A friend texted me: Columbus Day weekend is a huge milestone in the year!
As a teacher in a new school and a new grade, I agree.
To me, it means I survived the first half of the first quarter of the middle school year.
To me, it means I now can call most of my 116 students by name.
To me, it means I now know which students are the strugglers and which ones can soar.
It means I still have seven more half-quarters to teach and guide all the strugglers and the strong.
It means the can sleep in on Monday and soon celebrate a Thanksgiving Break and a Winter Break.
Today the air is crisp, the leaves are falling and I bought pumpkins to decorate my front porch.
Happy Columbus Day Weekend!
Writing Stories by Sally 
Ha, I wrote about having nearly 1/4 of the school year under my belt today! It is a good feeling to know our kiddos better. Teacher calendars are a funny thing- we measure time differently than other people, that is for sure!
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1/8 of the year is behind us. Great reflection on the year so far. I miss being off on Columbus Day. Wisconsin doesn’t have the day off.
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We don’t celebrate this one, but yesterday I filed away the SECOND month of the year’s attendance paperwork. YIKES! Good, yes but scary how 2018 is coming closer.
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I love your pumpkins and this reflection on your year so far! Kudos on knowing most of those names. This was always a personal challenge for me.
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A cheerful & uplifting slice that reminds us to celebrate more often along the way, and to see the positive & privilege of what we do – as in having time to help those who are struggling vs. lamenting the challenge of it. Your students are surely fortunate! Here’s to a great year in your new school & new grade.
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What a nice way to look at Columbus Day and how much you’ve done in the year already! There is so much yet to come and I’m sure the students are just as excited as you are.
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