A Different First Day

Welp, it's the first day of school and I'm not there. This is actually the first "first day" that I've not been a part of in 21 years. Wowzers. Crazy to think that I've had a first day of school every August since I was 4 years old and now I'm not. It's kind of sad, to be honest. What's even more sad is that I won't have any sort of "first day" this year. After much prayer and discussion David and I decided it would be best for me to stay home with our little girl for a year.

Don't get me wrong, I am over the moon to have this opportunity to spend extra time with Amelia Grace! I cannot wait to watch her grow and help her reach all sorts of milestones, but I really am going to miss the hustle and bustle of middle school. I'm going to miss their crazy "I love you/I hate you" moments and their "my world is ending because he/she won't talk to me anymore" days. My heart will certainly miss the laughter and camaraderie that came along with my school family. And there are no words to describe how much I will seeing the "light bulb" moment on a student's face when they finally "get it".

It was by far one of the hardest decisions I've ever had to make, but I know I made the right one. My wonderfully supportive principal said it best, "Teaching will always be here, but your baby won't". I'm keeping those words close to my heart as I embark on a whole new journey with a different type of student. Here's to days of staying in our pajamas and momma learning to curb the sarcastic humor middle schoolers love so much;-)

My new student is VERY serious about learning;-)

So Long, Students

We have officially reached the last day of school of my fourth year teaching. Wow. It's still hard for me to believe that I've been teaching four years and that my latest group of babies is heading off to the high school. My first group will be seniors next year-eek! When did I get so old??

Each year has taught me something new. . .

Year 1-ALL kids need love. No matter where they come from or who greets them at home, they need your love and support at school.

Year 2-Every student, and every class will teach you something new, you need only be open to continuing to learn. And no teacher should ever stop learning!

Year 3-They are still children. As adult as these kids want to be (or have to be at home), they are still children and sometimes the routine and structure of school is what they need to be reminded.

Year 4-Don't take it personal. Sometimes kids say things and they don't understand what it may mean to the recipient.

Looking forward to seeing what next year will bring!

5 on Friday [04.11]

Happy Friday!

 *one*

 Have y'all ever written an essay with a group of students who has never written an essay before? I wouldn't recommend it to the faint of heart. Don't get me wrong, I am SO glad we are doing it, but it is wearing me out! Let's just say the kids won't be the only one glad to be done with these and back to reading novels.

*two*

 Any other fans of Nashville out there? I just heard rumors there is going to be a tour with the stars. SO EXCITING. David is refusing to go with me. . . any takers??

*three*

Spring has arrived! So thankful for this beautiful weather and the chance to be outside again after all these months of freezing ick. 

*four*

Between Scandal and The Good Wife I consider myself an unofficial lawyer. Every time I hear about a court case of crime I automatically try to see if there is any foul play and who is really to blame. Any other weirdos out there?

*five* 

I need book suggestions! We are a week away from Spring Break and I don't have anything. HELP!

5 on Friday [03.21]

Happy Friday!

*one*
And the weather craziness continues. By this point in the year we're usually wearing flip flops more than boots, but the same cannot be said this time around. We had a delay earlier this week for icy conditions and the weather peeps are calling for more ick next week. I'm not sure how much more I can take!


*two*
115 students turned in projects yesterday. 35 of those projects have 10 parts and the other 80 have 4 parts. You do the math.

Oh, and they took a test too. With short answer questions.

The solution? Lots of grading for Mrs. Mobley.

*three*
Have any of y'all ever heard of Sharon Draper?? She is a fantastic young adult author who writes very real stuff that our students absolutely eat up. Well, she's coming to visit our school soon! We are so excited to host her and hear her speak!  

*four*
We officially booked our Spring Break trip! Here we come, Charleston!

*five*
My students and I have been jamming to the Beach Boys on Pandora this week after reading a reading comprehension on their history, and we are all loving it! Puts us in the perfect warm weather mood and gets us all ready for Spring Break. Too bad it's a month away. . .

Let Them See You

Let them see You
In me
Let them hear You
When I speak
Let them feel You
When I sing
Let them see You
Let them see You
In me

-Colton Dixon

 This song came on the radio on the way home from church on Sunday and it really resonated with me. This is a prayer I pray every morning before school. I may not be able to verbalize my beliefs outright, but I pray that my students recognize His light in me. So often I act and think about my actions later. I try very hard to think first, but that happens less often than I wish. With this continued prayer I hope that I think and my actions stem from Him.

Most of what they see around them stems from the media. With Twitter, facebook, Instagram, Vine, etc all at their fingertips, they see more negative than they see positive. Most of their influences are worldly, not heavenly.  I pray that my students see Him in my teachings, my interactions, my relationships-everything.

Do others see Him in you?

5 on a Friday [02.07]

I'm mixing it up this Friday with a new link-up, but Happy Friday nonetheless!

*one*
We are 13 weeks! Hooray! Nugget is the size of a peach and has teeth buds and itsy bitsy fingernails! Our next appointment is at the 16-week mark and I'm already dying to see him/her again!

*two*
Any of y'all watching "The Following"?? Holy.canoli. I may have to stop watching it because of all the stress it gives me! You never know who is in the cult and who is actually a good guy, or what the heck is going to happen next!

*three*
My students have been really sweet this week. I don't know what is in the water, but I hope it stays there! The kids have been working hard and keep saying fun things are me being pregnant. I even have a boy who insists on carrying my lunchbox and Nalgene of water to and from lunch! Love them!

*four*
We have no big plans this weekend and I am stoked! I love not having lots of things to do and getting to sit around with me loves!


*five*

The Olympics start tonight and I'm having mixed feelings. I have always loved watching the Olympics and the round-the-clock coverage, but this time things just feel different. All the negative media surrounding the preparation coupled with the scary reports coming out of there. I'm just not sure if I want to watch. . .

What's Holding You Back?

Earlier this week I asked my students that question in a journal prompt. 

It is very easy for us to blame others when things become difficult for us, but is it always someone else's fault? What is standing in the way of you being the best you can be in school, at home, and everywhere?! Is an after school activity? Is it an attitude? Is it another person? Or is it yourself?

As we started the second half of the year I wanted them to think about what excuses they were letting get in the way of their success. I was blown away by their responses. So many of them owned up to being their own worst enemies. They decided they were their own stumbling blocks. Some started saying it was other things, but came full circle in our discussion and owned up to being the barrier. 

So, I ask you,

What's holding you back? What are you going to do about it?

What's stopping you from being the best you? What excuse are you giving when things get tough? Who is the first person you blame when life gets hard? 

Friday's Letters [10.25]

Happy Friday, folks!

Dear teacher friends, We are almost a quarter of the way through the school year and we have the work to prove it! Just a few extra hours of grading and we can dive straight on into the next chapter of the year.

Dear students,  I know you're tired. I know you're antsy. I know you're getting fidgety. You took us through some interesting antics with the full moon, but we stood strong against your crazy. Only a few more days until your break! Please be kind. 

Dear Renaissance Festival, We're coming for ya! You never cease to entertain us with your cuckoo antics. Looking forward to more interesting characters than ever before!

Dear Fall,  Where'd ya go? I blinked and we seem to have entered Winter. We've discussed time and time again my dislike of your sister Winter, so I'm going to need you to have a talking to her and get her to step back for a bit. No more thirty degree mornings!

Dear readers, And in case you ever doubt out love of Daisy check out this for a good giggle.

Friday's Letters [10.18]

Happy Friday, folks!

Dear Raleigh, We're coming for ya! Even though our trip will be brief I'm still excited to see you for a bit and to celebrate Caroline and Steve's engagement!

Dear busy weeks, Whooooeeeee you sure do want to run me down, but I'm not going to let ya! Between all the school stuff and fun things we have planned for the weekends I'm beginning to think I'm going to need a personal assistant to keep it all together. Instead of fussing I'm going to make this the best few weeks of the year. So, there :P

Dear government, Welcome back from your vacay. Glad to see y'all were able to swallow your childish pride and find some way to work through the mess you've created. If you need help learning to resolve your conflicts I have some very mature 8th graders who'd love to show you how.



Dear full moon, I'm not going to let you scare me. I know the effect you typically have on my kids but I'm not letting you this time. We have too much to cover in a short amount of time so there is no room for your shenanigans! 

Friday's Letters [10.04]

Happy Friday, folks!

Dear students, Though we may have our moments I have to say how thankful I am for y'all. Your warm hearts, hysterical senses of humor, and genuinely positive disposition is such a great way to go through each day. Thank you.

Dear David, I apologize for being so cranky. My b. It's been a long week with lots of extra stuff. I have high hopes for next week!

Dear foot, What's up with this dreadful pain whenever I walk or put pressure on you? Ain't nobody got time for that. I've got a 5k tomorrow morning that I'd really like to finish!

Dear readers,  #teacherproblems

Friday's Letters [09.06]

Happy Friday one and all!

Dear Daisy, Nobody likes when you refuse to go on walks then walk around the house whining unceasingly because you have so much energy. Nobody.

Dear ladies, Need a new reading plan? Look no further! #SheReadsTruth is an incredible group of godly women who write heart-opening commentary based on different books/series in the Bible. You will regret it if you don't start reading, trust me.

Dear students, It's only been two weeks and you have already stolen my heart with your humor and love. Be gentle because this mama bear is already watching out for her kids!

Dear birthday, You were pretty awesome but I hate that you had to go so soon. Already looking forward to your return!

Dear Fall, Heyyyyyyy. After a monsoony summer we are ready to welcome you with open arms. Bring on the Pumpkin Spice Lattes, the scarves, the football, the falling leaves, and fairs! We're ready for ya!

Times Have Changed-School

In honor of the start of school I'm investigating how things have changed in schools through the years.

Those of us in education know that much of our field is trends. Things come in with a force, then leave out the backdoor before popping back up ten years later. One thing that is new and not likely to go anywhere the readiness of technology. Whether the kids in your local school are tapping at computers or researching the world on their iPads this is a trend that isn't disappearing anytime soon. 

It is incredible what can be done these days that was impossible even ten years ago. If we're having a discussion in class and none of us know the answer all it takes is a simple Google search to figure it out. 

What about completing a research paper? Gone are the days of encyclopedias. Now, our kids can go in depth without ever leaving the classroom.

It's also amazing how you can truly tailor your lessons to every level of learner with the innovative programs available. I may have a high reader and a low reader in the same class who both need something completely different from me, enter some pretty awesome programs that allow me to create assignments for each of their individual levels.

Want to create a safe place for students to discuss their responses without feeling intimidated? How about a discussion board? This tool allows students to sound off on a topic without having to say it out loud to a group of their very intimidating peers.

What about if a student has a question while working on their homework late at night? Helloooooooo, email. I love when my students email me questions about assignments. I love that they take the time to ask and dig deeper into a task instead of completely giving up. Email is also an amazing way to contact parents. I bet our ancestors wish they had email when they were contacting parents about Billy pulling Sally's hair at recess.

I could also talk for days about the superbness of social media in the classroom. Need a quick way to remind students about a quiz? Post it on Twitter. Help your kids learn the importance of keeping up with local politics by retweeting the Mayor's tweets. Or create a Facebook page for your class to encourage collaboration.

Today's schools are FULL of advancements that would blow the minds of our grandparents. Stay tuned for the next installment!

Teach the Unteachable

Show me how to love the unlovable
Show me how to reach the unreachable
Help me now to do the impossible

-Matthew West

Aside from one little addendum, this is my prayer as we enter a new school year. Each morning as I speak to the Lord I will say the above words with the addition of "teach the unteachable". 

I was running errands this past weekend when this song came on. Another one of those songs I had heard a thousand times, but never really listened to. As I sang along I really listened to the words I was saying. That's when it hit me-this is a prayer I should be saying to break the shell around my hardened teacher heart. Huh? Let me start over. . .

I am entering my fourth year of teaching, and even though I am far from a veteran, I still feel like I've kind of got this thing. I feel like I've got it figured out. I couldn't be more wrong. Instead of feeling so sure of myself and my teaching I should be humbling myself before God and asking for his guidance. Instead of seeing my students as kids I have to get to pass a test I should be remembering they are His children whom He has entrusted to me for a short time every day.

Every year we all have those students who frustrate us. These are the ones you just shake your head at before you drop it into your hands in exasperation. These are the ones who fall into every one of those "tough to teach" categories. These are the children who seem impossible, and are even labeled as such by many of the confines of our education system.

These are the ones who need that love even more. 

These are the ones who need to be reached the most. 

These children are not impossible with Him.

So, to all my teacher friends I ask that instead of giving up in overwhelming frustration, you instead pray for His guidance to give these children what He expects for them.

A New School Year

Hear that? 

It's the sound of all the teachers in town turning off alarms that haven't been set this early in months. 

We nervously rise and begin to prepare for the day, though many haven't slept a week. 

Butterflies flutter in tummies despite how many times some of us have done this. 

We hold our heads up high like we know what we're doing, but we are still anxious about what the year will bring. 

We arrive early to make sure everything is perfect because anything less would be unacceptable on this day. 

We catch our breaths as the first bell rings. 

We smile big and shake hands as the children filter down the hallway. 

It's going to be another wonderful school year.

The President's Visit

You're probably tired of hearing all I have to say about the President's visit to Mooresville, but unfortunately for you, I'm not tired of talking about it!

Disclaimer: If you don't have anything nice to say don't say anything at all!

Earlier this past week we started noticing things that were out of the norm for the end of the year, like the fact that the halls were being painted. Hmm. Or the fact that there were a bunch of men in suits wandering around the school. Hmm. It wasn't until we were told that we had to be sure to keep the school super clean that we knew something was up! No sane administrator would say that at the end of the year if there wasn't something happening. Well, as the staff found out Monday afternoon, the President of the United States was coming to see us!! I don't care who you are or what your political preference is, it is a once in a lifetime experience for your school to host the President!

We all went into high gear preparing for the coming event. Over the course of the next few days there were more emails, more changes, more renovations than this school has ever seen. It was so neat watching the transformation little by little into a place safe enough to host the leader of the free world. I think we all know there is a lot of work that goes into preparing for something like this, but I don't think any of us truly realized it. 

The excitement really began Thursday morning when we all trucked down the hill to park at the intermediate school since no cars were allowed on campus. When we arrived at the school building the windows were covered and some hallways were blocked off. The signs showed us the path he would be taking. 

Then came the hurry up and wait. I equated this with your wedding day-all the hurrying and waiting, hurrying and waiting. Finally, we were off to the gym! There were about a hundred students on stage and ten teachers up there with them. I was fortunate enough to be one of the ten! It was an experience I will never forget!!

We waited while the gym filled up with our fellow teachers and students, as well as local dignitaries.  Hey, Claire Danes and Hugh Dancy!

The wait was long and incredibly hot. We were in a middle school gymnasium with close to a thousand people after all. . .  Arne Duncan said a few words, then one of our teachers had the distinct privilege of welcoming the prez on out. His speech was short and sweet, and to be honest, I was so focused on not doing anything stupid in front of the world that I didn't even pay attention!

I am so thankful for this once in a lifetime experience!

Friday's Letters [06.070

Happy Friday, folks!!

Dear President Obama, Never thought I'd hear the prez say, "It's always a great day to be a RED IMP!". We were honored to have you visit our school and inspire our students. Thank you!

That's me in the black dress all the way at the end!

Dear Claire Danes, Hey, girl, heyyyyy. Let's puts aside the facade of seeing the president, you really wanted to come hang out with all of us cool teachers in a middle school gymnasium didn't you?


Claire and her precious hubby!

Dear world, I'm excited to finally be a human again now that school is over! I'll be able to stay up past 8pm and not feel the need to fuss at random children when out in public. Let's be real here, that urge may never leave.

Dear students, Despite some stressful moments, I am truly going to miss y'all. You welcomed me back with open arms in January and reminded me time and time again why I am a teacher. Thank you for a great year!

Friday's Letters [05.31]

Happy Friday, folks!!

Dear testing, See ya, wouldn't want to be ya!

Dear students, Only FIVE more wake ups until your freedom. How about calming down a smidge and being nice to your teachers? Much appreciated.

Dear Davido, Thank you for being so gosh darn superb.

Dear Color Run, I am SO excited for you tomorrow! My only request? Keep the color puffs out of my mouth. Bleck.

Dear crazy neighbors, June is upon us, which means the return of your fluffy terrorist. I see the beginnings of a fence. Any chance you're going to finish it any time soon?

Friday's Letters [05.17]

Happy Friday, folks!!

Dear morning drive, You are becoming much more pleasant with the addition of our friend, the rising sun, and the warmer weather. Keep on keepin' on.

Dear students, You're tired, I get it. Believe it or not, your teachers are tired too! Only three short weeks until we part ways. Please don't turn me into a strict monster with all your cuckoo craziness.

Dear Etsy, Your offerings are absolutely spectacular. Any way you could possibly not be so overwhelming with the crazy amount of nifty things you have?? I am loving this, though:

via

Dear Davido,  Thank you for continuing to be such an impossibly wonderful person. I am so thankful for all the ways you love and support me!

Dear Daisy, sock thieving is soooooo not cute. Okay, okay, maybe it's a little cute.

Friday's Letters [03.08]

Happy Friday, folks!!

Dear papers, Please be gentle. I'm not exactly sure what we were thinking when we assigned you and had a 120 of you due on the same day. I will get to all of you, eventually, I promise.

Dear David, I am SO stinkin' proud of how well you did at the first workout for the Open! As the picture below shows, you are a champ!

Dear students, There is not a full moon, there was no snow, and there is not a holiday in the near future. Please explain to me why y'all have been off your rockers this week?? Y'all are wearing me out!

Dear spring, Where are you??? This 29 degree morning thing has got to go. I'm ready for sundresses and flip flops again!

Friday's Letters [02.15]

Happy February Friday!

Dear scratchy throat, Why, oh, why are you still here? Three days of this mess is more than enough. Want to vamoosh?

Dear post office, Why are you making it so difficult for me to get a passport? I know I shouldn't have waited this late in the game to apply for one, but not accepting appointments for the next month? To quote Michelle Tanner, "how rude!".

Dear cruise, We are very excited to set sail and soak up some sun. Only six and a half weeks until we depart!

Dear Francis Coppola, Thank you for creating such a fantastic film rendition of S.E. Hinton's The Outsiders. My students and I have thoroughly enjoyed seeing a baby Tom Cruise and baby Patrick Swayze (among others) fight for their freedom to be Greasers!

Dear David, I guess great minds think alike, huh? Too bad you were more prepared and beat me to the presentation of it!

 Please note HIS version is made up of healthy, organic granola bars. HER version is made up of sweet treats.