An Apple (and a Headache) for the Teacher

Today was a monumental day. I received my first apple- all golden and shiny- from a student. It was very sweet. It was also the highlight of my day.

The rest of the day was rather stressful. The kids are hyped up because Christmas is less than two weeks a way (crazy I know...) They also were crazy because both Mrs. Shever and Mr. Gentle came to school. And they were crazy because they are six and that is what six-year-olds do : )

We've been working on calendars for the kids to give to their parents for Christmas. They have 12 art pieces that they need to make with their handprints. January has snowflakes. February has hearts. March is a lion. April a butterfly. May a flower. Etc. Etc. It involves paint and lots and lots of patience - and following directions. The middle one is the most difficult for me, the latter difficult for the children.

I'm telling you-they don't listen! They get so excited and they assume so much and all the sudden they've totally messed up the whole thing. So that is why I have a bit of a headache. Because every time I turned around, someone had glued something upside down or drawn something on the wrong side. And we had 3 adults in there to help.

Oh, well. Each calendar will be super unique and priceless to their parents. Just as the kids are super unique, priceless, and teachers of patience to me : )

Ross and I are looking forward to the weekend. We need to get some Christmas stuff done around here and thoroughly enjoy each other's presence.

May your weekend be peaceful and productive : )

Just Keep Smiling : )

I have way too much to do and not enough time to do it, but what happened today deserves a blog post...

First, we'll start with a funny story. This morning, I put on my cotton charcoal dress, black tights and a black shrug. I received many compliments on my outfit, but my favorite one was "Mrs. Gentle, I like how you got pretty today." Isn't that a funny way to put it?

Next, we'll get to the bad stuff... The state department has developed all sorts of laws and decrees designed to help better the education of our ELL students (this, in and of itself, is not bad) One of their new decrees is that students must receive 4 hours a day of intensive English language instruction. Another decree is that all teacher must post their daily objectives for every subject on the board- and that these must be written for content (say, math) and language (how you are going to use language during math. say, reading a story problem aloud)

These ideas, in and of themself, aren't bad either. In my student teaching, I had to post my objectives (the goals for the lesson) for every minute piece of reading instruction. It is beneficial to the students. They know what you're teaching them and what their job is. It helps keep them focused and on track. But... it is a whole lot of work to write the objectives and post them.

So... the state department is coming to 8 of our districts schools the first week of January to "audit" us, persay. To make sure that we are doing what we are supposed to do. Here's the trouble... we don't do what we are supposed to do.

There are many explanations for that. One is that after sending out these laws and decrees, there were no resources given- such as money, training, people who knew what they were doing, etc. And no one else bothered to check, so why do something that takes so much time if there is no accountability. Right??

So today, at our staff meeting, our objective was to begin writing objectives for that week. None of this, is really all that horrible or life-threatening, but the attitudes toward it are. Teachers complain and whine and talk about the good old days. They don't realize that all of this takes up valuable time, too!

So anyhow, I'm at home, trying to plan for next week and for Christmas- with this daunting task of language and content objectives for the week after Christmas looming over my head.

That's the part that I dislike the most. Their coming the week after Christmas break. We're all going to be very, very rusty...

Please pray that I finish this week strong and with an uplifted spirit. Pray that next week would go smoothly and that the kids' excitement would be used for good and not evil : ) Pray that the break is refreshing and encouraging. And pray that the week after break is not stressful, because I think I might quit...

Just kidding : ) Love and thanks to you!!!

Christmas is Coming!

Good news! Today is Monday and Ross didn't have to drag me out of bed. I had to drag him...
More good news! Just 8 days left of instruction before vacation! Yay!

Today was an interesting day at school. Five of my kids were absent. Let me tell you, having 19 children is so completely different from having 24. It's amazing. Other than being able to accomplish much, nothing too terribly exciting happened today. Except for the fact that everybody in the class had a tummyache at some point or another. Please pray for wellness among us : )

These weekend, however, was full of excitement. On Friday night, after my parents came to visit, we had a big family dinner. We tried going to this Mexican restaurant that had been recommended to us, but it was soooo loud in there, we couldn't hear ourselves think-- so we went across the street to an old-fashioned ice cream parlor that was out of everything from Dr. Pepper to tomatoes. Good times. At least they weren't out of Chocolate Brownie ice cream...

Saturday was busy busy with two parties. One was for extended family and the other one was a school staff party. Ross and I had a great time at the teacher party. He is such a good social lite. I would be talking to someone I knew and turn around and he'd be introducing me to someone I hadn't met before with all kinds of info about them. He's a fantastic date : ) My favorite part of the evening was being able to relax and enjoy each other's company, rather than just run by hurriedly.

My second favorite part was when Ross was able to meet Debra, the lady I meet with for prayer on Thursdays. It was so special to have them meet and to have Debra share with Ross about how much our times have meant to her. I am so thankful for this godly woman : )

On Sunday, Ross and I served in the infant nursery together. He played with a 9 month old boy, while I cuddled with a 1 month old boy. More great fun : ) Finally, Ross's mom and I went Christmas shopping for him last night. Oh, boy... is he going to be happy and surprised!! I love giving him good gifts.

Please pray that tomorrow goes well and that we finish the week strong. And please continue to pray for my health. I feel good right now, but would hate to feel icky over Christmas.

Blessings to you (and hopefully another post very soon)

P.S. Oh yeah, Ben came to school on Friday. The kids adored him! Obviously, all the girls thought that he was cute and the boys thought he was "so cool." I hope to get him into my classroom again soon...

The Week AFTER Thanksgiving...

Hello!

I haven't blogged in about a week again.... sorry : ) Thankfully, the week is getting better as it goes on. Monday was awful- just awful. What did you expect? Anything having to do with work after 4 days of relaxation and family fun is going to be disappointing. It's written down somewhere...

To make it worse, I had a grade level meeting and a new teacher meeting. So I left the house at 7:00 am and got home about 7:00 pm. And Ross still wasn't even home yet! More disappointment... By the time he did get home, we were both pretty exhausted and not very entertaining. Oh, well. Tuesday was better : )

The kids have been terribly chatty the past three days. I'm having a very difficult time getting them to ALL be quiet at once. Then I have kids who cover their ears and shout "It's too loud in here!!" I try reasoning with them and explaining that screaming does not make the room quieter- no matter what your message is....

So there's been lots of wasted time and "I'll just wait until your ready" speeches. They promised me they'd make better choices tomorrow. I'll be sure to give you an update on that : )

Today was good-even with the staff meeting : ) I like short days-many teachers complain that you can't get much done, but I feel like it's just the right amount of time for 6-year-olds. I could teach from 7:40-12:30 every day- and everyone would be happier.

Please pray that the week just keeps on getting better and better. I need it to : )

One quick story-- a vocabulary word we have this week is "reassured". I was giving the kids examples of times that people had reassured me. I told them that somedays I did not feel like a very good teacher- but that Mr. Gentle was quick to reassure me that I was the best teacher in the world. At this, the children looked at me and said "You are!" Then turned to each other and said "She really is, you know" and the room became suddenly very noisy as they all shared their opinions on my greatness. It was fun... except for the noisy part : )

Some Specific Things I am Thankful for...

1) That Jesus continues to complete a good work in me.

2) That my dear husband is good at both being grown up and being a kid.

3) That my parents still pour their lives into me- and my projects : )

4) That my in-laws love me.

5) That my brother has found someone who makes him happy and makes him think.

6) That I have four living grandparents who love me and are proud of me.

7) That I have friends, new and old, that I can talk to about whatever is on my heart.

8) That although times are hard, my husband and I are financially secure.

9) That God has put it on my heart to share our security with others who are in need.

10) That I have a job in which God is using me to touch lives and is using it to touch me.

11) That I have dozens of colleagues at school who love the LORD.

12) That God has entrusted me with 24 minds, bodies, and souls to share His love with.

13) That God has given me someone like you to share my heart with.

Have a blessed Thanksgiving!

Quick Requests (Ha! Two Qu words in a row...)

Oh... yesterday was easy, but today was hard. I'm exhausted. The kids are so excited they just can't hide it... Please pray that tomorrow goes well- and that I don't yell at anybody. That would be very bad.

P.S. I ran into Fry's to get some money today and a gift card and I ended up at the flu shot table. Pray that it does what it is supposed to (keep me well) and not what it isn't (get me sick)

Thankful for Thanksgiving Week

As the holiday season approaches, I'm finding myself rather busy- at least its with happy things like shopping, gift-making and list-creating. Still, I've been a little too tired to blog...

Last week went well. I think it was one of the best weeks I've had so far. I felt like the kids and I worked well together. There were also no teacher meetings- I'm beginning to despise those depressing things...

It was easier for me to wake up this morning, and I am looking forward to tomorrow as well. Since the week is short (thank you, Jesus!) we're not using our reading program. No spelling words, no vocabulary, no focus skill, no comprehension test, no grammar lessons or writing prompts. Which means.... my mornings are totally free for activities like "I am thankful for..." books and reading Plymouth stories and talking/journalling about turkey and cranberry sauce. On Wednesday, we'll play Thanksgiving bingo and make a huge batch of trail mix to share. You know, all the stuff that we did when we were in 1st grade- and loved.

So this week is going to be good, because it's going to be old-school. Good times.

If I don't write before then, have a blessed Thanksgiving. I don't know about you, but I have a whole lot of things to be thankful for. You, being one of them : )

A Sweet-and-Sour Day

Today was sweet and sour, just like my Chinese cafeteria food...

My experiences with the children were great today. I can see them progressing and growing. They are becoming more mature (little by little) and more wise in their decision making. They are kind and I think they are beginning to love me. This, obviously, is a very special thing.

My experiences with the adults today, were not-so-great. Wait. That's not fair. Some of them were very good. Two girls on the 1st grade team are awesome and really supportive. Our reading specialist is incredibly kind and encouraging. My principal loves me. But in our grade level meeting today, I just wanted to disappear.

The teacher with the most experience and who has the best and brightest kids - with the PTO moms and the consistent volunteers made me feel inferior. And someone who makes others feel that way just can't be a phenomenal teacher. It's impossible.

When I'm in my classroom we feel like a family that's trudging along together. We work hard and growth is made. But when I see the other teachers' rosters with their 4 ELL compared to my 10 and their 7 below grade-level in reading and my 17- it just feels like life is unfair.

Which it is. I know. But I still don't like being reminded of it.

Tomorrow, I have no adult meetings. It should be a better day...

Evaluations, Outlets and Homemade Christmas Gifts : )

The week that would not end finally did. Hooray! Before, I noted that I can't throw my kids off by not being at school. Well- the teacher can not be thrown off by a holiday mid-week. On Wednesday, Thursday and Friday I heard the alarm go off and wished it was Tuesday...

That sounds a bit depressing, and it was at 6:10 each morning, but the week actually went well. Last night I graded yesterday's assessments and analyzed them this morning. They are sooo good! My kids are learning- and my "bubble kids" (the ones I could get over 68%-70%) are in the 80%-90% range. Hooray!

Yesterday, I met with my assistant principal to have our evaluation conference. She presented me with the summary she had written of me based on our conversations and her observations. It was so complementary-- and she assured me that I was a natural teacher who was only going to get better and better. That was soooo encouraging. I know you all tell me that, and your opinion is highly valued, but when someone who actually has control of your job tells you that- it's pretty special : )

So school is going well- the kids are progressing and maturing little-by-little. Oh, one quick, slightly horrifying story. Yesterday, the kids were sitting on the floor, I was sitting in my rocking chair and we were reviewing sight word and phonogram flashcards. As we recite them, I scan the room to make sure kids are following along and moving their mouths. I spot my one very-special ed boy and I shout out his name.

The dear child has stuck his pencil in the round grounding hole of the electrical outlet! I tell him to go sit at his desk and then we had a class discussion about not touching outlets because of the dangers. One of my bright girls says in a low somber voice, "Yeah, he almost died..."

My husband has assured me that pencils, even two pencils stuck simultaneously in the live holes of the outlet, will not kill the children. I looked at him and said, "Fine, but what about the paper clips that they magically become owners of?" His look was not so reassuring...

I did not know that outlet safety was part of the first grade curriculum. I was wrong.

Enough about school-- Christmas is coming! I told you that I did some Christmas shopping on Tuesday and today I worked on some homemade gifts that I am going to give to friends and colleagues at school. Ross had to go into work for a few hours this morning, so I took the opportunity to do laundry, go grocery shopping and make a hot lunch for him to eat when he got home. I like being a wife and a homemaker. Shhh... don't tell anybody, but that was almost as rewarding as teaching six-year-olds all day...

I hope you have had a relaxing and productive weekend so far. Please pray that it is a blessed time before a busy, busy week : )

73rd Post-- My Goodness!

Hello, again. I'm having a hard time finding time to do this- so I've resorted to sick days and oddly scheduled national holidays...

Well, Friday was my 2nd day-after-a-substitute experience. They were crazy. I can't throw them off like that. At recess before school started, I was bombarded with hugs and "I thought you'd never come back" remarks. It was quite interesting : )

Mom and Dad came at lunchtime and we celebrated my students of the week- then continued on with more assessments : ) Finally, after the math test, we started on a craft project that turned into an utter disaster. The kids were making candy necklaces. The string came in a small ziploc bag and was looped in half with a gentle knot. According to mother, if you carefully pulled on the two loose ends, the knot would disappear. Unfortunately, none of the children pulled carefully...

So we had kids with huge knots in their string- kids who managed to string their candies but dropped the necklaces on the floor- the tragedies go on... Then we realize that it is time to pack up-so I am quickly giving orders and directing traffic when my principal walks in with another woman.

Worst possible moment for a principal visit-- but I smile and introduce myself to this other woman- then go right back to directing traffic. The ladies eventually leave, the kids get in their respective lines and are taken away. At bus duty, another 1st grade teacher snickers at me and says "Well I guess they're going to put ----- in your class, huh?" I give her a strange look. She goes on the explain that the woman who came to visit has a daughter in her class and they are both unhappy with the teacher so she is being moved. The mom was visiting the other classrooms to pick the one she wanted. Great! I must have looked like a fabulous teacher...

Friday night was exciting as Ross and I, my parents, his parents, Ben, his girlfriend and her parents all went downtown to eat, visit the science center and walk through an art show. It was a great family event (okay, maybe the art show was not family friendly- but the night was fun : )

Saturday I hurried through school work- was terribly impressed by my kids academic progress (a huge positive!) - went on a walk with my dear husband (found a lovely million dollar home) and then babysat our neighbor kids. It was fun- but they were crazy. They totally adore Ross- so much so that they just scream with glee when they see him. It's fun, for the first 10 minutes... No, they calmed down and we greatly enjoyed them : )

Yesterday at school, I had a little surprise when the girl who was being moved and her mom and dad were standing outside MY classroom door. Other than the comment that the teacher had made, no one had said a word to me about possible getting a new student. This made me look a little unprepared-- but that was not my fault...

The kids were excessively hyper and chatty yesterday. I expect the same tomorrow. You can't mess up their routine like this- having Tuesday off? They'll be asking me for the next month if we will get that Tuesday off...

Oh, well : ) I'm off to do a little Christmas shopping. I'm soooo excited! If anyone has any great ideas for my husband, let me know... Then I'll be visiting with one of my favoritest veterans- my grandpa.

Enjoy the day, everyone!

Long Time No Write

I haven't written in so long! What's up with that? Well, a number of things : )

After the wonderfulness of last weekend, I did not want to go to school on Monday. Same deal where I can't get myself out of bed and beg Ross to not go to work either. It never works and is painfully childish, but it's how I feel Monday mornings...

However, God comes through and Monday was actually quite a great day- even though I had a lunch meeting, no special, and an into-the-night new teacher meeting- the day was good. But I was tired when I got home.

Tuesday with the kids was not so good. They were sooooo chatty. And bicker-y. I don't like it when they argue.... So it was tiresome. On top of it all it was election day so there were lots of extra people at school and political banter around the campus. (Answer me this: How come soooo many educators are liberal??)

I got home at a pretty decent time- exercised (for the first time in about 8 days...) showered and did some school work. I heard Ross' car pull into the driveway but saw no sign of him. After ten minutes I figured it must mean he saw a small child playing outside and went to play, too. So I walked across the street and chatted with our neighbors and watched Ross play for about an hour.

At that point, we were late to pick up the two highschoolers we tutor. We got them and brought them back to the house and then I got really tired really quick and my eyes started bothering me...

Wednesday comes and the first 5 people I run into at school want to know if I am tired and if I feel ill. Bad sign! I felt fine, but realized at lunch time that my right eye was still red- like on-fire red. So I went to the nurse who looked like she was scared to touch me. I made a doctor's appointment, sat in 1/2 of our staff meeting and then met a new doctor.

In all of this, I can say the new nurse practitioner was wonderful and I will definitely go see her again. The bad news is that she said I definitely have pink eye. Ugh!! I've never had it before. I somehow managed to get through my entire childhood and adolescence without getting it and suddenly, here it is.

The doctor told me to stay home from work because it is sooooo contagious. I said that I could do that : ) (How many times do people tell you to stay home from work? In my case: 2- I'm taking it!) So I hurried back to school, wrote little notes all over my lesson plans- wrote a big note on my whiteboard to my kids, made copies for Friday and left.

I fell asleep quite early yesterday, slept in today and feel pretty good actually. My eye still feels swollen but is less pink. So I began doing things around the house that haven't been done in months: vacuuming, mopping and other things that get done slightly more frequently: changing the bed sheets, laundry, wiping down the bathroom. Good times!

So tomorrow will go as planned. I will go to school. Mom and Dad will come at lunchtime. We will give assessments and birthday treats. Then we'll send them home and meet up with a bunch of people for a night downtown. It should be fun and hopefully less germy : )

Maybe I'll write again on Saturday-- if nothing traumatic happens before then : )

Blessings and Joys

I haven't blogged in a few days. I've been trying to recuperate and enjoy life to its fullest : )

Friday was a good day of assessment and celebration. The kids did great on all their tests and enjoyed eating snacks and playing games together. It was another short day, but without conferences, so I got lots done and still could leave at an "early" time.

The highlight of my day, however, was that Ross came to school with me. It just feels right to be together all day- interacting with and helping children. Friday was a special blessing...

Mom also came- have I mentioned that her faithfulness is a blessing? She has come every Friday since school started, except when she was in Disneyland and that week- she came on Thursday. The administrators and office staff ask me when she is coming and eagerly await her arrival. She is a bringer of joy, wherever she goes : )

Friday night I was exhausted and took a nap while Ross began passing out candy. Then I graded all my tests and recorded them while Ross continued passing out candy. He's such a good host : )

On Saturday, I treated myself to a spa pedicure and Ross treated me to a dinner out. It was a blissful day...

Today we went to church and then to Ben's girlfriend's house for lunch. We ate grilled burgers and homemade french fries. Yummy! Then we went vitamin and grocery shopping (fun, huh) Ross went off to youth group and I joined a friend for a birthday dinner.

Now I am sitting at home, telling you all this and wondering where the weekend went...

Tomorrow will be crazy with another observation and a new teacher meeting- please pray for my energy and good attitude. The last few Mondays I haven't wanted to get out of bed.

Sweet dreams...

Happy Families : )

Ross and I have some friends from church who have been trying to have a baby for a couple years, and they are finally pregnant.

I was just reading their blog and tearing up at life's joys. For a warm smile and a good cry, click here: http://ourchildsjourney.blogspot.com/

Enjoy it All!

Oh, I am tired but I am happy. Perhaps too tired to relay much to you now, but I will soon : )

Here's a good synopsis: At church, our pastor has been leading us through Ecclesiastes. I've heard a series on the book before. If you're afraid to read it, don't be. It holds many beautiful truths and promises... Our pastor has been sharing and reiterating that God gives us wonderful gifts and also the gift of enjoying them.

I'm just going to say that I prayed for the gift of enjoyment and received it in great abundance. My kids are great. My families are great. My family, my little one and my larger one, are great. God is good and present. And He is speaking to me and I am listening. And I am experiencing great joy.

Tonight, pray that you would fully enjoy His blessings, too. It's a good place to be : )

Conference Update

All of my conferences have been really great so far! Two have been no-shows but both have been rescheduled. I now have 4 tomorrow and 10 on Thursday. Eek, I know. I'll get through it, though, right?

My kids have been borderline bonkers lately. Who invented Halloween, anyway?

And my tummy felt better today; thanks to everyone who lifted that up : )

Keep praying, please. I want this to be a wonderful week!

Short and Sweet

My first three conferences went well today : ) I had one no show, but the other parents came on time and were eager to hear what I had to say. It was a good start : )

Please pray that tomorrow goes well, as it is a full day, but I have seven conferences scheduled. You can also pray for my health. My tummy has been bothering me lately... and I've been having to call people into my room so that I can go to the bathroom. People have been talking about the flu, too. Please pray that I stay well!

Thanks : )

Worn Out by Happy : )

It's 9:00 and I just finished work. Am I a workaholic, a perfectionist or just an over-a-Shever? Maybe a mixture of the three?

I've spent the past hours organizing all the information I need to send out at conferences. Believe me, there's a lot : ) I've been writing up outlines of stuff I want to share with each parent at each conference. Yes, extra work- but it so exciting to reflect and honestly write that their child is making progress in various areas.

And... I've been grading the four tests that I gave today. (The kids are such troopers.) They did awesome. I am totally amazed. On our addition math test, 86 % of my class got an A or B and 55% got 100%!! I think they are actually learning and I am actually teaching them something! Woo Hoo!

After all this testing, organizing, grading, recording... I am tired. I think I'm going to pass out now.

Please pray that this weekend is restful. I have a strong feeling next week (conference week) won't be : )

A Rather Successful and Relatively Short-- Short Day

Greetings! It's Wednesday evening which means that we are 3/5 of the way done with this week. Hooray! I want another weekend : )

Today went well- it might be in the running for the smoothest short day yet. One thing that I really like about short days is that I keep my class the whole day. All the other days, my ELL's go away and I get six other kids. I like the other kids okay, but it's nice to not have to rush to send my kids on their way. And besides, I miss them when they are gone : )

Do you remember me telling you that things have been disappearing in my classroom? Like Jamba Juice money and prizes that students have won. Well, two culprits were caught this afternoon. One of my sweet little girls told me that two other girls stole some self-inking stamps that I have and like to stamp kids' hands on the school bus. I asked the girls if this was true. They didn't say anything- so I looked in their backpacks and, behold, there they were.

I was very upset and the kids knew it. Tomorrow, the girls will be visiting the assistant principal to talk about the implications of stealing.... They said they haven't taken anything else, so I'm still wondering where the money and prizes have gone.

After school, we had a brief meeting about our ELL students and then I met with the kindergarten teacher who is tutoring one of my students. I'm glad that I was able to meet with her and I'm glad that I chose to not tell anyone at school about the situation until after I talked with her. When she first called me, I felt like she didn't think that I cared enough about the student to help him or his family. But after talking with her, I know that that isn't the case and that she is here to support me and him. It's going to be okay after all : )

Then I quickly cleaned up my room (it's a mess every afternoon!!) got things together for tomorrow and then hurried off to the district office (ugh!) Apparently, the first set of fingerprints they took for me got smudged so they needed to do it again. Unfortunately, I don't know if these ones really came out any better : )

Ross and I just enjoyed a yummy dinner together and are going to sit and read for a while. Then it's off to bed at 9:00. We both were too sleepy today!

Blessings : )

Chatty Children, Observations and Barack Obama

Yesterday afternoon, a colleague of mine said that her kids had done really well that day and she was encouraged. Until, she realized they were 1/2 asleep... I laughed, nodded, and secretly prayed that wasn't the case in my class, but now I think it might have been true.

They were soooooo chatty. I couldn't get them to stop talking. I can say, at least, that they were chatting about what they were supposed to be learning. That would certainly make my emergent literacy professors proud : ) Still, there comes a time when you just need them to be quiet!

My observation went well, in spite of the talking. The assistant principal seemed very encouraged and enthusiastic. She said that I am a wonderful teacher and she feels my kids are lucky. Yay! She also gave some tips on how to handle the wiggliness and talking : ) I'm eager to try them out.

Okay, now for the funny (or not so funny) stories. The election is two weeks from today. I've decided that since these only happen every 4 years, that I needed to take the opportunity to teach my students about the process and about each candidate.

My kids will randomly bring up Barack Obama's name- and we've had some interesting discussions before, but today was very enlightening. For the first part, nearly every child told me that their family was going to vote for Obama. At one point, the kids were even CHANTING HIS NAME! It was making me shudder and I told them to stop immediately....

I wanted to enlighten them about both candidates and try to teach them that there is much to be considered in an election. So we wrote down things we knew about each candidate and things we wanted to know. I asked them what they knew about Obama. What was the first thing they said? He is black. The second thing? He has black hair. Thirdly, he loves people who are poor.

Okay, so then I ask the students what they want to know about him. We agree it is important to know what his family is like and who his friends are (they shuddered when I mentioned that some of his friends are mean people). We wanted to know where he went to school and what kinds of laws he wrote as a Senator.

One girl said, "I know. He writes laws to give money to poor people." I took advantage of this opportunity and asked her where he gets the money to give to the poor people. This part was funny. They thought of everything-- umm, the bank? no. ohh, the machine that makes the money. nope. okay, he gives them money from his house? not very much. oh, well, then his friends give him money. maybe, you could say that. (At this point they are getting very frustrated) So then I told him that I Barack Obama takes my money to give to the poor people.

And this led to a discussion about the difference between charity and socialism, but not with those big words : )

We moved on to John McCain- in which they new- first that he was a white man and second that he had white hair Ha! Then the same girl who said that Barack Obama loves poor people wanted me to write that John McCain "doesn't care about poor people." I told her that was not fair to say and wrote that McCain cares about people and their money instead. They couldn't tell me anything else about him- so I added that he had been a soldier. This automatically scores points with the boys.

Somebody asked if he'd ever been shot before and I gave a mild description about being a POW . We came up with many questions for him- most of which mirrored those for Barack Obama. Then somebody randomly asked what John McCain's middle name was. I told him I didn't know, but I do know Mr. Obama's. They eagerly asked what it was and then gave me funny looks as I said "Hussein."

I am nervous for the election. What if everybody who votes for Obama only knows that he is black, has black hair and "loves poor people"?

You can certainly pray about that--- and that tomorrow goes well.
Wednesdays=Short Days=Organized Chaos.
Should be fun : )

First Day Back

Today was a grace-filled day. It had to be. Everything went well. The kids ate breakfast quietly and were attentive during reading. When the principal came in for a quick walk-through, the kids were all on-task and (apparently) impressive : ) The day went smoothly and quickly. Really. 2:00 came so fast!

It had some not-so-good moments, like two dumb meetings, but my interactions with the kids were great. Even my two boys with special needs did wonderful. The one who so often tells me that he hates school was eager to see me this morning, and never once got angry or complained. My boy who often demonstrates 3 year old maturity sat on the floor and listened to me without bugging anyone next to him (for a grand total of 5 minutes- which beats his previous record by 400%!!)

Please pray that this is not a one-day honeymoon, but rather real growth. Tomorrow is my first formal observation. I'm not really nervous, but you never know what could happen : )

Thanks for praying and caring. It means a whole lot : )

Cruise Pictures

You can check out some of our cruise pictures by following this link:

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2006027&l=aafac&id=151900521

Enjoy!

Vacation and Beyond

Hi everyone! Long time no blog... Did you miss me?

The cruise was fun. I'm glad we went but it was not (to many people's disappointment) "the best vacation ever..." And we're okay with that : )

Let me tell you what was great:

1) I love the water. The ocean is soooo incredible. Each night, Ross and I would walk around the Promenade deck enjoying the waves and watching the sun go down. It was amazing. Its size and depth- its pure magnitude was truly awesome. Our God certainly creates marvelous things. (Side note: one night Ross and I went out to look at the waves in pure darkness- that was scary. I now understand how you can be in awe of something to the degree of grave fear...)

2) We had a very relaxing time. In the afternoons, Ross and I would grab our books and head upstairs to lay in the warm sun and read. One day we read with our feet dipped in the pool. We got to sleep in everyday. I definitely feel refreshed.

3) The food was yummy. I thoroughly enjoy dressing up for dinner : ) I think I could do it every night. In fact, maybe I will... Although the food was always yummy, it was not always necessary. This led to a tummyache or two.

4) My husband is the best. I can't tell you how much I needed the past nine days to be with my hubby. He is absolutely delightful and I am so glad that I married my best friend. This trip was good for us : )

With all that said, let me make a few negative comments:

1) We wouldn't cruise to these locations again. We stopped in San Diego, Catalina and Ensenada. San Diego is great- in fact, we'd love to live there, but we had just vacationed there. We had fun walking around and exploring a bit- but we could do that on a separate vacation pretty easily. Catalina is beautiful, but the part where we docked isn't really. It's full of tourists and smelly golfcarts. And Ensenada- well, if Ross and I go there again it will be on a missions trip and not on vacation. Which is okay in and of itself, but not exactly what I had inticipated : )

2) We were kinda lonely. We met some nice people around the boat, but everyone had their own agenda so we didn't really have friends except for ourselves. This gave us more time to be together, but it would have been nice to been able to sit and chat with a girl for a little while, too.

3) That amazing, enveloping ocean that I was admiring... it can make you sick. The last day I didn't feel too great. In the evening we watched the sun go down and then planned on working out before dinner. (Using an elliptical while overlooking the ocean is the best way to exercise...) We went back to our room to change and I had to lie down for a minute. My head felt nauseous. I told Ross maybe working out wouldn't be good for me right now, but he could go by himself if he liked. He gave me own of those "I am not going by myself looks..."

So he chose to pack our things while I layed on the bed with a wet washcloth on my face. About 1/2 an hour before dinner, I decided to take a shower, in hopes that it would make me feel better. I was in the bathroom turning on the water when Ross came in and gave me a hug. I started shaking with a chill and then I just started crying and then I pushed him out of the bathroom, closed the door and puked in the toilet. And then-- I felt sooooo much better. However, after my shower, the nausea came back. So I spent the last night of the cruise in bed watching Fox News. Ross brought me iced tea and rolls for dinner. That wasn't how it was supposed to work either...

So if you put all of this stuff together. We had an okay vacation- with its positives and its negatives. And, alas, tonight is the final night of vacation.

I've written a lot- so now I'll be brief. I need lots of prayer this week. School is going to be rough as I finish up report cards and schedule/plan for parent teacher conferences that take place next week. I will probably go through Ross withdrawals tomorrow, too. Pray that I give my best at school and that I am satisfied with that. Oh yeah, I have my first formal observation on Tuesday. I know I will do well, but I'm mildly anxious.

Speaking of anxious (and I will end with this) at church today, we read these verses aloud as a congregation. I almost started crying. I need this reminder each and every day.

Philippians 4:4-9

"4Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! 5Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. 6Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. 7And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.


8Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things. 9Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me, or seen in me—put it into practice. And the God of peace will be with you."

May the God of peace be with you this week, too.
Love to you!

Weekend Update

So last night was full of new experiences... Ben and Ross and I went to a Mexican restaurant close to our house that was absolutely delicious and quite reasonable priced and, as Ross put it, in regards to portions, "I think they are trying to compete with Claim Jumpers..." It was very yummy, but also meant lots of leftovers.... Not ideal when your planning to leave town for a week.

Then we went over to Ben's girlfriend's house (I bet two dozen faces just lit up : ) and played Guitar Hero. I have never played this game before- and am NOT a videogame fan, but it is very fun. It's a videogame, but you use a plastic guitar as a controller and have to push buttons and "strum" your guitar at the same time that the notes pass by on the screen. If you play well, it actually feels like you are playing the song, if you don't- well, it sounds horrible.

Ross and Ben were getting a kick out of watching me play and my utter persistance to complete a song. It was good fun.

Then today we went to church and came home and started packing. We are now in the weird anticipation/anxiety stage of pre-vacation. We looked up maps and directions one more time on the computer and are pretty confident that leaving by 7:00 am will do it.

Please pray for us this week! Pray that we have safe travels in the car and on the boat. Please pray that we would remain healthy and energetic. Please pray that Ross and I would have a blessed time together- growing in oneness and love.

I will think of and pray for you as well. No posting for a while- it's time for vacation!

There's No Crying on Vacation : )

Yesterday was incredibly involved. It had its high points and low. I wanted to cry at least three times. But it is over and vacation has begun...

When I got to school yesterday, I had one new e-mail from a kindergarten teacher. She wanted to meet with me about one of my students. I called her to let her know that the day was going to be crazy and could we talk over the phone. She answered and said yes and started in on something that made me feel hurt and angry...

The boy that she wanted to discuss had been in her kindergarten class. His family had approached her about me. Apparently, it is hard for them to do his homework and they are worried about his English skills and his grades. So she was calling to tell me all this and to mention that she has started tutoring him "free of charge, of course" because they have nothing and she "only wants the best for him."

This whole time, I'm trying to figure out why his parents think that I don't want the best for him. They have never approached me about anything.

Then the kindergarten teacher went on asking why the boy wasn't put in any of our afterschool or ELL resources. Then I try to explain to her that we have limits to how many kids can do these things and that this boy certainly is not my lowest. I have lots of kids with lots of needs to meet.

So, at 7:20, I hung up the phone and wanted to cry. Why has his family not talked to me, and why did this kindergarten teacher not encourage them to do so. Instead, she calls me and makes me feel like a horrible teacher. Great way to start a day, huh?

Then the day begins with the kids and my volunteers. The kids were soooo excited about everything. They were giving all kinds of hugs and were eager for M&M's. The morning was so fun for them and so stressful for me...

Wanted to Cry for the 2nd Time: My kids have a horrible habit of being impatient. When I am talking to someone they love to shout my name "Mrs. Gentle...Mrs.Gentle... Mrs.Gentle" until I acknowledge them. I have tried explaining how terribly rude this is to me and to who ever I am talking to. Yesterday, due to all the excitement, it was worse than normal. It seemed like ever minute, somebody was shouting at me.

Finally, after two hours of craziness, a sweet girl started doing it while I was talking to her friend sitting right next to her. In total anger, I did sin. I turned to her and shouted "Can't you see that I am talking? What are you supposed to do when I am talking to someone else?" She immediately burst into tears and I immediately felt regret. I knew my tone was full of anger and I was embarassed that I had lost patience with their impatience (ironic, huh?) I asked for her forgiveness over and over again and assured her that I loved her, but needed her to be respectful. I have a sick feeling that neither she nor I will ever forget that moment...

The morning went on and we ate lunch and had our special pizza party for my good at-home readers. Then it was time for special reading group and P.E.

While at P.E. my mom, mother-in-law, and I went to the office to make copies. Somehow, right in the middle of the school office, we started talking about our church situation and my mother-in-law wanted to know if Ross and I were just "biding our time" or if we planned on staying at our church or leaving. Due to the morning's stress: I wanted to cry again.

We don't know where God wants us to be. I wanted to have this conversation with her, but not in the middle of the school office! Hopefully, Ross and I can have a heartfelt discussion about this over vacation. The tension is hard on my heart...

The rest of the afternoon went smoothly. After school, I met with one of my special boys, his mother, our resource teacher, our speech teacher and the school psychologist. That was a great meeting. I really felt encouraged and empowered to teach this boy. The specialists had great ideas for me and were very supportive of me when talking with this mom. I had worried about the meeting, but it went very very well.

Mom and Dad stuck around and helped me put my room back together. Then we went back to my house and waited around for Ross. Mom took a nap, Dad surfed the web and I tried to relax. When Ross got home, we had a nice dinner of sandwiches, fruit and brownies. Mom and Dad retold the day to Ross and then headed home.

I got sleepy soon after that : ) But Ross made me stay up until 9:00.

This morning, I worked long and hard on grading and report cards. Yesterday's crazy center rotations made my report cards very easy, however. I am happy about that. At two o'clock, I finally quit. I was wandering around the house wondering what I should do to keep me from taking a nap- and I remembered I had some packing to do!

Hooray!!! Tonight we are hanging out with Ben- tomorrow we will go to church and pack and then Monday morning we will leave our house bright and early for L.A.

I can't wait!

Mints in the Morning, Clogged Toilets in the Afternoon and Craziness Tomorrow : 0

Just one more! Can you believe it!?!

I walked into my classroom this morning to find a delightful surprise. There was a card with my name on it and a box of After Eight Dark Chocolate Thin Mints on my desk. I quickly dropped everything to open the card to discover that my principal had left them. The card mentioned how happy she was that I had chosen our school.

Isn't that the nicest thing? This afternoon I just had to write her a note back thanking her and explaining that it is things like that which helped me choose. There are just genuinely nice people at that school....

Today was good! I was tired towards the end- so the kids said it was okay that I sat down in my rocking chair while they counted to 100 to the motions of "Head, Shoulders, Knees and Toes" (that is a workout- for sure!) They are cute. As the week goes on, the teachers have gotten tireder (not a word, I know) while the kids have gotten rambunctiouser (also not a word, but fun to say ; )

We had a class meeting today, where we sat and talked about being kind and about how to act appropriately in the bathroom. Uggh! I hate bathroom stuff! The boys' bathroom always has yelling children and clogged toilets. Grossness! And we've had lots of complaints lately about boys hitting each other in the bathroom. And last year, I guess there were issues about boys touching each others privates... When I heard that, I knew without a doubt that our world is messed up. You can just pray that the Devil would not have a foothold in our boys bathroom. I'm serious! Whether it be bullying or molestation-- all of it has to stop.

Deep breaths, again. Tommorow should be a delightfully crazy day. I'm trying out my assessment centers with four parent volunteers (two, okay three, of them mine) then we're celebrating a birthday, having a pizza party lunch for kids who have been reading books at home and we have P.E. with Mr. Luna. The kids should be happy ALL day : )

I will let you know how it goes and then I have to get ready for my CRUISE VACATION! What fun!

Fundraising Opportunity

On Saturday, November 8th from 9am-1pm, my school will be hosting an open market. For a small fee, you can rent parking spaces to showcase your home business items (Gold Canyon candles, Avon, etc.) home-made craft items, or gently used items (like a garage sale).

If you are interested in selling something at the Market or would like to come walk through it and see my classroom : ) leave a comment or send me an e-mail. I can give you more details.

Short Days are Crazy Days

I don't know why we call them short days- I stayed later than I have all week...

Wednesdays are ridiculous. Not only are they shortened, so the kids are excited- but they are Jamba Juice days- and no morning recess days. The former also makes them excited, the latter means everyone (including me) needs to pee and run around at 10:00, but we can't because there's still a half hour before lunch...

Alas. It is crazy. People see my loud, crooked line in the hall and greet me with "Happy Wednesday" with a sneering smile on their face. Just think- I get to do this every week. Goodness gracious...

To add on to all of this- I had two boys who went to the bathroom and came back claiming that someone was hitting them. Then, at recess I had a boy who convinced a first grader from another class to buy him a Jamba Juice. After school, I got a phone call from a parent who said she gave her child $5 to buy a Jamba Juice and he told her it was stolen...

Oh, yeah- this kid started off on a bad foot today. He was angry about something (the stolen money perhaps?? I don't know. He wouldn't talk to me!) In his anger, he did sin. He was shoving desks and things. Ripped papers and scrunched his backpack into a ball and threw it away. He's the one who said he was going to kill the next person who touched him. I tried to reason with him (Ha!) but he wouldn't talk to me. So, he was sent out of my classroom because I was afraid he was going to hurt someone.

The phone call came because the mom was mad I hadn't done anything about the stolen money. I tried to reason with her that I don't know about these problems if he won't tell me about them. (Take deep breaths...)

My duty this afternoon was to lead the kids out to the buses. I started walking the 150 of them through the school- past 8th graders going to lunch and being 8th graders... when I realized that there was no one at the end of my line. I quickly recruited Mr. Luna (P.E/art teacher whom all my girls adore) to take up the rear. It was good for him. After they were all on the bus, I thanked him for his help and he said he was amazed by my "sheep herding skills" "How did you get them all lined up by yourself?" he asked in wonderment. I just smiled : )

After school, I met with the resource teacher and the mother of my special ed boy. Turns out he tested out of the self-contained class and can not go back. He also tested too high to be seen for math. Which means I need to up the anty- get him to focus and LEARN! You can pray for that...

Our teacher meeting was actually very good today. It led to great discussion. I did not feel like it was a waste of time. Hallelujah!

You can pray that this week finishes strong. Just two days to go. Friday will be crazy as I have a bunch of parent volunteers coming to help and a birthday celebration. Oh, yeah. Do you remember my one girl who told me on the first day of school that she was starving? After a whole lot of absences, she was withdrawn from my class. But- will be back at school tomorrow after being out of school for 3 weeks. (Keep breathing deeply...)

It'll be okay. Please pray for God's presence, wisdom and patience. There's a lot to deal with right now!

Thanks. Blessings on you!

Day 40

Yesterday's energy has dwindled a bit... I'm ready for vacation.

I met with my vice-principal today to schedule observations. It was a nice time for me to fill her in about my class. She was amazed at how much I knew about my students and about how many students I had that are struggling. In regards to knowing my students, we both agreed that you HAVE to know them if you are going to survive and if anyone is going to learn anything.

I can't remember anything else that happened today. We read some stories--worked through a math review--learned about how fabulous our country is... I read them a fantastic picture book called America Is... You should read it some time-- I sang them the national anthem. That was painful for me and for them--and then we all cheered when it was time to go home.

This morning (I know I'm jumping around a bit- welcome to my brain) one of my parent volunteers came in to make copies. As she was going to leave, she told me that she was going to move her son to a school closer to their house. She wanted to know when the best time was. I was crushed. I still am. Her son is a wonderful boy, a model citizen. He makes me smile every day. I will be so sad when he goes- and I think Friday will be his last day. I will miss him sooo much...

Jumping back to last night- I had a very long, drawn out dream that I was pregnant and expecting in November. Weird!

Tomorrow is a 3/4 day. I hope it goes well...

The Strength that Anticipation Brings...

Can I just tell you how much easier it is to work long and hard and how much more patience you have when you know that next week you don't have to work long and hard?

Today was a Monday, but it was fabulous, because I know that next Monday, I'll be on a cruise ship. This week will be a piece of cake, because vacation is coming!

Quickly, because I just got home and have things to do like eating dinner and making a packing list... I wanted to tell you the revelation I had today. After morning recess, I introduced our new spelling words to the kids. I do this every Monday, but today was different. While sitting at my overhead- sounding out words and teaching phonics, I noticed how cute my kids are.

Not how noisy they are, or needy. Not how far ahead or how far behind. Not how moody, cranky, rude, or shy. But how cute they are. It was a beautiful feeling : )

This is a good sign. We're moving into the stage when I can let up just a little bit on disciplining and spend a bit more time falling in love with them....

It's going to be a good week : )

All in Favor of a Three Day Weekend-- Say 'Aye!'

So here' why we need three days: we need one just to do work that can't happen at work (grading, lesson planning, laundry, mowing the lawn, etc. etc.) One for worship and fellowship and one just to be.

Yesterday, Ross and I slept in a little and then got up and got right to work. He started trimming the bushes while I calculated and recorded test scores. Then I hurried and wrote up lesson plans. In the afternoon, we helped Ross's cousin and wife move. It was a great time of fellowship. The more we hang out with them and help them, the more we like them : ) Last night we joined them and Ross' parents for dinner.

Today, we worshipped and served at church. Then we went out to dinner with my family. This afternoon, I had to keep telling myself to calm down- that everything that needed to get done would get done. I hurrried and developed things for school, finished up a project for my new teacher meeting that I have tomorrow, ran 2 loads of laundry, made Ross's lunch and then realized we didn't have any margarine. So I hurried and made a rough shopping list and ran to the store (okay, maybe I drove...)

I waited in line for a long time, drove home, hurried and threw the stuff into the fridge/freezer/pantry (hopefully they all landed in the right place) jumped back in the car, got 5 gallons worth of gas and drove to meet two friends for dinner.

All of this was great. Wonderful times of service, worship and fellowship. But no time to just sit and be still.

And that is why I am finishing this post... because this just might be my only chance : )

Percentages and Cheap Cocktail Dresses

Okay. Sorry I didn't post anything yesterday. I am well- I just kept finding other things to do : )

Yesterday was a really great day at school. It was Friday, which means tons of testing in the morning and fun in the afternoon. I spent a good amount of time yesterday after school grading, recording and analzying tests. I was very happy with the results. The average score on the reading test was 84% with 76% of my class scoring 80% or above. The average score in math was 89% with 86% of my class scoring 80% or above. All of this is very, very good....

Mom came to help yesterday, she was very helpful and very worn out at the end of the day. She wants to know how I can handle their constant noise and questioning. Very patiently, I tell her...

Mom's little friend, the boy who has some serious anger issues as well as self-esteem problems had to be sent out of my room yesterday. He didn't want to get into line, so mom put her arms around him and led him there. As we were leaving the classroom, he looked at me and said he was going to kill the next person who touched him. Yeah, you can't say that sort of stuff at school.

He was sent to a special Thinking classroom and then was sent to the Vice Principal's office. I have a meeting with her on Monday for a different reason, but I'm sure we'll be talking about this incident as well....

After school, I went shopping and found a pretty red dress for our cruise for only $20. I'm pretty excited... Along with all the other routine things that need to be done this weekend (laundry, grading, planning, etc.) I hope to start developing a vacation list. It's only a week and a half away!

Please pray that this weekend continues to be more healthful than the last and that we are able to finish this week (which is the last week of the 1st quarter) strong : )

From Icky to Good : )

I was up this morning from 4:15-5:00. When it was time to wake up, I felt horrible. I didn't think I was going to be able to make it through the day. I really wanted to cry... But I didn't. I got out of bed and got ready for school. Ten minutes before I picked the kids up at the playground, I prayed that God would give me strength, because I knew I could not get through the day on my own. And you know what? He totally delivered : )

The day went quite smoothly. During reading, I was amazed by their abilities and during math I was convinced that they truly understand graphing concepts. I felt wonderful. In the afternoon, they were able to go to P.E. and their very first assembly. And they did great. No complaints whatsoever.

After school, I had a meeting with a parent and it went well. It just was an over-all great day with a icky beginning. And I'm sure it was all possible because I asked God to show up.

I'm hoping that it continues to go well as I meet up with a friend for coffee tonight and enjoy Papa John's pizza with my husband (they're giving our school 20% of their profit tonight...) It should be a nice evening-- before a wonderful weekend.

Happy Friday, everyone!

The Day after a Sub...

is crazy!!

I think the kids thought that I had died and was not coming back. They were sooooo excited to see me. Which, obviously, makes someone feel very good.

The problem arose when all they wanted to do was talk about me and me not being there, and how much they missed me and all the little things the substitute did differently. I had to keep "bringing them back" to reading/math/science, etc.

Adding to the craziness, today was picture day along with a student birthday and early release. It didn't matter what I did, they were excited and could not contain it.

Which is the fun part about being 6 right? Not yet being able to contain one's emotions... Although distracting in the classroom, you must admit it is a desirable quality.

I saw the kids through the day, had a 1/2 hour duty after school, hurried and made a gazillion copies and then decided to ditch my teacher meetings and come home and rest. The principal said it was okay.

So I napped and showered and am waiting for Ross to come home so we can go to his parents' house for a family dinner. His uncle is in town.

Please continue praying for my health and wellness. I was tired today- even though I slept a bunch yesterday. Continue praying for rest and restoration. In case you didn't know- I need it : )

Sick Day #1

Let's face it- there will probably be another one at some point this year : )

Here's what today has looked like:

6:10-the alarm goes off, Ross happily reports that his throat still does not hurt, and unhappily reports that he must get up to go to work

7:00- Ross leaves, I fall fast asleep

7:45- my phone rings. It's Ben- he gives me an hour-long update on his life. Good times : )

8:45- I decide that I am now awake so I get up and eat breakfast.

9:00- Maybe I'm not so awake. I lie down on couch.

9:30-Maybe I should go lay back down in bed...

11:00- I now feel gross- like that mental feeling you get when you know you are sick and you've been lying around too much. I get up to maybe help that feeling dissipate.

11:15- I eat a lunch of French bread, butter and apple. Yummy!

11:30- I begin thinking about Parent Teacher Conferences (that are at the end of October) I calculate that if I meet with each set of parents for 20 minutes... I'll spend 7 hours and 40 minutes in conferences. Eek!

12:00- I begin thinking about report cards and develop a parent-friendly letter to go home with them. Then I develop Round-Robin-style-assessment centers for my parents and volunteers to help me with. Somehow, this is all deeply satisfying : )

2:00- I take a shower and scrub all that icky germ feelingness away.

2:30- I lie down for another nap

4:00- I wake up and decide that yes, I should go to school for a little while

4:15- I get in my car and drive the 1/2 mile to school- thankful that it's only a 1/2 mile. I sort of feel sick in my tummy.

4:20- I get to school- admire my sub's note, that starts with "Your class was great!" Then goes on to apologize about how she didn't finish quite everything on my list. No list of names, no complaints. Hallelujah!!

4:30- I get to work in making 2 sets of Happy Birthday things that I need for kids tomorrow and changing out my All About Me board. Unfortunately, I remember and then forget to change my calendar to October...

4:45- I get in my car to come home.

4:50- I come inside and decide to give you this update : )

The plan right now is to go back to school tomorrow. It's a half day (oh, yeah, more like 3/4) so, if I feel disgusting, I'll just leave right at dismissal. I think I'll make it okay. Please pray that I do and that my tummy feels better- I think it may be reacting to the penicillin a bit.

Thanks, guys. Love you!

Good News and Bad News

Which do you want first? Here's a piece of good news: I woke up this morning and my throat only hurt a little bit. I was sure that our prayers had been answered!

Then I went to a school and, just to be safe, popped into the nurse's office to have her look at it. I wish you could have seen her look of disgust. She told me that there was a possibility that it was strep and that I needed to have it swabbed.

So during a lunch meeting with my 1st grade team and the principal, I announced my dilemma. The other teachers agreed to take my kids for the afternoon while I went to the doctor.

I got my kids inside after lunch, tried to explain to them what was going on and left for urgent care. I was there for 2 hours and was told that I most definitely have strep throat. Great, huh?

The doctor also told me that I could go back to school tomorrow. My school nurse said I can not.

I hurried to the pharmacy to get my antibiotic and then hurried back to school to make up sub plans. Everyone else hurried me to get myself and my germs out of there...

I am thankful that I now know what is wrong and am working to get it fixed. Please pray for me and my kids tomorrow. For me, that I would have a restful, peaceful day and that my kids would be nice to the sub and learn something, too.

One more piece of good news: You can't get strep throat from reading my blog!

Making a Comment

I haven't played around much with my blog settings, until tonight : )

Just wanted to let you know that you can now leave a comment without being a registered user. You don't even have to leave your name if you don't want.

I encourage you to write something sometime. I want to know what you all are thinking : )

Please Pray for Me!

It's 6:15 on Sunday night and I feel gross...

Friday morning I woke up with a sore throat. It felt like I had slept the whole night with my mouth open. I probably did, because I've been fighting a stuffy nose since March or something...

Anyhow, Friday at school I just dealt with it. Friday night, we went to our pastor's house for a game night and I stayed up way past my bed time : ) Saturday morning I woke up and my throat just throbbed. Eating, swallowing, sneezing, just breathing made it hurt. I drank two cups of hot tea with honey and it felt better, for a while.

Last night Ross and I went shopping at a fun outdoor mall. I felt better then, but didn't sleep well last night. I kept waking up and then remembering how badly my throat hurt. Ross was sweet and got up a couple times to get me water and Tylenol. In all of this, I can be incredibly thankful for a husband with such a merciful spirit : )

Today I woke up with the same horrible pain as yesterday- drank the same tea and went to church. I laid down for a while this afternoon but my throat still hurts. And since it hurts to swallow, I haven't eaten much so my tummy has been slightly grumbling all day. I just feel gross.

Please pray that I would have a good night sleep tonight and wake up refreshed and without pain. I don't want to have to go to school cringing every time I have to talk.

Thanks, everybody. I love you!

33 Days, 44 Posts

I'm running out of ways to start posts. Today was a good day, don't know how else to say it, really : )

In the morning, we reviewed all of our reading concepts and took a test. After that, the kids started writing, when the fire alarm went off. This was the first time that the alarm had gone off while I had kids from the other first grade class. It through me off a bit. I couldn't remember who was absent, who I had sent away, and who had come. But everyone made it out of the building and was calmer than me : )

Soon after, we went to recess and Mr. Gentle showed up. The kids were cute on the playground, telling him their names and then running off to tell their friends that he was here. We went inside, reviewed our spelling and took another test : ) After this, the kids formally introduced themselves to Mr. Gentle and we played Sparkle. During the first round, one of my little boys that stood next to Mr. Gentle had to sit down AND... started crying. Ross had to console him. From this point on, the little boy became Ross' shadow. He wouldn't go anywhere unless Mr. Gentle was coming to and he cried every time he had to be left anywhere. It was borderline ridiculous...

While the kids were at music, Ross and I got the equipment we needed to share our pictures on my overhead screen. The kids soooo enjoyed looking at pictures of Ross' rocket stuff, our wedding, our house, and vacation pictures. It was fun to share ourselves with them : )

After school, Ross and I worked hard on rearranging the kids' desks and putting on new nametags. I graded lots of tests, too. We came home and took a short nap : )

Now we're off to our pastor's house for a young married get-together. Hopefully we meet some nice people. Ross and I are kind of in need of friends...

This weekend should be much calmer than last. Tomorrow I will work on stuff for school, go shopping (I think I haven't done that in years...) and go on a date with my dear husband. Sunday will involve church and home responsibilities.

I pray that you have a restful and relaxing weekend enjoying your Creator and the ones you love. And I look forward to sharing another week of crazy growth with you : )

Busy, but Good Busy

Today was busy, but good. And it's not over yet...

I felt really good during reading this morning, I started from the very beginning, reminding the children about our rules- listening, sitting still, raising their hands. And for the rest of the time, they obeyed them quite nicely. Perhaps I will need to review them every day.

The kids loved having mom and dad there- the kids were going a little bit bonkers, actually. We took another math test and it went beautifully! One, because the kids never saw the workbooks for chapter 3 and two, because I had two people to sit next to the kids that get overwhelmed by looking at these tests. My average score is an 85. Woo Hoo!

Our little centers went well. For the first time ever I didn't plan too much in a rotation. The kids made cute foam candy corn people, fall colored cookies and posters that displayed all that we reduce, reuse and recycle in our classroom.

After school, I had to hurry up so I could go to the dentist. I like my dentist and actually do not mind getting my teeth cleaned, but his hours of availability are icky. Teachers are never available from 7-4. Oh, well.

Ross and I just finished dinner and are eagerly awaiting highschoolers. Hopefully, some show up : )

Tomorrow should be fun. Mr. Gentle is coming to school! Pray that all goes well : )

1/2 Day with No Meetings= Best Day Ever!

Last night, I could not fall asleep and I kept thinking to myself "Oh, no! Tomorrow is going to be worse than today!" Luckily, I did fall asleep and today was the best day so far. Maybe it was because I was more rested, maybe it had to do with the fact it was a 1/2 day. It's debatable : )

Half days (they really should be called 3/4 days, but, whatever...) are very different because my English language learners do not go to their special class. It's kind of nice to keep everybody and not mess with switching at the very beginning of the day.

However, 16 of my kids have a special pull-out reading class that starts at 8:20. So they are still moving all over the place...

I listened to my higher kids read during this time and have decided that I am going to split them into two groups and do centers while the other children are gone. This will involve, of course, more planning... but should be a more effective use of instructional time.

After school today, I met with a parent of one child who has been consistently getting into trouble. On Friday she cheated on her reading test, yesterday she hit a boy who was walking past her, today she stuck her tongue out at another boy. The mom was furious. During our meeting, I mostly watched the mom chastise the girl in front of me. The girl told me that she wouldn't shout out so much if I called on her more. Oh, dear.... We'll see if her behavior improves any...

I got another special treat in my mailbox today! This one came in my real mailbox all the way from Georgia. Ross and I have friends that moved there a few years ago. Kelley went to the same college as me and sent me a picture frame that she received while working there. It says, "Those who can, teach." I am so thankful for all of you who continue encouraging me with words and deeds : )

I am eager for tomorrow. My parents are coming tomorrow, instead of Friday, because they are leaving for a trip to San Diego. When they come, we will be decorating fall cookies, making candy corn decorations and Going Green posters. Should be lots of fun : )

And on Friday... Mr. Gentle is coming to school! I am so excited to share my students with him and him with my students : ) It should be a great day.

Please continue praying for my restfulness. There's still a lot to do around here : )

One Tuckered Teacher

Today was my 30th day of school and my 41st post. Wow! That's a lot of teaching and a lot of writing. Thanks for being there every step of the way...

As you can tell from my title, I am tired. After my meeting last night, taking a shower, and trying to catch up with Ross a little bit, I fell fast asleep. When the alarm went off this morning, I was not ready to stir. Ross kidded me that he should of warned me that teachers do not get 10 hours of sleep. I don't need 10, I told him, just 9.5.

Let me tell you, though, that when you are tired, kids will walk all over you. Not on purpose, I don't think, they just realize that you aren't quite alert enough to get on them for every little thing, so they push the limits.

This made for a long morning. They were so chatty! I also received another new girl this morning- so that added to life's craziness, too.

I had a grade level meeting at lunch today. I don't like those : ( Although everyone tries to act civilized, you can just tell that there is division and strife. And I don't like those feelings.

The afternoon was better. I don't think I had woken up any, but the kids were sleepier- so it kind of evened out. We didn't have a special today, so we met for a class meeting. This was, by far, our best meeting yet. We always begin by reviewing our rules. The kids knew them well. Then I asked them what is going well in our room- How are we making it a safe and inviting environment?

Normally, at this point, kids just pick their best friend and say that they played nice with them. While this is an example, it's not a very good one. Today, however, kids were picking up on great ways that kids had shown kindness to one another- often things that I had witnessed as well, and was able to comment on. I am happy to know that they are cognizant of being a good, kind, fair classroom citizen.

I stayed at school for about an hour and a half after doing my parent pick-up duty and getting ready for tomorrow. I came home and went straight to bed. Please pray that I would be awake tomorrow. I want to be at least 5 steps ahead of them : )

Where is Mrs. Gentle? Where is Mrs. Gentle? Here I am! Here I am!

In case you don't fully understand my title line reference-- sing it to the tune of "Where is Thumbkin" or "Frere jacque". It'll make more sense...

Anyhow, I haven't fully blogged in a while because I've been busy being more than just a teacher! (Crazy thought, I know...)

On Saturday, Ross and I hosted 30 people at our home in honor of his parents' 35th wedding anniversary. It was very fun. We kept it a surprise, which added to the fun- and discomfort. His parents are the kind of people that don't want a big deal made out of them, but are TOTALLY deserving of a big deal. So we didn't tell them we invited 15 of their favorite couples. We just invited them to dinner.

It was a wonderfully special time. My mom greatly helped me decorate- we had cute red and black invitations, tableclothes, red and white roses, mom helped decorate dinner mints. You know, cutesy fun stuff. My aunt came over and helped us arrange the food table with pretty fabrics and "elevation" materials. Grandma came over on Friday and happily cleaned windows, dusted, and put Grandpa to work vacuuming. And I delightfully fed 30 people with the help of a crockpot. The only truly stressful part was keeping it a secret, and then on Saturday, I was stressing that his parents were going to be very unhappy. (Don't worry, that didn't happen)

Although relatively unstressful, however, it did take up my Saturday. Then, yesterday, Ross and I spent a decent amount of time at church. Between worship service, our volunteer positions, and his commitment to youth- it was a long day.

In the evening, while he corralled highschoolers (which I still believe is more difficult than six-year-olds...) I went to his parents' house and met Sarah. Sarah is a sweet girl from Michigan who just married Ross' cousin. On Friday, she'll meet her 2nd graders for the first time. She and her husband are moving here for this job- because there are very few teaching positions in Michigan.

So, it was nice to meet with her to talk about school and to help make her feel comfortable. I'm hoping that when her husband moves here soon, Ross and I will have a nice couple to meet with : )

(Maybe you're like Ross and you're wondering what this has to do with teaching... I hope you're like me and are happy to see that my life is full of things other than just teaching...)

This all leads up to today, when I didn't want to get out of bed this morning : ) Again, I know. I just didn't feel like I had rested enough. I felt like I had either worked this weekend or, when I did have a break, that I wasn't with Ross. And isn't that what weekends are for- restful breaks with your husband?

Plus, I had a new teacher meeting tonight, so I knew I wouldn't be home until late. All of this made me not want to get out of bed, but I did anyway : )

All of this made me a not-so-great teacher this morning. My brain was only multitasking 4 things at once, instead of 11 : ) It wasn't too bad, but I realized this grogginess and lack of inspiration didn't produce my best day.

And that's okay. Because tomorrow will be better : )

Two quick bright points: I had a special treat in my mailbox today and when I saw the handwriting, I knew exactly who it was. One of my special, retired teacher friends who lives in the neighborhood dropped off a cute homemade card and a couple energy bars. What a special treat. I almost started crying... It's so nice to feel supported : )

On my way out of school today, I stopped to talk to my principal and show her my progress monitoring scores. She was very impressed. This makes me very happy, and, yet, slightly nervous. She did hire me knowing I was a good teacher, right?

I had another parent conference today. This one was with the mom of one of my special children. She wanted to know why her son couldn't be put back in a self-contained special-ed class! Eek! I'm not quite sure where this will go- but we'll see : )

Thanks for being patient with me. I look forward to sharing with you again soon : )

.... Here I am! How are you today, ma'am? Very well, I thank you. Run away. Run away : )

Quick Update

Like I said yesterday, I'm busy. This weekend will be so busy-- and so fun, too. I hope to give you a thorough update on Sunday.

For now, know that I made it through the week and am going back on Monday : )

Encouragement All Around

I'm too busy. I'm energized and invigorated (1st grade vocab word!) by all of it, but still... too busy : )

Today was a good day in the classroom. Each day I feel more like I know what I am doing and that it is a little less like work and a little more like something I was made to do. The feeling is so encouraging.

I sent home my first progress reports yesterday and got many signed slips back. There was room for parent comments on each of them. One of them was very special as both the mom and dad wrote me notes. They thanked me for having patience with their daughter and being such a great teacher to her. They commented that she loves school. How can you not love this job after that?

I also got a phone call from a dad who noticed that the progress report asked that he call me for an appointment and he was calling to make one. Thank you, Lord, for responsible parents! I'm eager to meet with the family tomorrow- the girl is a total blessing to our classroom. She has the sweetest, kindest spirit. She adds so much to our room! But I need to talk to them about her academics. She needs help and my job is to help the parents help her. Please pray that this would be a blessed time for all of us.

This morning at my prayer meeting, the lady I meet with had written a verse for me to take and meditate on. It is wonderful. You must read it as well. Zephaniah 3:17 says "The LORD is with you, he is mighty to save. He will take great delight in you, he will quiet you with his love, he will rejoice over you with singing."

Isn't that wonderful? He takes delight in me! He rejoices over me! It paints a beautiful picture of his love.

At lunch today, one of the ladies told me that another girl on our team was having a rough morning, that she was frustrated and felt defeated. I really like this girl and wanted to encourage her. I don't know if she's a Christian, but I sent her an e-mail telling her that I hoped she felt better and I included the verse- explaining how marvelous it was to have the Lord of all creation delight in us.

She e-mailed back and commented to me later how thankful she was for that e-mail. I don't know if she is a believer, but I believe that He is mighty to save. The lady I meet with for prayer is so bold in asking God to save, redeem and forgive the people at our school. It is amazing. Why don't I pray that boldly and directly? Please pray for my first grade teacher friend- that she would know salvation.

Tomorrow is one of my special boy's birthdays. Mom is coming to school and is going to bring birthday treats for him to share with our class. Please pray that he would feel loved and blessed. He so needs encouragement...

I pray that you feel loved and blessed, too : )

Jamba Juice=Smiles, Math=Tears,Starbucks=Happy Teacher : )

Well, the highlight of my day was definitely meeting with my cadre leader at Starbucks. A nice lady, who's a great teacher, who's easy to talk to and thinks like I do over a nice cup of tea. What could be better?

We talked about all kinds of things- from my two difficult boys, to my one little boy that is STILL five, to the dynamics and challenges of my diverse team, to silly staff meetings to stupid math worksheets. She's the one that got me thinking about ditching them in the first place. She said she doesn't give them ANY pencil-paper work until the middle of the school year! That's a bit extreme for me, but I can agree that the kids do learn better through experimentation and manipulatives.

We talked about our reading program- that is good and thorough, but still doesn't meet the diverse needs of our kids, let alone the standards our government says we must teach.

(As I am rereading this, I think it sounds a bit negative... Know that she was totally supportive, encouraging and professional, but also REAL with me. I needed that : )

Last night I was frustrated with our reading curriculum and was trying to explain to Ross why. Finally, I said, (this is a slightly paraphrased version) "You could use it and teach kids to read. But you don't want to teach kids to read. I do and I have a mind of my own, thank you. I didn't become a teacher so I could read out of a curriculum book. I became a teacher because I'm creative and like presenting things in a way kids can understand them."

Right? Which is more important to you: the curriculum that your child is learning or the teacher who is presenting the material to your child? Ughh!

I can't talk about this too much. It stresses me out...

The "Jamba Juice lady" came to school today (aka Auntie Pam). The kids enjoyed Jamba Juice while I read to them about insects. A delightful combination, huh? She came right after I gave the Chapter 2 math test- which worked out good, because I think the kids might have actually forgot how horrible the experience was....

Yesterday, when my principal gave the okay for me to ditch the workbooks, we agreed that I would still give the chapter tests - to keep up with our "progress monitoring." The kids had learned almost everything from chapter two and I had been avoiding it for a week, so I decided that I would review it today. Well, the review was great- so I decided to give them the test. Big mistake!! A girl started crying and I wanted to cry, too.

I "graded" them after school. Five of my kids aced it- completely. I could have told you they would. They are my mathematical thinkers. It's their gift. God knew they would ace it, too : ) My other 17 bombed it. Totally. They're completely ugly. I was getting sick while grading them. These kids are not dumb. They can become mathematical thinkers. They can learn to love math. But not with this ridiculous curriculum...

So now I have to decide what I am going to do. I think I might write up my progress monitoring from this test. Show the principal my five 100's and seventeen 30's. Then show her the progress they have made in their counting skills. Prove that I am a good teacher and can teach math, just not with the materials I have been given.

You can pray for my little mathematical thinkers, the ones that are now and the ones that soon will be : )

Lastly, I wanted to share with you from my devotion this morning. I read Ephesians 2: 1-10. Read it and emphasize on verse 10. How are you His workmanship and what has He prepared for you to do? Are you doing it with all your heart and soul?

On our anniversary trip, Ross wrote me a short love note. In it he called me the "best teacher in the world" and he talked about how excited he was that God had picked the students that would be in my class, even before the world began. Those words give me encouragement every day. Be encouraged that He has chosen your job/role/relationships even before the world began and that He believes in you : )

Quick Update

Well, the good news is that I talked with my principal today and she took a two-second look at our math workbooks and agreed that they are rather confusing- thus, I do not have to use them. The not-so-good news is that I still have to give the chapter tests from the math program. This is so we are held accountable for student scores and progress. (That's not necessarily a bad thing...) The Chapter 2 math test (that I've been avoiding for a week now) is a doozy. I'm nervous for Friday...

One of my little girls was absent today. She's occasionally absent, so I didn't worry too much. At about 3:15 my phone rang. I was pretty sure it was Ross, so I was rather surprised when a little girl's voice was on the other end. I didn't understand much of what she said- and didn't even get her name until 1/2 way through the conversation. It was my little girl who was absent, calling to explain that she wasn't at school because she "couldn't find the bus." I don't know what that means exactly, and am a bit worried. The conversation ended as quickly as it began and I am nervous that her mother didn't even know she was on the phone. Please keep her in your prayers as well.

I have a busy night, so I am going to get back to my work. Tomorrow is early out (shh... the Jamba Juice lady is coming!) and I am meeting with my cadre leader at Starbucks. It should be a good day : )

The Mysterious Monday

Last night and this morning, I did NOT want to go to school. For no reason other than I didn't feel like my weekend was very relaxing. I wanted another day to recuperate. Last night, while getting into bed, Ross whined that he didn't want to go to work and I shot back that he couldn't whine. If he didn't go- the world would go on. If I didn't go- no one knows the damage that would occur....

But then when I got to school and was in the middle of teaching our Day 1 Reading curriculum, I realized how refreshing Mondays really are. In first grade, everything is done weekly- we read our stories for one week, focus on a specific letter-sound correspondence for one week, we spell the same 15 words for one week, we go over the same vocabulary words for one week. Let me tell you, by Thursday and Friday, everybody is anxious to do something new. 3/4 of my kids are giving me the "Okay, I get it, can we move on now?" look.

But Mondays are a whole day of introduction. This is our new story; this is our new sound; these are new words; these are our new vocabulary. I actually feel like I am teaching and not simply repeating myself.

So, in that sense, today was refreshing and "invigorating" (new vocab word : ) I was also invigorated when I took my kids to computers. I wasn't planning on it, but the other teacher who I share the slot with didn't want to go. I figured last time went so well, why not go again? And it was good- a nice treat for the kids and for me. And a huge ego booster when I can honestly say that I was flexible and it was a success.

Right now, if you can't tell, I'm feeling good about everything... except math. Let me explain. The kids and I are LOVING my new instruction. Today, I passed out hundreds charts and we colored the odd numbers red and the evens blue. Then we practiced counting forwards, backwards and by 2's. It was meaningful and great fun and everybody was able to follow along. I really believe that this is the way to teach math. However, when I was honest with our Program Coach about it this afternoon, she said I needed to run it past our principal.

Here's the deal: I don't want to. I'm afraid she is going to say no and I am going to have to go back to those dreadful worksheets- the blank stares- and flashes of frustration running through my body. Please don't make me!

Why would she say no? some of you may be asking... There's a thing in school districts called "Fidelity to the Core" Of all the things I think it is important to be faithful to, a silly curriculum book is not high on the list. However, districts like to enforce this thinking for a couple reasons. 1) It makes them feel better about all the money they spent on the curriculum. If they make you use it, then the money's not being "wasted." 2) It's the simplest way to make sure no teacher is slacking off.

This is the one that really bugs me. I want my kids to be great mathematical thinkers. So much so, that I am willing to do more work. Why would you want to deny me more work for the kids' sake?

So please pray for that. I need to talk with her about it- I need to be confident in my beliefs and yet respectful of hers. Uggh... I hate politics.

But I love you : ) Thanks for reading...

Plans Continue to Change...

So yesterday, my cousin that did get to stay, talked me into letting her stay another night. (Okay, okay- it didn't take much to convince me...) Ross and she and I (I think that is grammatically correct...) walked to my school, ate a yummy pancake breakfast, got some things organized in my classroom and then walked home. Ross decided to do some yard work and I continued doing school work. (I'm telling you- it never, ever ends!) K lied down on the couch and stayed there. I figured she was tired of all the school work, so I let her be.

Later on in the afternoon, the three of us went to Costco and to Penny's. She seemed out of sorts then, too. We got home and she fell asleep on the couch- for 45 minutes. Ross and I talked in our room for a while and decided that we'd like to take her to dinner and then rent a movie to watch together. She finally woke up, didn't know where she was, and said she didn't feel good. She said we could leave her there and go out to eat, but that she wasn't leaving the couch. (This isn't looking good, is it?)

We finally took her temperature. It read 101.1. So we ended up taking her home at 8:00 last night. None of my plans worked out the way I wanted them to work : (

Oh, well. It'll be okay. I don't know if I'm quite ready to start another week of school. Wasn't I just there? Didn't I just say "Have a nice weekend?" This week will be full of activities as well. Tomorrow I just have school, Tuesday is kickboxing and tutoring, Wednesday I am meeting with my district mentor teacher, Thursday will be the first night of a weekly high-school small group meeting in our home and Friday- I'll be totally wiped : )

Please pray for this week- especially the small group. Ross and I are both enthused for a chance to serve together. Please pray that kids would come and be receptive. We think we're going to do a study on key Christian beliefs (the Trinity, Heaven, Hell, etc.) so we need guidance there also. Please specifically pray that we would see this time as a blessing, and not an extra burden : )

Thanks for supporting me by reading and praying. I look forward to reporting how God is working back to you : )

Unexpected Fevers

Well- yesterday and today have not gone as planned. Luckily, I am a teacher and am totally accustomed to this sort of thing : )

Shortly after I posted yesterday, I got in the shower and left Mom and Dad to the cooking. My grandparents, brother and cousins all arrived and when I opened my bedroom door, it suddenly felt like I was at a party : )

We were ready to start dinner right about 6:00- when my aunt decided to take my little cousin's temperature. It read 103.1! Eek! So she was not able to stay. She cried very hard because she wanted to stay-- and if she couldn't, then her older sister shouldn't be able to either. We had another, "Life isn't fair" talk and sent her on her way home. Poor baby...

Her sister has been helping me grade and record tests and homework, and I just finished my first progress reports. Here are my average scores for the week. They're not as good as they have been : (

Reading Test: 75
Reading Words: 62 (this is highly disappointing, because it shows me that their parents did not help them practice, ugh!)
Spelling: 97 (Woo Hoo!)

Math was different this week: almost all of them can count to 100 or beyond, nobody can count backwards from 100 and their skip counting (by 2's 5's or 10's) is pretty pathetic, too. Now we know, right?

Have a great weekend. Do your best to not get a 103.1 temperature, kay?

From Bad to Good to Bad to Good : )

During breakfast, I felt like today was going to be a bad day... It turned out to be okay : )

Fridays are rather hectic, the kids have to turn in their homework and everybody's got something important to tell me. My twenty minutes to get stuff in order felt like four. Then, somebody dropped their breakfast-muffin- donut thing on the floor, and others walked through it-- ugh...

Then we switched classes - I sent my dear ELL's down the hall and got that teacher's trouble makers. We took our reading test and I was mortified as her kids peeked at other kids papers, drew on their tests, drew on other kid's private screens!! Oh, goodness...

But the day got better, it really did.

I sent the naughty ones back, Mom and Dad came and sat next to those who needed help during the spelling test and we played Sparkle with Daddy- good times. Mom and Dad also helped me get some reading and counting assessments done. Then we had lunch with my little student of the week.

After lunch, we went over our calendar and I pointed out that tomorrow was "Mr. Shever's" birthday. This was the best part. A couple little boys got up to give him a hug- then the WHOLE class gave him a huge bear hug. It was darling. Then we sang him Happy Birthday and ate pudding cups with whipped cream and Mickey Mouse sprinkles. Yummy!

After choice time, I sent them off to Art and then after Art, sent them home. At that point, I figured the day had finished well...

At about 2:45, the head secretary called over the intercom "Mrs. Gentle to the front office, please. Mrs. Gentle to the front office." Oh, dear. This can not be good. I walk down to the office, speak with the secretary and she asks if one of my boys got on the bus- because his mom was here to say that he didn't get off... This little boy is one that I am very concerned about- I think he might have mental issues.

I specifically remember him getting on a bus- whether it was the right one... Then I remember that a bus that is normally at the end of the line was at the front. The boy got in the very last one- I bet he was supposed to be on the very first one! I tell the secretary all this and she starts calling the transportation department. Meanwhile, the mother is not angry- but she is sitting in the corner crying...

The transportation department will not pick up the phone, and by now, the buses should be returning to pick up the older kids. So, I walk out to the buses to see if I can find him. As I approach, I see him get off of the wrong bus and hop on the right one. Oh good, he is found.

I spoke with him about knowing the bus number, not the bus order. He was returned safely, the mom stopped crying and all was well.

Right now, mom is busy making Mexican rice for dinner- Dad is anxiously awaiting his birthday enchiladas and I am, well, blogging. Tonight should be fun with the party and, it turns out, my two cousins will be spending the night- under the condition that they help me with school work : )

Have a great weekend and we will as well!