5 Pennies - Day 317

1. Brought in breakfast for guidance department
            They really did a nice job with the 5th grade orientation from earlier this week. They have been working really hard lately on various projects- 5th grade orientation, 8th grade transition, state wide assessments, etc. I just wanted to let them know how much I appreciate all the work that they do. By the way, the breakfast was Blueberry Scones

2. Wrote "Thank you" notes to other staff members
                And included a piece of candy with each - just to say thank you for providing this extra opportunities for the students.                

                The art teacher for a field trip to the local museum
                The 7th grade team leader for planning a behavioral based field trip
                 The two social studies teachers for a Civil War Assembly

3. Watched students for another teacher as she attended the field trip
                The bus was running late back from the art field trip, so I just housed her kids that couldn't go on the field trip with my regular general music class. No big deal & it was easy to do.

4. Complimented another teachers outfit
                I really liked her shirt today. It was a bit outside her box - but it was really nice. Its always a risk when you buy new clothes, especially when they are not your normal type. I rarely get any clothes outside my box - which is solid one color with limited decorations. I do have a few shirts that have some stripes :-)

5. Wrote a "Good Luck" note to the orchestra teacher for tonight's concert & attended.
              The kids really did a nice and I was pleased with their performance. There was a guest violinist that performed with the kids. Such a great idea and the exposure for the students to have this opportunity. I should look into this for next year.

5 Pennies - Day 316

1. Wrote 2 "Thank You" notes to those staff members that covered my afternoon class.
               I had a special student activity this afternoon and two other staff members volunteered to cover my classes. I really appreciated their willingness to help me out at the last minute. So I wrote a simple thank you note and included a piece of candy to each.             

2. Wrote "Nice Job" notes to other staff members that have done extra student based activities
                Lets see here-

                    The Spanish teacher took her kids to the local Spanish Restaurant as a hands on Field trip
                    Two other teachers coordinated and implemented a successful student leadership activity day
                    Then there was the organization of the 5th grade orientation & visitation program

3. Helped clean up the cafeteria after the student leadership activity
                It wasn't a big mess, but tables needed to be moved back and wiped down. Easy to do.

4. Wrote a "Thinking of You" card to a staff member who is having some family health issue problems
               One of my close friends father is in the hospital. It makes me sad knowing that she is going through this hardship and doesn't want to talk about it much. So I decided that a simple thinking of you card would brighten her day.

5. Made my mother her favorite bread & bought her flowers to wish her luck at work tomorrow
                She has her annual State Regulation Evaluation. She has been working really long hours for the past 2 weeks trying to get everything ready. I know that she will do well - it's just the stress of it all. By the way, it was Banana Walnut Bread :-)

6. Helped a woman at the grocery store in reaching some food items
                *This is my favorite.
                 There was a woman who had her baby in one of those frontal sling carriers - FYI - I'm pretty sure that my son spent almost his first 6 months in one of those. I basically wore it constantly. I had 2 of them so that I always had one clean. Anyway, here was this woman trying to bend over, hold onto her baby, and also pick up a watermelon. I had to chuckle at the sight. Sort of like been there, done that type of thing. I just simply went over and picked up the water melon for her out of the bin. She was so grateful. I remember those days. 

5 Pennies - Day 315

1. Wrote 2 "Excellent Job" notes to the art teachers for putting together a wonderful student art show.
               Yes, I know that it showcased only student made artwork - but it was so wonderful to look at - to recognize the names of the students that I also teach. To see all of the hard work from the two art teachers. If you ever have the opportunity to go to an art gallery of student work, do so. It is amazing to see how talented some of the youth really are. Personally, I am a horrible artist - so to see this talent from such young people - I'm impressed.

2. Gave an ice cream gift card to a staff member for her daughter
                This particular staff member brought her daughter to the school dance Saturday night. She was so well behaved and really deserved something special.
               
3. Gave extra art supplies to the Art Department
               I had to buy color streamers for a project that i was doing with some of my students. We were talking about 'The Planets' from Gustav Holst. In particular we were talking about the movement about Jupiter. Even though the music isn't really about the orbital planets, but more about the Greek/Roman mythology - I let them wrap me up with colored streamers just like the bands on Jupiter - they loved it, especially when I exploded at the end. Anyway, I had a good amount left over that I knew that the art department could use for something.

4. Took back the cart of another customer
                    Just because.

5. Wrote a "Thinking of You" card to a church shut in
                  Haven't seen her in a while and just wanted to say hi.

6. Replaced the chairs that were used from a classroom for an evening dance.
               I noticed that some chairs weren't set back correctly after the dance sat night. So I just wanted to straighten things up properly for another teacher before they came into their classroom.

5 Pennies - Day 314

1. Sent pictures of art from another school to an art teacher to use in classroom
            I always like to share information with other teachers in my building that I think that they may be able to use within their classroom. The two art teachers in my building are amazing - really. They can find inspiration and themed units from anything.  So whenever I see student artwork, I just feel compelled to share with them.

2. Sent resources about Biblical women to the church's female student group leader
           She is starting a discussion group about famous female people from the Bible. I thought that this extra resource could help her organize and plan. My favorite Biblical female is - hands down - is Esther. Her courage to stand for her family while being so afraid, just the strength is awe inspiring. The name is very beautiful and only have taught one student with it :-)  - she played the clarinet. The first time I met her, she gave me that look when I said her name - like, "I know - its a weird name." Reading her expression I told her that I have always loved the name because the strength of the character. 


By the way, my son also likes to watch the Veggietale's reenactment of this story.

3. Sent a text to another woman from church who is traveling this weekend
              Just wanted to wish her safe travels.

4. Went to art teachers' and students' art show
              Several of my students were displaying their artwork at the event - one even won a first place prize in the category of sculptures :-) It's important as teachers to support each other's programs - especially in the area of Music & Fine Arts - because when finding is reduced we are normally the ones that are dismissed. If we don't stand together, we will surely fall separately.

5. Helped another band director set up for his outside concert
                   The local high school band played at a community park this evening and my Woodwind Ensemble students opened up for them. Thankfully, it was the last performance of the school year for them - yeah! It was a really pretty night - nice temp, slight breeze, no rain & good music. Everyone should take time to listen to an outside concert in the late spring/early summer months - at least once in their life. There's something magical about it all.

5 Pennies - Day 312

1. Gave my seat to another person at a conference
              I was at a mini conference today that focused on how to integrate music, drama, dance, and art into the academic classroom. It was really interesting to see how other teachers viewed my curriculum. Anyway, I got to a session earlier and prepared my area for a working lecture about the balance of art and literature when another person sat down beside me. We were on stools and I was on a shorter one while the person beside me was on a taller one. I was ok with the shorter one, but obviously he wasn't - so I easily gave him my seat to make him more comfortable. It actually worked out that the taller seat was better for me anyway.

2. Bought & gave cookies to the other teachers that attended my presentation
               I just wanted to do something nice and give a special treat to those teachers who choose to attend my session at the conference. By the way - it was a session where I talked & demonstrated about world dance & music. It was pretty cool to be able to talk to various teachers.

3. Cleaned up the music room for another teacher and left him a thank you note for letting me borrow his room
                 Again, at the conference I conducted my session from another teacher's music room and just wanted to leave a thank you note for him.

4. Helped chaperoned a school dance
                   It was the spring formal dance for the 8th grade students. A really special night. I'm glad that the kids had a really nice time tonight. It was great to see them all dressed up.
                 
5. Helped clean up after the school's dance
             It was a beautiful dance and I am glad that the kids enjoyed it. But once everyone left, wow there was a lot to clean up. So I stuck around and did what I do best - cleaned.

5 Pennies - Day 311

1. Bought a small gift and a good luck card for a student and that I am mentoring at church.
            I'm so proud of her. I remember when she was 8 and I helped her with a Sunday School project. Then soon she become one of my trumpet students. Then she moved onto high school and I would often keep up to date with her from conversations at church. She is currently attending college for engineering - she is a very smart. Anyway, she will be doing an internship in Spain throughout the month of July. I'm so proud of her!

2. Filled the copier machines with paper for the next teacher
            It was running low on paper and just wanted to do something simple and nice for the next person to use it.

3. Returned copy materials to other staff members 

               As the school year approaches its ending, we are starting the transition process for the elementary school students to visit our middle school. The Guidance Department has been working very hard in putting elementary school tours together. They do a fabulous job at this every year. Anyway, they accidentally left some paperwork in the teacher workroom by the copiers. I just wanted to be helpful in returning their materials.

4. Returned laminated materials to another teacher
            The art teacher that has a room near mine was laminating some projects earlier today. She left them in the workroom to cool down, but accidentally forgot to come back for them later on in the day. So as I was finishing up my own work, I cut out hers and returned the items to her room. Although she has already left for the day, I figure that she would appreciate them being returned tomorrow morning.

5. Cleaned up the bathroom
                 I wanted it to look fairly nice because I knew that there were going to be a lot of parents in the building tonight - it is either the Chorus Concert or an open house. Anyway, the custodians are extremely busy in keeping the school clean for the elementary school tours during the day. I just thought that this extra help at night would be appreciated.

5 Pennies - Day 310

1. Brought in flowers for various staff members
             We had a really special student ceremony at school yesterday. I just wanted to treat those staff members that helped organized and part-take in the event. It was a beautiful ceremony and the parents, students, and faculty was really pleased with the event. 

2. Wrote a Thank you note to another teacher who volunteer to watch my students
               I had to help in administering a state assessment earlier this morning. Unfortunately, that meant that I was not able to see one of my band classes for regular attendance. Therefore, I needed another teacher to watch them while I was away doing this other work. I just wanted to say a special thank you to this particular teacher - with a note and a simple piece of candy.

3. Wrote a Good Luck not to a music teacher 
                 His orchestra ensemble has their spring concert tonight. They all have been working really hard in putting this program together.

4. Brought in snacks for an after school student activity 
           So I have a small woodwind ensemble group that has met throughout the school year. Their spring performance circuit is officially done, which is great because it is one less thing that I need to worry about. However, I will miss working with these students throughout the summer and some of them will be graduating the middle school and going on with their high school lives. I just wanted to officially say thank you for all of their hard work throughout the school year. The nicest thing about having this simple spring party is that the kids are so cool. They wrote me notes on a card, got me flowers, got me a dance video, and gift cards to shop. I can really use the gift cards because my son needs some  summer clothes. Regardless if they didn't have gotten me anything - They are a bunch of cool kids. I have been really lucky to have them this year.

5. Returned programs for another teacher that were being copied for his concert
                   The orchestra programs were left in the copier room. I figured that this music teacher may need them for tonight's performance.

5 Pennies - Day 309

1. Brought in breakfast for another teacher
               She has been working really hard in putting together a really nice ceremony to honor various students throughout our school for showing great character & academic success. I just wanted to say thank you and treat her with something nice.

2. Gave my music student a card and a special treat for his birthday
            He has been looking forward to his birthday for awhile. Funny kid! Even though he is turning 14, the excitement that he projects reminds me very much of my own 5 year old son. Anyway, I got a birthday card, wrote a simple message, and attached a piece of candy. Before school started this morning, I put it at his locker - sort of like a nice surprise!

3. Helped parents find their kids at an afterschool club
              After school today there was a parent that was wondering around the front end of the school. Apparently they were waiting in their car for around 15 minutes, but their child didn't show up yet. So I helped them by walking him to the after school club area and located their child. It was no big deal. I would have wanted someone to help me if I was looking for my son.

4. Gave substitute a special treat and thank you card
         There was substitute that helped out in the front office for the past few weeks, while one of the secretaries was on medical leave due to a minor surgery. So today was her last day working at our school. I just wanted to say a special thank you for all of her hard work.
 
5. Provided music entertainment to an elderly nursing home
            My grandmother loved it. Apparently she was telling everyone all day today that I was coming with my students. She was a great promoter - a lot of clients were there. Then after wards she kept on going up to everyone tell them how proud she was of me- It was nice to hear that.

Moving On

Ok, it's time to move on I suppose. It has been a week and I have not heard back from the airport of them finding my missing bag & journal. I'm really sadden by this mistake of mine. But, again - I need to move on.

So prior to starting this blog, I started to type the pennies into my computer. I have the descriptions from about Day 309 to Day 365. And so this my friend is where I'll pick up the pieces and finish my puzzle.

LOST!!!

HELP!!!

Ok, so I lost my 5 Pennies Journal at the Chicago Midway airport.
It was in my red, orange, black woven small bag.
If you have seen it or know of its where abouts - please return.
I miss the bag & journal desperately!

PLEASE HELP!!!

5 Pennies - Day 208

1. Bought 'Earth Day' stickers for another teacher
              So the one science teacher is really a wonderful person. She does so many great things for the school and the kids really do respond to her well. She even has this nice group of kids that meet after school and plan environmental activities. Her group has recently really started to promote the recycling activities within our school and community. Since Earth Day is vastly approaching, I wanted to do something nice for her. So when I saw these stickers, I knew exactly who they needed to belong to.

2. Held the door open for another group of teachers
            It was morning, cold, and a slight wisp of flurries in the air. They had their hands full and it was the least that I could do.

3. Wrote a 'Thank You' note to another music teacher
            I really appreciated that he let me borrow his music DVDs to explain and showcase the Jazz music that I've been talking about in class to my students. It was a great resource to have and use.

4. Helped an elderly lady at church
            So before service tonight, I over heard an elderly lady talking to the Pastor about how she went to the hospital earlier that day to get some routine blood work done. She truly is a saint in the church and happily shares her wealth of God's love with everyone. So as she talked she started to complain about how she couldn't get the hospital's wrist band off. She rarely complains about anything, so I knew that this cuff was really bothering her. I simply went to the church's office got a pair of scissors and took care of the problem for her. Instantly, the smile returned back to her face. She has a lovely smile.

5. Helped a disabled person receive communion at church
             He wasn't for sure where to stand, what to do, or what to say. So I whispered to him to just imitate what I did. He modeled all of my gestures and did a wonderful job. You could tell that he was very proud of himself because it was the first time that he took communion independently. It was nice to help him.

5 Pennies - Day 207

1. Wrote a belated birthday card to a college student from church
            This was a former youth that I would mentor last year while they were a senior in high school and they attended church regularly. Now that they are off at college, its been awhile since I've seen them. They are doing well, which is great to hear. So I just wanted to say hi and wish them a good birthday - even though I'm a few days late - oops! how time flies!

2. Wrote a 'Thinking of You' card
            This goes to an elderly church member who can not attend Sunday Service anymore. I miss her very much because she would always add some sort of wisdom during the conversation time after the sermon. She always had the best stories during the social time after the service. Just wanted to let her know that she was missed at service.

3. Wrote a 'Have a Nice Day' card
             So I must admit - I was a bit bored this afternoon. So I just randomly shuffled my way through the phone book and picked a random name. Yup, they received the card. The way that I see it is that - who wouldn't want to receive a card wishing them a nice day - even if they don't know the sender. Its all done in good spirits :-)

4. Salted the sidewalk
            So there is a house down the street from where I live where the neighbors moved out from it over this past summer. Its a fairly nice house, but now that no one lives in it - the sidewalks haven't been shoveled during the past few weeks of winter. I also live on a street that the neighborhood middle school kids walk to attend their school/classes. I worry over the fact that the mail carrier, other neighbors, and the local kids are walking on these types of untreated sidewalks - this is a safety hazard waiting to happen. So I had some free moments and the temperature wasn't too bad. I took my shovel and some left over salt and worked on these sidewalks. I was able to get a decent path cleared - enough for walking - until the temps warm up enough to finish melting the ice/snow mixture

5. Bought a random person a cookie
            This was actually my son's idea - I'm so proud of him. Since it was his idea, he chose the person in the food court and delivered it :-)

6. Cleaned up the food court
              Threw away abandoned trash, straighten up the chairs, wiped tables, returned trays, etc. Anything that helped keep the area clean for other customers and to help the workers their. Sort of like a penny that helped multiple types of people.

5 Pennies - Day 206

1. Made & brought in low-fat Banana bread
             I just wanted to treat the other members of the fitness group with a healthy morning breakfast alternative. I found a great recipe on a website that takes classic food items and rearranges the ingredients to be healthier. I tried the directions out and made some really good bread. So I repeated the cooking and made some extra for the other fitness members. They have been working really hard. Enjoy!

2. Bought special coffee for another teacher
             I normally buy the regular kind of coffee, but today I felt like being adventurous and buy some flavored - French Vanilla. I must admit that it was really good. I hope that the other teacher enjoyed it as much as I.

3. Wrote a 'Nice Job' note to another music teacher
               He has spent a lot of time with his music students in working on an extra community concert. I just wanted to let him know that I really appreciate all of the extra time that he has given to his students & his music program to make this event really nice.

4. Left another car pull ahead of me
               I was about to pull into the gas station when I noticed that there was another car across from me needing to buy gas as well. So I flagged them over and let them go ahead of me. It wasn't a problem at all because I had some extra time. Besides, there was still enough of gas for my jeep afterwards.

5. Gave an article to use in the classroom to another teacher
             There was this really cool article about a WWII painting and the model that posed for it. I have heard the art teacher comment about it when she discusses her 'Pop Art' unit. Then while I was looking around on cnn.com - there was this brilliant article. After reading it, I printed it out and this morning put it in the art teacher's school mailbox. I hope that this is helpful for her to use in the classroom - or at least interesting to read.

5 Pennies - Day 205

1. Brought flowers to a church member
              It was her birthday yesterday :-) She does so many wonderful things within the church for so many of the different people - I just wanted her to have a great day and show my appreciation. Something about flowers that's great to get on your birthday.

2. Brought food to homeless shelter
              Just making sure that they are stocked up for this up coming week with some basic items. I read an article in the local newspaper that more and more families are depending on the local area's soup kitchens for dinner lately. I am a very fortunate person. I have a nice home, good family, warm clothes, and food available. By providing food for others, in a way it shows my appreciation to God for providing me with so many things in life - I must remember to never take this for granted.

3. Wrote a 'Thank You' note to church groundskeeper
               He has been working over time to make sure the the walk ways are clear, that clean door mats are available, that left over salt is swept up, the the parking lot is shoveled for service, and more. I just wanted to express my appreciation for the extra care that he has been showing to the church grounds and the parishioners.

4. Wrote a 'Good Luck' email/note to Volleyball coach & students
             Several of my music students play on the middle school's volleyball team. They have an important tournament this weekend and made it to the finals which are being held today. I wish that I could attend, but the location is further away than what I can drive with my son. So instead I sent the Volleyball coach (another teacher at school) an email wishing her & the students good luck today within the final rounds of the tournament. Set, Bump, Spike, Serve!

5. Picked up trash in parking lot
             So I took my son out to a special lunch after morning church today. He has been really sick lately; this has been a rare occasion for him to feel fairly well - so I thought about celebrating this small life wonderfulness. Anyway, he has a haircut appointment later on today - so things just seemed to line up better to leave church, go have a special restaurant lunch, and then go to the haircut appointment. While walking into the restaurant, I noticed that there were some pieces of trash in the parking lot. I simply went over and gathered a few of the items together. The best thing is that my son automatically did the same thing too!

5 Pennies - Day 204

1. Went to student basketball game to show support
               So it is basketball season in my school for both girls and boys. Today I took my son to watch a boys game at another school. The best thing about the team is that all of the players I also have in the classroom. They all did an amazing job and I was highly impressed with their athleticism and sportsmanship. I will say that I do have an annoying habit when I go to games, shows, recitals, competitions, etc. The people around me begin to get iritated because I'll continuously talk to my son about the kids that I teach. Like - oh, there's 52, mommy teaches him, his name is Joe and plays the trumpet. My son has begun to accept this habit and once we get situated and seated at an event he immediately starts asking about which kids I teach. I know that each of my students have families of their own, but I like to think that I am apart of their school life family - there to show support within and outside of the classroom.

2. Sanitize shopping carts
                With the wipes that are provided at the front of the grocery store entrance, it is easy to do a couple more than just your own - help clean up germs for future people.

3. Personally thanked cashier & assistant by name
           Remember to treat these people with kindness - all jobs are useful, meaningful, and important in society. These people have hard jobs because they are constantly dealing with customers - more that are unhappy than satisfied. Look them in the eye & say hello, thank you, and call them by name - it's a simple act of respect.

4. Bought boxes of tissues for son's classroom
             Tis the season of sneezes. Can a classroom of preschool kids ever have too many boxes of tissues? With my classroom of middle school kids, the answer to this question would be an obvious NO! Anyway, the teacher works on limited pay with limited funding, so while I bought my classroom a pack - I bought another pack for her too.

5. Picked up knocked over boxes at entrance of doorway
             The clerk was changing some of the items around at the front of the grocery store - displaying the new sales and such. Although the view was interesting, the left over boxes were making a run for it by trying to baracade the doorway. He was there trying to clean everything up by himself as quick as possible so that the other customers could leave. I just simply parked my cart and helped him move things out of everyone elses way - it was easy to do.

5 Pennies - Day 203

1. Gave special treats to those students who won the school's Spelling Bee
             I'm an ok speller - not fantastic, but proficient enough to make sense in life. However, these kids were amazing at school this morning. Words that I've never heard before they were rattling off like it was common knowledge. The 6th & 7th grade student that won for their grade, well I'm proud to say that they are my band students - & really smart too. The 8th grade student that won for her grade is a chorus student, but I also have her in my regular music class. This particular girl is pure amazing. She has so many talents, especially being so gifted in art. But her real talent is how she wants to help people and change the world. She's pure enchanting. So I felt that a little treat to show how proud of them I was, was easy to do.

*And yes, I love watching the National Spelling Bee hosted in Washington DC every spring.

2. Wrote a "Welcome Back" note to another staff member
            Yeah, she's back! This particular staff member has been out for a while due to a serious injury that had to be taken care of by a surgery. Its nice to have her back 'home'.

3. Wrote a "Thank You" note to another teacher
             I've always wanted a 'smart board' to use in my classroom. Its a great piece of technology equipment that is really easy to use in the classroom and that the kids respond really well too. But being an 'Arts' teacher, we are often overlooked for having advanced technological equipment within our classroom. Now I am currently working off of my personal laptop & a LCD projector. However, I received some great news this afternoon. The Technology teacher in my building is getting a new 'Smart Board' from her supervisor and wants to give me her older one. Yes! The least that I could do was to write a thank you note.

4. Wrote a 'Good Luck' note to another student
             This is my private flute student that has a really important audition tomorrow. She is applying to a private Music & Arts High School on her instrument. We have worked a lot on her music throughout this year, as well as, scales & basic music theory. She is going to do well tomorrow - she's ready for this. She wants to get in really badly so that she can go to college and be a music teacher - how cool?!? Unfortunately, I can't be there for her audition - so it was only natural to write her a good luck note.

5. Made brownies for the custodians
             They have been really working overtime in the morning in keeping the sidewalks clear and safe for everyone from the winter weather. Just a simple show of appreciation.

5 Pennies - Day 202

1. Made stepfather coffee
          He was really nice towards my mother this morning. The snow was heavy, deep, & abundant. He was really worried about my mom getting to work - so he drove her. While he was there he also shovel/plowed out her business too. I thought that since he was so nice towards her, I would return the favor. So when he returned home from the battle of the elements, a nice warm pot of fresh coffee was waiting for him.

2. Made brownies for the new neighbors
            So across the street, new neighbors moved in just a few days ago - right before the newest snowfall came. My son and I had a day off from school, so we made them brownies & included a welcome note. Just something nice to do for them to say hello & welcome

3. Made brownies for the postal carrier
            What is the mail service motto? Through sun, rain, sleet, & snow. I felt sorry & guilty for our carrier since he had to be in this horrible winter weather, while my son and I enjoyed the warmth from the inside. So we made extra brownies for him & included a thank you note for doing such a good job despite the weather conditions.

4. Sent an 'e-card' to other teacher colleagues
             I just wanted to wish them a 'Happy Snow Day!'

5. Helped clean off & dig out neighbor's car
             My son and I were outside playing in the snow. So I must admit that after building a snowman, my son honestly believes that shoveling is a part of 'playing' in the snow. Ok, I know that in some weird way it is wrong of me to let my son believe that shoveling = snow fun! However, he loves it. He actually loves helping me & others out - which I love him for. Anyway, we were going over our own sidewalk again to make things cleaner and noticed that our neighbor down the street needed some extra help with his car. So we went down to help him. The neighbor did the roof, I did the hood, & my son took care of the lights & wheels. Soon we got the car cleaned, then out & running - together.

5 Pennies - Day 201

1. Sanitized seats & door knobs at son's pediatrician
           Winter = sickness = need for cleanliness = good health :-)
           Ok, so I'm viglient towards cleanliness. I wonder what my superhero name would be? Mr. Clean is already taken & personally he scares me to be married to him, so 'Mrs. Clean' is out of the picture. Then there is Wonder Woman with her golden laso of truth - would mine be golden container of Clorox Wipes?
:-) Either way, whatever I can do help others; miniscule or large; simple or complex; immediate or future - whatever the need is, I would like to help.

2. Shoveled snow for the two elderly neighbors
            They are both very sweet and wonderful neighbors - the nastalgic grandparent type. Soft spoken & always smiling, but in need when it comes to winter weather. So of able body, strength, & mind - shoveling away I went. Honestly, it wasn't that cold or that physically demanding. Thanks to Tony H. & P90x for helping me build up my strength & endurance prior to the winter months :-)

3. Sent a birthday card to a church musician
            Happy Birthday! She's a wonderful musician - plays guitar, piano, saxophone, & trumpet. The most interesting thing about her is that she is also a great composer. She mainly writes songs for a small combo to perform, but is currently working on a piece for my concert band to perform possibly this spring or next. Another cool thing is that she is also a recording artist. A lot of the money that she sells based on her cds, she then donates it back into the church for mission projects or food pantries. Great spirit!

4. Wrote a 'Thinking About You' card to church elderly
             Haven't seen her for a while, just wanted to check to make sure that she was ok.

5. Wrote a 'Thank You' note to son's future kindergarten teacher
             So after reading the article from yesterday that focused on preparing your child for Kindergarten, I sent an email to his future teacher in requesting advice. Not only did she send me some helpful information through an email, but also sent a packet of activities to further prepare him for his entrance exam. I just had to send a special thank you note for the extra time that she put into advising me.

5 Pennies - Day 200

Happy 200 Pennies!

1. Wrote and encouraging note to a student
           I have this wonderful percussion student - really brilliant and just an overall nice kid. Anyway, I have started to notice that he has not seemed himself by being a little on edge with his talk & his actions. I talked to his mother a little yesterday about it because I knew that something was different. Again, he's a great kid - so something isn't right. She told me that he was starting to feel really stressed out with his academic work and his sports activity. So today I wrote a note of encouragement and slid it into his locker - quickly before he came to school. Just something simple to tell him to keep up the good work and that everything will be ok.

2. Scrubbed all the tables in the cafeteria
           They just needed it - especially with all of the winter sickness going around. I wanted to make sure that our school looks its best and that the students had a clean place to eat. Where my OCD is welcomed - cleanliness = happiness :-)

3. Picked up books that another student dropped
             Bless her heart - she was trying to carry her academic books, while balencing a clarinet, while heading towards the art area with extra supplies. A tiny girl with gifted talent - unfortunately balencing is not one of them. So as her arms caved in and all of her belongings exploded in front of her, I went and helped her pick everything up. Isn't that what we all need in life sometimes? When our burden becomes too heavy - someone to come over and pick up the pieces - putting our puzzle back together. Well, her puzzle is this is beautiful collage of colors, shapes, & texture.

4. Gathered up baskets at the grocery store
            After gathering them up at the check out area, I placed them at the entrance of the store for future customers. Easy to do.

5. Placed articles in staff mailboxes for different people based on their interests
            So there is this teacher at my school that loves comic book super heros - ok, there are two that have this same interest. Anyway, there was this really great article that was recently posted on cnn.com about a poll of top 10 superheros - ranking them acordingly to their strength, vigilence, and knowledge. An article that I knew that they would throughly enjoy!
             Then I also read another article on cnn.com about how parents can start to prepare their child for kindergarten. This article had a lot of helpful hints for me as I am starting to prepare my son for next fall. I know of another teacher at my school that is in the same boat. So I printed out the article and placed it in her mailbox. I hope that the information is as helpful to her as it was for me.

something cool

So I have a story written about my project in the local newspaper - The Herald Mail.
Below is the link to the story.
http://www.herald-mail.com/news/hm-boonsboro-teacher-takes-yearlong-project-of-helping-others-into-the-classroom-20111009,0,5375532.story

It was also picked up by USAToday.
Below is their additional link.
http://content.usatoday.net/dist/custom/gci/InsidePage.aspx?cId=delmarvanow&sParam=37668815.story

And then Great Instrumental Downloads-
http://greatinstrumentaldownloads.com/instrumental-music-in-the-news/

Here's another - Nuizer-
http://www.niuzer.com/US/Boonsboro-teacher-takes-yearlong-project-of-helping-others-into-cyberspace-7626560.html

And Schema-Root-
http://schema-root.org/people/career/musicians/teachers/

BC - South Member Exchange Digest-
http://www.wralsportsfan.com/rs/story/10258770/

The coolest thing is that people from all over can start doing pennies.
I wonder how Abe Lincoln would feel about this?

5 Pennies - Day 200 - Recap

So my 200th day of 5 Pennies is near. And so far my 'pocket change' is equating to $10! Cool huh?

Anyway, what I have learned thus far in this project is it is all about connecting with someone. Not so much of playing the game 'Connect 4', but more like 'Connect the Dots.' In order to understand someone, you have to actively listen and observe them - then you can help them. Even as something as simple as a note to cheer them up or more complex as supplying food for their soul - you can help them if you make the connection.

So when I was in college for my Undergraduate degree in teaching, there was this seminary that every Freshman had to go to. We in the music department nicked-named it "Mating, Dating, & Relating." So these 5 Pennies has nothing to do with the 'mating' aspect, but maybe has a little more to do with the 'dating' aspect. But really - it is all about the 'relating' aspect. Getting to know someone, learning what they need, and then providing it for them - the best way you know how.

I have been frustrated the past couple of days. I haven't seen the ripple effect in which is something that I was really looking forward to. However, I need to keep in mind that this project isn't about others and what they are going to do. It is about me and how I am relating/connecting to others.

So on this note, I will leave this post with one of my favorite 'Pee Wee Herman's songs:
Connect the dots, La-La-La-La

5 Pennies - Day 199

1. Checked in on another teacher's substitute
            So I substitute taught while I was in college working on my Undergraduate Teaching degree. This by far is a hard job to do because you don't know anyone and you don't know the regular routine - even if the teacher leaves the best laid plans for you - there is still apprehension. So when I notice that there is a substitute teacher for another teacher nearby my classroom, I always go introduce myself and make sure that they have everything that they need. Just common courtesy to make the sub at ease. Good thing I did this too, she was out of coloring sheets and I was able to copy some for her prior to class beginning.

2. Wrote an "In Sympathy" card to a member from church
            Just something simple to do to show that I cared about this member and their family.

3. Found and washed a coffee to go cup
            So I noticed this really nice coffee to go cup in the teacher's lounge. It looked fairly new and I've never seen it before at school. I noticed the name that was written on it and knew that it didn't belong to any of my coworkers, so it must have belonged to a substitute that was in today. So I washed and dried it and returned it to the front office. As I was writing a post-it-note explaining this lost, but found coffee-to-go cup, the phone rang. It was actually the sub calling to see if anyone found her cup. I guess it is the 'right place at the right time' type of thing.

4. Bought extra snacks for students
                I have a group of students that have been working really hard on an extra concert that is approaching this weekend. I just wanted to get them an extra snack to show them how much I appreciate all of the extra time and effort that they have been putting into to this extra concert. They are truly wonderful kids to work with!

5. Covered for another teacher during lunch duty
                 They needed to leave un-expectantly to pick up their sick child - so I had so extra time and just decided to cover for them during lunch duty. I hate when my kid is sick and am always looking for any extra help at work - I knew that this would help with one problem. It was easy to do.

5 Pennies - Day 198

1. Bought extra food for the homeless shelter
           Yes, their shelves and supplies are starting to get bare. I just couldn't stand the thought tonight of while I was eating something warm & nutritious, there were others that were living off of scraps. So I had some extra money in my pocket and bought some simple supplies that you normally use within any meals - noodles, powder cheese, cans of soup, etc. Something warm to cut the iciness of the cold night.

2. Sanitize the church's library computers
           So within the educational area of the church that I attend, there are these computers that are accessible for anyone to use. We are in the midst of cold & flu season; and I know that the keyboards haven't been cleaned for awhile. So I just simply got a cleaning cloth and scrubbed the germs off of the keys. Aaaaahhh - one of my advantages of being OCD.

3. Talked with a student musician about future plans
            So I have been mentoring this student for the past 5 years. I am really proud of him because he has grown up so much both musically and maturity. Anyway, he is at the age where he is starting to think about his future plans as in what college and occupation. He is really interested in being a music teacher, which really makes me smile - because in some ways I feel partly responsible for starting and helping him nurture his love for music. So we chatted awhile about different colleges and scholarships and things that could get him closer to his goals. I need to keep a continual eye on him so that he doesn't lose momentum.

4. Got music ready for another musician
           I noticed that she was running late from serving refreshments at another earlier service. So as I was preparing my, it was just as easy to prepare her's as well. Simple to do and easy to help.

5. Brought in snacks for women's support group
            What women's support group wouldn't like something with chocolate? The best thing about this snack is that it was low calorie and high in protein - but it still tasted pretty good. Just something for them to munch on while they were having their evening/weekly meeting.

5 Pennies - Day 197

1. Wrote a "Get Well" card to another teacher
             She recently had a minor surgery, but I still wanted to send her some good thoughts and let her know that I was thinking about her. So a simple card was it - I hope that it brought at least a simple smile.

2. Wrote a "Thinking of You" card to a shut in from church
           There is this wonderful elderly lady that use to attend church, but recently her age & health have started to overcome her. This makes me sad because I am so used to seeing her face at service & I know how much she enjoyed it. So I decided to write her a simple card, letting her know that I was thinking about her.

3. Returned shopping basket for another customer
             I needed a basket what I was picking up a few groceries and this customer was finished with theirs. So it was like a win-win type of thing. Saved them a few moments & gave me the supply that I needed.

4. Bought items for son's preschool class
             So this next week my son's preschool class will be focusing on the letter "P". I really believe that this is every young boy's favorite letter because of the gross words that start with it, which my son is currently hypnotized with saying. Anyway, I bought a couple of snacks & different types of pencils for him to share with the friends in his class.

5. Personally thanked a grocery clerk
           He was cleaning up the check out area and noticed that I was having difficulty in scanning my groceries and keeping up with the bagging. So he stopped what he was doing and immediately hopped over to me to help - so that I could focus on just one task. A really nice & good worker. When I was done and was about to leave, I looked at him, shook his hand, called him by name, and personally thanked him. It was a nice respectful moment.

5 Pennies - Day 196

1. Washed out another person's coffee cup
             So the one custodian has a favorite coffee cup that she left in the sink. I knew that she probably was about to wash it out, but was called away to take care of a problem. I was washing my own and figured that I would do her's as well - it was a simple thing to do and took very little time to complete - but it helped her in the end. Besides, it falls under cleaning - what I do best.

2. Held the door open for other students
             So these 4 students were kind enough to help out another teacher by bringing in her materials from her car. She is very much pregnant and was having problems caring in everything to treat her classes. The majority of the students at my school are so well mannered and easily help when in need. So I figured that since they were helping this other teacher, I would help them by holding the door open so that they would have to wait outside in the cold until the buzzard unlocked for them to enter.

3. Gathered up & returned presentation items to Administrator
            So the one Administrator put together this wonderful presentation about the new Anti-Bullying program that we are running within our school this year. It was extremely well done in both conveying the facts that the students needed to know and then ending with a music clip about bullying statistics. Anyway, he accidentally left his power cord to his LCD projector and an extension cord out in the stage/auditorium. It was easy enough to gather up and return the materials back to him so that he had everything that he needed for future presentations.

4. Wrote a 'Get Well' card to a student who was recently seriously injured
             This particular student was in a ATV accident yesterday after school. Currently, he is at an important hospital in Baltimore listed as critical condition. I'm very worried about him and his family. I hate seeing my student sick/hurt - and this accident/injury is very severe.

5. Wrote a 'Thank You' note to another teacher for putting together special student activities
            This particular teacher really studies and analyzes the different aspects with student attendance (including our tardy policy too). Anyway, she programs special activities for shorten weeks to inspire students to come to school on time. She also watches the absent list and rewards students/grades that have the best consecutive attendance. She also rewards particular students if there is an improvement with their attendance or tardiness. These little things make a big difference within our school. She does such a fabulous in programming all of these parties, activities, & special events. I just wanted to say a special thank you to her.

5 Pennies - Day 195

1. Gave special hand lotion to teacher
              So this hand lotion had all of these cool looking french designs engraved all over the bottle. This particular teacher has all of these really cool designed items all over her classroom. The instant that I saw this item, I immediately thought of her. Plus, I over heard her the other day saying that her hands were really dry because of the cold winter.

2. Helped another staff member with the schedule & special student activity
               One of the few things that I am good at is organization. So this particular staff member noticed that there was a conflict in dates in regards to two activities being held at the same time. With some careful planning and reorganization, I was able to help this person sort things out so that the events could take place without overlapping in dates & times.

3. Helped a student carry his books to class
               He plays the cello and although I am not the orchestra teacher, I definitely recognized the fact that he needed someone extra to help him. So I was in the hallway monitoring the student traffic in the hallway when I noticed that he was struggling to get to class with both his books & instrument. So I simply went over and picked up his books and told him to keep continuing on with his instrument. The best thing is that when we got to his classroom - he said thanks :-)

4. Wrote an encouraging note to the school secretary
             This remarkable secretary does so much for the school. She was starting to get frazzled because in the matter of minutes her computer fried, the phone was both off the hook and on hold at the same time, at least 6 teachers were absent, and somehow a group of parents arrived in her office to speak to everyone & anyone about everything. Just looking at her, you could easily tell the she was beyond stressed out. So I got a spare hanger & made her a sign "The Hang In There Award."Instantly it brighten her day.

5. Cleaned up girls bathroom
                Picked up paper towels on the floor, returned other teacher's bathroom passes, straighten hand washing area & mirrors, etc. Simple things that keep this area nice for the students, parents, & other staff members to use in the future.

5 Pennies - Day 194

1. Helped the new neighbor de-ice his car
               Across the street, the new neighbor comes from Florida and is struggling during this winter. It is too cold, too snowy, & too icy for him and his family. Such a drastic climate change for him to get use to - he didn't even have an ice car scraper. So as I was finishing getting my car ready for work, I watch him as he struggle with  using a broom to clean his car. I simply went over to help him with my ice scraper on his windshields. He looked at me in disbelief, but I told him that that is what neighbors do - help each other.

2. Gave an inspirational athletic sign to gym teacher
             She is wonderful in putting up all of these great motivating signs throughout the gym, the hallways, & the locker room. And the signs are the regular 'hokie' signs - they actually have good meanings and interesting pictures. So when I saw this particular sign at the teacher store that closed just a few days ago, I immediately thought of her. If anything, she has inspired me to help her inspire the students.

3. Gave my breakfast to someone else
            So one of my students was incredibly hungry this morning because they got up late and didn't have time for breakfast. I didn't want my orange juice and had an extra Special K bars that I normally eat for breakfast. Even before I could get out the offer to share my breakfast, he immediately started to eat & drink. Sometimes it surprises me how much a teenager can consume food. Anyway, I was glad that they ate something - he often complains of headaches because of lack of food. I did advised him to stop by later on in the morning if he needed a snack to carry him to lunch. Checked up on him at lunch, he was eating - again :-)

4. Donated some extra cleaning supplies to needy shelter
            Yes, I know that the most important thing right now is to feed the needy & make sure that they have a warm bed at night. However, having a clean bathroom to refresh themselves and clean clothes is also important thing too - it provides sanitary & better health conditions. But more importantly, it also provides a sense of hope & compassion that someone is treating them with respect. The needy shelter is always looking for cleaning wipes, clothing detergent, soap, toothpaste, and other hygiene items.

5. Gave extra Sunday School stickers to church
              There were these cute little stickers that said "Yeah God!" on them. Very simple, but new that one of the Sunday School teachers would use them with their kids. Later on today I received a picture from my son - yes, I got a "Yeah God." It made me chuckle to myself.

5 Pennies - Day 193

1. Brought in coffee & snacks for a morning meeting
               So we had a special supervisor meeting on this cold winter's day. The best thing about this day so far is the free coffee. So I tend to arrive early for things - my nervous habit of never liking the thought or action of being late. So while I was the first to arrive, I helped bring in the free coffee and snacks. It was easy to help with this task - I also got first dibs on the coffee.

2. Helped get chairs for other teachers
                Again, being the early bird - I put myself to work. Coffee in - check & taste great! Donuts/other snacks in - check & didn't try. Now onto the chairs. Since there will be a gathering of us, yes I need to get out enough for everyone. No big deal - I like to feel like I am helpful.

3. Gave a grading device to another staff member
              So I was in the workroom the other day copying papers for my next unit for my one set of music classes, when I heard another staff member talk about how she misplaced her grading device. It was the kind that you could slide the numbers of total problems and then the grid would show up with the percentage in relation to how many were incorrect. Cool device. Well, I saw one the other day marked in the clearance section at the store and new who it needed to belong too. So after our meeting this morning, we had time to go back to our school and work in our classroom. This is when I placed the new grading device on the desk of the other staff member. I hope that they can use it :-)

4. Cleaned exercise DVD's for others
              At the last workout, I noticed that the DVD's were a little scratched up and they were beginning to skip while being played. So this past weekend I bought a DVD disc cleaning kit and started to work on these small problems. Yes, it did make a difference. No more skipping - well, except for us staff members who do the Plyo DVD.

5. Bought crayon erasers for another art teacher
            So I just saw these crazy little things and new that the art teacher would love them. She has a who collection of crayon stuff - Crayon thermos, Crayon sandwich protector, Crayon bank, etc. Just something quirky to add to her hobby.

5 Pennies - Day 192

1. Wrote a "Thinking of You" card to another member at church
                So I recently got a list of people from the church that I attend - these are people who are in the hospital, needing healing prayers, or are waiting for surgery. There is a particular woman that is a very nice person who has recently missed a couple of services. I just wanted to send her a card in saying that I was thinking of her and hope that she was getting well. Just to brighten her day.

2. Gathered up shopping carts at the grocery store
               I guess these shopping carts didn't want the customers to leave the grocery store - they were starting to gather & block the front door. So I situated them all out into nice straight neat rows. This not only cleared up the doorway, but let other customers get a shopping cart with ease.

3. Bought some peach jelly for step father
              Unfortunately my step father received paperwork earlier today saying that his job was being eliminated by the end of the month. He was really upset by this news because he has been with the same company for over 25 years. So while I was out buying groceries today, I asked my son what he thought that 'Pappy' would like to cheer him up. My son said that he likes special jelly to go on his toast - so peach jelly it was.

4. Held the door for an elderly lady
               Prior to going to the grocery store, I took my son out for a special lunch. I like to do this with him every now & then - and today was a perfect opportunity - we had the day off from school. So while we were leaving the restaurant, I noticed that there was an elderly lady starting to head for the door. I asked my son to hold the first door open, while I then got the second so that the woman would have complete ease going through and into the outside where h er daughter was getting the car ready. Easy to do.

5. Wrote the waiter a 'thank you' note
                  He was very nice towards my son and got him extra whipped cream & sprinkles for his pancakes. Anything special that a service person does should be appreciated & thank properly thanked. This restaurant always have really great service.

5 Pennies - Day 191

1. Bought & donated clothing items to local homeless shelter
             Wow! It has gotten so cold in are area lately. Yes, this homeless shelter runs a wonderful soup kitchen that in the recent past weeks I have donated several bags of groceries, but I have also noticed that the clients are in desperate needs of some warmer clothing too - especially the children. So I went to the local department store and picked up a couple essentials - socks, long sleeve undershirts, undergarments, and such. Warmth of food & clothing is what these people need on this cold winter's day.

2. Sharpened various pencils for children
            So as my son was practicing his writing, I noticed that many of the pencils at the children's table were very dull. So I simple gathered them up and sharpened them. A little thing to do, but it gave the kids more of an opportunity to practice their writing skills.

3. Wrote a welcome card
             So this past week a new musician joined the church's praise band. She was very hesitant about joining because she doesn't know many of the songs that are in our performance book. However, she is a fairly good singer and will eventually pick up this music. Besides, it's nice to have new blood within the praise band.

4. Helped clean up after children's service
              In order to get to the communion area, I had to move the various pillows and carpet that were left after the children's sermon. Easy to do for others.

5. Let people cross the road to attend church
              So diagonally from the church that I attend is another church, but of a different sector. There was this father with two little girls that were trailing under his footsteps and in his shadow. They were all trying to cross the street to get to service on time, but there was a line of traffic. So as I watched, I slowed down in my jeep so that they would have time to safely cross. The girls were so cold in their beautiful dresses. I was glad that they made it into the warm building safely. 

5 Pennies - Day 190

1. Got coffee for my step father
               This is his last weekend in putting together the new building for his work. It is bitterly cold outside & I just wanted to do something nice - to celebrate the finale of this long project.

2. Text other teachers about educational store deals
              It saddens me in the fact that many local businesses are having to shut down due to the struggling economy these days. This particular educational store has been in our community since I was a little girl. I still remember being little and going there with my mom as she shopped for her classroom. Anyway, this store is closing after several successful years and they need to sell their stock. So even though it saddens me, the silver lining is that I am able to buy some really good materials at amazingly discounted prices. As I shopped, I noticed some other things that other teachers in my building could use in their classrooms. So I started to text them to let them know about these deals.

3. Bought items for son's classroom
             Yes, I was even able to buy some really nice puzzles & books for my son's preschool classroom at very low costs. I know that his teacher will really appreciate it.

4. Gave extra money to support a local children's charity
              So I was grocery shopping and as I was getting ready to leave, I noticed this stand where the money collected supported local children that were diagnosed with cancer & now being treated at St. Jude's. Ok, so the stand was selling cookies & other sweets. My son loves cotton candy & they were selling his favorite kind - blue raspberry. So since the money was going to a good cause & the treat was going to a good little boy - sure! It only cost $1, but I gave $5 because I knew that everything was going to go help others.

FYI- no I didn't take 5 bags of cotton candy - just 1 bag is good & plenty.

5. Took a picture for another family
            So I took my son to one of his friend's birthday party this afternoon. There was a family there that the mom was trying to take a picture of the father and their son. I asked if they would like to have a picture of all of them together. The mother at first didn't know what to say. Then she started to comment on the fact that she is basically the photographer in the family and there isn't really any pictures of all of them together. I was happy to help them out & hope that she enjoys the picture along with the memory of the wonderful time that they had at the party.

5 Pennies - Day 189

1. Gave my lunch to another staff member
             So he was extremely hungry, forgot his lunch, & had limited amount of money to purchase a lunch from the school cafeteria. I had more than enough between a large sandwich and enough of snacks to feed all of my students. So I gave him 1/2 of my sandwich, an extra bottle of water, & some fruit from my lunch pail. Was happy to share.

2. Wrote a "Thank You" note to another teacher
            This particular teacher is amazing! She not only helps with the student newspaper, but she has recently put together a staff newspaper too! And both documents are so well placed, laid out, and informative. The recent staff paper focused on the music, arts, & physical education teachers & programs. It was so wonderful - I just had to write a thank you note.

3. Helped another student picked up her dropped items
             So she was talking to her friend while exiting the lunch line in the cafeteria and accidentally tripped and dropped her tray. As her food went everywhere, all of the students became completely silent. She sat there for awhile in humiliation. So I simply went over and just started to clean up the split food as her friends helped put her back together - it was a team effort. Later on in the day, I found this same girl and I told her about the most humiliating fall that has ever happened to me. It seemed to help a little.

4. Retrieved lunch for another teacher
             This particular person was in a meeting and already prepaid for a cafe lunch. So it was easy just to go and get the lunch for them, so that they would have it waiting for them after the meeting. I had some extra minutes and it was easy to do to help out another person.

5. Sent a 'thank you' email to another person for an interview
           So the one class that I am taking through our Board of Education, is based on leadership skills. I was recently able to interview another person based on their leadership role through our BOE. Throughout the interview, I really became interested in her job and leadership role. Not only did she give me pertinent information that I need for my class, but also some really great ideas to think about in the future. I just had to say a special thank you through the school's email.

5 Pennies - Day 188

1. Gave extra blue paper to another teacher for him to use

              So another teacher was telling me about how they were copying things on this blue paper for their students for this wonderful athletic unit that they were about to begin. Unfortunately, they ran out of this blue paper before they were finished copying. Luckily, I had some left over from previous concerts - I use spring colors for the programs of the spring music concerts. So I grabbed what I had and placed it in his teacher mailbox.

2. Gave flowers to a staff member who was worried about their ill mother

                Just to brighten up their day.

3. Brought in special treats for my students

              So I have a group of students that today is their last day that I will be working with them before they transition to another teacher. I really liked this class because they are so smart & fun to be with. This is a group of students that make teaching & learning enjoyable as an educator. FYI- it was homemade brownies.

4. Folded music programs for another teacher

               So the chorus teacher has a concert coming up next week and I noticed that as I was copying information for my own classes, her programs were finished copied. So I took them off of the copier & just started to fold them. By the time I was finished with my own copies - I had all of her programs ready too.

5. Gave some flowers to a staff member that gets me coffee

              So there is a custodian that has really looked out for me - always made sure that my area was clean & even gotten me coffee from time to time - which I really appreciate. So the least bit that I could do was to give her some flowers as a sign of appreciation.

5 Pennies - Day 187

1. Swept the snow off of the side walks for an elderly neighbor
                So we had a bit of a storm last night - several inches were accumulated. As much as I like the snow sometimes because of its clean beauty, it does create a problem with everyday living. My one elderly neighbor's son had to be called into work early, so he didn't have time to also stop by her house to shovel - not until later tonight. However, it is city law that snow must be removed from your walk by a certain time. Knowing that due to her health & age, she would not be able to clear her path. I didn't want her to get a fine, so after I was finished mine I did her area too.

2. Wrote "In Sympathy" card for an administrator who lost a family member
                 I really respect this administrator because he is very personable and sincere when he talks to you. Grant it, he is still can be hard as nails - but he is very approachable when you have a problem. Anyway, he has been distracted a little bit lately - I finally asked him if he was ok. He told me what was going on with his extended family. Wanting him to know that I was concerned about him, I gave him an "In Sympathy" card and wrote that I was thinking only good thoughts for him.

3. Wrote "Thank You" notes to other staff members who assisted with the special student ceremony
                Yesterday we had this wonderful ceremony honoring students who showed qualities of good character and academic achievement. There were many staff members that did a lot of behind the scenes work in order to help me pull this wonderful event together. So I bought each of them a nice candy bar with a thank you note. Something simple, just to show how much I appreciate everything that they do.

4. Helped another teacher with some computer problems
               He was having issues in opening up a particular program on his school computer. So I sat with him for about 15 minutes to help him work through these problems in order to get to the information that he needed. Wow, our school computers run really slow sometimes - but we got there.

5. Brought extra food to church's soup kitchen
             It's colder & now more snow is on the ground - they need more food because more people are showing up. Whatever extra I can do to help.

6. Brought extra flavored tea packets for the various church staff
           Again, it's so cold outside and not everyone likes coffee. Just something nice to help others.

5 Pennies - Day 186

1. Emailed a science articles other teachers
                So I was reading this really cool article on CNN.com about the discovery of a possible new planet. It was so interesting about what they classify about planets and what is something else. Anyway, I new that the one 8th grade science teacher does a whole unit about astrology (she even has mini planetarium in her room). Then there is a 6th grade science teacher that was talking to me about the different constellations because my band students are learning a piece about the stars. I just had to email this article to them & other science teachers in my building. Not for sure if they could use it in their curriculum, but at least it was interesting reading.

2. Wrote a 'Thank You' note to another teacher for listening
               I just needed some time to rant & whine. This particular teacher was there to let me use her room & more importantly to let me use her ear. She is a fantastic teacher and a really good person. It was the least that I could do in writing her a 'thank you' note & included a piece of candy.

3. Wrote a note to cheer up another teacher
               This particular teacher was telling me about how upset that she has been lately because her father is really sick again. I felt so sad for her. She seemed so depressed & tired. The least that I could do was to write her a note, to try to cheer her up, or at least to try to let her know that I was thinking good thoughts for her.

4. Gave a special snack to substitutes who helped with a special student activity
               So today was a very special student ceremony at my school. I was one of the people that helps organize & manages this program. The ceremony itself is a wonderful thing to have, it is just the technical part of putting everything together so that it runs smooth can be a bit exhausting. I requested a substitute for my afternoon classes so that I could prepare the auditorium for event, while not having to worry about my regular classes & students. Another teacher did the same thing so that she had plenty of time to prepare too. Anyway, I just wanted to make sure that these substitutes knew how grateful we were that they helped out with our regular classes, while we took care of special student activity. So after the honored students & their families received cake & punch from the event, I made sure that our substitutes were treated just as nice.

5. Wrote a 'Nice Job' note to the chorus teacher
             She had her honors chorus group perform at the beginning of the special student ceremony this afternoon. They did such a wonderful job, I just had to formally say thank you. I was so proud of them. The cool thing about this honor group is that many of them were also being honored within the special student activity. They are a great bunch of kids.

5 Pennies - Day 185

Happy 6 months of 5 Pennies!

To date I have spent $9.10 - or should I have said that I have earned this amount? Not for sure because many of the pennies are more like gifts to myself. Giving to someone else brings this sense of getting a sense of happiness and fulfillment like nothing else.

1. Cleaned and straighten up desks within another classroom
                So I was getting my morning coffee and as I passed by a classroom I noticed that the desks & chairs were a bit disheveled. The teacher was there yet, so I quickly tidy everything up for her. I know that she really likes having her classroom clean & straighten.

2. Made & brought in potato candy for another teacher
             It was her birthday & this is all that she asked me for as a present. I have a good family recipe for this special candy & I know that she loves this treat. Enjoy!

3. Took back trays to the cafeteria for other teachers
                There was a stack of used trays in the one teacher workroom & I was on my way back to the cafeteria for lunch duty - it was easy to take them along.

4. Gave up my plan time to cover for another teacher's lunch duty
              This particular teacher was working extra to help students get their assignments done before the end of the marking period - that they needed to skip lunch duty in order to put her students first. So, I had my students already caught up - so I volunteer to cover for her. Easy to do.

5. Contacted a baker to personally thank them
               So after school today, I had to pick up cakes that were specially made for a special student ceremony tomorrow at school. They were so well decorated and nice looking, that when I got home I made a phone call to the bakery to personally thank the baker & other workers for all of their hard work. They were just so wonderful. I hope that the students & their families enjoy them tomorrow.

5 Pennies - Day 184

1. Moved outside materials out of the way from a parking spot
             So I was parking my Jeep and getting ready to go into church when I noticed that there was a draining pipe that was laying in another parking spot. So I simply picked it up and moved it so that another person can use that area. The good thing about this was that the relieved parking spot was very close to the front doors of the church - so I hope that it was eventually used by an elderly member.

2. Gave my shopping cart to another
             Have you ever went into the grocery store thinking that you are only there to pick up a few items, then after about 5 minutes you realize that either:
            1. The one or too items that are you carrying are extremely heavy & you wish that you would have gotten a cart
            2. What you thought was only 3 or 4 items have now turned into 10 & you wish that you would have gotten a cart
            Either way, you wish that you would have gotten a cart. So as I was about to put some of my groceries into a cart, I noticed this person. She had her arms completely full and was ready to explode at any second. So I turned to her and said to take my cart so that she could finish shopping. You have never seen a more relieved facial expression ever!

3. Put away a cart for an elderly lady
              Old people can be so cute sometimes - and she was one of them. With her little knee highs, 3 sweater jackets, & cute little cane. When I offered to put away her cart, she looked up and simply smiled. That was my thank you.

4. Swept up excess hair at salons
             So I was getting my hair done & noticed that there was a lot of cut hair on the floor - but thankfully it wasn't all mine. Apparently, the sweeper person took the day off and each stylist was responsible for their own work station. My particular stylist was booked all day and didn't have the opportunity yet to go to the bathroom - let alone to sweep up. So after she was finished my hair, I told her to go to the bathroom & I would sweep up. Easy to do to help her.

5. Sent a text to another co-worker about a football team
              So another co-worker really likes this particular football team that recently earned a seat in the Playoffs. I must admit that I know very little about football - but I just wanted to wish him & his team good luck in the future games.

5 Pennies - Day 183

1. Text a co-worker to wish her a Happy Birthday.
             The coolest thing about this birthday & coworker is that she shares it with Elvis! So lucky! I share my birthday with Billie Idol - which, I must say is really cool too!

2. Personally thanked the grounds keeper of the local store
                There was snow & salt & gunk all over the entrance of the store when I first went in to buy a cup of coffee. When I came out a worker was there shoveling a clear path for the customers to walk. I knew that I couldn't buy him a cup of coffee because he was 'on the clock' - so I personally thanked him for clearing things up for everyone else.

3. Returned a book of music to another teacher
             Accidents happen and we all make them. My biggest fault that in the process of trying to do multiple things at one time, I often put down music and forget to pick it back up when I leave the room. I notice that a lot of people do this especially with the copiers. As if we are in such a rush to get things copied & taken care of that we forget the original music. So today, I tracked down the person that it originally belong too. It was a little tough because I was at a workshop with all music teachers - but I still figured it out.

4. Straighten & cleaned up food court area
             Pushed in chairs, cleaned tables, threw away scraps of left behind - stuff that we sometimes forget to do in normal life. Just to help the regular cleaning crew & to make the area nice for everyone to enjoy.

5. Talked with another parent about college possibilities
             The worst thing about teaching is hearing that a student that you taught in 6th grade is approaching graduation. Ok, so this isn't the worst thing - but it does make you feel old. The only thing that makes you feel better after hearing this news is the plans that the parent & student have for their up coming future. I came from a family of limited in come. At the time, both my mother & father were not college graduates - since then my mother has become both a credited Undergraduate & Mastered Graduate - I'm so proud of her. Anyway, I learned quickly that since my brother was in college and was going to still be in college when I will be enrolling - I had to quickly figure out how I was going to pay for my education. Scholarships - I became a queen & a pro at this. I eventually earned over $32,000 for my high education. I know now - it doesn't seem like much - but at the time - it covered almost 3 years - which was nice. So knowing some of the scholarship tricks and such - I started to talk to this parent about various that the student should look into in order to attain the most amount of money to pay for their college. Also volunteered my time to help mentor this student during the application & audition regime. I have always thought that me helping my students goes well beyond the classroom walls & well beyond their 8th grade year.

5 Pennies - Day 182

1. Brought in cookies for students
                I was out yesterday morning due to a dentist appointment. I hate taking time off from school, I like my kids too much - even the ones that drive me crazy! Anyway, they were working on a final project and the substitute gave a good report on all of my classes. I always worry about my students because so many of them have bad days when there is a change in the schedule - the classes are switched, there is a different routine, there is a different person, etc. So when I heard this good news - I knew that they deserved something special.

2. Let another teacher borrow my favorite fitness DVDs
              So I do a mixture of Turbo & P90x. I mainly do P90x at school with the fitness team and then supplement it with Turbo 3-4x a week (mainly on the weekends). Anyway, there is a teacher who is getting ready for her up coming wedding ceremony. She talked about how she wanted to workout so that she could quickly shed a couple of lbs prior to the formal event. So for the next few weeks I am letting her borrow the Turbo DVDs. I will miss these greatly, but will figure out something extra to do - maybe Zumba?

3. Wrote 'Thank You' notes to the administrators for attending a special student activity
                So I have been working with my students in doing piano recital as their formal assessment of the piano unit. I am trying to make it special for them by having punch & cookies. I have also worked with them in performance skills such as bowing & stance. Presentation skills have has been important since I am asking them to dress nicely & having the boys tuck in their shirts during the recital. Anyway, I invited the administrators to also attend - which they did. I am so blessed to work in a school where my administration is so supportive of the music department. So I had to write a simple thank you to show my appreciation.

4. Picked up trash in the bathroom
            Paper towels belong in the trash can. Easily done & easily cleaned.

5. Helped custodian take out another teacher's trash
             Since it is Friday, I figured that it would be nice to help the custodians so that they can get their work done quicker and start their weekend earlier. Easy to help with clean up & the trash.