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Wednesday, September 21, 2011

A Good Day

After a lot of reflection, planning and aborting previously taught lessons, I finally had a good day at school.  I had to rearrange the room.  I had to change the tone I typically use while teaching.  I had to change how I let kids use the bathroom.  I had to alter just about everything.  I am now at least 100% more strict than I was last year.  Today the music teacher said I might as well get them uniforms, but she liked the progress.  However, I actually taught something today and I'm fairly certain a few learned something.

That's a good feeling.

It's amazing how energizing it is to feel like you did a good job.  I haven't felt it since June, so I may have forgotten.

When the kids and I arrived home I was in such a good mood I made them a quick snack and then we made Pumpkin Spice Playdough.  They measured, poured, made a mess and felt great.  They watched me cook it and mix the food coloring.  Then they kneeded it as it cooled on a 'lightly floured surface." 
Christian got the idea of putting the playdough on the kitchen floor and playing with it with his feet.

"Great idea!" is all I said.

They used words like divided, half, share, sculpture, mixture, & ingredients while playing.  I quietly made breakfast for dinner and watched and listened to them play so nicely while enjoying the pumpkin smell with the cool breeze greeting us in the kitchen. 

A Good Day feels so good.

A Friend in the Window Well

Yesterday my hands were overflowingly full when I was trying to get in the door after school when I happened to catch a glimpse of a fat black garter.  I yelled to the kids to, "Come quick! Come quick!  Drop it! Just drop it!"  Neither dropped anything they were carrying and barely hurried.  Apparently I get excited often and easily and they don't.  Also, apparently, my neighbor likes when I get excited and turned out he did drop everything and stood at his door watching this entire scene unfold.

We got up close to this little snake who was peacefully coiled up in the window well.  Victoria immediately wanted to touch it.  I told her to go ahead.  She triend and it lept up.  She wanted reassurance it wasn't going to bite her.  "No it won't I told her," farely sure this was a fact.  Christian and I stood back thinking, is this girl crazy?  She was so quick I actually didn't see her grab it, she had it in her hand and flung it to the driveway.  Christian and I hopped out of the way (we both yelled a bit).  Somehow, someway that snake got UNDER Christian's foot.  Thank God he insists on wearing his rubber fireman boots often.  I start screaming, "You're standing on it!!  Christian you're standing on it!!"  He's was so flustered he was frozen in fear.  I pick him up as if his life was in immediate danger and wrapped my arms around him like I saved the day.

Then I hear the neighbor laughing hysterically.  Hysterically! 

I can now see the humor in it.  At that moment I was trying to figure out what the hell we were going to do with this half injured snake on the driveway which is now, no longer a Happy Snake. 

That little sucker slithered right back to the window well and stayed there until Mark got home. 

It was quite exciting, exhausting, funny and memorable.

I hugged Victoria (after she washed her hands) and told her, "Man, you have some guts!" 

"Really?  What does that mean?" 

"You're a brave, brave little girl."

"Yeah, I know," is all she said.

My FB Stalker

Did a mother of a student actually start a meeting, that her husband requested with,
"I stalked you on Facebook last night.  You have really cute kids." ?!?!?

Are you serious lady?

Seriously?  Even if you did, that's your opening line?  I was so stunned I actually thanked her.

Too bad I didn't know FB isn't automatically set on friends only setting.  I just figured it was.  I was wrong.  But it has been reset.

Good luck now stalker. 

Tuesday, September 20, 2011

Back in the Groove

Finally getting back in the groove of this whole Back to School thing. . . knock on wood. . .