I Love Spring Break

Spring break is one of those perks you get for teaching. I love knowing that for the next 9 days I get to wake up when I want to, sit in my pajamas all day (if I want to), read as many books as I can, go where ever I want to go, and just enjoy life. Not that I don't get to do that while school is in but it's just that freedom. It's the counting down the days even though I'm not going anywhere this year. It's getting to see my nephew during the day and not just out to eat at a restaurant. It's getting to hang out with people because I can. I LOVE IT.

The whole week before, I get to listen to my kids tell me all the places they are going and all the things they are doing and it reminds me that there parents are going to have them for the next nine days, and not me. At those times, I want to go somewhere but then I remember I get to wake up in my own bed every morning, get to shower in my shower, and I don't have to recover from my week long travel the day I go back to school.

Last year I went on a cruise to Jamaica and Grand Cayman, which I loved! This year it's just more lowkey. I'm going to IKEA (one of the best places ever) to do some shopping for bedroom decor...gotta get working on one of my 30 things when I'm 30. I'm going down to Mammoth Cave...never gone there before. And I'm also hoping to get to hang out with people I don't get to see very often and maybe even some I do see ;).

I'm also realizing that this will be my last spring break in my 20's...gasp!! On Thursday, I will be 2 months from the big 3-0. I'm not at all panicked about it...it's just weird to think that I'm "that old." I remember at 16 thinking how long it seemed until I would be 20 and now I've flown by that. I'm not one of those people who is just so dreading turning 30. Life goes on, it's all in how you act not how old you are...right?? I guess I'm just feeling nostalgic in my old age ;)

So, here's to spring break and getting older!! Hoping for nice weather, plenty of sleep, plenty of time spent with friends, and safe travel for everyone!!

Ashley

just a little feel good moment

I found out from one of the 3rd grade teachers yesterday that the 3rd graders were given a prompt to write about a person who made them feel special. Two of my kiddos from last year decided to write about me. I could have cried reading these. They were so sweet. One of them said I was full of energy ( he apparently doesn't remember me yawning everytime we sat down to listen to the story for the week and when I had to listen to the kids read the same paragraph over and over 25 times). The other little boy said that I always have a smile on my face and that I always went to his baseball games. This just reiterates to me that all those times I got up a little bit earlier than I wanted to or spent just a little extra time away from doing things for me, I made a difference in those boys' lives. Sniff, sniff...

just another story from one of my students...

Yesterday the "human encyclopedia" in my classroom decided to share an interesting piece of information with some of my kids. All I overheard at first was "...and that's why it's called the crapper." I quickly turned to the encyclopedia and asked what in the world was he talking about. He said..."it's not bad Miss Cook. I found out that the person who invented the toilet was named Sir Johnny Crapper. That's why they call it the crapper." His parents told him this by the way. So today in while we were in the library....I'm sorry, the media center, I decided to do a little teachable moment. He and I got the actual encyclopedia out and looked up this bit of information. For any of you who were actually curious about this, this is not the person who invented it. That would be Sir Johnny Harrington. Sir Thomas Crapper just got the patent for it.