I Get By With a Little Help From My Friends

Why is it that help is such a hard thing to ask for?

I'm always telling my students that I can't help them unless they ask me for help or show me what they need help with in the classroom.

Maybe adults view asking for help as a sign of weakness.  I know I have.  I'm stubborn and a control freak, so asking for help is admitting that I can't do it all.  I hate that.

But I'm slowly learning that asking for help actually....wait for it...HELPS!  Weird huh?

I've learned that when I want my husband to help me with something I actually need to verbalize it and not just tell him in my brain, then expect him to figure it out magically.  The thing is, he is so stinking helpful when I tell him how he can help.  So many times I have been mad at him for not assuming I need help and doing something about it.  I didn't marry a mind reader, but I sure as heck expected him to be one for the longest time.

I might owe him a pan of brownies or two for that.  Sorry babe.

So often I complain about things that I feel like I can't do anything about.  One of those things lately has been related to school.  I've complained about the lack of quality leveled readers we have available at our school.  Books can be so dad gum expensive - especially when you need several copies of the same title to teach in a small group.  The good ones with phonetic skills or specific comprehension goals in mind are VERY pricey.  I attempt to buy some when I can with either my money or points I accumulate from book orders.  Nothing bothers me more than asking a kid what they like to read about and then hearing that I don't have any books on that subject or with those characters.

Thursday night I decided to start a DonorsChoose project to get some more leveled readers in my class.  It takes a few days for someone to review the project and then they will post it.  I have had all my projects through DonorsChoose funded eventually, so I went ahead and made it a doozy one.  It was close to $300 worth of books.  These books are very high interest to first graders and I was requesting multiple copies of each title.

This morning I got the email that the project was approved and posted.  Usually my projects take a few months to get funded.  It's a donor here and a donor there.  I've had a complete stranger from Canada donate to my classroom.  I've had a doctor in Austin that I don't even know donate.  It will amaze you to think about the people that want to help that are literally across the map from you.  I've also had my family and friends donate to several projects.  My best friend's aunt has donated so many books to my classroom, as well as funded several of my DonorsChoose projects.  

The reason I even thought about posting a project Thursday night was because one of my friends sent me a Facebook message and told me that he hadn't seen one of my projects posted lately.  He has donated to quite a few projects and was looking for another one.

That blew me away.  There are people out there just waiting to help.  YOU JUST HAVE TO ASK!!

So this morning, I posted the project on Facebook.  It was fully funded in a little over two hours.  Can you believe that?!?!

I was blown away.

Then I was blown away again.  I started getting messages from people wanting to help more.

Instead of doing another DonorsChoose project I decided to update my Amazon wishlist.  Leigh Anne told me she had created one for her classroom a few years ago.  I did one then, but never really shared it with that many people.  I had a mom in my class buy me a few books and of course Leigh Anne did, but that was years ago and I honestly forgot about it.

I updated it today and shared it on Facebook.  I put 30 books of various price ranges on there.  I again shared it on Facebook and as of right now there are only 8 books left that have not been purchased.

Y'all.  I have cried tears of joy today.  I'm just so humbled and thankful.

I was so grumpy and complainy (I'm making that a word for this entry) about not having good books to help my little readers.  Now thanks to sorority sisters, parents, friends, and family I have over $400 worth of new books for my students.

Over $400 worth of books in under 24 hours.

Why?

Because I asked.  I asked for help.

Life is meant to be lived in community, but a community can only help when you let them in and ask.  They say it takes a village to help our kiddos out, but the village can't help if you shut yourself up in your little cottage and gripe about all the things that are wrong and how you don't have support.

Support is out there.

All you have to do is ask.