A little pick me up

We received this wonderful email after our 1st center day in our T/TH preschool class. I want it here to re-read when I need a pick me up.
To clarify:
Center day is a very structured day for our students with 5 centers, or stations where they make crafts to do with the holiday or season, it's also an opportunity for the parents to come into the classroom and volunteer. Being our very 1st one of the year the kids didn't know to stay in their groups, or how to cycle from each center to the next one. (And we have lots of "littles" in this class, so they tend to be squirmy even on good days.) I'm also working through lots of pain still, and with so many parents in the room watching I made sure to do my best "perky preschool teacher" performance.  Now you know the background... so you'll understand why I REALLY LOVE this email.

Hi!

I just wanted to give some positive feedback for your preschool program. I think we often only receive negative feedback and I want to make sure that you all know what a great program you have going. I was very involved with my daughters previous preschool because my work schedule allowed that at the time. Unfortunately now because of my new schedule and the distance from my office to this particular preschool, I am not able to be as involved as I would like. I often worry about how the teachers interact with my daughter and if she feels at home. Well, today I was able to take some time off to volunteer for the Center Day and I would like management and the owners to know that you have a great team of teachers and a great program. They had control at all times and if a child got a little wild, they could gain control quickly. They work so well with the children and I can tell they genuinely care about them. Being able to see that myself in person, has given me so much relief. Props to your team and I appreciate all of the HEART work they put in to doing this.

Thank you!

Roofing!! June 2014

Roof top delivery, best decision ever! Those materials are crazy heavy!!

The scary part...at least for me, was the scraping off the old roofing. 

I was VERY aware of the edge and kept well away from it.

Ready to roof!

Rooftop selfie!

Progress!

Mom & Dustin doing the corners.  I don't like the nail gun... but I helped out.

We had so much help, neighbors, friends, family, home teachers and missionaries come and help us roof our house. Thanks so much, we sure appreciated the help and the roof looks amazing. So good in fact that our insurance guy asked who we had do it when he came to take pictures. 

DQ celebration when the roof was finished!! 

Sharing a giggle

L, (6 yrs. old)

Came to lessons with hill billy teeth.

I laugh out loud (literally)

every time I look at this picture.

I love my piano kids.

Your welcome. 

When Life gets rough...

my students have special ways of cheering me up..

notes left on my whiteboard,

Or handwritten "love" notes. 

Art work, candy, jokes, so many things. 

Kids are great! 

Are you sleeping?

Are you sleeping?
Mo-ha-med?
Yes, in fact he was,
completely asleep.
Right outside my studio door,
so naturally, I took photos,
and tried to wake him up-
it took a few attempts.
Once awake, I asked him why he was alseep.
He responded "I was waiting, so I listened to the music
(coming from the studios) and it carried me off to sleep.
The power of music is very strong!"
Adorable

P.S. this is the kid who wrote the "Today I did good" note to me.

From a 7 yr old Piano Student

This makes my heart smile.

(today I did good)

Kids are so stinking funny

I love my job. It is challenging, it's enjoyable, and so rewarding. I was asked this week how many kids I have. I don't like that question, but I am getting used to the fact that as long as I am a teacher, it will be asked.  My new answer is " 94: 49 piano/ music kids, and about 45 primary kids."  I will be a mother some day, I hope.  I love my 94 kids, they help to fill the hole in my heart.

Here are some funny things that happen while at work:

Luke(5): "Stefanie (his nanny) if we have time can we get Shaylee a coffee or something?" apparently I was looking tired.

When I give him a new song we find the hand position, he will look up at his song , then at me and say "I don't think I can do this"

"I didn't play that last song too good, do I still get candy?"

"Shaylee, I think we have too much fun in here sometimes."

Every time Luke comes to a rest in his music he stops, turns his head and says "rest". It makes me laugh every time.

Little Mozarts (3-4 yr olds):  how old are you? How old do you think I am? 4! Hey, I'm 4!  Oh you must be 5 then.

"what? It's time to go already?" I love that one, so much better than are we done yet!

"We should do this everyday not just one time a week"

Isabella (6): This song was too easy, you should give me a harder one, not too hard, just hard enough.

(the next week) these songs are great, they are good fit songs.

Olivia (9): "woah! your hair grows fast! Now promise you won't cut it off again, okay?"

Mohamed (7): hey this song is about a princess, like you. Wait, you're not a princess, you don't wear dresses!

"I'm learning to drive a car!" He then proceeds to stomp on the pedals and yells "get outta the way!"

Stephen:(7) "you know pokeman?" no. "well there is a girl named Shaylee in pokeman" cool.

Jennifer (15): "My brain is literally exploding right now"...."ahh, my brain!"

My thursday Mozarts all left vowing to bring me special pictures that they will color just for me. So sweet!

Little Mozarts: I told them it was almost one to leave and they went over to the piano and started yelling at my clock! "Stop or I'll put you in time out/ jail".

Sometimes I have to be a mean teacher. I love the reactions when I tell one of my students that I do not have to be nice. I am getting paid to teach them how to play piano and I don't have to be nice to do it. I hardly ever raise my voice or use my authoritative voice, but when I do, kids definitely pay attention. I just consider those times mean mommy in training moments.  And I do consider myself a mommy-in-training, an my students give me lots of practice opportunities.


Now for some pictures to make this long post more enjoyable. 

Sometimes my kids get creative with their practice charts.

Cute right?

 Post nap hair...

Me on Halloween...

Stuff

Work: I  now have 30 students! Holy Cow! We celebrated with ice cream cake. (that was the deal we made when I hit 20 students).

One new little student "I" (6 yrs old) on her first day sat on the piano bench, looked me straight in the eye and says " I have something to tell you.. Why did the music teacher need a ladder?"

Me:"Why?" I: " so she could reach the high notes!" So cute huh? It totally made my day! I am so glad that I had my notebook on hand to record it. Oh and another funny, "L" my 4 year old student (yes, 4 but that kid is a freakin' genius). He got really excited and told me that he heard a Beethoven Bear song at preschool and he wanted to sing it to me (Beethoven Bear is a character that we use in his lessons) "Beethoven's wig, is REALLY BIG!" sung to Beethoven's 5th. What is awesome is that I know exactly what he sung, its from Beethoven's Wig or Sing along symphonies, a neat collection of classical songs with hysterical lyrics, some that deal with the real facts about the composer. Apparently "L" had been singing it all day so he couldn't forget. Adorable!

Church: A new year, a new batch of sunbeams- fresh out of nursery. 11 am church may be good for some but not great in junior primary, it's definitely nap time and lunchtime for most of them. Which makes it a little rowdy- and being in the presidency and not having a child in sunbeams makes me the official sunbeam-wrangler- and I'm good at it. Sure there are some tears and boogers but they also cuddle. One kid "T" had a hard time at first then she was really happy the rest of the time- after I wiped the sad away I got some serious cuddles then she was fine. I even ended up taking her to the bathroom and it was an adventure, I'll spare you the details. Another sunbeam "A" was having a full blown meltdown we spent a lot of time together- until class time when he totally passed out asleep. LOL. Speaking of bathrooms, while I was out in the hall tacking up letters on our bulletin board CTR4/5 class was taking a potty break, soon out came 4 screaming little girls- there was a dead fish in the toilet! True Story. It was hilarious, but luckily it was girls not boys since I am pretty sure we would have heard what one of them did on time of it. Primary is so fun- yet so exhausting- at least until the sunbeams adjust. Then I may get bored!

Joseph is team teaching Valient 10/11 boys with two other teachers one is Bro. Stites who is pretty awesome, but I think that he and Joseph get along a little too well sometimes! And Joseph is subbing in seminary tomorrow for Bro. Moses, and again next week for Sis Wright, I am so glad that he gets to do that!

Oh you poor neglected blog,

I'm so sorry. It must have slipped my mind, you wanted my attention, you needed me to update you. I failed so miserably, please let me explain.

• I started work. Two jobs in fact. I am a paid accompanist at my Alma Mater. By definition "performer paid to play", I'm a professional. Woah. Ya, that is cool. I love it & I love working with Mr. H or Coach (lol) I starting teaching Piano Lessons at the Tri- City Acamedy of Ballet and Music. I only have 4 students, my boss tells me to be patient he'll fill my schedule, but I am happy to start out small.
• I broke my tooth. My #3 molar (I learned that at the dentist, it's one of the main chewing molars) I was walking in Costco, and a huge chunk came out. Luckily my family's dentist excepted me as an emergency patient. I almost lost it in the office when he told me I needed a crown and that my tooth is basically falling apart (due to a failing filling- not rotten though, phew) I have a temporary now, permanent coming in a couple weeks.
• The same day my tooth broke I got my 1st ticket. Yup, true story. I figured that I was pulled over for a missing mirror (another story another time, but it's gone and he can't ticket me for it) so he decided to ticket me for running a red light. It was green!! The ticket was for $124. NOT cool. I had a passenger though, and she is willing to be a witness when I go to court and contest it. Because $124 is a lot of money to pay for something I honestly didn't do!

So dear sweet neglected blog, I hope you understand, I didn't mean to let you go so long. Do forgive me, won't you? I know your readers will, won't you?

-S

Work

Some day's I really do not like my job and then other weeks (like this one) I realize how important my job really is. (I work at an assisted living home) This week we have a sweet elderly lady who is close to passing away, my co-worker and I had to move her hospital bed into a private room the family has been there everyday this week and they had been nothing short of wonderful to us. I really appreciate families that are nice to us, it makes life there easier. I hope that the work I do there for their grandma mother and wife and others helps their families especially as the time for those we take care of nears an end.

I think that I have the best co-workers there, better than I have had at any job, I attribute this to the nature of the job. It is not easy and not always fun and the people who are willing to work there are of the most caring people you could meet we care for the elderly and each other, and sometimes the lives of those we take care of depend on us, like yesterday...

I have a man I take care of and he has had lots of trouble and his doctors can't figure out what is going on, he is unsteady, he has seizures and losses consciousness- often. And yesterday I was finishing up a shower and I felt the need to go into his room, (he had been sleeping soundly all morning so we had put off getting him up) his bed alarm was going off I found him standing leaning on the wall, he started to shake I was able to grab him and pull him into me (a 6'3" man) before his knees went out and I was able to set him on the floor, I called for my co -worker (I don't yell so when I do my co-workers know to come quickly), his shaking got worse and we layed him flat and his breathing wasn't very good (really shallow) so I called my manager (policy) she had me call his daughter for her instructions, she had me take his blood pressure it was 101/174- really really bad, she was so calm and told me that she felt impressed that he should go to the hospital and asked if we could transport him, (no) so she had me call an ambulance. 911 my first time calling, less than 5 min later the ambulance and 5 paramedics where there, (keep in mind that the man is 6'3" tall and he is on the floor - not an easy transfer to a gurney) I had to stay and talk to the paramedics- very nice people. They hooked him up to all kinds of monitors and then shortly they took him with them to the hospital. Then I had to keep going on with my day, later I ran into one of the paramedics at the grocery store and my manager it is nice to see her after an event like that. I have decided that adrenaline is an amazing thing, it made me physically shake and my voice shaky but I had a clear calm head and was able to handle such a large man. I bet I could have lifted a car (not a large one) that day.

My job is hard, and days like that make it worth it.