Year Two

I'm so happy to be back for Year 2 at Christie!

What a difference a year makes---

This year, the week before school started I presented on a topic I care about to a staff of my friends.  Last year, I presented on a topic I really had no experience with to a staff I didn't know.

At Meet the Teacher, instead of a sea of kids whose faces I didn't recognize, I got a lot of hugs and shouts of "Mrs. McGlamery, look! I -- [fill in the blank... lost a tooth, got taller, cut my hair..]!"

Our PTA fed us an amazing dinner, and I watched as TONS of volunteers set up throughout the school to sell school supplies, spirit wear, and signs.  Better yet-- I watched as parents stood in line to buy them and join the PTA.

This year we have a Pre-K for the first time ever!  Game-changer.  These little ones will have the opportunity to prepare for Kindergarten at their home campus.  They will build the stamina necessary to make it through a long school week before they even turn 5.  And they will enter their Kindergarten classrooms with the skills needed to be successful.

We have 18 new staff members! And each of them has an energy level that is contagious.  They've jumped right in and joined our family seamlessly.

Speaking of "jumping right in", I've already received emails from Kindergarten parents looking for ways to serve our campus community.  Unreal!

Positive change is happening. It's fun to sense.  Fun to watch.  And even more fun to be a part of.

To anyone new to Christie, welcome! To veterans, welcome back!
I have a feeling that this is going to be the best year yet!!

Thanks, Teachers!

I am so grateful for teachers!!

I've known that I wanted to be a teacher since I was in the second grade.  I think most kids want to be a teacher at some point-- or at least play "school"-- because it's one of the only professions about which we have firsthand knowledge.  But my resolve was unwavering.

I was writing Teacher Appreciation Notes to my kids' teachers this week and was floored once again by how fortunate we've been to have the teachers we've had. 

I have journals for each of my kids, and I write notes to them fairly regularly.  In each of their books, I had written a prayer for the "right" teachers to mold them and guide them.  And I've trusted and never worried since. 

The "right" teacher might be a difficult personality.  The "right" classroom might be the one without their best friends since Kindergarten.

A lot of my "mom friends" request teachers for their kids. 

We've all heard of the helicopter mom who swoops in when her child is in trouble.  A few years ago, I heard of the sweeper mom.   It's a term that comes from curling.  In the Olympic sport of curling,  there is a sweeper whose sole purpose is to keep the ice smooth and clean so that the stone doesn't hit any rough patches and can make it safely in the goal.  A sweeper mom doesn't just swoop in when trouble arises, she keeps the path smooth so trouble doesn't even exist.

I was determined to be neither!

My kids have not had smooth sailing every year, but they have learned perseverance.  They've learned that they can handle difficult circumstances without me engineering every step they take.

And as parents, we've learned to trust authority.  To support the teachers placed in charge of our children. 

And we've never been disappointed. In fact, we continue to be impressed!!

I am so grateful for the teachers who work tirelessly to pour into children's lives, never knowing if they'll ever see the fruits of their labor.  Thank you for giving of yourself and for loving kids who are not your own.  Thank you for putting up with parents who can be exhausting!  And thank you for doing it all with grace and a smile!  Teachers are the best!!

Love y'all!! And I appreciate you!!