Keepin' It Real {trying to, at least}!

This week has been tough. 

I knew there would be tough moments. 

Tough days. 

Tough weeks. 

This was definitely one of those weeks; grieving is not easy. Losing someone you love is really hard. I don't usually blog about non-school related topics-but this is real life. Life is filled with lots of unexpected ups and downs. 

Sometimes we get so caught up in sharing all the highlights of our week...every successful project, some new creation for our classroom, and sweet notes from our kiddos. I think that we tend to over look (or leave out) that lesson gone bad, or that moment when our class was completely out of control, or the fact that sometimes life just happens. I'm guilty of this. I tend to blog mostly about the highlights of my week. I think social media is partially to blame. We are so quick to upload, hashtag, and blog about all the wonderful things that are happening, which is awesome. I'll be the first to admit that I've gotten some amazing ideas from other teachers via Instagram, Facebook, and blogs. I love social media!  But, we all know that every day is not #perfect.

Here's my confession: My week was not perfect. You didn't think every week was perfect, did you:)? Yes, I had a couple of lessons that didn't go as planned-we all have them. There was a point during a lesson this week that I just stopped, took a look around the room, and started laughing! Things were just not going as planned (I'm a planner-in case you forgot). The kids burst out in laughter with me! These moments are so important in a classroom! The kiddos really see that you're human, too. This is how you build positive relationships with your students-and where the real learning begins.

I wish more teachers would blog about some of those "less than perfect" moments. We can all relate. Life (in and out of the classroom) isn't always rainbows and butterflies with cutesy crafts. I have found a blog that I just L-O-V-E! Kristin, over at A Teeny Tiny teacher is amazing-she definitely keeps it real! She blogs about the good, the bad, and all the in between. She's absolutely hilarious, too! 

I've learned that there will be tough days and happy days. But, you can get through it all with a little faith, the help of family, and good friends. Life is short, enjoy the moments-all of them.

Okay... I may do have a few fun things to share with you from our week. You didn't think I went the entire week without some craftiness did you:)?

In remembrance of 9/11 we talked a lot about heroes and what it meant to be a hero. I used this as an opportunity to work on our writing skills, specifically capital letters and ending marks. The kids wrote about what they thought a hero was. Pretty awesome, right?

We also worked on these 9/11 books throughout the week. Each page has a very kid-friendly story about heroism on September 11th. 

Here are our books-not on paper bags:).

Happy Friday!