Five for Friday, no school style...

Hooray for Friday. I feel like I say the same things over and over every week. And yet I never want to miss out on Five for Friday, my favorite linky party ever! Okay, I am jumping in! Don't forget to head over to Doodlebugs and read everyone's Five and link up.

1. Changes to my blog! My blog name is in transition to: Education in Ms. Horn's World.  This will make it more versatile both for this year when I am working with different levels of students, and in the future when I get back into a classroom. The wonderful Lauren, at Teach*Pray*Love Designs, is going to help me get it all updated! If you want to overhaul your blog, Lauren did a wonderful job on mine and she has continued to help whenever I get in over my head!! So keep watching, the header will look different next week!

2. I am getting addicted to Chopped. The two channels I watch are Food Network and HGTV.  Those are the two I watch all the time. Yesterday on Chopped they had a lunch lady edition. It showed four school lunch ladies who are trying to make a difference in the world of school lunch. (And I have decided that Tennessee knows what they are doing, the school lunches there look amazing!) They told stories of children who only get to eat at school and children who tell the lunch lady that they don't have food when they go home.  There were no dry eyes! I was teary-eyed, but if you know me, that is no surprise. I thought about one of my Kinders from last  year who told me that they didn't have enough food at home because his Dad was in Mexico and his Mom couldn't work as much because then he would be home alone.

3. Reading with children. I love reading and watching students learn to read. I have been working with small groups this week and it is really rewarding. It is also frustrating. Isn't that what makes it rewarding? The frustration? And then the elation. Haha. It is so much more rewarding to see "aha" moments and success at reading or success at working in a group, when it was difficult first. We won't work with groups much this coming week due to benchmark testing. Then groups will change the week after that. I am both excited and a little sad.  I am starting to develop relationship with the kids I have been working with and some of them really need those relationships. I don't want them to move on....

4. Four day week! Whoot! No school today. Today is collaboration day and the plus of being "just an assistant" is that I have the day off (unpaid... boo)! But there's a part of me that wishes I could be with my teaching friends and collaborating and working together and putting together plans with other teachers. Last year was extremely draining with all the time I spent invested in school. I know that I will invest heavily again, and I will love it. But it is refreshing this year not to have the added responsibilities. I have to focus on this part so I don't mourn my lack of classroom too much.

5. One kid gone today on a college visit! Yikes! My redhead is on the bus as I type headed to Lawrence to tour KU today. What?! How can that be? When did she grow up? She has narrowed her interest to three schools: Kansas University, Fort Hays (whoot!), and Pitt State University. Her real interest is Pitt State. She thinks this is where she wants to go to college. We have not been there to visit yet. So it is important to plan one ASAP!

Have a great weekend! I hope to catch up on household chores, gardening, and laziness. And see some family. What a great and exciting prospect. I have the entire day ahead of me!