Man Day!

Happy Man Day!

It's actually "Man Week" at my school!

Every year, my school celebrates a week dedicated to supporting the boys (& everyone else) at our school. I teach in an urban public city school that is in a high poverty area. The families we work with are absolutely wonderful, but unfortunately many of our children are lacking strong family support, especially with male role models. 

"Man Week" involves activities during and after school that support our boys by offering family workshops, cooperative learning events, and guest speakers.
It's a fantastic week full of joy!

Mr. D participates every year by visiting and talking to my first graders about making smart choices, like going to and through college and helping the community. My students asked him the most hilarious questions, it was so fun to witness!

He had them do a little cheer at the end and that's all my small groups wanted to do the rest of the day!

Did I ever mention how much I loved my job?

We wrote him thank you notes and it was then that it dawned on my students that he and I were married! One of my students asked if we had ever kissed! I answered yes, we kissed at our wedding, and there were lots of "eeewww's," lol. 

All cuteness aside, my job often feels very overwhelming. My students' needs are very high and sometimes the things we see just weigh on us so heavily. My heart breaks daily, but I believe in our students and the community's resilience. We are SO busy day to day that you just power on and focus on what needs to be done. It's only when you catch a little break and reflect that it all hits you! Sometimes I try to explain it to my non-teaching friends, but there just aren't always words. 

Mr. D has listened to me go on and on daily for the past couple years about my sweet students and what happens everyday. I know he cares, but it's hard to understand when you're not experiencing it firsthand. After he left our class and returned to work and sent me this sweet text:

♥