Happy Mother's Day!

So I would like to start off this blog to say Happy Mother's Day to all the mother's out there, not just to my wonderful mother. Without you we would not be where we are today and we are all so thankful that you are in out lives. Even though sometimes it may not seem that way, we truly are thankful. Now a shout out to my Mom. I love you so much, you have supported me my whole life and I am so thankful for you each and every day. You have been my rock for so long, along with Dad, and I am so thankful to have you as a part of my life. Without you I would have never been able to go to college, study something that I love, travel to Romania, or be a kind person. You have shaped me to be who I am and I am so grateful everyday. Thank you for always sticking by my side and never ever giving up on me, even though I wanted to give up on myself. You are amazing and I want you to know that not just today but everyday.

Alright now that we are all a little misty eyed, let's talk about my week. It was a fairly uneventful week, just the normal school. The week was a little bit shorter, I was freed from 3 classes because the 8th graders had to take a big test in Romanian. So the 8th graders from the surrounding villages came to our town, because it is the easiest to get to and has the biggest school. The test consisted of a 2 hour written test in Romanian, so they commandeered the school for that time frame. This test is very important for the kids because it says whether they will pass or not, and can influence their chances of getting into a decent high school. I cannot imagine being put under that kind of pressure. I mean we had standardized test when I was in grade school, but it was never the type that decided whether you would pass or fail the last 8 years of your education. I know that they have been trying to institute a high school graduation test in my state for a while and thankfully in my time it was not instituted as I am not a fan in the least of tests. I hope that all of the students did well, and with all of their preparation for Romanian throughout the year I am sure that they did fine. Next week they have another test, this one in Math. So it is not just one big test and your done, they have to take 2 big tests. After that it will be a little bit more relaxed for them. So I am sure that will help.

This week was a little bit difficult. It is so hard to keep the kids interested in what is going on inside, because the weather is really nice, so they just want to be outside the whole time. I am so happy that I am almost through the books, so then we can just have a little bit of fun in the last few weeks. Or so I hope we shall see.

I am also running into a problem with some of my students. They see me as more as a friend than a figure of authority. While this is not a problem with my 7th and 8th graders as they know better, it is a problem amongst the smaller kids. While some of the smaller kids can balance the two, those are few and far between. They always want me to come outside and play with them, but I notice that if I do so, the respect in the classroom is reduced greatly. While I want to encourage to my kids that I am an approachable person, I don't want them to think that they can do whatever they want in the classroom whenever they want to do so. It is a very fine line, and it breaks my heart to see how sad some of them are when I tell them that I can't come out and play with them, but at the same time I know that if I do there will be problems with some of the other kids in the classroom. This will not only make it difficult for me, but also for the kids who want to learn in school. I will take this one bridge at a time and we shall see how everything works out.

So I think that is about it. I don't really have any interesting or fun stories to tell this week, it was a little bit dull I guess. Oh well, not every week can be exciting right :) Well I hope that everyone is doing well and that you are having beautiful weather. I here that there was a possibility of snow in Wisconsin, after the Tornado touched down in Appleton. You just have to love how much the weather changes for us there. Only in Wisconsin can it be above 70 and snow all in the same week! Well at least we are rarely bored with the weather! I love you all and I miss you everyday. I wish you nothing but happiness and health this week and send you tons of hugs and kisses! Take care this week!

Va iubesc
Va pup
Mi-a dor de voi

Pana mai tarziu
~Sarah B.