I Couldn't Have Done It Without You!

Today I join my fellow bloggers in "serving up a slice" 
to the Tuesday Slice of Life sponsored by 

Two Writing Teachers.

When the school day ends, I hustle to the copy room to finish copying parent handouts for this evening's Curriculum Night.  Then I head out to the hallway to match star connections (a fun activity we used to connect with each other) to student quilt squares.  It takes longer than I expect, and my first set of helping hands arrives as Mr. Reyes, a teacher new to our building, helps me match stars to quilt squares.  Since he taught some of my Superstars in 5th grade, he shares stories from his experiences with them as we finish stapling stars to the bulletin board.  

Then I arrange student folders on desks for my first block of classes.  A few quick more tidying up touches and the clock reads 5:20.  Yikes, I had planned to head home by 5.  I dash home for a quick change of clothes,  and grab some smoked turkey and freshly picked cherry tomatoes for my drive back to school.  After opening my classroom, I step out to brush my teeth and discover that I've locked my keys in the classroom (no pockets in my skirt).  I sprint to Mr. Harrington's room, borrow his keys to open the door, and ask a parent standing in the hall if she'll return the keys for me.  Later in the evening, I discover that my second set of helping hands is Aidan's mom.   More help arrives as Mr. Barone, a fellow teacher and administrative intern for this year, steps into my room and inquires if I need any help.  I hand him pencils to distribute to each desk so that  parents without writing implements can write a quick reply to the student letter in the folder.  Another set of helping hands quickly writes the schedule for the evening on the board for me.  And Pamela's mom has the best teacher handwriting ever!  

These helping hands free mine for the important work of greeting parents at the door and directing them to their student's desk.  The next ninety minutes fly by as I spend it with parents from my two Language Arts/Social Studies blocks.  I talk about what we'll learn this year, how we've worked to build a community in Room 104, and how blessed I feel to have each of their children in my classroom this year.  Our evening is successful because of the helping hands of many people who arrived at just the right moment throughout the afternoon and evening.  Sometime soon my helping hands will receive a thank you note and home-baked treat!