Sheila Sims Iding
It was supposed to be a snow day.
Winter storm watch turned to winter storm warning.
Almost certainty of “snow day” call.
Up at 4:30 a.m. to go running.
Only a few inches of snow. (I knew then,)
Other schools closing or 2-hour delay.
We are still on.
Head to school at 6:00 a.m..
Get sub plans ready for sub covering my room for morning meeting.
Missing morning therapy session.
Worried about friend heading to surgery.
Plans ready for sub. (Young Authors activity: Tooth fairy story.)
Plans ready for the day.
Miss staff lenten prayer to be ready for first grade snow bunnies.
Some first graders glum about no snow day. (I don’t blame them.)
Some first graders thrilled they got to come to school. (Yea for them!)
Journalist busy journaling...writing their own prayer today.
Morning routine: Critter Care workers report to Harriet.
Weather bugs report to weather chart.
Captains report to the office.
Boot patrol report to line up boots in the hallway.
Prepare ourselves for morning prayer.
Introduce the song “The Summons” for our morning prayer during Lent.
Inspired by how intently they listened and took in each word.
Introduce Lenten Psalm for morning prayer.
Impressed that they recognize the words “I was hungry and you gave me
food.” “Hey…we’ve heard that in church before.”
Prayer intentions are mostly for each other and for Mrs. Schafer.
Humbled by how much they care for their Care Corner Teammates.
Love teaching in a Catholic School. Love their little Lenten hearts.
Religion lesson comparing a growing plant with our growing faith.
Spelling test. Student working on printing has best printing day ever. (yea!)
Reading test. Uneventful.
Time for Kids about measuring. They love the measuring part.
Impromptu teaching moment - get out rulers and let them measure.
Mathematicians measuring things in the room while others are on bathroom break.
Math test on geometry to free up afternoon math groups for FUN!.
Sub arrives…time to go to meeting.
As I leave, one little voice says “I’ll miss you.” (So sweet.)
Another little voice wishes me “good luck”. (I LOVE Care Corner Kids.)
Emotions of the meeting trump the business of the meeting.
Business part canceled/emotions tended to. I sit with parent and “tend’.
Return to room as kids leave for lunch and I breathe.
Phone calls consume my lunch – surgery went well – Mrs. Schafer doing good.
Thank you St. Raphael.
Phone call that my dog, Ollie is injured at home – fell from counter in kitchen
(don’t ask)…. Hurt head, trouble walking.
Email from college student – announcing coming to observe 11 -2:30…TODAY!
(She misunderstood my previous email to let me know time/date.)
Lunch ends (did it even begin?) and kids come in for afternoon.
Journal catch up time…soft music playing to calm kids and my fears for Ollie.
Tell kids about good news/bad news at lunch –
Mrs. Schafer doing good.
Worried about Ollie.
They want to pray to St. Raphael (patron saint of medicine) and
St. Francis of Assisi (patron saint of pets.) Love these kids.
Birthday mom appears with treat to celebrate a Care Corner birthday.
Birthday stories, birthday blessing, birthday song, birthday treat.
Late for bathroom break and 4th graders show up for fraction math game.
Bathroom break even later as one loose tooth creates a very bloody mouth.
Hugs from 4th grade Care Corner Kids coming home.
(How are THEY in 4th grade already?)
Kids busy playing fraction game with 4th graders all over the room.
Learning consumes every corner…so does the talking. (50 kids in one room.)
While they play and learn, I take pics and get ready for afternoon groups.
Trying to look organized for the observing college student. Trying anyways.
Prepare to do afternoon groups:
Writer’s workshop with Mrs. McKerr
Geometry Galaxy (star shapes) with me
Word walk – walking in hallway and classroom looking for Lenten words
to write in their Word Walk notebook
Seatwork – making a tooth fairy art project to go with story
from morning work with the sub.
One hour of writing, word walking, fairy making and star gazing done.
Catch up time for completing tooth fairies.
Clean up/prepare for Moses movie to reinforce our 10 Commandment unit.
Try to grade spelling and reading tests. Only get spelling tests done.
Movie done, clean up club begins. (Baby wipe to clean their desk and chairs.)
Time for Friday Footloose dance but this Friday calls for something more.
Footloose dance IN THE SNOW.
Pack up book bags and put on our dancing clothes…snow pants,jackets,boots.
Tears from one student not ready.
Grumps from two who don’t want to go outside and dance. (Really?)
Amazingly fun dance in the snow…”Everybody cut Footloose”.
We come back inside with special snow memory and
one bloody nose. (Tissues…lots of tissues.)
Sending prayer. (May all the saints look after us and lead us on our way…)
Friendship circle. (May each day of the week be a good day…)
Heading to carline and end of day.
Find out Ollie is “very sore and stunned” but will be okay.
Find out I can’t wait to get home and hold him.
Find out…what I knew all along…it was suppose to be a snow day.
Instead…it was just a day.
It’s been a day.