Out of the Mouths of Babes

"No, you're not the boss-Mrs. Teacher is!"

"Stop pretending to eat my trees-it's not funny."

"I never knew popcorn could smell so good for so long."

"I'm going to remember my homework tomorrow. I promise. Okay. . . maybe. But I might remember it!"

"2, 4, 6, 8, 10, 12, 14, 16, I forget, 20, 22."

"HE'S Tooooooouuuuuuucccccccchhhhhhhhhing me!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"

"How old are you? You seem around 36 to me." (I'm 24!)

"I like it when you call me Big Daaaaaddddy."

"What do you do when we leave at 3:10? You eat lots of snacks, don't you?"

Yes kids, I am the 36 year-old boss teacher that eats lots of food when you go home.

Rosa

We lost a great human being today-Rosa Parks.
So sad yet so greatful for all she did.

Numbers

27: Students on my class list

23: Kids at school today

1: Child went home today with a very high fever

43,975: The # of times I heard my name called today

1: Kid on In-School-Suspension tomorrow

0: The # of kids I EVER remember having ISS when I was in Elementary school

1.5: Hours my grade-level partner and I spent trying to figure out our reading class fiasco today after school and accomplished very little

2: Kids that grossed me out with loose teeth

3: Little girls told me "bad words" were written on the bathroom stalls

23: Smiles I got when I told my class their pen pal letters had arrived from Alaska!

2: The # of (side) hugs I got today from total sweathearts

Yeah Monday!

Sunday

The good news:
We had breakfast with some friends we hadn't seen in two months and bought a new dining room table, two benches, and two chairs!

The bad news:
I woke up with a headache and sore throat. And I still feel crappy at 8 tonight. Ba-humbug!

She's got game

We read an African folktale this week in reading class called How Dog Outwitted Leopard.

We're reading along and I get to the line, "Dog grew fat on the game brought in by his partner."

Mrs. Teacher: Now, in this case, the word 'game' doesn't mean a game like Monopoly. It's a multiple meaning word. Does anyone know what it means in this case-'Dog grew fat on the game brought in by his partner'?

Student-raising his hand excitedly: I know! I know! It means Dog got fat on. . . on. . . Baseball!

This week

Did you. . .

Walk past the boy's bathroom and see a sixth-grader cutting his hair with kid scissors?

Have the strangest parent meeting that didn't really exist because the parent wanted to reschedule as soon as they showed up?

Say, "STOP clicking!" seven thousand, three hundred, ninety-two times?

Have to threaten that the Friday Sparkle Drawing would be taken away if people weren't following directions?

Wonder how you're going to do 28 conferences the week of Thanksgiving?

Prance around a room like a leopard?

Almost cry because you felt like you were finally getting through to a tough kid?

I did.

Not again. . .

Last February the elementary school I work at experienced a terrible tragedy. One of our students' father and mother were killed in an apparent murder-suicide. We had grief counselors come in and there were a lot of tears.
This weekend I briefly heard about a plane crash on the local news but didn't really pay attention until I heard two teenagers had died and went to a school in my district. Unfortunately, it just got worse. When I went to work this morning I was hit with the news that one of the girls killed in the plane crash had a sister at our school, in the other third grade class. It was a sad day even though I didn't personally know either of the girls. I told my class about the plane crash this afternoon and it was one of those times "it" hit me-how significant my job really is. Not only do I teach my students how to write, read, and do math, but I also teach them how to treat other human beings, accept people's differences, and deal with tragedy. Wow.

The weekend started early for us with no school on Friday but what did we do? We both went into our respective classrooms and worked. Only for a few hours though. I left feeling like I had accomplished something for once, which I haven't been feeling lately. The kids are going to flip when they come into school tomorrow to see Mrs. Meany-Teacher-Head has moved all their desks away from each other so they won't talk while I am teaching.
The weekend continued with dinner out (who puts bacon in Creamy Potato soup?) during which we listened to (they were yelling, we weren't really being nosy) to a couple and the man's mother out to dinner discussing the most random topics and then it was off to Wallace and Grommit, a very cute movie.
I finished filling out all my kids' progress reports yesterday and we went for a walk with the Mother-in-law who was visiting for the day. Last night it was dear friend Amber's 24th birthday celebration in Seattle. We went to the Jet City Improv show in the U district and it was crazy funny. The most amazing part? It was completely (okay, they said bitch-but they were talking about a dog) clean, clean enough that the 7/8/9 year olds behind us could watch without their mothers blushing. We had a great time. The actors were amazing, coming up with the most hilarious lines and songs.
Today has included reading the Sunday paper, making and eating coffee cake muffins, watching last week's Grey's Anatomy, and enjoying the fire the Husband made. Good times. Now it's more grading papers and planning for next week. Only 38 days until Thanksgiving Break and 61 until Winter Break. Yah-hoo!

She did it again

Damn that Oprah-she can make a woman cry! I'm watching her show about capturing child molesters. She's giving $100,000 to two woman that helped catch a child molester that she had posted a picture of on her website. So awesome!

Did the other one say banana?

I walked to my dismissal position this afternoon (after THE BEST DAY EVER IN ROOM 9!!) and the first thing I saw? Two little boys throwing punches. Luckily they were little enough that I could actually rip them apart and hold them separate from each other. When I got them calmed down I asked one of the boys why he was punching the other. He said, "He called me a NAME!" I asked him what name and he started bawling and responded, "He called me. . . Waaaaaa.......waaaaa!" I asked him to repeat himself and once again, he said, "He call me. . . Waaaaaaaaa!" He couldn't stop crying so I told him to calm down and tell me in a big boy voice. Finally, the third time I asked what the other boy called him, he responded, tears streaming down his cheeks, holding his head in his hands, "He. . . . called. . . .me. . . . .WATERMELON!"

Roadkill

In the car on the way to work last week when we saw a dead raccoon on the side of the road. . .

Me: Oh-look at that poor raccoon! That's so sad!

The Husband: Honey, it's okay. Think of it as helping keep the raccoon population down.

Me: But I don't want the raccoon population to go down. I think they're cute. Kind of.

The Husband: You wouldn't think they were cute if none every died and they kept mating and overpopulated the world and you had to swim through raccoons everytime you went outside and they clawed at your eyes.

Me: Gross.

What a Friday

So two students were talking incessantly today when I was trying to teach. Here's how it went.

Me: "You need to stop talking right now" (while I'm giving my most stern look ever).

Students stop talking.

A few minutes later, they continue to talk.

Me: "Please tell me what is so important that you couldn't wait until I was done teaching."

Third grade girl: "Well we were talking about hair."

Third grade boy: "No, YOU were talking about hair. I was ignoring you."

Me: "What about hair?"

Third grade girl: "Hair on your face."

Me: "What about it?"

Third grade girl: "I think I"m getting a moustache."

Overheard in Room 9

"Stop throwing your dimes."

"Crawling on the floor is not a responsible choice."

"Freeze and give me five!"

" Tell me the truth. Did you breakdance in music class?"

"Take that out of your mouth."

"Please stop clicking."

"Four on the floor." (chair legs)

"Easy peasy as pie!"

"Go wash your hands. I don't want Hot Cheeto fingerprints on your math paper."

"Voice level one please."

"You've lost three marbles."


The good news of the day? Since the third grade classrooms are over the limit for students, we each get a classroom aide. Granted, it's only one hour a day, but hey-that's better than nothing! I'm so excited to have another adult to help corral the crazy kiddos.

I'm happy

because. . .

1) I just got an email from one of my best friends in the whole world who I haven't heard from in months! She's pregnant with her second daughter and I haven't even met the first one. I'm sad we haven't seen each other in two years (she's in Utah) but I'm thinking maybe I can convince the Husband we should go visit in the Spring. . . .

2) The Husband is making dinner so I don't have to!

3) We took Rex for a walk this morning before the rain came.

4) I still have a whole day left in my weekend!

5) My Friday was so good that I stayed after school to get work done. Usually I run out as fast as I can!

6) My adorable pregnant sister-in-law posted a 21-week belly picture on our family's blog. So cute!

7) My other brother-in-law and sister-in-law who have been in Germany for two months are moving back home and we're picking them up at the airport on Wednesday.

8) I have the most adorable cat, dog, and husband in the world!

9) I got to sleep in untill 9:30 this morning.

10) My hair is long enough to put into a (messy) ponytail. Hey-it's the small things people!!