Mrs. Forbush has a mom?

Today my mom volunteered to be part of our class' 12 days of Christmas. Each day we have a parent volunteer come in and read a Christmas Story to the kids. The kids get very excited about this event and look forward to it everyday. So today when my mom was introduced as Mrs. Forbush's mom one student shouted "Mrs. Forbush! I didn't know you had a mom! Why didn't you tell me?" Typical first grade comment. Anyways, they loved the story and were so excited when my mom pulled out a special gift for each of them to put in their classroom stockings.

What the best teachers do

Good teachers:

• are available to assist students with questions on the subject, and they show concern.
• do not have a lofty, standoffish attitude.
• can interact with a student on an individual basis.
• want to know each individual student.
• give time, effort, and attention to their students.
• are personable, on your side.
• are willing to be a friend to students.
• are actually interested in the students.
• are actively involved with their students.
• are first friends, then educators. The friend encourages, supports, and understands; the educator teaches, challenges, and spurs the student on.

Good teachers always:

• love what they teach and convey that love to the class.
• have both an enthusiasm for and an encyclopedic knowledge of the subject.
• have such an obvious enthusiasm for what they do that it is contagious and their students pick up on it.
• have a desire to learn, and for others to learn, all of the exciting things they have learned.
• are obviously excited about teaching. When a teacher enjoys teaching, it is usually obvious, and that enjoyment is passed on to the students. The classes I've had with teachers who loved the subject they were teaching are the ones I've enjoyed the most, and the ones I've been the most eager to learn in. A teacher who isn't enthusiastic can ruin even the most fascinating of subjects.

To put it simply, life is better with dance. Last week I took a risk and went to a dance class. I was a little nervous about how I would do since I am no longer flexible and haven't danced in a couple years. But I did just fine and I had the time of my life. The girls in the class were all around my age if even older. Some of the girls were even moms. They were an example to me that no matter how old you are, or how busy, there's always time for dance. It is the passion of my life. If I had to spend the rest of my life doing just one thing...it would be dancing!

What children teach us

The last couple of months or so I have been blown away at all the life lessons six year-olds can teach us.

Lesson- Charity and the importance of giving a little of ourselves every once in awhile.
Today I had one child come to school crying. I thought he was just having a hard day or was tired. After awhile I walked by him and told him to get busy working. He moaned and groaned. Finally, I sat next to him and talked to him about what was wrong. He said that he only had 20 cents to buy something at the school store. Another child who was listening at the time reached into his pocket and threw a dollar at him and said "teacher, he can have my money."

Lesson- Help others when they are hurt
Two boys came running in from recess to tell me that a classmate had been hurt. The boys were so worried and were very concerned about their classmate. The hurt boy came walking in with a small scrape on his knee. The other two boys carried the boy down the hall and to the office to get a bandaid.

Working with kids everyday is such a blessing. I get to spend the day with the most innocent, loving people there are. Even though I try to be an example for the students, they are more of an example to me.

Mat 18: 1 At that time the disciples came to Jesus, saying, "Who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?" 2 And calling to him a child, he put him in the midst of them 3 and said, "Truly, I say to you, unless you turn and become like children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. 4 Whoever humbles himself like this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven. 5 "Whoever receives one such child in my name receives me."

Solo Flight Heli Tight!

I was so excited for Blake today! I watched his first solo flight at his school. He did great! I wasn't nervous a bit because I knew he would do awesome. Good Job Babe and sweet helmet.

Top 5

Top 5 Things to do
dance
run
laugh
eat candy
cuddle

Top 5 favorite movies
Dumb & Dumber
Bring It On
School of Rock
Now & Then
Life is Beautiful

Top 5 sports
dance
track & field
snow boarding
basketball
wakeboarding

Top 5 childhood memories
ninjas
night games
baby kittens
playing house
West Elementary

Top 5 future destinations
The Bahamas
Tahiti
Cancun
Hawaii
Alaska

Pine Valley Get Away

One of our favorite places to go on weekends is Pine Valley. We love spending time just hanging out at the cabin. It's nice to get away from things and just have a good time. We went on a hike to see all the fall leaves and I went on my first coyote hunt. My mom and I sat in the car and watched the guys call in the coyotes. It was actually kind of cool to watch and it was even cooler when they missed their shot. Sorry boys. Anyways, it was a great weekend and we look forward to our next Pine Valley retreat.