Currently it's April... AND it's Spring Break! Yippee!

Ahhhhhh. I just love the feeling of unscheduled, unstructured time. It's seems like forever since I have slowed down to such a leisurely pace. I have actually heard things around me: crickets, birds, the clock ticking, music... All sounds that get ignored on a daily basis.

I'm not going anywhere or doing anything special this week. I am just enjoying the days--which seem, oddly, and incredibly, to last for hours and hours! Pure Bliss.

(I am quite amazed to posting this on April first. No fooling! Contrast this to March... when I posted my Currently on the last day of the month... after the linky was closed!)

Reading my "wrap up," it sounds like all I do is watch TV and eat ice cream! That's only partly true, really. I have done (a little) school work and a little (very little) organizing. Easter is around the corner, so there are church events to attend. And I have enjoyed a few walks--even in our drought-hampered state, the flowers are still so pretty this season.  I just feel so blessed. And happy.

I have spent three days re-vamping my PowerPoint presentations for Social Studies. (There's proof: My TpT purchase list is growing daily!) Teaching a fifth/sixth combination is easy in some ways--until you consider social studies. Ancient civilizations and early American history have... well... very little in common. After the Land Bridge, we simply have to go our separate ways! In truth, it's been fun. Having time to research and find clip art and choose just-the-right-shade-of-blue is actually enjoyable to me... when I have time. Ahhhh. There it is again. Time.

Time: I love you so!

My name is Kim. (Yawn). On my blog, I have been Finding JOY in Sixth Grade for ages. And I'm quite used to being called Joy. I even answer when people call me that now! Alas, there is likely a grade change ahead for me. But I'll save that story for another day. TODAY is a perfect time to be JOYful and JOY-filled!

Let's keep the joy going. Farley is always one of my favorite joy-bringers. So, head on over and link up--and then leave some joy for those who linked up around you. It's like sharing a carton of ice cream. But you might have to share with someone else. At the moment, both Ben and Jerry are looking a little on the empty side!

See you there!

April "Currently" on the Eve of April

If I type really quickly, I can post this before it is actually April Fool's Day. Oddly, if I don't finish by midnight, then you might think I am fooling. And then I would have to post on April SECOND. Or... I could have written random, peculiar responses and then typed "April Fools" at the bottom. Nah... Too cheesy. I'm going to go with the real deal...

I really do have to type quickly because Farley posted this on the eve of April, and believe it or, it is not YET April and there are already eighty-eight link-ups! Twenty minutes ago, there were only seventy-one link ups. I just want to be in the first hundred. In April I think I was in the THREE hundred group. And I was LAST! Goodness that Farley can draw a crowd! Type faster, Kim!

When I walked into the house, there was an oboe concerto on TV. I'm funny about classical music. Some times, some days, some pieces... I adore this type of music. Other days, I want to cover my ears and run from the room screaming. The music tonight was quite lovely and I enjoyed it--although I never did guess the composer. There was an oboe in Peter and the Wolf--the duck, I believe. Fortunately, Peter, the duck and Prokofiev have left the oboe in good light.

I am loving that it is Spring Break. I normally get up very early on school days (usually to finish prepping for the day.) Vacations remind me that I could be a night owl if I didn't have to get up at 4am. It is a JOY to get up when I want to, rather than being summoned by the alarm clock. {happy sigh} I have lots that I want to accomplish this week--I just want to work at my own pace, with plenty of naps and Starbucks and a little ice cream thrown in!

I think I am going to need all of the sleep I can get because we are going to be in Test Prep Mania when we return to school. We are more-than-a-little behind this year. I think by slowing down, I taught things more effectively (although not always as efficiently as I would have liked!). But that comes at a cost; we will be scrambling to teach the remaining concepts before the test date arrives. I wonder if this will change when the test changes to match CCSS? Somehow I think testing is testing...

On that same note, I really need to feel okay about the progress we have made. My friend Barbara at the Corner on Character has really taught me the importance of looking at kids individually as well as collectively. We have grown as a group--in some very awesome ways that will never show up on any test. And many of the students have grown individually as well (also in ways that will not be test-apparent). And a few have gotten pretty good at algebra, have read lots of books, and have learned the importance of Mesopotamia in the development world civilizations along the way. But they have made the most growth in learning together. Despite the struggles, I want to look back and be happy that we spent a year together. In September, I didn't know if that was possible. Now I am beginning to see, with this group especially, that "learning" truly comes in many variations...

Hmmmmm. Now for advice for bloggers.... I mentioned Barbara above. She is a bloggyfriend that has become an in-real-life friend too. Blogging can do that. It can connect you up with people that begin to understand you and your way of teaching and your way of thinking. I am so BLESSED to have several of those bloggypals. Yesterday and the day before, my buddies left me the nicest comments on my blog. I practically cried feeling so lucky and so... friend-ful! (Thanks, Sweet Comment-Leavers!) So, if you're a blogger, keep at it! (And I am promising to do better at leaving comments on your blogs too.) So, if you aren't a blogger, consider starting to blog. Blogging does many things--not the least of which is building connections.

And I think my pal Farley knows that better than anyone. She has established an International Connection System that is nearing a thousand participants! Amazing, isn't it? So link back to the Currently party by clicking on the button below. I still have twenty minutes before the clock declares a new month. Remember to leave some love for those who are listed before and after you. And then, be brave! Pick out a few random folks you've never met before. Choose by grade level, or bloggy button, or just by the sound of their name. Make a connection. I know Farley would smile at you and share her advice, "Be you and Be true."

UPDATE: Phew! That was a close one! I came in at #92. I finally broke a hundred! And my post isn't dated April 1st!

April Currently

I always love to see a post from Farley at Oh Boy Fourth Grade listed on my blog roll. But when the title includes the word, "Currently," my heart does a little happy dance. Here is April's Currently... and the best part of this activity is the chance to link back to Farley's and read what's happening in everyone else's lives...

So that's a peek into my life at this moment in time. Time to link back to Oh Boy Fourth Grade. Why not check in with Farley while you're there? She's got an ADORABLE picture of Drew to tickle you and her posts are filled with great ideas and hysterical commentary. This time she's even got a giveaway! Scroll along and read a few just for fun. See you there!