Gavin: A MIGHTY Mito Warrior

Back in September, I blogged about a very special little boy that I work with in Kindergarten named Gavin.( http://www.adventuresinteaching.net/2012/09/mito-week-and-amazing-little-boy.html)  Gavin is an inspiration to many who know him.  He is funny, sweet, loving, and always smiling.  He amazes me on a daily basis with his enthusiasm for life and learning.  He loves school and insists on coming to class no matter how rough the night was for him.  This disease is degenerative and he has regressed this year, but this doesn't stop him from trying to do everything his peers are doing.  He loves Circle Time.  Most mornings, he is too weak to get up and dance with the other kinders, so he sits in his floor sitter and bounces to the music.  He sings along, even though he is usually a line or two behind.

He has been blessed with an incredible family.  He has an older sister, Makenzie, who is his champion.  She is so loving with him (although like all siblings, they have their moments - LOL).  She worries about her brother and tries to help her parents as much as possible.  Today, I saw her at breakfast and she was wearing glasses.  I asked her when she had to start wearing glasses.  She replied, "They are fake.  I am wearing them so Susie (not her real name) won't feel bad about having to wear glasses to school."  I was speechless.  As much as Makenzie has to deal with at home, she is still thinking about how to make her classmates lives better.  Gavin's parents, Jeff and Brandi, have dedicated their time and efforts to doing everything possible to give Gavin and Makenzie a normal life.  This has not been easy.  Jeff works 50-70+ hours a week working, trying to provide for his family.  Brandi is Gavin's full-time caretaker.  She is with him 24/7.  She even attends school with Gavin as his service dog's handler.  Last October, Jeff and Brandi made a difficult decision to continue to pay for Gavin's medical treatments and medications instead of their mortgage.  They are in danger of losing their home.  To spend time with this family is to catch a glimpse of everyday heroes.

Gavin is no longer able to play soccer or participate in physical activities.  One day, his mom saw him trying to take pictures of his seizure alert dog, Hershey, in the hospital.  Once he was discharged, she took him to the park and gave him a camera.  He started snapping pics and has become quite the little photographer. His pictures are incredible and are now available on Etsy.  Here is the link if you'd like to check out his work. http://www.etsy.com/shop/momlawrey?ref=pr_shop_more  All proceeds from the sales of his pics go to his medical trust fund.

This past weekend, Gavin's story ran in our local newspaper after a reporter and photographer followed he and his family on their medical journey for the last 9 months.  Today, it was picked up by USA Today. http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2013/04/07/florida-family-medical-mystery/2061739/ There is also a fund set up to help with Gavin's medical expenses. http://www.giveforward.com/fundraiser/z842/hopeforgavin  Gavin's disease has no cure.  It will continue to attack his organs.  No one can predict what will happen next.  Right now, funding for research is extremely limited.  This won't change until people are more aware of this horrible disease.

Thank you so much for taking the time to read this.  I would like to ask you to consider posting a link to this post on your blog or Facebook page.  The more people we reach, the more likely we are to be able to raise awareness of Mito.

Have a Terrific Tuesday!!

Moving On...(and a Giveaway)

Today is the start of a crazy hectic week!  I am moving to a new unit in the complex where I live.  I'm excited because it is much better than the one I currently live in BUT....I HATE MOVING!!!  LOL.
My time on the computer is probably going to be very limited over the next several days as I try really hard to stay off of here and actually do some moving.  I didn't want to leave my poor blog sitting with a post that is over a week old. However, I'm pretty sure I won't be doing any blogging at all in the coming days.  Luckily, Diving Into Learning is have a Spring Giveaway!  So, click on the link below and hop over to enter to win some great prizes. :)

Have an AWESOME week!

Testing, Oh Testing...

...I hate you, you stink!

Ever read the poem, "Homework, Oh Homework" by Jack Prelutsky? (If you haven't - check it out. It's a favorite!) Anyway, years ago, I learned about innovating stories and poems to help beginning writers and have used this strategy for a long time. Well today, I got to do my own innovation.  I was given the chore opportunity to proctor the FCAT Writes test in a fourth grade classroom.  It was 60 mind-numbing exhilarating minutes of walking around the classroom watching 10 year-old students write.  I also know that I have more standardized testing to look forward to in the next couple of months.  (Can I get a Woo-Hoo?)

When I got back to my classroom this afternoon, this refrain kept bouncing around in my head: "Testing, Oh Testing, I hate you! You stink!"  So, when I got home tonight, I decided to have some fun and share what I really think about standardized testing in elementary schools.

Testing, Oh Testing

Testing, Oh Testing
I hate you! you stink!
You never tell us as much
as they think!
If only politicians
would get a clue
Testing! Oh, testing!
But sadly, very few do.
I'd rather lick lollipops
covered with germs,
or even eat a big bowl
of crunchy fried worms,
shave my head bald,
break out in hives
than tackle the testing
that runs our lives.
Testing! Oh, testing!
You're last on my list.
I simply can't see
why you even exist.
If you just disappeared
it would tickle me pink.
Testing! Oh, testing!
I hate you! You stink!

(BTW - I didn't have to change the last stanza for it to express my feelings. LOL)

Have a Terrific Tuesday!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Teaching and Tapas GiveAway!

Good Morning, Blogworld!  I keep telling myself I am going to post at least 2-3 times per week.  But every week the TIME THIEF keeps getting in the way.  Oh well, maybe this is the week I win.:)

Alyssha over at Teaching and Tapas is hosting a giveaway.  She has over 100 products broken down into grade level packs.  Isn't that a great idea?  Now, you can register for the level(s) you can use and not end up with products that aren't geared towards your grade(s).  If you would like to enter the giveaway and/or check out Alyssha's blog, click the button at the top of this post.

Happy Sunday!

READ Across America Linky Party

Happy Valentine's RAAD Day!  Our school celebrated Read Across America Week a little early - we have actually been celebrating all week!  The parents and teachers put in LOTS of time to get everything ready and they did an amazing job.  So, I thought I'd share a few ideas and host a Linky Party all at the same time.  I hope you will link up to your blog posts so we can see all of the creative ways we are celebrating Read Across America this year.

 Every day this week, students have been following the "directions" of a different Dr. Seuss character for some fun dress-up ideas. (Since we are a uniform school, this is always a big hit for the kids!).

Monday: Silly Socks Day
Tuesday: Grinch Green Day
Wednesday: (Cover your FEET with) Crazy Shoes Day
Thursday: Cindy Lou Who Crazy Hair Day
Friday: Cat in the CRAZY Hat Day

Today was my favorite so far.  I lost count of the number of students (along with a teacher or two) who actually wrapped their hair around plastic water bottles or plastic cups sitting on top of their heads.  My Kinder co-teacher had hair that stood up close to a foot!

In addition to Crazy Hair Day, today was the day we had guest readers from the community come in to read to classes.  Everyone who volunteered to read was treated to some "Seusstastical" treats (Made by some Pinterest stalkers - LOL).  Here's a pic of the treat table in the foyer.

When our guests finished reading (and snacking), we asked them to vote on their favorite door.  That's right....we got to decorate our doors!!  Both teachers and students love this part of RAAD week since we usually have to follow some very strict fire codes.  Here are a couple of pics of some great doors.

This door leads into one of my second grade co-taught classrooms.  Along with the giant hat, each student's picture is displayed.  Here is the catch - in order to get their pic on the door, they had to read the poem with no errors!  They loved standing outside and practicing and I'm pleased to report they all got their picture on the door.  This is quite an accomplishment since this is an Intensive Reading classroom. :)

This door was one of three or four "Horton" doors.  I love the fact that more than one teacher selected a Horton book.  Today, my Kinder co-teacher and I took the little ones on a tour of the school.  Along the way, we stopped and talked about each door.  We had a great discussion about the fact that Horton appeared in two different books and the fact that different people took the same story and showed it in different ways.

Here is the door my co-conspirator created.  Isn't it fun!  It's really hard to see, but the Grinch's face is actually a photo of Dr. Seuss.  While touring, the Kinders had to knock on her door and let her know that Dr. Seuss was NOT a Grinch! LOL

The next two pics show some of the decorations around the school.  One of our first grade teachers and her students taped planted Truffula trees all around the school, including the front foyer.  The second shows some more trees along with a really creative Cat in the Hat.

Finally, our PTO created/collected props for a photo booth.  The first victim person is our amazing Reading Coach.  (She happened to be in the hall when I was looking for someone to take a pic for me to post on here.  That will teach her to leave her room - LOL).

So, I asked our Reading Coach to pose for me because I wasn't sure I'd get a copy of my own pic to post in time, but I did.  So, here is my partner in crime , the one who always get me into trouble,  good friend and I posing together.  I don't know if you can tell or not, but we were both talking and/or laughing behind those great mustaches.  We tried the quiet thing, but that just doesn't work for us.

I hope you enjoyed a peek at our RAAD week.  I would love to hear how you are celebrating!  Please link up your posts below.  Don't forget to click on and save the button at the top of the page to make it easy for your readers to find other great blogs to read. (Thanks, Michelle at the 3AM Teacher for the great graphics used to create the button.)

Happy RAAD!!

Sunday Super Sale AND 1,100 Follower Giveaway!

This Sunday is going to be great.  Two of my favorite things will be happening.  Of course the BIG event is the Super Bowl (Go 49er's).  I have to confess, I am a total SF fan because my favorite player of all time (to watch LOL) is Joe Montana!!! (Can anyone say cutie-patootie?)  Even though he is retired, I figure any team smart enough to hire him gets my cheers.

However, that is not the only big event on Sunday.  TPT is going to have a SUNDAY SUPER SALE with up to 28% off on your purchase.  Many, many amazing sellers (plus me) are participating.  If you make your purchases on Sunday and use the promo code SUPER, you will save 28%. 

I am going to run my sale an extra day (Monday) but that day you will only get 20% off since TPT is offering the extra percent on Sunday only.  I hope you take this opportunity to downsize your wishlist and pick up those products you've been wanting.

 Finally,  Mary over at Pitner's Potpourri has done it!  She is celebrating 1,100 followers with a give away on her blog.  There are over 30 prizes donated by TPT sellers.  Click on the image below to hop over and check out all of the great items you could win.

I hope everyone has a SUPER weekend!