Mrs. Moore's Musings

This was kind of a big week for us.  It was Spring Break!  It was only three days long because of all the snow (which I don't ever like, but I am at peace with now).  My son got a new job--it is kind of a big deal because it is his first real official, punch a time clock, follow a schedule kind of job.  I am very proud of him!  My daughter also passed her driving permit test, which was super exciting because this might not have been her first try, (heck, it might not have been her second try), but what really matters is it was her SUCCESSFUL try!  Holy macaroni my girl will be driving!  I cannot make any comments about what type of driver she will be because I myself am not the most skilled at this particular task.  Therefore, her father will guide her in this arena and I will worry and pray and listen to them both recount whatever countless adventures I am certain lay ahead of us. Olivia and her permit! Monday morning my mom sent me a text...

My "favorite" Easter decoration It is Easter candy season in my house.  I have the only Easter decoration I own, a bowl with a chick face on it, out with Easter candy filling it up (at least it is filled for about three minutes, and then it begins its rapid decent.)  I usually purchase the mixed bag of Hershey's chocolates to put in my phenomenal holiday spirited decor (the bag with the peanut butter cups, mini-candy bars and kisses.)  The kisses are always the last to go around here.  The other candy is easy to unwrap, and seems to offer a greater pay-off, if we are talking sheer chocolate/sweet ratio.  The kisses look small and do require a tiny bit more work.  But, I love the kisses.  As far as sheer chocolate, they really have a bigger pay off if you can get past the obvious "size" issue (I know, some people are obsessed with size, and if that's your thing, I won't judge).  Hershey's has tried to overcome this obstacle by offering unw...

I am a good teacher.  I am not even close to the greatest teacher in my building, but I am okay with that.  When I first started teaching I dreamed of being the greatest teacher, and I still do, but I have a long way to go.  I guess that is one of the things I love about teaching.  Every day, after each hour, I sit and think about how I could be better--a myriad of ways, usually--and I start getting excited about making things better.  This realization, admitting I am not flawless and I don't know exactly what will work all the time, was painful to admit, especially as a new teacher, but it was my students who helped me get here. When I first started teaching, in my first classroom (the same room I am in now) five years ago, I had a plan.  I would know my stuff, I would manage my classroom, we would get the job done, and everyone would go home educated and happy.  There would be no need for excessive emotionalism or connection, we were going to be an...

Yesterday was Saturday. I love Saturday.  I love running around with my family doing what we want to do.  This past Saturday, I was teaching.  You see, in our school district we have had a lot of snow days.  I think we are up to 12 missed days so far.  In order to make up that time, we are having Saturday school (our first one was yesterday and we have another in April.)   Students were not super thrilled.  When I arrived at school, the first thing I did was make a play list on my computer from Spotify of songs that had Saturday or weekend in the title, and started blasting the music.  I had my lesson plan ready to rock and roll (it was a good one) and I got the doughnuts ready!  Students started trickling in, and despite the lethargy in their steps, they started to smile.  For the especially down ones, I walked up and started singing to them until they smiled.  They ate doughnuts and I started explaining the lesson.  We got to...

I love my school.  The building is beautiful, the grounds are resplendent, our school colors are lovely, our alma mater makes my heart swell, and it is a glorious place in and of itself, but in truth, I guess I don't really love my school.  I LOVE the people inside of it.  This week we had a scare--an Alert Status--meaning there was reason my administration believed we needed to be extra cautious, stay in our classrooms, lock our doors and let the amazing people of the Springdale Police department and our administration ensure our safety.  We never went into a lock-down mode, but it was, if only for only a few minutes, enough to make my heart rate increase (especially when those amazingly brave officers ran down my hallway with firearms.  I still swear to my husband these policemen were Herculean; he swears they were normal sized.  I guess when you go running down a hallway with a gun, unsure of what you will find in order to protect a whole bunch of peopl...