Optimistic Thought of the Day and a New Student!

Well friends, I made it.  The kids just left (augh!!!!) and I had a new student on top of the craziness today.  I feel so blindsided...how could I have forgotten the pain of being asked "Can I go to the bathroom?" or "I need to sharpen my pun-cil" augh!!!!  How did I survive two whole weeks without hearing that?  


In the midst of all this chaos (and yes, I really did have my lesson plans done!), a former teacher, neighbor, and good friend emailed me this and made me step back.  I'm sharing it with all my blogland buddies!

The Charles Schulz Philosophy 

The following is the philosophy of Charles Schulz, the creator of the 'Peanuts' comic strip.

You don't have to actually answer the questions.Just ponder on them.Just read straight through, and you'll get the point.

1. Name the five wealthiest people in the world.
2. Name the last five Heisman trophy winners.
3. Name the last five winners of the Miss America pageant.
4. Name ten people who have won the Nobel or Pulitzer Prize.
5. Name the last half dozen Academy Award winners for best actor and actress.
6. Name the last decade's worth of World Series Winners.

How did you do? 

The point is, none of us remember the headliners of yesterday.
These are no second-rate achievers.
They are the best in their fields.
But the applause dies..
Awards tarnish..
Achievements are forgotten.
Accolades and certificates are buried with their owners.

Here's another quiz. See how you do on this one:

1. List a few teachers who aided your journey through school.
2. Name three friends who have helped you through a difficult time.
3. Name five people who have taught you something worthwhile.
4. Think of a few people who have made you feel appreciated and special!!
5. Think of five people you enjoy spending time with.

Easier? 
The lesson:
The people who make a difference in your life are not the ones with the most credentials..
the most money...or the most awards.
They simply are the ones who care the most!

I thought that was good enough to pass along!  Another helpful tip I found some time ago on Pinterest is to have extras of all the things in your classroom that you put names on, as well as management things used at the beginning of the year in one place (Ha!  Imagine being that organized!!!!) so when you have a new student drop in on you at 8:45 like I did today, you have things already to go for them.

This is from Two Things in Common's blog, and you can read the blog post {here}.  Pretty good ideas!

Hope you pass along the Charles Schulz' email I got...it's too good not to share!  It's finally cold here in Virginia, down to 20 tonight.  It's about time as I say that my teeth are chattering!

Good night!