Little things sometimes mean the most.

As many of you know I was never able to have children because of my early onset of Polycistic Ovaries. I must admit at first it really did not sink in because I was not married and I did not want to raise a child by myself. (I think being a single parent would be the hardest job in the world) Since I cannot have children maybe this is why I love teaching children. I have said before in this blog how much I enjoy my job but I do not know if I would be a good teacaher and parent. Today some students were stroking my ego and I realize that the little things I do sometimes seems like a very big thing to a student. (Jordan Valley Student Body pictured to the right)

For Example:

I try to greet every student as they enter my class. A good morning or good afternoon always brings a smile to their face. Asking them how their day is going or how was lunch also are good conservation starters. At the end of class I always tell my studentsto have a good rest of the day. I call them dear and sweetie and I always tell them to drive carefully if I know they are going somewhere.

I have been know to give my students Nike stuff. (Thank you Michelle!)I found some Nike lanyards that I had at the house and I brought them to school. The kids loved them. By the end of the day most of the students had USB drives and keys on a new black Nike lanyard. Of course if they wanted one they had to set a school goal and meet it!

I have also been known to by treats. This week it was strawberries. It is true that young kids will eat fruit. All you have to do is give it to them.

When I was in town on Monday a student asked if I could pick up a bag of dog food. No big deal since I was going anyways. You would think that I saved her dogs lives. She told me that I do to much for the kids and her dogs. I never really gave it much thought in this town it is comman to pick things up for neighbors.

Today was really something special. About 20 years or so a go one of my former students was serving in Operation Desert Storm. As a typing assignment I had my students type letters and prepare care packages for this student. As a daughter of a career marine I realized how nice it is for them to get letters from home. This morning the son of this past student told me that his dad saved every one of the letters that my class wrote. I was so surprised that he saved the letters. I never really thought that such a small task would be so special.

Now of course I sound like a real hero in these stories which I do not mean to do. I feel like I am just doing little things but sometimes they really make someone feel special. I tell my students that when you give you get back much more than you give. I have found this not only with my students but with all of you wonderful neices and newphews. A babysitter book here and there, or maybe a quilt or cross stich. Or maybe a trip to the beach or a movie. These seem such a little jester but the looks of surprise of your faces are priceless!!!

Thank you all for the love and respect that you have given me over the years. I am so blessed to call you family!!

Count your Blessings

I have always known that I had a wonderful childhood. I did not have to worry where we were going to live, if there was going to be any food in the house, or if I was loved by my parents. Being a teaching for 26 years I have seen a lot of different family situations. Some good, some surprising, and many different from how my family life was. I tell the kids that when we are born we do not come with an instruction book so parents are on their own triying to figure out how to raise their children. I try to not judge a parents situation however something happen yesterday that made me stop and count my blessings.

I have a student that is a senior. His parents are divorce and for most of his life he lived he lived with his mother in Bosie. Last year he moved to Jordan Valley to live with his dad and grandfather. Like many teenagers his father and him have had some disagreements over the years. Yesterday this student came to class early. I could tell that he was not himself. He told me that the night before he had an argument with his father about his ripped pants. (I had told him that if he brought me the pants the next day I would fix them for him) According to my students the argument got bad fast because his father was drunk. I guess the father took a swnig at my student who was able to move out of the way. Fearful of what he might do my student left and went to a freinds house. My student and I called his mother to explain what happen and she decided that she did not want her son to go back to his father's home. With only five weeks of school left what is there to do?? After a few minutes of calling around we found a place for my student to stay at for the remainedr of the school. Thank goodness our little town has a big heart.

This Easter I am reminded how lucky I was and am . There never was a time that I did not feel love from my parents. Loosing my father at the age of 18 was not a joy but I knew he loved me. Now I live in a community where I could ask for help for anything. I feel love and acceptance from my family. I am blessed, truley very blessed thanks to all of you!!

Teaching Moment of the Day

During the last hour of school it is my prep. I am to use the time to work on class stuff but a lot of times I have students that ask to work in my room. I am not joking myself I know that they just want to see if the computers will let them use facebook. Today I was working on my computer when I heard a strange noise. I turned to my student Dustin and ask what he was doing. He said: "I am blowing the cheese out of my switch blade" My response was: "Oh ok" I guess I have been teaching in a small school too long. It does not concern me when a student has a switch blade or pocket knife in their pocket. Of course usually they do not need to clean the cheese off of their knives. Most of the time I never know they have them. And yes, in case you were wondering we do have students that usually have some type of gun in their car especially duirng hunting season.

Jordan Valley Updates (yes again)

1. Guess what? It is snowing. I am sittingin my classroom and it the is last period of the day and it is a mini blizzard out side. We did have a few days of good weather (rain and some sun) but now the snow is back. Just in case I thought it was going to stop, it is perdicted to snow tomorrow. 2. Be glad you are not the middle school students they have a track meet today! 3. The seniors and some juniors are on a biology trip. This year they went to San Francisco. I hope they find lots of fish, birds, and plants to study since they have to keep a log on these items. 4. Some ranches have been turning out their cattle. This means that they move the cows form their home ranches to range land. The range could be write down the street or many miles away. This morining I had a student that was late. I asked "Why are you late" His reply was "We had to move cows" Does this mean that they need to pack for them and call a moving van? No not really. They may call a semi truck or if it is close by they just turn the cows loose on the road and move them down the road to their new home. 5. For my birthday one of my students made a bunch of cupcakes that said "Happy 50 Birthday Miss Ellis We Love You" Not only was I surprised by the juster but I was also surprised that we had enough cupcakes for the entire school. The students told me that she did cupcakes instead of a cake because she knows that I am diabetic and that I would not eat a big piece of cake. She was right. I guess these students know me way to well. 6. Not much else going on, and yes it is still snowing! Love to you all!!!

24 hours in Jordan Valley

During the last 24 hours a lot of things have happened. I guess it is the time of year but here are the highlights.

1. We had snow. Again. Eventho it is just a couple inches it is the bitter wind that makes the day rough. I have new windows in my classroom but they do not shut all the way so when the wind blows we all are reminded that it is not spring yet.

2. Student saves calf: Last night about 11:00 pm one of my students went to check on a cow that he figured would have her calf soon. When he got out there the calf was laying in a pile of snow. Why the cow did not think to have the calf a few feet to the right or left on dry ground my student did not know. The calf was still wet and was freezing so my student took the calf inside to warm it up by the fire. After the calf was dried and warmed up my student returned the calf to his mother. The mother was angry and ran after my student. It was a good thing he was on a 4 wheeler because he said that he would not have been able to out run the cow. I guess even mommy cows are protective of their young. All are doing well.

3. The Jordan Valley school district has an outbreak of Lice. About 12 students were sent home fromt he high school and elemetry school because they had head lice. The high school kids were excited to miss school. According to them it is better than a snow day. They were told to stay home until they long longer had any lice. It can take up to 7 days to get rid of the lice and eggs. They may be excited now but wait until they see all the school work they will be missing.

4. Track began. It was not nice according to the students to run in the wind and snow. Today should be better.

5. I went to town (Nampa) to pick up some medicine. The doctor's office called in the wrong amount so the pharmacy was not able to fill it. 120 miles round trip just to find out that there was a mistake. I did make good use of my time and go food shopping. I got the kids some drinks (gatorade, juce, and Ice sparkleing water), muffins and candy. They were on a surger high today. I spoiled them and then sent them to their next class. Kinda like being an Aunt or Grandmother!

6. My students and I hope that tomorrow is a better day!!

My Granny Gertrude Smith on Faith

Most of our family would admit that my mother had a strong faith. She used her faith to help her through the tough times and was greatful for her faith during the good times. But where did my mom get her faith? From her parents Gerturde and Peter Smith. Over the years I heard my mom talk about her parents faith but it really hit home recently when I found some excerts from letters that my Granny wrote to her daughter Barbara during WWII. (Peter and Gertrude Smith on the left)

On October 22, 1942 she worte:

....I heard a story not long ago that mede me wonder if I and my children always thanked God for his blessings. It seems God sent the angles to earth one night with large baskets to gather up all the desires and requests of mankind. They came back with innumerable basketfulls. And then he sent them back to gather up the thank you's. I guess every one was so happy in getting his prayers answered or so disappointed in not they forgot because the angles went back with only 3 basketfulls. It's just a story of course but it made me wonder. I have had the occasions duirng the last six months to ask God for many things and they include everyone of you children and I've been very careful to say THANK YOU, LORD sometimes with laughter in my voice and sometimes with tears running down my cheeks....

This message really hit home. I am not sure that I remember the thank you's!! At the time my Granny wrote this she had two sons in the Navy (Bob and Don), a daughter headed for the WAVES (Martinia) and a second daughter accross the country with her husband (Barbara). About a year after this letter on November 24, 1943 Don's ship was sunk in the South Pacific. Waiting for news was a hugh strain on my grandparents and their childen. On December 17, 1943 they did receive word from the Navy that Don was missing. My Granny wrote on the day: "God grant he is alive. I think he is." (Donald Peter Smith pictured on the right)

on February 10, 1944 with still no official word from the Nave she wrote:

I seem to have come to the end of my road. My shoulders are weighed down with a heavy burden. I am dead inside. My reason tells me there is no hope. But something else says nothing is impossible with God. He can bring him back even if everyone says he is gone. I may be waiting for ships that never come in but I'll always be waiting.

A month later on March 4, 1944 she wrote:

As I look at it there is only one avenue of hope left for me concerning Don. I've done everything I can thon of. Now it's up to God. If it isn't--I don't think of that. I can't bear to think of what the rest of my life would be without him. Sometimes I think I just can't bear to wait any longer. But there isn't anything I can do except cry and after awhile I calm down. God is surely testing me.

After receiving final word from the Navy on March 28, 1944 she wrote:

I can not believe Don is not coming back. It seems to me I would feel it if he is dead. And I don't. Although we may have heard from the navy something seems to remind me that we haven't heard from God yet---

Never having the honor of having children I will never fully understand the ups and downs of loosing a son. I can only imagine it is one of the most earth shattering things that a parent can go through. How would anyone deal with troubled times like this if they did not have any faith at all? My Granny died when I was 9 and I never had the opportunity to discuss faith with her. My mom always told me that faith is a gift from God one of the most precious gifts you will ever receive!! I thank my grandparents for showing my mother how to rely on her gift of faith and I thank my mother for passing this gift on to me and her grandchildren!!

What is New

Today the boys basketball team leaves to take part in the district basketball tournement. They will be leaving at 9:00 am which means we will have 10 students left at school. You talk about one one one teaching!

The last few days have been warm and sunny but we are getting ready for a snow storm to come later today. The forcast that we will have snow through next monday.

Because of the students being gone we will not have school tomorrow. (Which means a 4 day weekend!) As a teacher I even like these "no school" days. I plan on sleeping in and then who knows.

Plans are in the works for Prom which will be at the end of April. Do you realize how hard it is to find dates for the boys when there are only 5 girls in the high school? If you know of any possible dates please e-mail me resumes.

Baby calves are popping. According to my ranching students lots of babies are being born. Of course cows go into labor usually in the middle of the night and in the cold. This means some of the ranching boys are tired from being up all night. They do not need to be there when the cow gives birth but they do need to be close by when it is cold. If it is below freezing then the baby calf could freeze so the ranchers need to be close by to dry the calf off and bring it in to the warmth.

A new round of colds are going through the school. I think I may have one. After all teaching is a high risk job for colds.

The school has been flying by. It is hard to believe that school will be out in less than 3 months.