Something New... Project 31

Who wants to make bets as to how far I get with this 31 Day challenge? I can't even keep up with a 14 day one... so, I'm guessing I'll fizzle out at 10... lol We'll see!

Day 1: What does beauty mean to you?

Beauty. Boy, every person is really different in what they regard as beautiful, aren't they??? I guess the old saying is true... beauty is definitely in the eye of the beholder. I find beauty in lots of little things. For example, my nephew's little laugh when he's running in the backyard with the dogs. When it reaches that high pitch that only he can hit, my heart overflows with love and wonders how I could even imagine what it was like before he was around or old enough to run in the backyard with the dogs.

The way my parents are ALWAYS there for me, and always helping me in every way possible is also extremely beautiful; they just do it effortlessly... and no matter how rude I could ever be, or am, they still are just there no matter what.

And lastly, seeing my best friend and her little family interact is one of the most beautiful things I've ever been able to witness. They have their moments, as any family would, but it's beautiful to see them love each other so much, and say and do things for each other... beautiful to witness the things they do when they don't think anyone is really paying attention or thinking that deep about their interactions. :) Tomorrow... DAY 2 (hopefully... if I don't forget and end up doing Day 3 and 2 together on Day 3... lol)

Today in the world of a teacher...

I actually am proud of myself for putting away every last bit of the clean laundry! I HATE putting it away... I love sorting it and loading it... but hate putting it all away. I don't even mind FOLDING it, but the hanging of stuff and the actual putting it away in drawers/the closet bugs me! Hopefully I'll keep this trend during the week and be proactive in getting grading done as the week goes by, instead of leaving a lot for the weekend. I'm usually pretty good about getting grading done during the week... we'll see. I'm still feeling run down... don't know why, just am... I'll have to let my cardiologist know when I go on the 31st that I'm still feeling symptoms at rest, before I fall asleep... which makes falling asleep and sleeping well next to impossible. :(

Also, I do realize I never finished my countdown thing... haha Maybe I'll get around to it before the next holiday season!

Things are getting to crunch time. I'm realizing a lot of things about the kiddos in my class. Like, a lot of them aren't taking this school year seriously. They think they can race to finish work and turn in stuff that they can't even explain because they didn't read the directions. And yes, I'm aware most of them can't read on grade level... which is why I spend a good 5 minutes explaining exactly what they have to do to complete assignments... and then I still have half the class asking what to do, because they weren't paying attention when I gave the directions for 5 minutes. I'm starting to not know what to do about it! :( I've talked to parents, I'm signing folders... AND STILL NOTHING CHANGES! I've even told some parents that I will not send their child on to 4th grade if I don't feel they're ready for it... and STILL NOTHING CHANGES AGAIN! What is wrong with the world...???? When did we become a society that wants EVERYTHING done for us...??? What are we teaching our children??? Shouldn't we be teaching them to work hard and strive for the very best... not to expect it to be just given to them? **end rant** I'm going to bed so I can function and TRY to do my job tomorrow!

• •