Wednesday morning

You know one of the things I miss about not having a man in my life? :P I *always* have to take out the garbage lol. Maybe that's a stereotypical statement, but there it is.

I've had my shower. I'll let you in on a lil secret.... I'm.... a shower sitter!!! Yes, I turn on the shower, get it going full blast, and then I sit down in the tub and let the water cascade over me. Especially nice for a morning like this, where I went to bed with a stiff neck.

Why is it that my outlook on the whole day can start just by knowing what I'm going to wear or not? Days I know what to wear to work are days I feel more put together. If I'm scrambling to find something clean, something comfy, the day seems more jumbled and less organized?

I had a parent conference yesterday afterschool. It made me think. I'm introspective by nature when it comes to my teaching, and this parent made me think about a couple of things. One, is that she asked about her son. Her son is a bright, smart, creative guy. Sensitive, he's quiet and bothers hardly anyone. With 25 kids, am I'm doing the best of my ability to make sure *all* students are reaching the best of their potential?

Am I just waiting until 6 or 7 kids are moved from my room to the new teacher's room? Is that a justifiable reason? And then there's the uneasiness I feel about making kindergarten less kid friendly... and by that I mean, kindergarten isn't the way it was when I started teaching in 1998. It's not like it was when you or I were in kindergarten. Children are now expected to come out of kindergarten reading and writing. There's less and less time for arts and crafts, hands on cooking, a love of science and exploration at the child's own pace. I guess with all the new standards coming about in our schools, I feel like I'm just barely treading water to keep up with it all when what I want is to be SUPER TEACHER and have all these great little centers that kids can go and imagine, explore, and make discoveries in.

Sigh.