Saturday, July 6, 2013

Confessions #Kinderblog13

I've decided to spend my summer taking the #KinderChat blog challenge and today is the official first challenge! This year the challenge is focusing on one word, todays word: confessions.

Hold on to your hats because I'm about to confess all the crazy things you never knew about me and probably didn't want to know! Happy reading!

Let's start with a silly confession from my childhood:
As a kid I HATED when my crayons weren't sharp and pointy. If they broke or the paper was torn I would be devastated! What did this result in? Me hoarding crayons - I mean hundreds of crayons because I would only use them for a short time so that they would always be sharp and pointy... what happened to this collection of crayons? Well Hurricane Sandy taught me a very quick lesson about hoarding crayons - DON'T DO IT! Unfortunately my collection of slightly used crayons was trapped in a desk drawer at my parents house under 2 feet of water, sewage and oil. I can proudly say that I threw those crayons out and now I let me daughter break her crayons, smash her crayons and love her crayons until they are itty bitty teeny tiny pieces! I'm so proud of myself!

I have a shopping confession:
Most people women love to shop for clothes, shoes, handbags, etc. and I have plenty of friends who can shop until they drop and buy and buy and buy... I can't do it. I really don't like shopping that much. Clothes and shoes are so hard to find for me that shopping becomes quite frustrating! BUT I do have one shopping addiction - school supplies, especially from the Target Dollar Bins! Yeah I tend to over buy and then I never know what to do with the stuff I purchase so it sits in a box or a bag or the floor of my office collecting dust! (I'm hoping that all changes this year! I'm hoping that the new school I'm in will give me the freedom to use all of those fun supplies and put them to good use!)

Here is my last confession... my teaching confession:
If you read my post from the other day, My Story you know that I am beginning a new adventure in the fall. What you don't know is how terribly hard of a year I had. A while back I read (or saw, not really sure which one it was) an article about how as children we often received a "gold star" for a job well done. It didn't mean you got the highest grade but rather that you were recognized for just doing a good job! The article went on to state that adults need that same type of "gold star" system! I have to say I totally agree. I'm not going to lie, I'm a teachers pet... I always have been. I liked to be at the top of my class, I hated to fail, and I thrived when my teacher's complimented me and told me I was doing good. I HATED when I was called out on anything in front of others, I hated being wrong and I couldn't stand when I didn't get recognized for doing a good job (which is ironic because I was the quietest, shyest student in my class by far!) I haven't lost this desire/need to be at the top, to get that "gold star" but I'm not a very flashy showy type of person. I don't go out seeking recognition, I do my best work quietly behind the scenes but I still like to get the pat on the back when I do show off my work. This year instead of pats on the back I often felt knocked down. I won't get into all the details BUT I often tried new things and was often left feeling weathered and frustrated. I wasn't encouraged or given a "gold star" or an A for effort this year. By the end of the year I was left frustrated, hurt and very discouraged. I was tempted to take a break from teaching... BUT I gave myself a "gold star" and surrounded myself with friends and family who support me and I picked myself up and went out and have hopefully found a new school in which I will be able to earn "gold stars." My fingers are crossed that this upcoming year will be filled with lots of positive experiences and I have learned to make sure I give compliments whenever I can.

My first compliment goes out to all of you reading this - thank you! Thank you for taking some time to read this and share in my experiences!

So there you have it my friends... my confessions! Now what are you going to confession? Leave a comment below and share one of your confessions! :)
Photobucket

9 comments:

  1. Sharp crayons! I totally get that. I reminded me of the big box of Crayola crayons we had and the coveted Gold and Silver colours - so high tech for the early 1980s.

    Confession: my first year teaching, my class didn't get an important note sent home. I told the office staff I never got them, they copied another set, and the next day I discovered the original set underneath some other papers. I never admitted that to anyone, but discreetly recycled them. Then I developed a better mail system.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Not only did I have the big box I had this plastic standing crayon organizing thing from Crayola with all the colors organized in rainbow order and you couldn't use certain colors because they were retired and I couldn't get them any more! Yup those too are now in the dumps thanks to Hurricane Sandy!

      Confession Response: I think we've all been there! I can say unfortunately I've "misplaced" more then one note in my lifetime!

      Delete
  2. We have something in common. I too am a hard worker and I like to be the best I can be. This year was a difficult one for me also. I had lots of challenges but through it all I thought I was doing one heck of a job. I didn't get the gold stars either and did not feel appreciated at all. I too am going to a new school and will be teaching kinder for the first time after teaching first grade for 15 years. Good luck to you. I hope we both have a great year. It takes courage to leave your comfort zone!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi Pamela! I'm glad you were able to keep your chin up throughout the year! That was definitely a challenge for me! You are going to love teaching Kindergarten, it's my favorite!! If there is anything I can help you out with don't hesitate to ask!! :) Good luck to you this upcoming year!

      Delete
  3. Each Christmas I would get a box of 64 crayons (with the sharpener in the back!). I looked forward to it every year.

    I'm still working on my confession blog post but I'll tell one here: This year was my first in the public school classroom (1st grade). I "used my loud voice" a few times, something I've not done with a group of kids before. I'll do better this next year.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi Scott! Thank you for sharing! There is just something magical about a new box of crayons!

      It's always a struggle to remember to not use your "loud voice" - we are all human and sometimes it happens! When I find myself using or wanting to use my "loud voice" I would say ok everyone close your eyes and take a deep breathe... that was my way of calming myself down but it helped the kids too! Then I would start giving out compliments, "WOW! I love how Joshua is sitting so quietly!" my kids loved trying to get a compliment and everyone would eventually settle down!

      Let me know when you get your confusion up and I"ll hop on over and read it :)

      Delete
  4. Interesting collection of confessions. I totally agree on the - no shopping for me - idea. I loathe and detest shopping as aimless wandering. Wish it were otherwise as I'm sure I am missing out on lots of deals and overpaying for everything I do get.
    As for crayons, I like them any way they come; they smell so good. Thanks for sharing.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi Gail!
      Thanks for sharing! I'm trying to raise my daughter to like crayons any way they are! :)

      Delete
  5. Hard years take a toll on all of us and we've certainly all had them! Also, I am not a shopper myself!

    My crayon confession: I START OFF THE YEAR w the broken crayons. Someone eventually notices they melt in to sun....so I always have melty broken crayons in the classroom! Maybe this year I will get them some shiny sharp new ones. :D Maybe.

    ReplyDelete