Goodbye Bulldog. Hello Summer.

Messy: It has been a hard year to say the least. Sometimes saying less is best, and this has been one of those years as far as school goes.

This AmAziNg card from my sweet friend Allison

pretty much sums it up. Basically she has the GiFt of finding the perfect card always:

Beautiful: Since August I've donned the bulldog Monday through Friday, and today the bulldog is officially off of this girl's skirt...It is a beautiful day indeed!

Grateful: I know that this trying year is serving it's purpose in refining this messy soul. We shall see what fruit it will yet bear. As for now, I'm grateful for the many times I was able to rely on the ONE greater than anything my 31 could throw at me for help and comfort. I'm grateful for the FoRgiVeNesS He continued to offer me on those many days I relied on my own strength instead of His. I'm grateful for my patient husband who graciously listened to my daily woes. And finally I'm grateful friends like Allison who pray, listen, and always seem to be there (with reinforcements) when I'm on the brink of losing my SaNiTy.

So Goodbye bulldog, hello summer! I will not miss you. I much prefer the poodle...And just because we're saying goodbye to the bulldog, it does not mean that our Ben and Jerry's days are over. There's always a place for ChErRy GaRcIa, always...

No More Magic Door

So I haven't quite FalLeN off the face of the earth...at least not yet. I've just been consumed by Mobile #5 and the 31 little darlings inside. Here's a picture of my dad and Dan checking out my MoBiLe back in August...
Dan suggested that I announce to the parents at curriculum night that class in the mobile will begin at 10 a.m. and end promptly at 2:00 p.m..... He's brilliant basically :)

I'm enjoying my 31, and of course I absolutely love teaching the BeSt grade EvEr...FifTh, but I am missing my dear friends at Spring Trail and the students and families there.

What follows is a photo of how extremely sad I am to not have my friend LiZ next door to me this year.


Every day I drink from this beautiful cup that she passed on to me when I was leaving last year.
It was given to her from the wonderful teacher who retired and left Spring Trail before I arrived, and every time I drink from it I remember how Liz could always make me laugh on really difficult days, took care of me when I needed a rain coat or to be told to go home, let me unload my life, and made sure I kept wearing HeEls and BliNg...She's amazing, and I miss her terribly.
I'm so grateful for the privilege of teaching on her team and sharing the MaGiC door between our classrooms for a time. Having a new job is a blessing, but it's just not the same without her...I miss you Liz!

And so it Begins...

Not sure Dan knew what a CoMmiTmEnT marrying a teacher would be...


He moved 20 or so boxes of my stuff from our garage into my new mobile...what you don't see is the additional boxes of previous teachers' sTuFf he moved out of my mobile so that our sweet custodian wouldn't have to do it. She was grateful and so am I. Boxes and boxes of books are NoT pleasant...


Unpacking and Organizing. Yikes!


And this my friends is how you cope...

Thank you to our new friend Jim for this FaBuLoUs mix. It made the sweltering heat and endless boxes much more bearable :)

After a week of this, I forgot to take an after shot. I just wanted to get out of there and take in what bit of summer remains...

I'm sure there will be more than enough time to enjoy the finished product of Mobile 5 come August 23rd, but until then I'm keeping my distance!

All Packed

Here lies my classroom (minus the peat moss and charcoal)...all packed up and ready for a new adventure come AuGuSt...



...but for now it's Bye, Bye Spring Trail :(...HELLO Summer :)...

My 28

Worlds MoSt BeSt teacher...They make me smile...even if their grammar is a little interesting:)

Katie Bailey and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad, Day

It's official. As of today I am "honorably dismissed" from my position as a teacher in U-46. I knew it was coming, but there's just something horrible about signing on the line and having to face my 28 darlings the rest of the day.

Here I am sporting my PiNk, standing strong with the other 700 or so teachers who were released today...pink slip in hand (I know, it's not even pink)...and a pink bag filled with chocolate from my sweet colleagues and friends at school who also wore head to toe PiNk in support of hundreds, like me, who were RiFfeD today.

I consider it a tremendous loss to leave students, teachers, friends, and families that have captured my heart in many ways, and though I have not lost heart, and I am hopeful for the BeSt, today was undoubtedly a No Good, Very Bad Day...there's just no other way to put it.

The End.

Back to Normal...

Whew...The ISATs (our state assessments) are FiNaLly over! This is what I came back to after lunch on Friday:

These are the little things my 28 DaRliNgS do that just bring a smile to my face and warm my heart. Can you tell they were happy to be DoNe? They did a terrific job, and I'm so very proud of them no matter what the outcome :)

Go here to see us celebrating with a ViCtoRy DaNcE...just promise not to judge me for not keeping up with my classroom blog...it's a work in progress.

At any rate, I'm so glad to be back to NoRmAl...well, as normal as you can get in a fifth grade classroom for the MoNdaY following Daylight Savings Time and leading up to Spring Break...Four more days to go!!

Kids say the funniest things...

FrIdaY afternoon, our amazing ThiRd GrAdE BuDdiEs were making their weekly visit. The BuDdiEs were hard at work finishing up their How To books...you know, How to Make a PBJ, How to Make a Paper Airplane, etc. My FiFtH GrAdErS were supposed to be leading their third grade buddies in the effort.

As I walked around the room to ensure that everyone was on task, I stopped at a table of four boys working together on their book...well, one boy was working on the book while the others were being SuPpOrTivE observers :).

In an attempt to EnCouRaGe a TeAm effort, I simply said, "The whole group is supposed to be working on the book. Why are ThReE of you just watching G do all the work?"

Their response: "We're taking turns coloring the book 'cuz we already stapled the pages together."

My response: A PuZzLeD look followed by...."That's why you're supposed to StApLe it once it's FiNiSheD so that each of you can work on a page instead of just one person working on OnE page while everyone else sits and does NoThiNg".

Their response: Completely PuZzleD...

My response: A look of DiSbEliEf because no one in the group has thought to solve this problem by taking out the staples and passing out the pages so that everyone can be On-TaSk and the project can be completed in an efficient manner.

I calmly take the book from G and begin pulling out the staples by HaNd because I'm HaPhaZarD like that.

Their response: Utter AmAzeMenT. Seriously...You would have thought I'd just made something VaNisH into thin air...

One of the students who appeared to be the most puzzled KriNklEd his face as if seriously PoNdeRinG the matter and said in a high pitched tone of utter PeRplExiTy...

How'd you do that Mrs. Bailey?....
Did you have trainin' to do that or somethin'?

My Response: Of course I ErUpTeD into laughter at the thought of me and every other teacher in the WoRLd receiving training on how to pull staples out of paper by hand...as if this is some high-level SkIlL that all teachers must show competence in before being crowned with the HoNoR of teaching these little ones.

Through the LaUgHteR I replied, "Actually, no, I didn't get training in this. Believe it or not I just figured it out on my own."

CoNfuSioN still on his face, the student replied, "oh" and began working on his part of the book.

In these sMalL MoMeNts I'm ReMiNdeD of the great JoY found in what I do. I'm EnCouRaGed that even though my job can sometimes seem ChAoTiC, out of control, and OvErwHeLmInG to me, my clientele still think I'm a HiGhLy QuAliFieD GeNiUs, and I'll take that any day....even if it is just for tearing staples out of a book by hand.

Can't Sleep...

The end of the school year is here and what a surprise, I cannot SleEp. There are so many things that run through my MiNd this time of year. There's the normal StUfF that seems to plague me most when things at work get HeCtiC, and there's the EnD of the year StUfF that must be held in a delicate balance...you can't do too much too soon because school isn't over, but you can't wait until the last hour because you want to be OuT the door AsaP. I keep saying I need to make a BiG FaT list and just go at it...if nothing else maybe it will just help to get it all out there...

• Start and finish AvErAginG grades.
• HoUnD those notorious ones who still have MiSsInG WoRk
• Make a LiSt of all of the BrIlLiaNt ideas I've had throughout the course of the year. The conversation in my mind usually sounds like this, "Well that was a BiG, FaT FloP...next year I'll do this instead". I have to write them down to avoid repeating said FloPs.
• Do DiShEs...we have no clean SiLvErwArE...YiKeS!
• Make AwArDs for the FiFth GrAdE Spelling Bee, Track Meet, Brainiacs, and Art Show.
• Write a LeTteR to my kids' parents thanking them for sharing their TeRrIfiC kids with me this year.
• OrGaNiZe my files so teaching the same grade level next year will be to my GreAtEsT benefit.
• Somehow get my kids from the 1920s to the end of WWII in 10.5 days...without them DeSpiSinG me for it!
• Figure out an end of the year GiFt for my kids and MaKe it.
• R.S.V.P. for the EnD of the YeAr PaRtY...do I want ChIcKeN or PorK?
• Sit down with Dan to plan our AnNiVeRsArY.
• Somehow figure out where we can have a GaRdEn without getting EleCtrIcUteD upon digging.
• Write NoTeS to my kids.
• Make those DoCtoR appointments I've been putting off for a few years now...Seriously another summer cannot pass without me taking care of some silly things.
• Make a SliDeShOw so all of the pictures I take throughout the year can be put to good use.
• EnJoY my last few days with them in the midst of the ChAoS...SaVoR how truly DeLiGhtfuL my group of 27 is this year.
• Try to SlEeP so I can end the year a KiNd and PaTieNt teacher, wife, friend, and person.

With that, I'm done for now...Just thinking about all of it is making me TiReD :) Who knows maybe I should have been doing the above mentioned things instead of just writing about them, but it's too LaTe for that...I'm off to BeD!