Call me Charlotte...

I walk into school today and all the "adults" can talk about is how after today there are only 3 more Mondays. As excited as I am to see my husband, I'm actually quite sad to see the school year ending. I really love what I do every day; don't get me wrong I do get frustrated once and awhile like anyone else with public school politics, stupid parents, and my favorite ADHD students... But at the end of the day I love it. I love my students, the little personalities that they have developed this year. I love that I taught them how to read and how to read well. I love that they can solve problems themselves and how they are set up to become remarkable, worthwhile, contributing human beings.

Three years ago when I was a Method's teacher in Sherry Lynn Powell's class, she had me read Charlotte's Web to her students. I read it again to my kids last year and again to my students this year. We finished it today and every time I read it, it really gets me thinking. It is a silly story about an average pig overcoming a seemingly grim destiny with the help of a little spider. It is that silly little spider that gets me every time.

"Why did you do all this for me?" Wilbur asked. "I don't deserve it. I have never done anything for you."
"You have been my friend," replied Charlotte. "That in itself is a tremendous thing. I wove my webs for you because I liked you. After all, what's a life anyway? We're born, we live a little while, we die. A spider's life can't help being something of a mess, with all this trapping and eating flies. By helping you, perhaps I was trying to lift up my life a trifle. Heaven knows anyone's life can stand a little of that."

So many times we come across Wilbur characters in our own lives. I kind of feel that way about my students at the beginning of the year. On the surface they show up needy and blank slates, but with a little TLC they leave terrific, radiant, and humble and instead of saying 'some pig' as Charlotte would have put it, I tell the second grade teachers that they are getting 'some student' who is wonderful and I would take them home in a heartbeat. 3 weeks and 4 days... It's hard to believe another year has come and gone.

I love skype!

Our house has horrible cell phone reception. We have a steel roof and although low maintenance it can be a little frustrating at times when I am trying to talk to my oh-so-distant husband. But today we had a break through! Daren has a web cam on his lap top and he signed up for a skype account so today I GOT TO SEE MY HUSBAND WHILE TALKING! (He sounded great too!) And can I just say I haven't felt so giddy in ages? My husband is a hottie. If you ever want to skype us Daren's name is just DAREN BLACK and I think our computer at home is IDAHOBLACKS. It's totally free long distance calling as long as you have fast enough Internet to support it. Hope all's well, love you all!
-Shan

Day three of bachelorettedom and super bored...

Daren left to work in Tucson on Monday night and I am already finding myself looking at the calendar 20 times a day trying to figure out when I will see him next. It amazes me how convenient having a husband really is now that he has left. He keeps the dog company, and in his absence the dog has run away twice and twice I have had to retrieve him. He is a great fix-it man, I am looking at all of the little projects I want done and realizing my honey-do-list is now my to-do-list. He is a fabulous trash man, he takes it out every night and on Wednesday he hauls the dumpster across the street for pickup. It finally seemed like spring on Monday but on Tuesday night we had a freak snow storm and I had an eight inch snowdrift I had to haul the dumpster through… Man I wish my husband was here. In my loneliness I decided to indulge in a pizza. Had my husband been here I would have had two pieces and he would have had six; instead I had two, then two more, then two more, and then two more. I think it’s time to go watch Eli Stone on the elliptical machine now.

Daren is doing well. He likes his office in Tucson and is getting installs. He said that the grass looks fake because it is so green. He says it is hot and that he loves it there. I can’t wait to love it there too.