teach.run.pray.

A few weeks ago, I received an email stating I had been signed up for The Ron Clark Academy Experience. My immediate response was, "YES!! I'm so excited." Later, I realized it was on a Friday at 8:15 a.m. in Atlanta, GA, so I thought, "I'll spend the night in Atlanta." Then, I found out my principal had gotten a district mini bus, and we'd all be riding together. This meant leaving the school at 5 a.m., which meant a 3:30 a.m. wake up call for me, which meant getting home at 9 p.m., which meant an incredibly LONG day. Honestly, I was less than thrilled about the travel arrangements. But, I sucked it up. And, I'm glad I did. The bus ride there wasn't nearly as bad as I had anticipated, and I wasn't nearly as tired as I thought I'd be. We did arrive at the academy late due to Atlanta traffic (go figure). However, the day flew by. My husband texted midday. Our banter went something like this: Husband: Hopefully you aren't having...

Over the past two months, four friends have lost their father. Steve was one of them, and I admired him both as a husband and dad. His youngest daughter is one of my best friends; on my wedding day, she sang as I walked down the aisle. Allie and her family have impacted my life tremendously with their family values and fun loving spirits. I pray when I have a family of my own that our values bond us together the way Allie's family has bonded together.  Anyway, on a Tuesday afternoon, I was coaching a group of young ladies at Girls on the Run. I had missed a call and saw a text message from my friend's cousin saying there had been a family emergency. Immediately and frantically, I returned her call. All I could think was something had happened to Allie. When I heard the news, I was relieved (because my friend was safe and alive) and heartbroken, because Allie had lost the most important man in her life, her daddy. But, not only had she lost him, the world lost a genuine soul...

IEPs will be the death of me. They are the LEAST favorite part of my job, though, I know they are needed. Writing them can be time consuming and gathering data from "everybody and their mama" can be aggravating, but Google Forms have made my resource teacher life so much easier! In years past, I'd get teacher input through a hard copy feedback form (documentation, documentation). Then, among the thousands of things classroom teachers have to keep up with and complete, it would get lost, or I'd have to be the annoying one hounding them down for the form. Last year, I changed it up, and it was incredibly easier. GOOGLE FORMS, people! I created a quick check list in Google Forms based on elementary standards and foundation skills elementary students need in order to be successful in reading, writing, math, and social skills. Anytime, I needed teacher feedback for a transfer meeting, initial placement, or annual review I'd share the Google Form through email and l...