5 things I loved about last week

It's so easy to get overwhelmed and allow a sense of hopelessness take over when you're a teacher. The work just never seems to be finished. So in the spirit of Colby Sharp and Elisabeth Ellington, I'm going to focus on some of the amazing things that happened this past week.


1. Subversion
I love when teachers aren't so rigid that they can recognize when subversion in the classroom is a Good Thing. This past week we embraced subversion in 8th grade by celebrating the book Battle Bunny by Jon Scieszka and Mac Barnett.


2. A student's vote of confidence
It made my day when a student said to me in class last week:
"You know what you should do, Mrs. Shaum? Next year when we're freshmen, you should move over and teach English at the high school."


3. Blanket Books
Kurt Stroh asked me to be a part of a blog post called "The Wonderful Comfort of Blanket Books." I love this idea of blanket books, which are books that you read and reread to give you comfort.


4. Finding answers
I have suffered from gastrointestinal issues for the majority of my life. Without going into too much detail, IBS is something I have lived with since I was in 7th grade and it has progressively gotten worse over the past few years. I have seen many different doctors about this problem and nothing has helped me. But I recently saw a new gastroenterologist at the University of Michigan who recommended me to a nutritionist who put me on an elimination diet called low FODMAPs. I have been on this diet for the past six weeks and have felt like a new person. I am so happy that I have finally moved towards something that will help me not have to worry so much about where the nearest bathroom is, or if I can go out to eat with my friends without having to go right home afterwards. I am feeling very thankful right now.


5. Michigan football under the lights
There is something about a Michigan football game under the lights that is incomparable to a day game. The energy in the stadium is like nothing I've ever experienced. It is electric. And with two ugly losses the past two games, Michigan desperately needed a win this week against Penn State. And with this win, it gave the fans a much-needed morale boost after the game against Minnesota where the air in the stadium was so hopeless and tense, that a large portion of the crowd cleared out before the 3rd quarter even ended. This week, while certainly not perfect, everyone -- players and fans -- felt a sense of renewal.