Yesterday, while stopped at a traffic light, I saw a dancing cow. This cow not only danced; it waved its front legs and pointed its hooves! I have to admit I was “udder-ly” taken in by the heifer’s high level of energy and enthusiasm. The cow’s delightful dance made me smile.

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Just the other night, my area of the country got its first heavy frost of the season. The following morning, I picked up my godson to take him to preschool as a favor to his parents. I always enjoy my time with my godson, but this particular morning was extra special.

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Recently, my husband, Brent, and I went to Minneapolis to visit my brother and his family. My four-year-old nephew, Charlie, was happy to act as our tour guide. For the price of a frosted doughnut, he showed us around the local grocery store.

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This past summer I gathered a few teaching supplies for my friend, Beth, who was returning to teaching in the fall. Beth expected (and received) assorted publications from The Mailbox Books. What she didn’t expect was a jumbo pack of fine-tipped markers. The pack included a marker for every color of the rainbow, plus plenty of other pretty colors.

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If you're a regular blog reader, you know how much I love teachers. Usually, when I meet someone new, I can tell within a few minutes whether the person is a teacher. Teachers are just special like nobody else I know. What can I say? Who else can appreciate a teacher's job the way teachers do?

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I love good news; don’t you? My motto is "Bring it on!" I mean, really, can there ever be too much good news? My challenge has always been taking the time to notice the good stuff and then finding the time to share it with others. I still remember the first year I started sharing good news with my students’ parents.

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Recently, a coworker and I were chatting about some magazine spot art. At one point I said, “Yes, I knew that because my dad used to raise guinea pigs,” and I waited for my coworker’s response about the art. But he wasn’t looking at the art anymore; he was looking at me. “Your dad raised…guinea pigs? Are you being serious?”

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A few weeks ago, I asked editor Krystle Jones to give us some ideas from her first year of teaching. Because the first year is such an important experience, I've asked two more editors from The Mailbox® magazine to share memories of their first days in the classroom.

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This is a photo of my cat, Newton. She is my baby. (She would like you folks to know that the camera adds ten pounds and the photo was taken at an unflattering angle.) For the years when teaching was my profession, I would leave school and come home to Newton. In other words, my home life was pretty mellow. (I was working on my goal of becoming a crazy cat lady.)

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In my opinion, one of teaching’s best perks is the chance to learn new things. How great is it, when planning or teaching a lesson, to discover a fabulous new book or make a connection to a previously learned fact? Better still, how fun is it to get involved with students’ learning and have a new experience yourself?

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