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.