Monday, November 28, 2011

Top Ten Reasons I Am Thankful

I know Thanksgiving is technically past, but I just celebrated Thanksgiving yesterday, since I am overseas and was teaching while my friends in the US were feasting on turkey, so I decided to go ahead and post what I am most thankful for this year today.  Thanks for bearing with me while I’m a little behind.

This year, I am thankful for/that:

10.  YOU are reading this post!  Yes, I am thankful for YOU, whoever you are who is taking the time to read this post.  Growing up, I actually wanted to be a writer, but I could never quite finish a story.  So, then I wanted to design computer programs, but I hated finding those stupid missing semi-colons!  Finally, I decided I want to be a teacher, which is what I love doing, so I couldn’t imagine doing anything else.  However, every once in awhile, I wish I had become a writer, and through this blog I am able to do that – kind of!

9.  I LOVE my job.  Not many people can say that they love their job so much that if they won millions of dollars, they would continue to go to work the next day, but I do.  I love teaching and I couldn’t imagine my life where I didn’t get to help little people (or big people) learn new things every day.  I am so thankful to have a job that I enjoy.

8.  The internet What an amazing invention the internet is! I know it sounds silly, imagebut because of the internet, I am sitting at a cafĂ© in Morocco, writing a blog post that will be seen by many teachers living in the US. When I click publish, they will be able to read it within seconds. This is an amazing thing, and I am truly thankful for it. (Plus, it allows me to be thankful for numbers 4 & 5!)

7.  I live in a country where I don’t speak the language.  I know this doesn’t sound like something I should be thankful for – but I really am.  Not only am I learning more Arabic and French than I ever did living in the US, but I have a much better appreciation for how my ELL students (and parents) feel.  This understanding is something that will make me a better teacher to these students.

6.  My students are learning to read!  I teach first grade, so the fact that my students are learning to read should be a given.  However, this is my first time teaching first grade, so I was slightly scared walking in that I wouldn’t be able to accomplish this feat for them, especially when only half of them knew all of their alphabet on the first assessment.  However, 10 weeks into the school year, more than half of my kids are reading “on level” for first graders, and the others are working hard to get there!

5.  Selling Resources on Teachers Pay Teachers  I know it sounds silly toraki's-rad-webcc be thankful for selling my products, but I really am.  Like most teachers, I work really hard to make good products for my students, so to recoup any extra money from all that hard work is amazing.  However, to make enough to buy a plane ticket for my Grandma is really what it’s all about.  If you don’t sell on TPT yet, but want to – here’s a link to find out more.

4.  Being a part of the Teacher’s Blog Traffic School program.  For those of imageyou who aren’t aware of Charity Preston, she’s amazing! She has a set of videos to help those of us who are bloggers be more efficient at what we do.  Her program has helped me increase my sales on TPT enough to pay for a plane ticket for my Grandmother to come and visit us for Christmas!  If you’re a blogger and haven’t checked her out, click here (and be sure to tell her I sent you!)  Her program’s on sale for Cyber Monday too!

3.  Being in Morocco.  For those of you who don’t know, my family moved to Morocco this year.  While there have been some challenges, there is so much to be thankful for about being here.  My sons are learning Arabic and French, we can go to the beach any time we want, we have tea and croissants every afternoon – I really love living here!

2. My husband.  There are so many reasons to be thankful to my husband, Khalil.  rakisignatureThe one I am most thankful for is his devotion to our family.  Right now he is being a stay at home dad to our youngest son, Samir, which is  a job I couldn’t do.  He does it without complaint and loves every minute he spends with his kids.  I am thankful to have a wonderful husband and father to my sons.  (He also makes wonderful French and Spanish resources to post on TPT.)

1. My children.  I have three sons, Khalil, Zaiyd and Samir, and they are the light 300344_2202331789903_1595606972_2322916_7165024_n(1)of my life.  They make every day worth living, and are the motivation behind everything I do.  I cannot be thankful enough for all the gifts they fill my life with.  I love being a mom and watching them grow and change.




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