2017 Love in Review

Y'all.
It.
Has.
Been.
A.
Year.

Love is love.
Is love.

And the amount of love we've received via our friends and donors from DonorsChoose.org is inordinate.

And not so secretly has sustained me, kept me standing this year.

So - without further ado - our DonorsChoose.org 2017 Highlights:

 *On January 4th we received an email from OMBELINE (<=== Legit still one of the most beautiful names I've ever heard.)  She asked if we'd be interested in speaking to a local news channel (nothing ever came of that), and of course we said yes and had just received all our composting materials, so we also said thank you:

"I try to say it to all my donors - the interface and the outreach of DonorsChoose.org reminds me of the Zulu word, Ubungani - loosely translated to friends: like pebbles in a stream we polish one another.  That's what DonorsChoose.org is at its heart.  A little bit of shining from friends across the US who choose to see the 19 faces in room 115 as valuable, important and as future leaders.  

The donation of being seen as important - priceless."

*Charles Best.  Yeah, THE Charles Best helped fund a project.
And that was like.
Wait?
What?
#loved

*Ombeline.  Yeah, THAT Ombeline funded chromebooks.
And that was like.
Wait?
WHHHAT?
#loved

January left us FULL of love.
My favorite memories are still kids asking about Ombeline and how she's doing, regularly.
LOL.

*February brought our class our very first Student Essentials Match.

*Kiddos took home snacks and math games for both February and April vacations.

February left our bellies full and our hearts FULL of love!

*March was MCAS month.
*March was swimming.
*March was cold.
*March was filming for the film festival.

*April Vacation saw more snacks.

*A student driven project to spend MORE time outside the classroom reading and playing math games.

*Picnic Blankets, Chairs, and Tents, oh my!

I know.
I know.
I love them so much my heart is BURSTING.
#looping
#stillmine

*Donorschoose.org launched the Teaching Tolerance Match.

*Creative juices flowing, we ordered copies of The Red Pencil (Y'all. I can't. I can not. I love this book so much!) and jewelry making materials to make stamped jewelry to raise money for our local Welcome Home, Northampton Refugee Project.

*One of the most incredible and meaningful teaching experiences of my life.

*We wrote our second Teaching Tolerance Match project.
*BOOKS for days.
*We're still read read reading and enjoying what they've added to our room.

*School let out, and for the first time, in a long time, I had a summer vacation.

*Attended a MTA Professional Development on unpacking the Next Gen Science Standards.
It.
Was.
EPIC.
#SeanMusselman

*Wrote a project for an erosion table and with the help of our friends at Tom's of Maine, we had the project funded.

#SCIENCE
#HANDSON!

*We also wrote a project for some new furniture.
And, dudes.
It ROCKS.

High Tops.

Swivel Chairs.

Benches, beautiful, beautiful benches.

*Two August projects brought storage materials and borders to help create data and dream boards - and we love them! 

*Our window to the world changes monthly.

#hopesanddreams

*Took a Professional Development refresher with THE BECKY DESMITH.
#sheisaqueen

*The day before Meet the Teacher night, I got my first concussion when a 50 pound bulletin board fell on my head.
#reallife
#bulletinboardproblems

Phew.
Honey.

I purchased this couch, but that book...Donorschoose.org

September.
You better sit down.

S'bout to get a whole lot more amazing.

*We had 5 projects funded.

*Alex from DonorsChoose.org (Saint Alex in the teacher circle - because she is legit one of the most patient and kind people I've never met) sent me an email, and it rocked our world.

*We were a Teaching Tolerance Grant Winner.
I cried.
I cried some more.
I told the class.
And we set out...

*To fund projects for other classrooms, along with ours, across the US!

New students meant new headphones and mice.

Storage for all our games.

Adding to our Hygiene bench, some powershowers!

*Eleven.  ELEVEN projects funded.

*We funded projects for Hurricanes Harvey and Irma Classrooms and first time teachers, and match teachers.

*We funded a project to make a donation to our local YMCA of swimsuits and towels.  We are so fortunate to get swim lessons - DURING THE SCHOOL DAY - FOR FREE!

 *We suited up with new matching Team 4th Grade Shirts - and we wear these often!

*And our new table arrived to make collaboration key (and beautiful.)

*The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation also started to fund Professional Development projects...so I'm headed to New Orleans in a few weeks to attend my first GET YOUR TEACH ON, AND I get to chat about DonorsChoose.org while I'm there. #livingmybestlife

*My 5th grade teacher surprised me at Community Reader Night, and I lived out every Matilda fantasy in catching up with her.  #MyMrs.Willard

*Won Inspired2Teach Essay Contest! <3

* Eight.  EIGHT projects funded.

*And countless others supported with our Teaching Tolerance Grant.  We bought an ipad for a Special Ed teacher, and art supplies for a classroom that was flooded.  We bought books for a teacher that wanted our favorite.

*And the Born This Way Foundation teamed up with DonorsChoose.org to talk Mental Health.  

#LadyGaga

#TraumaReady

Zen Garden has changed "Take a Break"!

We started a Crochet Club!

We ran the Turkey Trot!

Everyone got a warm winter sweatshirt!

New Clipboards! 

We worked with our 1st grade buddies to make snow globes!

*We also had a Family Engagement Match funded for a movie theater screen, projector, and popcorn machine to encourage family movie nights throughout the school year! #thanksBillandMelinda!

*Cards Against Humanity launched their Make Homework Fun campaign and I started creating small projects to start a Mindfulness and Yoga workshop for families.  And our real life guru, Jaime (and her husband Martin) funded PART 2!

Yes, THAT JAIME.
From Cosmic Kids Yoga.
Kids screamed.
With excitement.

I can't wait to see this project specifically come to life in 2018.

*We had a Fitness and Gym match funded for SNOWSHOES by an Anonymous Donor who has funded countless projects around our state.
In real life, she FINALLY emailed me.
And came forward to say - of all things - how much she likes our projects.
And she, she herself, wrecked me, in the best way possible.

I said: "Thanks for helping me remind my students they MATTER, in this great big, ever changing world, they matter.  If all of my students' dreams were threads, and I their loom, you must be their dream weaver."

She said: "Perhaps you have it backwards. You are the dream weaver and I am giving you a loom which is just a tool...Your kids are so lucky to have you."

My kids are lucky to have DonorsChoose.org and Donors like our Anonymous Friend, and Lady Gaga, and Cards Against Humanity, and Jeff Weiner, and Ombeline, and Bill and Melinda Gates, and Charles Best, and Mr. Emerson with Horace Mann Insurance...who all stepped forward this year to say

WE SEE YOU.

Me?
I get to be the best kind of teacher, the one I've always dreamed of being.
And even though there has been so much loss this year.
So much grief I still process daily...

I'm the luckiest one of all.
Because of you my littles one.
And you dear donors.

Thanks for shining your lights our way.
It has been our beacon all year.

It has inspired us.
Hugged us.
Taught us.
Changed us.
Sustained us.
Moved us.
Held us.
Built us up.
Fueled us.

Loved us.