Trying to do it all

As I wrapped up my first term toward my Masters in Mathematics Education on January 31st, I realized, for the first time, that I CAN'T do it all.

Throughout my life I have crammed in lots of events, activities and opportunities, both voluntary and paid, with little regard to the possibility of it taking over my life.  

I have been a Girl Scout Leader, PTA Public Relations VP & President-Elect, member of many bowling, softball, basketball, tennis and volleyball leagues (competitive and recreational), head coach for several girls softball teams, and Community Council board member.

This doesn't include performing and running my entertainment company, Funny Girl Productions since 2000, being a full-time mother since 1998, and being a devoted and amazing wife (hubby's words) for 15 years.  Throw in a few jobs throughout that time and finishing my BA in Special Education, and you got the makings of a crazy lady!  

I'd rather describe it as an active girl with ADHD who wants to make the world a better place before she leaves it.  Yeah, that sounds a LITTLE better.

But even with that kind of full-plate experience, I wasn't able to complete all of my classes during my first term of graduate school. 

Friends, family and colleagues have all tried to comfort me in my disappointment by reminding me of the fact that I AM teaching 6th grade, full-time at a Direct Instruction charter school with an extensive academic and character development curriculum, while in my first year of teaching, while still performing and running my company, while having two teenagers and a pre-teen that are involved in a plethora of activities, along with a husband that works over 55 hours a week.

Ok, when it's typed out like that, I guess it looks like I may have bitten off more than I can chew, but I have taken those big bites before.  And although they might have been a bit hard to swallow, I eventually got them down the gullet and moved on.  This bite seems to have stuck in my throat!

I decided that I am not going to kick myself or tell myself that I am a failure.  I am not going to lie in bed with a quart of ice cream and reruns of Grey's Anatomy telling myself that I am a poor excuse of a human being.

I am instead choosing to learn from this experience and will allow myself to understand that it's OK NOT TO DO EVERYTHING! 

My coach did not turn back into a preverbal pumpkin at midnight on the last day of my term, nor did I explode, disintegrate, or die from not getting it all done.  I will not be withdrawn from school, but I will be on academic probation and will need to step it up this next term. 

But it's ok because I realize now that I am human, not a super hero, which I occasionally liked to believe I was.  Lack of enough time in the day, has proven to be my Kryptonite, but I am determined to rise from the ashes, get back on that horse and try-try again. (Wow, was that enough clichés for you?)

I will spend quality time with my kids and husband, stop working by 5pm, and say "no" when I need to.  I will hang up my cape with the big "SV" on the back (Super Valerie; what did you think it stood for?) and know that the world will continue to keep spinning and survive without me taking it all on.  

Maybe I'll keep the cape within reach; just in case!

Organizing for Success

Is your child missing homework deadlines because they can't remember what's due and when?  Are they frequently moving their cards due to being unprepared?
Help your child to be successful by helping them to organize their lives.  

Here are a few reminders and tips for helping your child to be successful at APA.

1: Use the Learning Plan the way it's supposed to be used.
The Learning Plan (LP) is their "to do" list for each day.  It lists what was done in class and what needs to be done at home whether it's study time or homework.  Look over the LP starting with the first subject and work your way down checking items off as they are done.  This way you don't forget what was finished and what still needs to be done.  Then, make sure the LP is signed if all work for that day is done.

2: Use your docket the way it's supposed to be used.
Dockets are the student’s main way of transporting homework, finished assignments, and class packets.  Dockets should not have workbooks, notebooks, pens/pencils, phones, toys or anything other than the assignments given to the student and the folders that hold those assignments.   The take home folder (manila) should only have assignments that have been corrected and are ready to go home; and stay home.  
Students should have the following folders in their docket: 
                       Reading - Red
                       Math - Yellow
                       Spelling - Orange
                       Science - Green
                       History/Geography - Blue
                       Language Arts - Purple
                       (Wordly Wise, Grammar, Writing, Sayings & Phrases, Literature) 
                       Reading University - Gray
                       Take Home - Manila (Beige)
Clean out the docket at the end of every week so it doesn't become over-stuffed and hard to deal with.

3. Keep your desk and backpack clean and clutter freeAt APA, we have a "no loose papers" policy, which requires students to place papers in the right folders in their dockets and keep them out of your desk.  It should also apply to backpacks.  When loose papers are "floating" in a backpack, they can get torn, dirty and lost, leaving it hard to do your homework and be successful.  Check your backpack daily and remove any unnecessary items so it's easier to find what you need in the morning and when you get home from school.  Using the docket as described in #2, will help eliminate clutter in both your desk and your backpack!

4. Choose an effective study area.
Choose a quiet, well-lit area for studying and doing homework. Don’t study in front of the television, or in an area of your home where you’re bound to be distracted.  If a library is close to your home, ask if you can do your homework there so distractions like siblings and technology won't ruin your success.  

Take your docket folders out once seated and open the folders one at a time (according to the order of the Learning Plan; reading first, then math, etc) so you can work on each subject.  Once that subject's assignment is complete, place the folder back in the docket and move on to the next subject.  Once all folders have been placed back into the docket, you know you're done for the day!

5. Prepare for the next day, the night before
Place your docket, textbooks, workbooks and anything else that needs to go to school the next morning, in your backpack the night before.  Lay out the uniform that you are going to wear the next day as well.  This will help lessen stress in the morning and, if you’re running late from something else, will eliminate being unprepared at school.  If you bring a home lunch, make your lunch the night before so you can grab it and go the next day.

Holiday cupcakes for the students (and teachers!)

When I was thinking about what to do for the students for Christmas, I looked online for ideas. I found a cute cupcake idea at Bakerella.com that I tweeked a bit to work for my students.

Luckily, I saw some of these spherical bottles at a local store for a really great price. NPS, which has lots of cheap items (some food is past the expiration date, hence the low costs), had cases of this fruit punch sports drink in the shape of a baseball.

They were about 6 months passed the expiration date but they weren't for drinking so it was perfect. And at only $.33 each, I wasn't going to go broke. :)

I followed the same steps to make the globe and "snow" in it, but I used Duncan Hines red velvet cake mix and Pillsbury whipped vanilla frosting for the snow that the characters "sit" on.





I also knew I didn't have enough time or money to make fondant polar bears for 40 cupcakes so I went to Target and the dollar store for ideas. Lo and behold I saw the perfect thing!

I found a pack of 5 Christmas character ring pops at the dollar store. I bought 9 packs (back-ups or treats for my kids if back-ups aren't needed!) and I was ready to go.

These rings are from two cupcakes that fell at school. I totally forgot to take pictures of the cupcakes while I was making them so I'm using these "causalities" for the post.

They actually turned out pretty well and didn't take a lot of money or time(except the cutting of the bottles; that part was kind of a bummer).

The students thought they were "so awesome" and couldn't believe I made all of those for everyone. I think they are starting to understand how much I care about them! :)

Thanks to one of my fabulous 6th grade teachers (and friend), Mrs. Swingley for modeling with her personal cupcake.

I may make a poster of this saying and put it on the wall in my classroom.

Found it on Pinterest and it is SO PERFECT! I've worked with students from different walks of life and different ability levels and it applies to every student, including the adult ones!

Cheers!

Classroom website is active!

My new class website is up and running and I am VERY excited about it!

I know I am super busy with teaching, working on my Masters, keeping up on my entertainment company, and raising three wonderfully amazing children, but I wanted to make sure my awesome 6th grade students and their parents can access assignments and announcements easily even when they aren't in school.

I understand the meaning of busy and hope the website will help those busy students to keep up on their work and make them successful.
Stop by and let me know what you think.
http://mrshallapa.weebly.com/
Happy surfing!

Christmas visitor

So I found this great idea on pinterest and I had to make my own and share with the family.
This would be great for a Sunday School teacher or just for teaching about Christ at home. Thank you Latter-Day Homeschooling for the idea.

It's basically the idea that we are good throughout the year because of Jesus and not because we are wanting gifts from Santa. Jesus in our lives is the greatest gift of all and this project helps to demonstrate that.

I started with this picture of Christ that I found here. You can also find other pictures of Jesus in red and white by googling "Jesus/Christ in red robe", "Christ and children around the world". You just have to use a picture that has Christ in red and white for the full effect.

Then I found this picture of a door at deconstruct the girl blog. You can use any type of door, but I really liked the way the two doors opening looked after I said all the clues.

I then printed both pictures and cut through where the two doors close. Then I cut the tops of the door so they would lie flat, but open like doors when I pulled on the paper.

Then I took the door photo and placed it over the photo of Christ. I matched the pictures up so that you can see Him when the doors are opened.

Finally, I taped the photo of Christ onto the photo of the door. I will be making a more permanent display with wood for next Christmas so I can use this lesson for church and other teachable moments during Christmas time. (I will post those when I get there.)

And thanks to Tami Greene at Latter-Day Homeschooling, I used the clues below (with a few differences in the order of the clues.)

• He has spent his life giving to others
• He loves little children
• He gives us a wonderful, special warm feeling
• He has special, wonderful powers
• He can get into our homes even if the doors are locked
• He gives the very best gifts
• We want to give gifts back to him, but He doesn't need anything we could buy; He just wants us to give to other people
• He has a beard and a kind face
• He 's often pictured in red and/or white clothes
• He sees you when you're sleeping and He knows when you're awake.
• He knows if you've been bad or good.
• And He encourages us to be good so we will be ready when He comes.

I showed this to each of my three kids (one at a time) and two said Jesus and one said Santa! When I opened the door and they saw the picture of Jesus, their eyes lit up and they smiled. The kiddo that said Santa, was even more happy to see the picture of Jesus and had tears in her eyes.
After I showed it to them, we talked about how Christ and Santa are similar by going over each clue and then talking about the other symbols we have at Christmas that are reminders of Jesus. I gave them a candy cane (red & white striped; not the colorful kinds), and talked about the meaning of giving gifts, the star on the top of the tree, and the nativity scene itself that we have on the mantle.

Although my kids are older now, 12, 13 and 14, they thoroughly enjoyed the discussion. This would be great for younger kids so they can appreciate the similarities and the true meaning of Christmas.

We donate gifts every year to Toys for Tots, the Giving Tree, or the Road Home but this year we got to make it a bit more personal. (Please donate all year long to places like the Road Home, the Utah Food Bank and other charities because homelessness and hunger don't just happen at Christmas time. Click the links to help the Road Home, Utah Food Bank, American Red Cross and the United Way just to name a few.)

Well, I have a lovely student in my class who's mother works very hard and loves her children very much. Being a single mom can be very hard especially around Christmas time, so Iggy's Sports Grill graciously allowed us to buy some gifts and clothes for the family, along with inviting them to lunch or dinner at the restaurant.
When my kids, my husband and I arrived at the house on Christmas with all the gifts in tow, the family was so surprised and overwhelmed with joy. Mom cried and hugged us, along with the kids, and we left the house with a feeling so amazing, it cannot be put into words.
I would highly recommend finding a family, child(ren), or anyone a bit down on their luck, that you could give the gift of Christmas to. Because it's not about the new video game console or power tool at Christmas time, but the feeling that someone knows that you care about them and you know that Christ cares about you.

Merry Christmas to you all; all year long!

Funny stuff: A fun "e-card" I found on, way for it, PINTEREST! Enjoy your summer. :)

Source: facebook.com via Valerie on Pinterest