Once I was a fourth grader

Good morning everyone out there and best wishes, the day's greetings to you from the Western Slopes of the state of Colorado.  It's early but not near as early as it should be.  There's a lot to do around here today and even though I had the best intentions of getting up by 4:30, that didn't happen.  But I woke up, alive and well and if you are reading this then the same happened for you too.  Welcome to another day of life :)

Summer "officially" is over for me as of noontime today even though the calendar on the wall assures us that there are several weeks more to come.  But it's "back to school" time for me and tens of thousands of other teachers across the nation.  Soon, if not already, the desks and chairs in classrooms everywhere will be filled with kids who have returned to learn yet another year in school.  I feel blessed to have been a part of it for I am a teacher and there's no other profession in this world that I would rather have devoted my life to.  "Year #36", I have come to you."

When I retired "AGAIN" back in Kansas and made the move here to Montrose with my new husband Mike, I never had any intention of returning to the classroom and I MEAN it.  In fact, after Mike and I were married that afternoon on the last day of school, the only things we carried out with us were the gifts, cards, and other memorabilia from our wedding.  I either gave or threw away every single thing that I had in my old classroom that was related to being a teacher.  I had always felt blessed to have taught for 32 years and figured at that time, it was "ok" to call it quits.  Then a few months later, I returned to school for another 3 years of time so I figured that definitely 35 years was a good plenty.  I believe I was wrong~

It's an interesting story as to how I got to this point in time and I won't be able to go into everything here in this blog post, but I learned just 2 days ago that I would be taking a fourth grade teaching position in a small community just to the north of Montrose by about ten miles.  Olathe Elementary had an opening that just came about in the past days and so I inquired about it.  In about 3 hours time, I was interviewed, then hired and believe me when I say to you that I could not feel any better about a decision that I have made.  It feels good, no let me say that in a different way~It feels great to be back in the classroom once again.  God's blessings, His miracles continue to find me and I give thanks, always.

School begins for the students this coming Monday, August 19th and there is much to do in order to be ready for that first of days.  In 35 years of teaching students, I have never started a position so very close to the day of opening as I will have this time.  My classroom is not even half ready to go so I'm pretty sure that I won't be "trading much daylight for dark" for a long time to come.  But you know what?  I still have faith in myself that I will make it.

I have never taught fourth graders as a whole group before and I now as I sit here typing this blog post, I'm sure glad for the 15 years of my career in which I was either a Title I or an ESL teacher.  It was during those times that I taught small group rotations of all grade levels in reading and math.  Fourth grade students were among those.  It will be quite different for me and a challenge but hey, I like a challenge.  I told one of my young teaching partners that I would be looking to her for a lot of guidance and wisdom.  She just laughed and said that she was going to say the very same thing to me!  Our school is staffed by the finest of people and I know that everything is going to be ok.  For that I rejoice and give thanks.

It's time for me to get going but before I do, I wanted to say one other thing.  The next time you happen to drive by a school anywhere in this country, I don't care if it's in Olathe, Colorado, Hutchinson, Kansas, or Owego, New York or shoot anywhere else in between, remember this~Inside of it are lots and lots of folks who are trying to make a difference for the good in the lives of the young people entrusted to them.  There's a school secretary answering your phone calls, a custodian who is cleaning the floors in order that school looks presentable, and a school nurse who makes sure that the kid whose tummy hurt earlier in the day is now feeling better.  There is a principal making the rounds throughout the building and watching over and providing assistance to the people therein.  A classroom para is there working hard trying to assist the students and the teachers in all matters of the educational day.  That great smell emanating from the lunchroom?  Well it didn't get there all by its lonesome.  The kitchen staff is hard at work making sure that no one has to go hungry and that everyone has the opportunity to sit down for breakfast and lunch.  There are speech clinicians, school psychologists, counselors and a dozen more volunteers that go in and out of the buildings each day in order that things run smoothly.  And oh yeah, here's the strange thing.  They don't get paid enough to do what they do but they do it any way because of the one thing they are there for, the bottom line~the kids.  As I approach the autumn of my 58th year,  I am glad that I can say I belong to the most honourable profession ever.  I am a teacher.

Have a great day everyone!  Take care of yourselves and one another this day.  By the way, have I told you lately just how glad I am that we are friends?  Pretty sure that I don't say that near enough :)

 I've taken a lot of "teacher" pictures over the years, but this one will pretty much always remain one of my favourites.  My very last class of ESL students at Avenue A Elementary before I retired the "first time" back in 2010.

 Hey, I really was a fourth grader once, no kidding!  This group of kids stuck together like glue back in those days.  Our dear and now "sainted" in Heaven teacher, Mrs. Harris, loved us all so very much and wanted the best for each of her students.  Fourth grade was the year I learned how fun it was to spell words and how boring Weekly Reader time could be.  Elizabeth Harris, you were a wonderfully kind and caring teacher.  I loved you.  Do you see me in the photo?

Me standing alongside the best fourth grade teacher that I ever knew, my sister Sherry St. Clair.  This photo was taken at Avenue A back in 2010.  We had both decided to retire from teaching the very same year, Sherry with over 40 years of teaching and me with 32 years.  Dying laughing here, neither of us stayed retired for more than a couple of months.  Sherry is still there in the classrooms of her longtime school attendance center, Roosevelt Elementary.  I learned how to become the best teacher I could be simply by watching and emulating her.  Thanks to you, my big sister.