February 5, 2014 SNOW DAY

It was so nice to stay home and snuggle my girls today. We stayed in pajamas as long as we could- okay maybe we are still in them- and watched movies and relaxed. I had lists of chores and things to do but I gave us all a pass. We are all still recuperating so I didn't feel too bad about it. The girls went out to try ice skating on our mini-rink. Watching them learn from my warm couch was one of those mental picture moments I hope I always remember.
  To be fair, we do not always have those moments. I have been a teacher to ages toddler to high school for going on a decade, and the one thing we all have in common with few exceptions is that we are ALL trying really  hard to be great at this thing called parenting. Our children and students do not always understand. Some rare child may try. For the most part, there is no way they can understand because they have no experience like we adults do. It is hard to remember that some days. My six year old is good at reminding me if I forget. Thanks, dear.
  I am always amazed at how difficult our lives can be and how we just keep going. If you talk to your neighbors and friends- everybody has a story. Every one of us have our own situations we deal with every day. We do not share them- and thanks to teacher confidentiality I won't elaborate here either- but I just want to send out a message to say, "You are amazing, parents. Your students are intelligent and witty and kind and determined. They work hard and they keep trying. Thank you."
 I am doing all I can in my classroom to make sure I keep up my end of the bargain by asking my students to dig deep, work hard and consider bigger questions. My job would be much tougher if you were not doing what you do every day. The only reason I know that now is because I have a few years of parenting experience. Notice I did NOT say knowledge. The more time passes, the more I realize how much I have to learn. The best thing I have learned and try to share with this year's students is to not be afraid to make mistakes. I remind myself of that, too.
Hope you had an awesome snow day!!!