavor K-cup with a chocolate biscotti in the morning. We went our separate ways, her with the amazing scent of mocha swirl lingering behind her, me choking down my cheap Folger's swill, complete with grounds. Okay, it's not that bad, but it felt like it at the time. When I got to school today, I checked my mailbox. In it I found a mocha swirl K-cup and a chocolate biscotti. She even left a note that the biscotti was vegan friendly! I went back to my room and enjoyed my treat before any students came in and it was a wonderful way to begin my day. I am so thankful for this lovely and generous gest...
I've had a couple of Spring Arbor University students in my classroom since the start of the school year, observing me. It's really no big deal, as all teacher education students must spend a certain number of hours observing in a classroom of their major or minor before they can become candidates for student teaching. I will say, however, that every time I look to the back of my room and see them furiously scribbling notes in their binders, I wonder if I'll be the center of discussion at the next Methods Course meeting, like "Oh my gosh, you wouldn't believe what this teacher I was observing at Western High School did. What. A. Freak." Anyhoo, these particular students are on the cusp of their student teaching experience and must teach 2 lessons in my classes before they can meet all of the requirements. So, they both went today. The first taught 3rd and 4th hour, the second took 5th and 6th hour. They were terrific. Both students were...
One of my favorite things about the spring is the baccalaureate celebration that takes place the week before graduation. I love the chance to see my seniors in their caps and gowns and to praise God for their arrival to the finish line. For every year since I can remember, I've listened to Western's Select Choir perform the song "Showing Us the Way" by Michael V. Ficocelli. When I was a senior, I even got to sing it at my own baccalaureate. That year, and every year since I have taught at Western, I get choked up listening to the perfectly fitting lyrics of this song. Tonight, on a perfect evening at the Cascades Falls, tears ran down my face as I watched the seniors I taught sing the words of this song to their classmates, parents, teachers, and friends. I smiled and cried a little more as I realized that someday there's a good chance I'll be watching my own kids sing it at their baccalaureate. I had to share it with you. This isn't Western's...
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