My Work Here is Done and a Few Great Giveaways!

It was my last day of school yesterday and it was truly an emotional day. I connected to my class this year like never before and I'm still not sure why the bond was so strong. I have thought and thought about this and I keep coming back to the same thing, the L word. Probably the most powerful word ever - LOVE. When I first started teaching I was so busy trying to be a good Mommy cause my daughter was so young then and struggling with all the kids who were so needy at school that I could never find the right balance. Now that my daughter is all grown up, the balance has shifted and I connect to my classroom kids in a different way and for the first time in a long time, I just don't want to give them to the Grade 2 teacher, I want to keep them. I looked around the other morning and they were all so intent on what they were doing. One of them looked up and asked how you spell the word "written" and they all chimed in with the right spelling and then one of them pointed out that you can find that word on just about any story book cover and I had a huge lump in my throat. I have it now while I'm writing this. But I'm happy and proud to hand them over to the next teacher. I truly feel that my work here is done. And in a few months, I will begin again....we'll see what the next group brings. As always, I am hopeful. Really hopeful cause I am going from having 12 kids to 23 next year. DOUBLE Gulp!

From one emotional story to another, my blogger friend Lisa from Learning is Something to Treasure is having a Kindness of Our Hearts Giveaway on her blog. All donations from this giveaway will go to her friend and 1st grade teammate Kathy. Kathy was severely injured in an accident while towing her beloved horse in a trailer behind her. She is now recovering in the ICU, but sadly her beautiful horse was killed in the crash. For a $20 donation, you get a fabulous bundle of products and at the same time, get to help Kathy and her family. Hoping that she gets well soon. You can check it out on the pic below.

One last Giveaway from my blogger friend Corinna, who is always worth checking out. This is her 300th follower giveaway and it's huge! Only one more day to enter!