I am now just over mid-way through my first year behind the principal's desk and, I must say, I love what I am doing.
The hours are long, the work is BIG, and the responsibilities are huge. But, I love it.
I love helping kids solve their problems.
I love going into the lunchroom and spending time with each grade level.
I love eating my lunch in the lunchroom and seeing the faces of the Kinders when I eat my pureed asparagus soup which must look pretty funky to them!
I love digging in to curriculum and helping teachers reach their full potential in the classroom.
I love brainstorming ways to make my school even more amazing.
I love knowing all almost 300 students in my building and, I'm proud to say, I know almost all of their names.
I love standing outside each morning during arrival and waving to parents as they pull in and greeting kids with their first school smile of the day.
I love being outside each afternoon during dismissal and waving at parents as they pull in and saying bye to kids with their last school smile of the day.
I love how in-tune my ears are now to children's tears! I can hear them a mile away.
I love how I've learned that a baggie with 2 ice cubes can make any scratch, scrape, or bump feel instantly better.
I love doing little things to let my staff know they are appreciated.
I love my morning pop-ins to each classroom in the building.
I love that, when I'm not at school, the kiddos realize I'm gone.
I love my Monday morning all-school assemblies.
I love reading the day's lunch choices on the announcements and, on the day when they have french toast with peas, I love making little jokes about it.
I love that, even when I have to discipline a student, they still give me hugs the next day.
I love the silly things my kiddos say. It is a K-2 school, after all.
I love seeing parents coming in to help in the classrooms.
I love hearing kids say things like, "Yes! We get to do math!"
I love seeing Kindergarteners doing "read to self" and working to build their stamina.
I love how I can recognize their individual voices when they say hi to me from across the room.
I love the people I work with. Seriously. My staff is amazing.
I love the school secretary. We'd be lost without her!
I love that I still get to read to kiddos.
I love that, even though I'm not in the classroom, I still feel connected to what is going on in the classrooms in my building.
I love how the bucket of chocolate I keep in my office acts as an instant barometer for how everyone is feeling at school... on stressful days, the bucket gets a lot of action from the staff.
I love when I walk into classrooms and kids tell me they saw me in the parking lot saying good morning. Yes, I just saw you too. When I said good morning. When you got out of your car 10 minutes ago. I love it!
So much to love!
I hope all of my bloggy friends are having a great year too!
