This week has had a few challenges, but all were well worth their weight in gold.
1. We had FOUR consecutive days of school! HOOT, HOOT, WOOT.,WOOT! (Four EXHAUSTING days! Do you have any idea how hard it was to teach four consecutive days after all the abbreviated weeks? )
2. This week was parent teacher conference week. It was especially difficult to prepare for conferences this week due to all the snow days. Even with the challenges of conference preparation, the distraction from teaching and the late nights I have to say I LOVED sitting down with the families of my students. I loved hearing about the very different child at home. I always get a chuckle at the parents' reaction when I share my stories about the VERY different child in our classroom. We both learn so much, all helping to move the child forward and strengthening our family teacher relationship.
3. Our oldest daughter seems to have reached a new level of comfort in her college life! She is seeking and creating social activities and spending more time at her apartment than our home. Believe me this is GREAT! We love having her home and we live close enough for her to come and go easily, but the more she visits the more I worry about her comfort in this new stage of her life. Its hard to let your kids grow and become the person they are to be, but its even harder to watch them struggle to welcome this new independence.
4. Our youngest daughter celebrated her 17th birthday and seems to be embracing the new opportunities coming her way! I enjoy listening to her plan her future and list the opportunities open to her. She planing and weighing her choices with a level head and her heart.
5. Lastly, Friday my hubby and celebrated our 34th Valentines day! I met my husband in high school when he sent me a single rose. We have been together since, it's almost impossible to remember my life before we met! Valentines day will always have this added memory to make it even more special.
What a filled week. I so identify with you. I just finished conference last week. Exhausting but good, very good. And those young adults make and break your heart! Hope your Valentine's was lovely with your hubby of 34 years (congrats!).
ReplyDeleteThese snapshots into your family life are beautiful. Sometimes I'm struck by how easy it is to miss the most powerful moments of our days. Thanks for collecting them from your life and sharing them.
ReplyDeleteRuth
What a great week for you. It is indeed wonderful when you can see the "end" of some stresses and "celebrate" your endurance through life's journey.
ReplyDeleteLovely to hear about your 'growing up' daughters-good for them for making their own way, & for you for letting them, Deb. Happy to hear about your days in school! I am in awe of you prepping for PT conferences in light of all that's gone on with the weather lately. Congrats to you! Wonderful about your special Valentine's Day, too.
ReplyDeleteEnjoyed reading your celebrations. We had 5 days of school this week, which included the 100th Day and Valentines Day, so I can relate to the tired feeling. Interesting to read about your daughter's college experience. My daughter had some similar transitional issues as a freshman. She is a senior now and I guess her upcoming transition to the real world may be challenging as well! Thanks for sharing - it may just inspire me to do some writing of my own! Happy 3 day weekend.
ReplyDeleteCongratulations of 34 years of Valentines celebrations. You've had a week full of accomplishments and blessings.
ReplyDeleteA love filled week - love of family, love of school. My oldest will finish high school this spring. I hope that she will be able to make choices with the balance between heart and head.
ReplyDeleteI know what you mean about being excited about having full days with the students, yet at the same time being so exhausted! I live in Mobile, AL, which does not often have snow causing snow days. It pretty much never happens. Now, hurricane days are a different story. . . But, this year we had delayed start days because of the cold as well as 3 days off due to snow (How exciting!). So, we had a full 5 days back in action this week and I was so tired by Friday evening that my husband and I (also my high school sweetheart!) felt like celebrating St. Valentine's day by ordering pizza and staying at home. Ha! :) It was perfect. Congrats on your dating anniversary, btw. How wonderful!
ReplyDeleteI also like parent teacher conferences. I feel like the home-school connection is one of the strongest factors in a child's attitude toward the importance of education, therefore impacting the effort they exude in school. What do you think? What are some of the things you do to keep up a continuous rapport with parents, and do your 1st graders see that communication taking place?
Our lives seem to be very similar. We are still having "abbreviated" weeks. I like that description. It is supposed to reach the 50's this week after another day of freezing rain on tuesday.
ReplyDeleteMy oldest is in college but is attending college here in our hometown, so we still get to have her home. I can't imagine having her away. My son is also 17 and it is fun watching him becoming an adult. Congrats on 34 years - that is truly a celebration!
Conferences in the midst of the all the interruptions? Kudos for you for your positive attitude! Love seems to be surrounding you this week!
ReplyDeleteI enjoyed reading about your family. Precious.
ReplyDeleteSo right there with you on the college kid thing! So hard to watch them struggle to grow into their new lives! Like you, I try to celebrate every little sign of growth that I see!
ReplyDeleteYour daughters sound talented and smart. Congratulation on 34 years of love. :)
ReplyDeleteMs. Frazier,
ReplyDeleteHello! My name is Melinda Akridge. I am a student in Dr. John Strange's EDM 510 class at the University of South Alabama. I enjoyed reading your blog this week, and I can certainly identify with what you are saying about the numerous abbreviated weeks at the beginning of the semester. Here, in Mobile, it is rare to have a snow day. This year, however, we not only had a snow day, but it actually turned into three ice days. We also had a couple of shortened days at the beginning of semester due to extreme freezing temperatures. I see that your children are older, but I have discovered that three days cooped up with young children is a lesson in patience to say the least! Do you have any suggestions on how to keep them occupied? I have also found parent conferences to be of benefit to myself, my students, and their parents. Thank you again for an enjoyable post, and congratulations on your own parenting successes!
Please feel free to visit me at Melinda Akridge EDM 510 Blog or follow me on twitter. My twitter name is makridge13.