What is your answer?

I saw this posted in a school I subbed at and it was a nice reminder of why I do what I do.

What is your answer when an idiot asks how much do you make?
What Do Teachers Make?

The dinner guests were sitting around the table discussing life. One man, a CEO, decided to explain the problem with education.
He reminded the other dinner guests what they say about teachers: 'Those who can, do. Those who can't, teach.'
He argued, 'What's a kid going to learn from someone who decided his best option in life was to become a teacher?'
To emphasize his point he said to another guest; 'You're a teacher, Bonnie. Be honest. What do you make?'
Bonnie, who had a reputation for honesty and frankness replied, 'You want to know what I make?
(She paused for a second, then began...)
· 'Well, I make kids work harder than they ever thought they could.
· I make a C+ feel like the Congressional Medal of Honor.
· I make kids sit through 40 minutes of class time when their parents can't make them sit for 5 without an I Pod, Game Cube or movie rental.
You want to know what I make?' (She paused again and looked at each and every person at the table.)
· ''I make kids wonder.
· I make them question.
· I make them apologize and mean it.
· I make them have respect and take responsibility for their actions.
· I teach them to write and then I make them write.
· Keyboarding isn't everything.
· I make them read, read, read.
· I make them show all their work in math. They use their God-given brain, not the man-made calculator.
· I make my students from other countries learn everything they need to know in English while preserving their unique cultural identity.
· I make my classroom a place where all my students feel safe.
· I make my students stand, placing their hand over their heart to say thePledge of Allegiance to the Flag, One Nation Under God, because we live in the United States of America .
I make them understand that if they use the gifts they were given, work hard, and follow their hearts, they can succeed in life.'(Bonnie paused one last time and then continued.) 'Then, when people try to judge me by what I make, with me knowing money isn't everything, I can hold my head up high and pay no attention because they are ignorant... You want to know what I make? I MAKE A DIFFERENCE. What do you make Mr. CEO?' His jaw dropped, he went silent.

I Love Life!!!

There's something to said for a night out with a great friend. One of these days I'm going to stop being amazed by the power of true friends. Em drove up yesterday after work and we hit our favorite place to eat, BWW before heading to a movie. We ate, laughed, talked, and played a couple games of cards. The healing powers of those simple actions are awesome! The Bounty Hunter was a hilarious movie! I'm glad we picked laugh over cry. :)

I would be lying of I said that I love everything about my life, but I can say that I love life in general. I'm happy, I'm taking care of myself and I'm moving forward with my life. I'm not sitting back and watching the world pass me by. I've jumped in the drivers seat and am leading the way. I knew that year 26 was going to bring great things. I've known this since I was a little girl and 26 was my favorite number. Yes I know many of you might be thinking, isn't your lucky number 23? Yes my lucky/favorite number is 23, but it hasn't always been. From the time I could remember I've had a thing for the number 6, I don't know what it is, but I just like it. I can remember being young and thinking that at 26 I would have a career, man, house, and family. Well, I only have one of those things, but think about all that's changed in my life since the 25th of February. I think that I've grown SO much. So I don't have a man, house or am I anywhere near starting a family. I'm ok with that. My life has just started and I've finally decided that I don't need someone else to help make me happy. Yes I've known that this was true for a while, but I hadn't been able to really believe it and feel it deep down. Now I do. I love me. I love my life. I am single and truly happy and cannot even wrap my brain around being even happier. I will not settle and I will have what I deserve out of life.

The biggest thing that I've started to notice is that music once again makes me smile. Yes, it also makes me cry like no other. Even happy songs used to make me cry. I'd sit and think yea right, no one is that happy. Now I sit and think that I am that happy, and I'm that happy all alone. It's like being at the bottom and being happy, the only place you can go is up and when you're already up how great is that? There is no one to tear me down. I have no man in my life to break my heart. I've surrounded myself with people who love me and who will never let me down.

Have I mentioned that I'm happy and that I love life?

Injured on the Job

So many of you have listened me talk about my favorite little boy who knows just how to drive me crazy and break my heart at the same time. Yesterday was a true example of this. He started his day out asking "Ms. Cara" for a band aid for a cut on his finger. His meltdown didn't come until we were trying to leave the gym. He refused so I approached him to help him along when he struck out with the only thing he had, a beaded necklace he'd found on the ground.

This picture is the result. To say that I was shocked would be an understatement. I don't think I've ever had someone physically hurt me like this before. It took all of my control to maintain my composure as I scooped him up and carried him back to the classroom.

Believe it or not, but he sat exactly where I set him until he was asked by another teacher to move and came back in to sit in a chair until I was ready to talk with him.

The topper, today he was meltdown free.

Happy Feelings

So for no obvious reason I'm happy. Not the normal just regular happy, but the I simply cannot stop smiling happy. No, there's no guy involved and yes I know that's what you were thinking because it seems that one is usually involved with these kinds of highs. With everything that is going on in my life right now, all of the difficulties and blessings, they just don't seem to matter in the long run. I know that right now I'm not thrilled with my living situation, I miss the freedom of being able to put off cleaning a mess up when I simply don't feel like it. But I'm also thankful for the generosity of my gramma, I mean seriously who wants to take in a messy 25 year old who is grouchy until she's showered. I also know that I feel like I'm failing because I don't have, what I consider, an acceptable job. Yes, I'm working with kids and it's great, but this isn't what I worked my ass of for. I don't make enough to get myself out of debt, or to even think about changing ANYTHING in my life. This means that I can't allow myself to slack off when it comes to the jobs department. SO back to edZapp I go, only now I have to weigh each job I apply to. Will this one get me more money, enough hours, or is it in just the right place to make it worth it? Is a temporary position making a few dollars more an hour for less hours a week worth it to give up my current position which while paying less isn't going to vanish in the next few months?

Aside from ALL of this I'm still happy. I'm sitting here listening to "Fireflies" and beaming. Today I was sitting in the classroom with my 8 kiddos, painting masks and listening to Disney music and "Can I Have This Dance" came on and my aide Sam said something about it and I said how much I loved it and then we were talking about weddings and such. It just made me think about all that I want out of life. I made the comment that I wanted to be waltz at my wedding and one of my students asked if I was married and I said no, and his reply was, "Aren't girls supposed to have boyfriends?" The way he said it was just cute, it was like he just thought life was so simple. Then he asked if I wanted to get married and I said, "Yeah, of course, someday." His reply was you'll get married and have kids. I wished things were that simple. I remember having a plan for life when I was young, of course it changed constantly but still. I have to remind myself sometimes that it's ok that I'm still single and that someday my prince will come. I know he's out there somewhere, I've just got to be patient and wait for the right time to meet him.

In case you didn't get it through all of my ramblings and ponderings I'm happy. My life's not perfect, not at all where I thought it would be at this point, but I'm happy. I have assets, maybe not all 40 of them, maybe not even 30 of them, but I have them and I know that I can be an asset to others, but to do that I have to be happy with myself, and I am!

The defeat of confidence

I got what was likely the biggest compliment ever yesterday. I've spent the time just trying to wrap my brain around it since it was said. Let me back up a little first... Last Saturday I got a text from a friend from the program asking if I wanted to go to dinner with the crew for some teacher talk. I had to decline due to being busy at the time they were going. Not a big deal, I just had already made a commitment. I went to my meeting Sunday night and didn't give dinner with the crew another thought, thinking that I'd catch up with them the next time. Yesterday I got up and drove to Salem for the Salem-Keizer educator's fair. I ran into a couple of the girls from the crew, but it wasn't until after I was done with my interview that Bre and I ran into Sarah. We were talking and she brought up the dinner from the previous Sunday and said that they had all made speculations as to why I was MIA. She told me that they'd decided I was at some district meeting where a bunch of administrators were fighting over getting me in their buildings. And they decided that I already had a job! I was just too good to not have a solid position yet within a school. When she told me this I was honestly speechless. I had no idea how to respond. I realized after thinking about what she said as well as some things that others have said that I defeat myself with my own confidence.

It seems that not only my closest friends, but also those who I bonded with while in the program have far more confidence in my abilities as a teacher than even I do. I've always felt like a confident person, but this realization made me think about how timid I am when it comes to my abilities. So I sit here today and proclaim that I am a great teacher! I deserve a job, and one that is actually in the field I've worked my butt off to be in. No, this doesn't mean that I wont keep applying for jobs outside of teaching. I'm not stupid I need a job like yesterday. I'm done doubting my own skills. I guess I thought that upon graduation I would just feel like a different person and that really hasn't happened. I still feel like me, a less stressed version of my self, but still me and I'm happy to be me!

I'm sorry...

I know that instead of blogging I should actually be making phone calls, but I'm a pansy. I've been a real grouch this week and for it I'm sorry. Talk about an emotional rollercoaster. Until my brief chat with my brother I didn't even know what it was that was affecting me. I thought that it had something to do with graduation, but I really couldn't pinpoint it, nor did I want to try. Two days from now I'll be a college graduate, I'll be walking across the stage and recieveing a rolled up piece of paper until my degree acutally comes. Eight days from now it will be three years since Papa died. I'm angry. I'm angry and I don't have anyone to be angry at. Graduation is the first milestone I have to face without him. All I want is to be able to hear his voice and I know I'll never hear it again. Since high school I've dreamt of hearing him cheer me on at my college graduation and I'll never hear it. Sure I can here what he's say, but I can't hear him. It's not fair, and I'm mad. I've been trying so hard not to take my feelings out on other people this week, especially since I didn't even know what was causing them, but I don't think that I've been very successful. I have a lot of wonderful people who are proud of me and love and support me and I am very very thankful for all of them. As great as they are, they can't fill the void that's left behind by his absence. I just pray that I can remain strong enough and can feel his presence with me on Saturday. I know he'll be there, watching and cheering me on, I just hope that I can feel it without other people trying to tell me that he's there.

The Closing of a Chapter

Graduation is just days away. It seems unreal that in mere days I'll be done with my degree and walking across a stage yet again. It seems like just yesterday that I was in the tunnel with my friends waiting for the march to begin. Like just yesterday when my parents and grandparents dropped me off at my dorm and said goodbye. It's amazing to think it's actually been 5 years. I can still picture standing in front of the WUC watching them pull away. Freshman year brought about new friends, as well as new enemies. New crushes, new experiences, new food, and new travel. That summer brought new love, new heart break and a new resolve on life. Sophomore year brought about a new apartment, a best friend, and new leadership experiences with AFROTC. It also brought me a new lease on life, one that showed me that you can't escape your passion. Junior year was like a fresh start with a new major and shortly after a new roommate. Senior years flew by. Though at times it's still unreal that Papa's not here. Now after all this time it's about to be over. I'm really going to finish, it's like I can see the finish line and instead of having a burst of energy to finish I'm walking, quite slowly, not sure that I want it to end just yet. I'm ready though, For the first time I'm not bogged down by deadlines and due dates. I'm ready to turn my work sample in and be done with it. Ok so no I haven't actually finished my work sample, but I'm so close that I don't want to do it anymore. I just need that one last burst of energy to finish everything. It's coming... maybe tonight after I eat my chicken... oops!!! MY CHICKEN IS STILL IN THE OVEN!!! Ok so my chicken's fine, still not quite done but that's ok! Guess I should go keep an eye on it though :)

Ciao