Choosing to Find Joy in Celebration

I choose to find a celebration everyday and when I begin my day with this decision I have a better day.  As I was thinking about this post, I was wavering from a Slice of Life and celebration.  Slicing helps me think about the whole picture which isn't always easy, and celebrations help me look inside the whole picture to find the joy.  I have been choosing to find the joy. 

• A hesitant student finally found a book that he loved and said, "Thank you."
• Parent emails that ask how they can help their child and thank me for supporting their child through difficult times.
• FRACTIONS: common denominators, mixed numbers, adding, subtracting (OH MY) after a week using every trick up my sleeve, several students finally smiled during math class.
• Hugs, hugs, and more hugs from students.
• A student had a meltdown in our classroom on the floor sobbing, she told me that she had waited all year to be "board cleaner" please don't let other students help her. She wants to do it all by herself.  Problem solved :)
• Bus duty:  I had the best conversations with my friend as we keep all the students safe. 
• Bus duty: our principal is always on afternoon duty with us.
• Message about test scores from my principal,"We're all in this together." 
• One of my favorite days of the year when I give each student a copy of our December read aloud wrapped with a sticker from me.  Their smiles tell the story. And as my friend, Bill says, "Just read a great book for fun!" That is what we will be doing everyday before lunch.  Thank you Andrew Clements for The Last Holiday Concert.
• I celebrate Ruth's video's about her writing journey about grading.  Her video tugged on my heartstrings. And once again I am reflecting on my practices. 

I am so thankful for the reminder to celebrate. I choose to celebrate and find joy.  I appreciate the supportive community on Saturday who take the time to comment.  Here's to the first Saturday in December - finding joy in celebrations.