Sunday Seven

7.  Dedicated hard-working colleagues.  We made it through our first week of testing approximately 1600 9th and 10th graders.  The students took the 2 hour computer-based  FSA writing test last week.  Students responded to a single topic by reading 2-4 texts and then composing an argumentative or informative\explanatory essay.  A week like last runs smoothly when the students feel confident and prepared which goes back to the teachers.

6.   Florida spring weather where it is cool enough to keep the windows open yet warm enough to swim.

5.  Curious excited young future educators.  I have been blessed to teach a course each spring and fall in the College of Education and Human Performance at the University of Central Florida since the fall of 2006.  They keep me on my toes and inspired.

4.  Seeing these these former future educators in the wild.  I am lucky to work with 5 of them and have had the fortune to learn from them.  Most recently at a digital high school in their English classroom.  Our high school is going digital next year and I have been able to pick their brains. One currently as a member of her dissertation committee and she defends next week.  Another at ETEC2. They are members of a clan. Some go by their self-described name of SOBs (Students of Beth) or more recently I learned, The Rebel Alliance.  Knowing they are out there honing their craft and becoming leaders makes the extra work worth it.

3.  A second blooming of my Christmas cactus.

2.  Fearless friends and my husband who strapped on their rollerskates even after their skating talents have laid dormant for the past 20-30 years in celebration of my friend Lee Ann's 50th Skate-bration.

1.  The ability to keep moving...rollerskating, running swimming, jumping...just moving.  I dropped 1 minute and 36 seconds off of my monthly fitness assessment this week.

Stacey, Betsy, Dana, Tara, Beth, Anna, Kathleen & Deb host the annual Slice of Life Story Challenge as well as the weekly challenge.  Blog with us at Two Writing Teachers.