Last Day of School in 2012

Let's be honest.  

Not a lot goes on in school the day before Christmas Break start.  Especially when you only have your students for a total of 2 1/2 hours (not including lunch).

So in my attempt to still get some math in, we had 2 incredible superheroes come in and do math competitions with us!

After an hour read-a-thon in the morning, Batman and Captain America stormed into our room and got us excited to have a real math competition against some superheroes!

My 32 monsters teamed up against 2 superheroes (it went up to 3 when my sister Misty joined in with her Superman t-shirt).  The superheroes won the 1st round, my little monsters won the 2nd.  

Best day of math.  

Ever.

 [Captain America a.k.a. Brian and Batman a.k.a. Tyler]

Mrs. Kussee even got a picture with the infamous Batman.  I think he's adorable. 

And what would the last day of school be without giving gifts to my faculty friends?  Most of them received canned peaches or canned grape juice.

I forgot to take a picture of the heaping pile of treats, sweets, and gifts from my little monsters and their parents.  They were so giving and wonderful!  Each one of them hold a special place in my heart.  I love this class.  So much.  They're spirited, bright, and have exceptionally funny personalities!  I love teaching.  

Especially when it takes 10 minutes to kick the last of my class out of my classroom.  One of my students was close to tears as he walked out.  He wanted to tell his mom that he didn't want to go on their Bahama's trip (WHAT?!) because that would mean another week he'd have to go without seeing me.  Seriously, the cutest thing ever.  I wanted to cry right along with him.  

On a small tangent, this past week was a tender week with my monsters.  I found out about the Sandy Hook shootings while I was setting up for our Faculty Party last Friday.  Among the chips and salads, I found myself being horrified and physically sick to my stomach.  I hurried through my obligations and went straight to my classroom to find everything online that I could about the shootings.  It was sickening as I read story after story, but I couldn't tear my eyes away from the screen.  It was during those moments that I started feeling a hot anger pulse through my veins.  What could have happened to someone to drive them to be such a monster?  

For days I was haunted by nightmares and seeing my precious students in the same circumstance.  I didn't even want to go to that place in my brain to think about us being in the same situation.  There's no doubt in my mind what I would do to protect my students.  I spent days working through my thoughts and anger.  I finally found comfort in my knowledge of the Plan of Salvation and through prayer.  

"The Lord takes many away even in infancy, that they may escape the envy of man, and the sorrows and evils of this present world; they were too pure, too lovely, to live on earth; therefore, if rightly considered, instead of mourning we have reason to rejoice as they are delivered from evil, and we shall soon have them again."

[JOSEPH SMITH]