Hello Mrs Sykes

Ugh.  One of the worst parts of having depression  is that sometimes, for no reason at all, everything stinks.  This happened to me last spring.  It started with being a bit tired/unmotivated.  A month later, I realized I had neglected housework, the yard, and things I am usually passionate about - like this blog.   At the same time, I felt completely overwhelmed. by. everything.  I got through it with a lot of rest, time, support from friends, love from my family, and learning not to be so hard on myself.  I am working on my gratitude, and seeing the blessings present in my daily life as a way to beat depression, including opening myself up to new friendships and opportunities. { source } As we gear up to begin a new school year, I just want to remind myself (and all of you) to be gentle on yourself and each other.  We truly don't know what personal struggles each other face, and we need to be mindful. { source } Teachers are a r...

I've been pulling out my old files, stuff I made when I was working with grades K-5 as a Literacy Specialist, and I made some of them cute enough to share with y'all! Here's a Working on Words set meant for grades 3-5.  It's 18 classroom tested activities for students to use with any text you choose (their personal reading, fiction, non-fiction, or content-area passages) and practice many skills.  I went ahead and made this cute since I had such amazing feedback from my original  Working on Words packet for grades 1-2 , and I know how hard it is to find great activities for the upper grades!  Here's a quick look: Click here to view in  TPT   Want a freebie?  Click on the button below to download a freebie from TPT (Click on the Preview) : My next project should be finished within the week...  Since it's Monday, I feel like that's pretty attainable.  ;)    Happy Monday, y'all!  Here's a bit of inspiration ...

Why do we do what we do everyday?  Because we're all in this together...

This post is a personal one for me.  Don't judge - it just makes me feel better to put it out there.  ;) Some of y'all might know I'm a *bit* stressed   crazy   nuts  stressed about report cards, assessments, Profile Cards that do not align with my county's pacing guide, developmental expectations being thrown out the window as I prepare 7 year olds for standardized testing (complete with bubbling), and tracking out of my classroom for the first time in years.  It's The Super Teacher Myth . What isn't helping matters is my personal battle with depression .  I have been battling this illness since being diagnosed when I was 15.  Most days, I am fine, but during periods of high stress, it becomes unmanageable.  That's when I rely heavily on the village of support I have around me: family, friends, coworkers, my amazing therapists, my kids' teachers, strangers, etc.  We have more frozen meals, more cozy family time, and a messier h...