Twas the Week Before Christmas Break…

There have been so many moments in my teaching career where I’ve stopped and said to myself, “This is why I’m in this profession”. Seeing the love and joy in my students at Christmas time is one of those moments. There’s something about this time of year where everyone is just on the same page, and they truly show their compassion and empathy for others.

It was spirit week at Fairwood Public School and Ms. Lawrence’s class was in full spirit swing! Since I can’t share any of the kids’ photos (which I have a ton of), I’ll share my selfies with you. Normally, I’m not into taking selfies, but I felt I should for this fun week. [Did you know, according to Virgin Mobile, that 90% of selfies that people take are solely for themselves, as they are never shared with others? Who does that? Sorry, I’ve digressed.] I, on the other hand will share my selfies with you.

Monday was HOLIDAY COLOUR DAY! I came to Grade One wearing a wonderfully warm red sweater and candy cane earrings. The kids were decked out in red, green, white, and gold. We were very festive that day.

Tuesday was CRAZY HAIR DAY! Normally, I’d go a little crazier than this [in fact, my normal curly hair probably would have sufficed], but it was also the day of the Christmas concert so I didn’t want to be too extreme. I calmed things down by wearing an over-the-top bow in my hair. The kids….oh. They did not disappoint. Coloured streaks, gel galore, tinsel and ribbons, multiple pony tails…they made up for my lack of crazy hair.

Wednesday was BELL AND ORNAMENT DAY! Which was cute and fun for about 20 minutes. I wore jingle bell earrings and my jingle bell elf hat. Again, my kids did not disappoint. They came with bells all over the place! Pinned all over their shirts, tied in their hair, strapped to their wrists, you name it. 
Bells. Jingling. All day. 

For my busy little ones who don’t stay in one spot or try to be sneaky when I’m “not looking”, they didn’t get away with anything that day. Muah hahaha.

Thursday was HOLIDAY HAT DAY as well as the last day of school for my little lovelies. I forgot to take a selfie that day. From what you’ve seen, I’m sure you can use your imagination. We had such a fun last day. They showered me with presents and they were so darn excited to see me open them. I received lots of beautiful gifts and so many adorable cards. I realized how much of a teacher I am because I always made such a big deal out of how awesome their writing was in each of their cards. Speaking of cards, here is one of my favourites.

It’s me. Feeding a duck. 

This is why I love my onesies.

I spoiled them back by giving them LOTS of candy canes, Christmas cards, and snacks to enjoy as we watched The Santa Clause. It’s no National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation, but it’s one of my favourite kid-friendly holiday movies.

In one of my gifts was a beautiful candle and a little teacher brooch. Tucked in beside it was this. My student added to the present by giving me a "healthy snack". He was adamant that it wasn't his actual snack and that it really was for me. Priceless. 

I need to talk about our Uganda project. Let me tell you that they sounded wonderful singing our Christmas song at the concert. They were superstars. They finished their letters to their friends in Uganda and I am off to the post office today to finally send them over. I also had the kids write a letter to their families telling them how fortunate they are to have them. This is a great example of what I saw:

We did a fun activity where I re-read them How the Grinch Stole Christmas [and I read it with an extra Grinchy voice] and had them tell me how they would make the Grinch smile. Their answers were so cute.

{I would do a trick}

And just like that school was over for 2013. Even though I have lots of Christmas festivities ahead of me, I’ll still squeeze some time in to get my January 2014 unit up and ready.

I’m not sure if I’ll be posting much over the break, so if not, I hope everyone has a very Merry Christmas and a wonderful holiday with friends and family.

PS. Check out my Unforgettable Moments page for the most priceless moment I had all week. You’ll know which one I’m talking about.

Merry Christmas!