Feeling Grateful

Who's reading to who here?!

Today I am feeling very grateful.

I think it's because it's May.  And May is such a great month.  It's almost summer but not blistering hot yet.  School's going to get out in a few weeks here and all around the school you can feel a little bit of relaxing.  A little bit of "We're almost there!".  The mornings are full of light and the evenings are full of light and everybody is planting their gardens and I'm just so grateful for spring.  My dad used to always tell me about how much he loved the changing seasons.  I do too.  No matter how many years I experience spring, I am always surprised all over again by the beauty of it.

May is such a fun time to be in the classroom.  You jive with your classes, they like you, you like them, everyone knows the system and what is expected of them.  Plus, I always save my favorite books to teach at the end of the year.  On Friday we start The Things they Carried, a student favorite every year.  I wish every month could be May.

I'm so stinking proud of my first period.  They did so well on their SAGE. (Utah standardized testing).  My feelings about standardized testing are long and complicated and confusing even to myself, but here's the short of it- I think we probably test too much.  And I'm not sure the tests really help anything.  I'm not sure they don't help anything.  I just don't know that they do. This spring English classes did five days of standardized testing.  Five days of 85 minute class periods taken on standardized testing that is not allowed to go on their grade.  I mean, what's the point of all that, you know?

Anyway, my first period class, those little rascals, they don't really act like they're too in to class or learning or anything.  They give the most insanely intelligent comments and have me laughing my head off every morning, but then they don't turn their homework in.  I mean, they'll do it if it's convenient for them, but it certainly isn't their first priority.  Or their second.  Or even probably their third. This means first period's grades are never that high, but then last week they went and just manhandled the SAGE.  Totally kicked trash.  My other classes didn't come close to doing as well as they did, even though my other classes average much higher grades.  I kind of just stared at my first period today and was like, "So that's what you've been hiding this whole time?"  And they gave me these sheepish grins like, "Yah, we're freaking smart, but just don't tell anyone ok...?"

Greg's last school play of the year opened tonight.  He is directing You Can't Take it with You.  I went to help sell tickets.  I am so proud of that guy.  He has worked his butt off this year, and it shows.  I love being his teammate and confidante and partner.  It's an absolute privilege to navigate life with him by my side.

Little Miss June Bug had her nine month well check up yesterday.  I was bummed to hear that she is still only 13 pounds and 15.5 ounces.  ALMOST fourteen pounds.  I thought she'd be in the fourteen or close to fifteen pound range.  Kind of disheartening to hear that she is just not putting on weight.  They also pricked her toe and she is low on iron so now I will take her to the children's hospital where they will draw blood out of her arm and do further analysis and from there see if she is anemic.  I'm trying to get my tough mom act on, but blood from her arm? Anemic?  It's all kind of terrifying, but I'm grateful for modern medicine and doctors who know their stuff.  Now... to make all the foods with iron in them.

In other news, I started reading The Rosie Project over the weekend.  My sister in law suggested it to me.  I love it.  But I misplaced my copy two days ago and am going crazy not being able to finish it.  First world problems?

Speaking of first world problems... for Christmas I got a 50 mm lens for my Nikon D3200.  Does anybody in this great big internet world know if there is a way to do an auto focus on that lens?  My other lens had an auto focus button right on the lens but this bad boy's got nothing.  I have searched the world wide web high and low for answers and the internet is inconclusive.  You are my second choice for knowing everything.  Help a sister out?