Thankful Linky

I found this linky hosted by Blog Hoppin'. And I love a good opportunity to be grateful. Head over to Blop Hoppin' to read and link up!

Today's theme is "H is for..." and we are encouraged to share what we are thankful for about our "home away from home" meaning our school. My daughter says that is our first home and this is our second home. She might be right. We mostly just sleep here this year! Maybe not QUITE that bad, but we come home, eat supper, shower and go to bed. Well, I usually do some planning, grading of papers and searching the web for classroom materials and/or lesson plans, but there's not a real separation of school and home this year.

This past weekend we attended the dedication of a new Habitat for Humanity home just around the corner from us that went to my friend.  These events help me reflect on how grateful I truly am for the home that I have and how blessed we are. So I have to say that H is for HOME. Our house is truly our home. I wanted to teach SO BADLY that I was willing to move away from our blessed home, our family and friends and my kids' schools and friends.  We discovered that house is more than bricks and mortar, at least when it is your own Habitat for Humanity home that you poured your blood, sweat and tears into. Arriving back home in our blessed HOME, we laughed, we sang, we danced.  We love this home and community and are so happy to be here. Sometimes I need that reminder. Especially since I am disillusioned with the current state education in our great state. Today I thank God for our house that is filled with love and peace and the things we love.

This picture was taken shortly after we moved back from our year in the Oklahoma panhandle.

About my home away from home.... there is so much to be grateful for. I am grateful for the paras that come into my classroom. They are incredible with the students and invest heavily in the atmosphere of our classroom. I love working with them. I am so grateful to be teaching. I am spread way too thin this year and I know me, I will overwork myself no matter what, but I see no way to make this work out better due to the multiple grade levels I am teaching. I know that next year will be better even though I also know that I will never be the teacher that leaves at the end of her contracted time on a regular basis. I know that I must concentrate of what I love because it is the most effective way to fight the burn out. I am so grateful for this exhausting life of a teacher and the people (students, parents, colleagues) that it brings into my life. I am grateful for that student that is not like any other student and the student that is hard to teach and hard to reach. I am also grateful for the student who excels at everything placed in front of them and achieves their goals with gusto.

So much to thankful for. I am glad to join up. Have a blessed break everyone.