Schools Out, Schools Out, Teachers Let The Monkeys Out

Overhead projector, transparencies and film projector along with film strips

Filing cabinet filled to the brim, refrigerator, pencil sharpener

student desk chairs

cubbies, dry erase boards, bulletin boards


teacher's desk and more charts


bookcase, globe, world map


lots and lots of educational supplies, and I do mean lots.

This is by no means our homeschooling room. I just don't go there. I am okay with all of you who do, but I tend to go for the public school thing.

Anyway, I really don't blog much about Gage as he asks me not too. Every time I take a picture or say something about the blog, he tells me every time to not blog about it or him. He is at that age, and I feel if they ask you not to blog about them, then you should not. It is not that I don't love him or love Aidan more, Aidan just can't say now right now. But this, oh he was fine with this. This is his pride and joy. You see, my son who is going to soon be 13, going to have to get a job to support his habits of buying teacher resource materials and to buy all the shoes he is outgrowing and the clothes too, wants to become a teacher. He has dreamed of this since a very small age, and has been collecting this stuff for years. This my friends is Gage's teacher room above our garage. This is a nice room, long and narrow but has a nice window in the end, good lighting, privacy and hardwood floor, and he has it filled to the brim, very neatly I might add, with his teaching room. He spends hours tucked away in this room, grading papers, making worksheets, using all the ink in our printer cartridges, hint, hint, and doing things teachers normally do.

The filing cabinet is stuffed with Mailbox Magazines, magazines that teachers subscribe too, and yes he has a subscription. This company publishes ideas submitted by teachers, and he has had a few published, that is until they found out he was only 12 at the time and kindly sent us a note they would not be accepting any more of his ideas. I say boycott them, but he does love this magazine, and actually reads it. There are numerous teacher resource books and materials in this room. They fill every nook and cranny. The overhead projector and cart, a Christmas gift. The white board, a wonderful DIY project by my hubby as well as the white bookcase. He is handy like that. The local teacher stores know Gage when he comes in. They think it is just cool that he likes this stuff. Of course, he is spending all his money there, and well on Ebay. Did I tell ya he was very fluent on Ebay. Yep, does his own bidding, paying and emailing, of course upon my approval. Last week he got a Macmillan Box thingy, who knows what it was, and well he had no money, so that thing cost him, washing both cars inside and out and lots of little chores. This week, another Macmillan Box thingy, and well he had money for that that he forgot about in his closet. Go figure. Who forgets about money? Wait he is just 12.

I know, I know, my husband thinks it is crazy. But you see, the way I look at it is if it was not this kind of stuff, which is very helpful and educational, it would be video games or gasp, even girls. He is just too young for the latter I think. You know, I am his mother. I don't even want to think about this stuff.

Needless to say, this is a room I once had plans for, a nice little bedroom, a workout room, something I felt was useful. Well it is very useful, housing Gage's stuff, and believe me he has plenty of it.

By the way, if you have any FREE, I cannot stress FREE enough, teacher materials you would like to get rid of, I am sure Gage would be glad to take them off your hands. The teachers take advantage of us at the end of the year like this, and I get all their junk.

Teresa

Reflections of Summer

Wow, school starts here tomorrow. I just cannot believe that summer break is over. Where did the time go? I guess working and taking care of a baby helps pass the time. You know what they say, time flies while having fun. Tomorrow my son will be in the 7th grade, 2 more years until high school and just only about 3 years shy of being able to drive. Scary, huh. I guess we are as ready as can be. New clothes and shoes bought (might I insert here that we bought size 12 shoes this year, 12 in mens mind you). Oh yeah, and a very neatly groomed fresh haircut. Love the fresh haircuts. Makes the head look smaller. I know, I know crazy. The only thing we don't have done is the supply list. We missed open house since I had to work, but the school said he would be fine tomorrow, just bring pencil and paper for the 1st day.

Today I have been reflecting on how blessed we are. I have went over and over in my mind things I wanted to say and I just have a hard time putting them to words. I am thankful for my job, my family, our home, our health, and so much more I cannot even begin to list. Sometimes we have to stop and take a break, look at the big picture. When you look at other people's lives, those who have sick children, those who are going through foreclosures and losing jobs, losing spouses, those who are sick themselves, those who have spouses who are sick or dying, those whose lives are in turmoil, those who struggle with infertility, those who lose babies that never made it to be born or died at birth or before, you realize how truly blessed you are. I cry for so many people when I read their blogs. I question how I got to be so blessed. What did I do to deserve this? Some days I just don't want to read the sad stories, but I do think that we need to, we need to realize what we have, and what could all be gone. The main thing that matters is we have the Lord on our side, we stand steadfast in him and our beliefs and continue to look for God as guidance. I struggle daily as many other people do. Not 1 of us is perfect. Not 1 of us is deserving. Not 1 of us should cast stones. We do not know what the future holds. I pray for safety, strength, guidance, health and financial help daily. Most of all I pray for forgiveness because I am just a sinner saved by grace, looking to the future, pushing my way through this world of sorrow and turmoil and struggling day to day with Satan on my coattails trying to drag me down.

Teresa