Survival

 We all survived the first week of school! It was different, painful, weird. But it was also necessary, empowering, and accomplished. 

So many schools in Illinois have given in and decided to go strictly online, but we are fortunate that we get to go in person. 

Here's a another bulletin board in my classroom that features more than 50 quotes about how music helps us heal.

I used old (only songs that were incomplete) sheet music I had as a background.

The girls put together most of this board. I cut out the sparkly letters and drew the letters for 'YOU,' but they did everything else.  Annah put up the die cut music notes that are the last 2 phrases of the school alma mater. ("All your sons and daughters ever shall be true to the diamond in the prairie--the silver and the blue."

I really want my students to know that their music does belong to them. A teacher can teach them, but they are the ones who have the talent, who work to increase their skills, and who use their voices to create the music.  It belongs to them, and no one can take that away from them. 

I started with teacher in-service days Monday 8/17, and the first two were forced online at the last second because someone who had been in the building had been exposed to someone with Covid19 and the school had to be deep cleaned. 

The in-service days were great, and helped me a lot. I thought it was awesome when our elementary principal put this quote on the screen at the beginning of our first in-service day.

My office has been painted, and I've made it look as different as possible from how it looked before. It's still a work in progress, but it is functional enough for now.

I need something really big and great to cover the door!

The elementary classes are cohorting, and I will travel to them. This is my classroom-on-a-cart!

It's actually a desk on wheels, and I probably won't take it with me every day if I can get away with just using a backpack. But it allows me to have speakers and play songs on the keyboard. 

The girls stopped at the Dollar Tree and got me the colored containers for each class.

I also have my own school website now.

We went on a walk around town the night before everyone started school.

We started Friday 8/21. Jeremy moved Annah in at SIUe that same day, and she started classes (both in-person and online) Monday 8/24.

Jeremy is still working from home, so he took our first-day-of-school pictures.

SENIOR!

Sophomore!

We go together!

Every morning before we go to school, I have to complete an online self-certifying wellness check for the kids and myself.

 The staff has been so supportive and encouraging of me.  I received these beautiful flowers from the elementary guidance counselor on the first day of school. 

It has been an uber emotional week. I’m exhausted in every way, and went to bed at 7:30 a couple nights this week. (Hey, I haven't worked full time in 19 years!!) 

The disappointments continue to pile up. But! We continue to hang onto Jesus. Good things and blessings are in the mix too. I will continue to fight to focus on those things...

Mr. M taking a moment after school to show Caeden how to re-string a guitar I found in the music library.

Annah checking in to tell us how much she loves it at SIUe...

The art teacher and I with our classroom carts--and our photo-bombers in the elementary office!  Haha!

Encouraging emails from our Principals and Superintendent, and an anonymous donor providing lunch from Subway for the entire staff!

There are blessings in there. We will be thankful.

Tiny bit of explanation

 I apologize to the three of you who actually check in on this blog anymore!  I thought I'd offer a bit of an explanation of the mess it has become this year.  

First of all, Blogger has completely changed its format over the past many months, and I've struggled with getting photos to show up for months. Now I can't find any of the options of posting photos that guarantee they won't disappear. So, that's frustrating!

Secondly, the kids are getting older and don't like me taking photos of them all the time. Also, I don't feel that their stories are mine to tell as much any more. 

Also, I try to stick with mostly positive stories, and that's been kind of a struggle since March.

And...this happened. That has wrecked us for the past month. I had a whole post written up but, I won't expound on it any more here...

...except to say that I am now preparing at the last minute and for the first time to teach music full-time in school--and under COVID restrictions! I must be totally crazy!  I am glad I can be a familiar face for the students.  I will be kindergarten through 5th grade general music as well as junior high and high school choir. 

The kids helped me decorate a bulletin board in the classroom yesterday with old records, cassette tapes, and cd's I found in the room.

I will also still be directing the high school fall play and variety show--whatever those may look like this school year!

That doesn't leave me much time or mental energy for blogging, or crochet, or much else right now. 

To update on the rest of us:

Jeremy is still working from home for the foreseeable future. Annah is scheduled to move in at SIUe this coming Friday and start classes the following Monday. Sylvia is really excited to start her senior year, weird as it may be. Caeden is in desperate need of going back to school in-person, and will be starting his sophomore year this coming Friday.

These past 5 months have felt like a continuous emotional pounding in a lot of ways, but we are hanging on to Jesus. We have come to understand more than ever that He is our only source of Hope and Truth!

"Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things. Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me, or seen in me—put it into practice. 

And the God of peace will be with you."

- Philippians 4:6-9