Sometimes it's not all about the benjamins

Though I could use a job with more money and some benefits I have to say that I work in a place where my school administrators (and some other folks) are not stingy with praise.

Yesterday I hosted a little Mardi Gras party at school; to make it educational I gave a Christian perspective of Mardi Gras (since we're a faith based facility) and fed the kids King Cake. My administrators came in to hear the program and both sent me a nice email thanking me for all my work and exclaiming on what a great job I did.

I attended a School Board Meeting last night to show my support to my administration for a very ugly school politics situation and this morning I had an email thanking me for my support.

I heard from them about liking my newsletter I made for the library.

They aren't the type to "over kill" with praise but they recognize when someone goes out of the way to do something extra and I do appreciate that so much. The last two places I worked did not have administrators who did this. The last school the administrators barely could remember my name let alone recognize anything "extra" I did.

This is a lovely change of pace.

Some of my colleagues are also nice like this. I get notes or emails or just verbal praise or thanks from secretaries or fellow teachers. It's nice to know they realize I'm trying to do SOMETHING good for the students. Even though I make $8 an hour and am considered part time.

And while singing praise on people, I have to say the students in my school completely rocked yesterday. I gave the presentation and the kids sat quietly and were attentive (or faked it really well.). None of them were out of line about Mardi Gras/ beads/ boobs/ booze; they were very school appropriate with their questions and comments. They said "thank you" for the donuts and the programs. They were enthusiastic and engaged. They cleaned up their own messes and pushed in chairs before they left the library. They complimented me on all the decorations. I'm just saying that while my school population are considered "criminals" they were dang nice criminals yesterday. I had contact with the entire student body yesterday and it was an excellent positive experience. I was very impressed with our students.

Sometimes the "atta boys" are just the perk-me-up and reminder that I need to keep doing what I do, whether they come from the students or adults!

Maggie

March in my library

I wrote my first library newsletter and I'm going to pass one out to each kid tomorrow. It's full of cool things I have planned for the month of March. I want the library to be a center of 'artistic learning' and not just all about books. I want my students to WANT to come to the library.

This month I've hidden paper shamrocks in books and if students find one, they can check it out, read it, take a Reading Counts test and if they pass it, then they get a full sized candy bar. I'm holding this contest until St. Paddy's Day.

Next week I'm hosting a fat Tuesday party. I got a local bakery to give me some donuts and I'm going to serve them all call 'em King Cakes. I've created a 4 minute Power Point presentation about Mardi Gras and how it's related to Christianity. I also have decorations and door prizes.

Every Friday we have a drawing. Kids who get awarded a good behavior award come in the library and their name goes in a drawing so they can win prizes. The "drawing container" is in pretty bad shape. I'm sponsoring a decoration contest. Students can submit a design and the winner will bring the design to life, and get a lunch out!

The last thing I have planned for March is an Art & Lecture activity. I'm having a guest speaker come in, show some greeting cards she's mad, talk about it and then the invitees get to make a card or two. this is happening on the Ides of March.

I was going to have a St. Patrick's Party but the only way I could think of tying it to the library was through Irish poetry. Usually written by drunks. So I thought I would pass on that!

I'm so excited about it all!

My only stupid moment was as the copier spit out copy #116 of my March newsletter and I thought I should've celebrated Dr. Seuss's birthday. On March 2. Ooops!

Maggie

Let them eat cake!

Since Mac has had his bake on here lately (did I mention that last night he couldn't sleep so he baked chocolate chip cookies at 2am?), I was thinking maybe I could employ his help on a little baking project I want to do. Or maybe I could buy all the ingredients, give him a recipe and get out of his way?

Fat Tuesday is February 16 and this year I wanted to bake a King Cake to bring to school. I have two sections of reading I teach (in addition to my 5 periods of aide duties) so I was thinking of making 2 Cakes, one for each class.

I've been researching and have learned all about King Cakes. The basics: usually a cinnamon yeast roll type of cake, shaped in a circle and decorated with the Mardi Gras colors of purple, green and gold. Traditional cakes have a plastic baby Jesus baked inside the cake and the person who gets that is King or Queen for the day, and is usually in charge of bringing the Cake to the next celebration. In my case, since I want to bring these to the public middle school, I think I might just bake the Cakes and leave a plastic baby Jesus in the center, like many bakeries that are afraid of lawsuits do. I'm also going to drape the cake with beads in the traditional colors. Then I thought the reading lesson that day could be about Mardi Gras. Something fun and different and festive.

I live in the Midwest and most of my students have never heard of Mardi Gras let alone Fat Tuesday or anything else related to this event so it might be kinda cool. I was in New Orleans around Mardi Gras time (once upon a time and a lifetime ago), and it was fun for sure. Though maybe I should omit those stories...

If I can motivate myself to actually DO the baking. Like I said, maybe Mac would like a chance to upgrade his baking skills....

Mardi Gras Queen Maggie