Katie Mason: end of year blog!

As the end of the school year wraps up, many of us notice it isn’t so hard to get out of bed now knowing we only have a week or so left and others are busily packing boxes and cleaning up their rooms to be the first ones checked out from admin on June 5^th (you are lying to yourself if one of these is not youJ).  A lot of times we forget to reflect on the year and the 9 months we spent with this group of kids.  We tend to forget where it all started and the butterflies we had at the beginning.  Our focus is often lost in the shuffle of summer excitement and vacations that we are anxiously awaiting.  I read a quote from Nick Saban recently,

“When you invest your time, you make a goal and a decision of something that you want to accomplish. Whether it's make good grades in school, be a good athlete, be a good person, go down and do some community service and help somebody who's in need, whatever it is you choose to do, you're investing your time in that.”

This really made me start thinking about this year and what I had invested my time in.  I have invested my time in these kids more than they will ever know.  As educators, we set goals for ourselves and students and invest time to reach these goals, but do we ever really take the time to reflect on what differences we have made?  We invest time in breaking down data and how to reach every kid, but what if our time and energy was invested in something more than data can show?  As I reflect on this year, several students made progress on paper and grew leaps and bounds, but I celebrate the students I have built amazing relationships with (yes, most of them are the same and I don’t think that is just a coincidence).  Wally Watkins may not have the highest test scores in the district or the state, but we have a school full of over 600 kids who look forward to being here every day with all of you.  We invest in each of them individually and I think that is something we all need to celebrate.  It is easy to forget these successes and I think Ferris Bueller put it best, “Life moves pretty fast.  If you don’t stop and look around once in a while, you could miss it.”  So, before you get lost in the hustle and bustle of the end of the year procedures, I encourage each of you to take time to personally reflect on at least one student you have made a difference with this year off of paper, someone you know that you invested time in. I can almost guarantee, you can’t pick just one.  This is one of the many reasons these kids love coming to Watkins and teachers love teaching here.  I want to thank all of you for investing in Watkins and have a great summer!!!

Dual Language Marriage

I'm a happily married gal. I've been married to my husband for almost 8 years and have found that marriage takes a ton of work and that we truly parent our children together. He helps with all household chores, takes care of Benjamin's school work, and jumps in to rescue me when I make terrible decisions in my life (which is more often than I would like to admit). He has tons of knowledge about all things in life and is a pretty decent person to be around. Now that I have put out all the things I appreciate about my husband, let me tell you that things are not always pleasant. He gets on my nerves at times, won't stop talking when I need a moment to think, and I really miss him (and his help) when he travels out of town.

In August, I got married again. To my DL partner, Ana Maria! We didn't even meet before, it was just an arranged marriage. We both met, we got to know each other, and we have overcome some obstacles. Together we are responsible for 30+ children, taking care of school work, and rescuing each other when we don't always know exactly what is going on. We both were new to the school and it has been such a learning experience. Ana Maria and I have also dealt with the frustration and aggravation of working with each other in such a close setting. We have become awesome at co-teaching together and we are each able to express creativity in our favorite subject areas. When she was gone after her accident, I really felt like I do when my husband travels out of town. It was so hard to take care of all our students, maintain lesson plans, deal with day-to-day life, and not have her support and guidance like I am accustomed to. I'm glad Ana Maria is back to help share in the celebrations and joys of being with our precious kids. Similar to my marriage with my husband, my marriage to Ana Maria takes a ton of work, patience, and understanding. I appreciate her!

Team Work Makes the Team Work!!

As I reflect on my first year at Watkins, I have so much to be thankful for!  It has been an incredible year and I am truly blessed to be here!  At the top of the list of blessings is the privilege I have had this year to be part of THE MOST AWESOME KINDERGARTEN TEAM EVER!!

Last summer, when I came for my interview with Mrs. Speicher, I met Brenda, one of the Kindergarten teachers, and she said something that caught my attention: "We have a great Kindergarten team - we all work to our strengths."

As this year has progressed, I have seen the truth of her statement play out over and over again. This team is made up of 7 individuals with very different personalities, ages, levels of experience, teaching styles, opinions, ideas, abilities, and strengths.  The one characteristic everyone has in common, however, is the desire to be a team player and to work together, each one doing her part to make a contribution for the good of the team.  I'm amazed at the lack of competition, "score keeping" and negativity.  Much to the contrary, each person on the team is giving, caring, hard working, positive, and willingly shares what she has to offer for the good of the whole team. It is a beautiful thing to witness and be a part of!

Thank you Candice, Dyann, Mirna, Amy, Debra and Brenda for being such an exemplary team, and for the way you have each welcomed and made me feel "at home"! Working with each of you this year has been a GREAT JOY!