The Sunshine Award - A Lesson Plan for Teachers

Over the past few weeks I have struggled in my own classroom. This is new for me, and I took my frustrations to my blog. Before I knew it, Scipi had made multiple comments, including a link to a wonderful article that made me feel so much better. I, at least, knew that I wasn’t alone in my struggles.

And then, I received another gift from Scipi. She nominated me for the Sunshine Award. And boy, did I need some sunshine just at that moment. So, THANK YOU! Thank you so much for understanding. Thank you for not judging. And, thank you for knowing that all I really needed was to refocus and to know that I could make it through. Most importantly, thank you for passing me the torch! I feel so honored among so many wonderful Tpt sellers and blog writers.

Now, I must complete the tasks required to accept this award. Here we go:

A favorite color is very important. It tells so much about a person. Someone who loves yellow may well deserve this award for their brightness and glowing personality. Someone who like white may be pure and good in all they do, including keeping up their blog and Tpt site with concise and clear products. So, what is my favorite color? Ok, well, it is blue. I know. I am not exactly bright or bold or pure, but I do love the color of the sky for all it has to offer. It is hope and harmony and th eoptomism we all need to keep going each day!

Having a favorite animal is such a wonderful experience. Mine was my sweet Snowball. She was an Alaskan Spitz, and she was with me for 14 years. She was always there when I came home, ready to love me, even when I felt tired and defeated. She was not just a favorite, she was my perfect best friend.

I used to play the lottery when I was too young to legally play. I was a “goody” kid thinking I was being bad! Ha Ha. My favorite number – always 17. It has the number 1, which being 1st is always a good thing, and it has the lucky 7. What could be a better set of numbers? P.S. I don’t play the lottery now. I need every penny I earn these days.

Next is choosing between Facebook and Twitter. I have to say Facebook for now. I am just getting into Twitter, and I just don’t know how to work it well enough to like it yet. Give me time, maybe a summer, and I will have a better answer!

My passion has always been teaching. First of all, I love being the center of attention. And to be able to earn and keep that attention from an interested audience is the most amazing feeling. I also love to talk! What a better combination for a teacher. Now, though, I have learned that I have to share the classroom time, so I do my best to practice what I preach – I allow my students the opportunity to be the experts, and it makes all the difference.

I am an avid giver. I actually hate to wrap presents, but I like to be sneaking in my giving. I love to watch others open gifts, and to me it is even better when they don’t know where it is coming from or why. I have even had my students participate in Pay it Forward projects that were so incredibly rewarding for us all. And they were also fun!

My favorite day each year is the final task. This is hard. I love so many things that I do each year, that it is hard to make a choice. First and foremost, I have to say that any day I get to see my new grandbaby girl is a wonderful day. Seeing her smile or hearing her laugh is just the most amazing thing. And then, if I get to see my baby girl with my grandbaby girl, it is even more incredible. However, I have to say that the last day of school is always a bittersweet, but wonderful day for me. I always do exit slips with my students, and I encourage a community sharing on the final days where they can tell me what they really think about my classes. This is usually very rewarding for me and leads me into my summer vacation with a new sense of purpose (planning for the next school year!).

Now I get to pass on this great award! This was a challenge considering the many super teachers and blog writers I have had the opportinity to get to know this past year through Tpt. I have to admit that there are so many who are so much more creative than I, and they are incredible inspirations to the rest of us. There are also the ones who are super organized, and they tend to lead the way in the marketing and masterminding for Tpt. But my choice is an inspiration to me for a few other reasons.

Lisa Michalek has been on Tpt for a long while. I remember seeing her name in the top lists and always wishing I could catch her. I am still trying! But now, I see her as a very dedicated seller and a great contributor for teachers everywhere. Her “The Lesson Guide” blog is always offering free products for science teachers, and she is always sharing great advice with her products. I can just imagine how helpful she has been to new teachers who have ventured into the science classroom while keeping up with her blog and Tpt products. More importantly, she does not only offer her products on her website or her facebook page, but she offers her blog followers a wealth of information and links to great resources and opportunities from all over the Internet. All this while balancing a family and career! I am impressed!

With that said, I wish everyone a bright and sunshiny day!

And Scipi, thank you again! You are awesome! 🙂

Michele Luck

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