I'm WONGing it!

Well, you can't actually search inside.  Sorry about that!

 
Well, ladies and our few gentlemen, we are all just weeks or for some of us, days away from starting over with a fresh batch of kids.  Is this when a lot of you, like me, seriously question your career choice?!  I LOVE my babies once we are a month or so into school but the first few weeks are painful...as in FULL.OF.PAIN. for everyone! The kids are exhausted and somewhat bewildered- we wear them out, don't we?  And of course, being much older, we are definitely worn OUT.  That being said, the only way and I mean THE ONLY WAY to start off the year is with PROCEDURE, PROCEDURE, PROCEDURE.  Did I hear AMEN?!  Did I?

After my first and somewhat, disastrous, but chock-full-of-lessons-learned First Year back to teaching, I spent that summer seriously re-evaluating the year.  I knew things had to change and my sweet friend, Lana, told me I needed to WONG it.  I am sure that most all of you are aware and have probably read Harry Wong's book but after staying home with my girls for many, many years he was fresh news to me.  His directions are clear, simple and repetitive.  This works for children but it also works for us, doesn't it? 

Children need to know EXACTLY what to do when it is time to line up, go to the bathroom, go to lunch, what to do when they have a question, how to walk through the hallway, how to sit on the carpet during whole group, what to do if the kid next to them won't.stop.bothering.them, etc.  If you SHOW them, model all of these procedures, have them practice, practice, practice then the answers are clear.  They feel more sure of themselves and you start to form a group.

I re-read this book right before school starts every year just as a re-fresher and it makes such a difference.  The single best advice I give to new teachers, students teachers or elementary ed majors is to READ THIS BOOK.  The more confident children feel about clear, succinct, simple and oft-repeated directions and procedures for doing everything, the more smoothly they are able to function as a class, a team.  This allows everyone to work together and for those having difficulty, the consequences are plain and upfront-no surprises.   I love it!


By the way, thank you all for your very sweet comments about my husband's deployment to Afghanistan.  I so appreciate them and all of your prayers.  It means a great deal to our family.  Thank you so very much.  That is just another reason to love blogging-you meet so many wonderful people! Thank you for taking a moment to write-you are amazing!

Parting Gifts and a Good Man

You know the expression, behind every good man is a good woman.  Well, if you will kindly indulge me, I wanted to tell you about a good man behind a thankful woman. 

My husband retired from active duty after 23 years in the Army in April and while bittersweet, we felt thankful for all the many opportunities it had provided us.  We were also happy knowing that we could finally relax and not have to worry about deployments, excessive travel, etc.. 

Well, there is another expression...if you want to give the Lord a good laugh, tell him YOUR plans.  Greg's government contract job has sent him to Afghanistan for six months and he left yesterday.  We have been apart much longer than this...the longest deployment was for 15 months in Iraq.  Chin up, we've done it before, we can do it again, we are used to this, what doesn't kill us makes us stronger...all that, whatever, it still stinks! 

However, I am proud of him and what he does and I am fully confident that all of this fits into the Lord's plan for us.   There are so many military families who have been asked to be apart many more times than we have and for even longer so I am NOT complaining.  I did want to tell you, though, what he did before he left, if you'll let me brag for a moment because I know I am blessed.  

In the midst of shipping his trunks out, taking care of plans, paperwork, etc.  he took our daughters to see the midnight premiere of Harry Potter, celebrated my oldest daughter's 19 birthday, took care of the yard, checked all the cars and in general, tried to take care of six months of "Dad" jobs ahead of time.  He also took the time to put this together for me.  Not an easy task...

THIS is the way to my heart..forget jewelry!



And while in Walmart, he saw me looking at this and asked what it was.  When I told him and explained that Deanna Jump swears by it, he was putting it in the cart before I could turn around.  When I told him that I could wait for this (we were shopping for his last minute things), he said, "If Deanna Jump has it, you should have it!"  :)  He patiently listens to my blog talk, I must say, so he knew who Deanna Jump was!   So I now I am the proud owner of my own personal laminator.  Woohoo!




So here we are in all of our glory and I will think of him every time I write on my fancy new easel and will try not drown my sorrows in laminating film...

Thank you for allowing me this rather selfish post.  I am just feeling very thankful.