A Short Month

I like February for a number of reasons. Valentine's Day is one - I love frosted sugar cookies and usually end up making them in February anyway. I like pink and red too. I love sending Valentines - even if I did give pencils to my students. And I like the fact that there are always 2 days off in February. Finally, money goes farther when you only have to count your pennies for 28 days!

XXXX's and OOOO's

I remember Valentine Days of yore. I was always worried that no one would give me one. (In the old days, the school didn't send home a list of everyone in the class - some people really didn't get very many.) Coming from a very large family with not much money, my mom bought the cheapest ones they had - you had to cut them out, they didn't punch out. And she never bought candy to put in them. So I was only allocated a few - and so I only gave out a few. But each year I got a respectable amount - enough to at least feel like I wasn't the class reject anyway. Maybe the mothers in the class said, "be sure to give one to the little Clayton girl - she probably doesn't get much!"

Along those lines, there was a mother in the class who always baked a cake for me at her daughter's birthday party (which occurred 2 days after my birthday) In retrospect, that is incredibly kind and thoughtful. It was always an angel food cake - which is probably why angel food cake is my all time favorite dessert.

The Learning Store

I am off to the Learning Store - to get some very simple science worksheets for an incredibly low student I have. He really belongs at a lower level, but parent is in denial and will not sign. So the aide takes him and another very low student with just an uncaring parent - I have some sad students, let me tell you - and does work with them outside on the lunch tables during Science.

Doesn't it sound kind of oxymoronish to go to a learning store - I guess you really can buy anything with money!? The other Special Ed. teacher - who is brand new - went there - to the Learning Store that is - with a 20% off coupon and reported that they just had tons of good science stuff to choose from - so I'm pretty excited.

Just wish I had a 20% off coupon. (Thank you Mr. Bush and Gov. Schwarzenegger for you fiscal assistance to teachers everywhere!)