Five for Friday: Small Town Edition

this week, i thought i'd give y'all a little peek into my life...

5 Ways You Know You Teach in A Tiny School

The school has a cat. Seriously. She's had her shots and has been fixed, and has been living at the school since she was about seven weeks old. She is fed by an army of loving teachers and the kids adore her and know not to touch her (during the school day at least!).

We cancel school because of the threat of rural road dangers, and "just so everybody doesn't have to get out in the cold weather and get sick this mornin'!" (cold weather being 27 degrees).

Everybody knows EVERYBODY. And their mama and their tio and their grandaddy's best friend. While this does come in handy occasionally to avoid major crisis (lost children brought back to school because their aunt spotted them trying to walk to the grocery store... not from my room, though!) and for making sure students who really need a buddy don't go unnoticed, it also means that I've had to have lots of lengthy confidentiality talks.

You get to play administrator, teacher, and parapro all in one day. I have taught PPCD, coordinated transportation, changed diapers, and pushed in to manage behavior for multiple students in multiple grades all in a span of about five hours. And that's with my recently lightened load. ;)

You are well loved and looked after. Seriously, I can't even count the number of times that people ask how I am doing, if I need anything, do I want lunch?, if my car is ok because I left it at school over the weekend (it was fine, for the record... B just picked me up on the drive north!)... In general, these sweet gestures also have nothing to do with needing favors or wanting supplies. The people in this itty bitty town care big, and I love it!