Peace in Primary

Year Seven 🤍

I think it’s fair to say that most of us were not expecting this year to turn out how it did. After two years of pandemic teaching, a majority of us probably thought the worst was behind us. But this school year was HARD. Maybe even harder than the last two combined? I’m not sure.

On one hand, for me, I feel like I finally found my dream school this year. Changing schools/grades is never easy, but I’m so glad I did. My administrators, teammates, and school community are absolutely amazing. They truly do everything in their power to make things easier for us. And I’m so thankful for that.

On the other hand, even though I’m at a great school, I still seriously struggled with the profession this year.
And I know I’m not alone in that.
There are some major problems with our system. Nationwide. Problems that were around before the pandemic, but problems made worse by the compounding exhaustion of the last several years. And then you add in this last week and the tragedy in Uvalde… well, there’s honestly no words.

And so I think, for reasons outside of our control, this school year ended up being a year of survival. Doing what we could, with what we had. And I think sometimes when you are “just surviving” it’s easy to feel like what you’re doing doesn’t matter or to feel like because you’re taking it day by day that you aren’t doing “enough.” But I don’t think that’s true. If anything I think what you are able to do in those moments, matters even more.

We were placed in our schools, with our students, this specific year to make an impact with what we had at the time. Not any more. Not any less.

Sure, maybe this year wasn’t what we all thought it would be. Maybe you’ve had to make some really tough decisions. Maybe you are still making some tough decisions. No matter how your year turned out or how your year is ending, you did it. You’ve done enough. You’ve made an impact. You finished. And you should be proud. 🤍
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Teacher Maternity Leave Advice ✨

Y’all came through with the maternity leave advice! There were so many good pieces of advice and different tips, that I decided to save it all for you in this post!

After reading through all of the responses, I think the number one piece of advice was to not stress. Put together what you can and forget the rest. Family is the priority and teaching can wait. Trust your sub to do what they can and trust your teammates to help when needed. Once baby arrives, you’ll forget about it all anyway! And I think that is the BEST advice.

Scroll through this post and let me know your thoughts are! Is there anything we are missing??
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Baby Lindsay is already so loved. 🤍

I shared on my stories today that I recognize my page has been very baby focused lately and I just wanted to say thanks for sticking with me!

I will always love teaching, but I’m not going to lie… it’s been really nice to have something else to focus on. I’m so incredibly grateful for this sweet baby and I just get so excited thinking about what the future could bring. And I’ve really needed that right now.

We’ve all said it a thousand times, but teaching is hard right now. Like really, really hard. Especially at this point in the school year. Even at the BEST school, with the BEST team. We are all struggling. Across the country. Education has changed these last couple of years and each day feels like a battle. I don’t have the answers to all the problems our schools are facing, but I do know that things are not sustainable.

I also know, though, that there is still hope. I have hope that things will get better. They will and they must.
But what do we do in the meantime? We just do the best we can with what we have. We protect and prioritize ourselves and our families. We find the things that bring us joy and we focus on those. We treasure the small moments with our students and ignore the rest. Because right now it’s just about taking one day at a time. 🤍

So if you’re feeling the right now, focus on that today. Find the things that bring you joy. Find the things that give you hope in the future. And trust that the rest will work itself out. 🤍
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Exciting News! Baby Lindsay coming August 2022. 🤍

There are honestly no words to describe the joy we feel over this sweet little babe. It still seems pretty surreal, but we are so incredibly grateful and excited for this next journey. 🤍

If you’re someone struggling with infertility or loss, I am thinking of you and praying for you. I know that sometimes seeing these posts can be really hard, so please do what is best for your mental health. If that means muting/unfollowing this account, I understand. Please know that your waiting is NEVER wasted. Sending you all the love. 🤍

“In His perfect timing, He will fulfill the desires of your heart.” Psalm 37 🤍
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Question: Are you team change your classroom every few months or team keep things the same??

Once I find a set up that works, I usually like to keep things the same! Especially with having tables instead of desks. In first grade, I’d occasionally move the desks around but tables are definitely a little trickier.

What’s your preference?? ⬇️
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100 days in kindergarten has me like 🤪

Y’all, kindergarten is NOT for the weak! These last 100 days have been WILD. There’s been a lot of hard work, a lot of practice, and a lot of repetition. But also a lot of fun, a lot of growth, and a lot of love. 🥰

I can’t wait to see what the rest of the year has in store and how much more my little friends accomplish, but for now you can find me in bed because the 100th day has officially done me in. 😴
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4 MORE DAYS ✨

May your coffee be strong and your students calm!

Is this your last week before winter break or do you have to go next week too??
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Teacher Table✨

Without doubt, this is my favorite space in our classroom! It doubles as my teacher space, but that’s not why I love it. I love this space, because this where the magic happens!
Small group instruction, one-on-one conversations with the littles, so much learning happens here!

What’s your favorite classroom space? ✨
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Never have I ever felt so loved. 🥺

If you’ve been doubting the impact you’re having as a teacher, just wait until your birthday rolls around because wow.
I was BLOWN AWAY on Friday by the kindness of my students and their families. 😭
Y’all, they went ALL OUT for my birthday this year. Not only did they come and decorate my classroom, but they had Starbucks delivered in the morning, Chick-fil-A delivered for lunch, so many generous gifts, and the CARDS from my students 🥺 I was a puddle.

It’s days like this that remind me why I love teaching. When you’re in the thick of things, it’s hard to remember the impact you are having. But with this birthday celebration, I was reminded. Our job is hard, but the work we do is so very appreciated. We might not hear it as often as we should and maybe it’s been a really, really long time since you’ve felt an outpouring of love like this. But whether you receive an over the top birthday celebration or whether you don’t, this remains true: the work you are doing is important, it is appreciated, and you are making a LIFELONG impact. Every single day, you have a ripple effect. Your students and their families will remember YOU for the rest of their LIVES. And if that’s not the greatest honor, I don’t know what is. 🤍
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It’s Friday!! We made it y’all! 🎉

Another week is complete, and that’s something worth celebrating. 🥂

I honestly had a pretty good week. I was gone for the first half, my kiddos were super sweet the second half, and today was a teacher work day! Pretty good week, if you ask me. 😂

If you worked a full week this week, or even if you didn’t, my hats off to you. Teaching is hard right now, so I hope that this week you showed up, did your best, and then went home. I also hope that you leave school at school and enjoy your weekend.

One day at a time, teacher friends. 🤍
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Morning Tubs ✨

The littles love our morning time and I do too! 🤍 I haven’t always done morning tubs because I feel like it depends on the group of students and the grade level, but this year I am! It’s been going great and definitely a must have for kinder! I love how students get to engage in play focused activities, but I also definitely like to keep things organized. Check out this TPT product that helps me: https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Morning-Tubs-PowerPoint-7246213

What does your morning time look like? Are you team morning tub or morning journal? Let me know in the comments below! ⬇️
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I survived my first full week of kindergarten and I’m happy to announce that I love it just as much as I thought I would! 🤍
So far I’ve learned that teaching kindergarten is lots of extra time, extra practice, and extra patience. 🤪 But it’s also extra love, extra cuteness, and extra fun! 🥰 I can’t wait to watch these little people grow, so here’s to year number SEVEN in kinder HEAVEN. 🤍
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