SOLC 2013 Day 5: Exercise? Not on my birthday!

So today's Slice of Life word is "exercise", as in writing muscles need to be exercised like any other.  But today is my birthday, and the thought of doing anything because I HAVE to is just joy-squashing to me.  

So for today, I am turning my HAVE-TOs into CHOOSE-TOs.  

I chose to go to work instead of calling in a mental health day. I chose to grade papers, teach kids--oops, scholars (sorry, Ms. Allen!)--answer emails, and track IEP objectives.  I chose to hand out positives on behavior cards and give out warnings to stay on task and get it done.  I've even chosen to take time out of my birthday afternoon and write this blogpost.  

But wait...there's more choices I've made today.  I chose to wear my pretty party-store pink-sparkled petite Piscean princess tiara comb in my hair all day.  I chose to get a birthday ribbon from the office to stick on my jacket.  I chose to set up centers in my room for language arts and math, with computers and Magnadoodle math cards and spin-a-sentence and rhyming games and funny questions about my birthday for writing prompts, like "How old does Ms. Margocs act?" and "How should she celebrate her birthday?".  I chose to let my students enjoy those centers, without hearing my Charlie-Brown-teacher-whaa-whaa-whaa voice all the time, and I let my fun egg-shaped clock timer decide when to switch activities.  I chose to let my classroom become a tad chaotic with all that activity.

And what did I get for all these choices?

I got thank-yous from teachers as I handed them graded papers in time for end-of-nine-weeks wrap-up.  I got smiles and happy-birthday-wishes from staff and scholars at the sight of my sparkly tiara.  I got lunch from Torchy's Tacos delivered by my husband, who stayed and ate with me in my classroom (first time ever!)--and he included a piece of chocolate cake with a green plastic Happy Birthday ring, my favorite color.  I got scholars engaged in reading and spelling and writing and calculator use and number sense and telling time and skip counting without a single "Do I haaaaaave to?"  I got my desk cleaned off and straightened out by my wonderful paraprofessional, just in time for the assistant principal to visit and observe me tomorrow.  I got the beautiful gift of a sparkly rock from a student, accompanied by an even sweeter gift of a handwritten note saying he's having a "grat tim" in my room.  I got a picnic mat and goodies to eat, and a birthday party from my group of "Others" who treated me to even more delicious chocolate cake and Amazon loot to spend.  I even got windows rolled down with hand waves and birthday greetings from parents I barely know in the car pickup lane as I worked my crossguard duty.

The picture does not do justice to the sparkles!

I got soooo much more than what I chose to give.  I am having the best birthday ever, no exercise required.