Veteran’s Day

Tomorrow is Veteran’s Day. Our media teacher e-mailed us some video clips that we could show to our kids today if we had time. I figured, hey why not educate the kids with some good ol’ fashioned history. We watched the video during snack.

Afterwards since of course the video was kind of over their heads we had a discussion. I explained that Veteran’s day was about thanking and honoring people who have served in the military. I told the kids that we should tell these people and their families thank you for helping to protect (which was a vocabulary word the other week) our country.

Then of course I had some kids share some stories about people they knew in the military. Here was one dialogue:

Child: Miss R my Grandpa served in the army. He was in such and such war.

Miss R: That’s great! You should write or call your Grandpa and tell him thank you for protecting our country!

Child: But he’s dead!!!!!

Miss R: Well then.

(I wasn’t really sure what to say after that so I changed the subject and then ended snack.)

Is it sad that later I had a good laugh about the whole thing? I cannot believe what I said but what was even funnier was that the child totally stretched out the word “dead” with major exaggeration. 🙂

of classrooms and corn mazes

Halloween. Oh what a day Halloween is. On Friday the kids were crazy. Crazy I tell you. They were so excited for the weekend and trick or treating. And of course we had two birthdays last Friday which meant a “party” at the very end of the day. They inhaled those sugary cupcakes. I looked over and saw one child literally sucking the frosting of his cupcake. Talk about a sugar high.

I went with my friend Amanda to eat Sushi on Friday night. It was delicious. It had been a whole month since I had eaten sushi. Well actually a friend pointed out that I have had sushi on pay day the past 2 times. Weird? Yes but not really – it’s more of a finding the time to get good sushi. We ate at a fun place downtown and then got strawberry mousse from Harris Teeter and watched some TV. It was semi-lame but it was also very relaxing.

On Saturday I went with a group of friends to a Corn Maze. It was really fun. Half of the group went on the scary Haunted Trail. They tried to talk Katie and I into doing it but we are jumpy girls. Meaning that in high school when a basketball hit the wall 5 feet from where I was I would scream and jump. I don’t do well with things jumping out at me. So Katie and I did the Corn Maze and it was a blast. It was over 6 acres big and man did we get lost. We had to find different letters/stations hidden throughout the maze and punch a hole for each. We made it out in 58 minutes. We were sweating so much it was not ladylike. But then Katie and I are not always the most ladylike ladies.

And now Daylight Savings has begun. Or has it ended? I always get the whole system confused. Oh well. I am really liking the light in the mornings and can actually see when I walk out to my car and when I get to school instead of being greeted by pitch black darkness.

But at night I am starting to get tired a lot earlier. It’s pretty funny. Last night I had my light out and was asleep by 9:00. And then I woke up at 5:oo this morning. But thankfully I rolled back over, cuddled up and slept for a bit longer. Mornings have never been my favorite. I do not like getting out of bed. I cannot seem to make myself get up at a reasonable time most days.

I have 3 1/2 weeks till Thanksgiving and my super long and awesome track out. I’m so excited! Though I am dreading having to do report cards soon. 😦 Thankfully everyone is really helping me figure things out (did I mention how awesome my coworkers are?!) so I think I’ll make it. Every time I start to get really stressed about it I think about how happy I will be when I am tracked out and sleeping in and traveling and doing crafts and enjoying the holidays.

This afternoon my assistant and I rearranged the room somewhat. There were certain “areas” of the room that were driving me crazy. So we moved some things around and it made me feel better. Now their tables aren’t so close together so hopefully that will cut down on some chatter and crowding.

Oh and let’s see I should end with a quote. There are LOTS of great quotes in 2nd grade.

And of course as soon as I typed that I drew a blank. That’s what happens when your brain has been going all day. 🙂

the miss r game

This is where I am pretending to be, relaxing on a tropical beach. bliss 🙂

I know. It’s been a while. Sorry. I think of some great things every now and then but I have a hard time following through.

I have now been an official 2nd grade teacher for 25 days. That’s 3 weeks and 4 days in school time. I cannot believe how quickly it has all flown by!

I am really loving my job. Seriously. I could not be in a better place this year. I work at an amazing school with some really supportive and helpful coworkers. They listen to me when I need to whine, answer my endless questions (they really are endless) and take the time to encourage me. It’s such a positive environment and I really am feeling like I fit and belong.

My kids are the best. They are crazy but they’re the best. They would talk all day long if I let them. Sometimes I think I let them talk too much. I’m really too nice. I’ve realized that classroom management is one of those things that you can read all about and talk about how wonderful your classroom is going to be but until you get in there and grab the bull by the horns it’s all just talk. You have to be mean sometimes and it’s not fun. Especially when the kids are cute and you see those little tears begin to well up in their eyes. Oh those little tears. Those tears will be my downfall if I’m not careful.

Even so, I try my best to be kind and show the kids that I’m a normal human being too. I talk about Appalachian all the time and how they should all grow up and go to college there. I’ll make them into Mountaineers if it’s the last thing I do.

I hand out band-aids, give hugs, break up arguments and help repair friendships. I encourage, motivate, and try to give them some hope on the gloomy days. I tell them stories in social studies and once I even fell on the floor to help exaggerate a talk about not asking what to do when you are done. I give funny faces and am working very hard on developing my teacher evil eye. I’ve been told it’s very effective if mastered properly. I laugh at many things, sometimes only in my head in an effort to not embarass and the kids laugh at me often. When the morning announcements are over and they play a song I often sing along at the top of my lungs.

These are the kinds of things you can do as a 2nd grade teacher. You get to be a little crazy. In fact you pretty much have to be crazy or else you wouldn’t make it.

And most days I go home and feel that I have done something positive, that even though I’m sure there were flawed lessons and many mistakes made, that hopefully something good happened.

I constantly remind students that it is not the Miss R game and that they do not get points for saying my name. I say cheesy things like “if I had a dime for every time a student asked me to go to the bathroom I would be a rich person”. I write notes on stickies in the shape of an elephant. I receive hand drawn pictures of elephants and flowers and shark teeth from the playground. I can spot trash and pencils on the floor from across the room and its rumored that I have ears and eyes like an owl.

Today is a good day to write all of this and be reminded of how blessed I am. I took the day off due to an unfortunate double ear infection. This was not planned and I am not happy about it but I’m trying to muster up some positivity. Also I’m very sad because I was supposed to be going up to Boone with a bunch of good friends for a little reunion and for the football game. Oh I was looking forward to it for a long time. I want to see an ASU football game live in the new stadium so badly.

But this infection and fever is gonna keep me here at home. It’s a bummer. I’m thinking I might allow myself a slight amount of retail therapy to make up for the missed fun. And I’m thinking ahead to my track out which is only 5 weeks away and planning some fun trips for then! It should be a blast! That’s all for now.

news

So it’s been a while and I realize that I have not posted my exciting news yet. Here we go:

I got a job. I am now a Second Grade Teacher!!

Isn’t that exciting!!!

I have no way to explain it except to say that GOD IS SO GOOD!! There is no way that I deserve this job. Every day I am completely blown away that I got it. God’s goodness and graciousness are the theme of my life lately.

Oh and my school is literally less than 10 minutes from my house. And everyone has been SO incredibly nice to me. I love it!

So I’m busy getting ready. The nice thing is that it’s a year round school and my kids are currently tracked out (on vacation). So I have two more weeks of preparation before I the kids come back. Thank goodness for time to get ready!!!

Ok, that’s all for now!

i don’t want the american dream

Today has been a day of pondering and thoughts for me and I have spent the past hour or so just writing out some of those thoughts. Here are some tidbits:

Lately I have decided that the american dream is a bunch of crap. Really it is. Actually, it’s not really a recent discovery it’s just been etched into my mind in more ways since I am unemployed. It seems that all people ask me is if I have a job or any interviews and though I know they mean well I would love if they would ask me something else.

Here’s the thing, even in Christian circles, there is this pattern that a lot of people follow. Go to college. Love Jesus in college, get involved in a church and campus ministry, travel overseas to crazy places during your summers and then graduate and get a nice paying job.

Now don’t get me wrong there is absolutely NOTHING wrong with doing these things. I have plenty of friends that have followed this path and are following the Lord with all of their hearts as they pursue the Gospel. But what if this path wasn’t meant for us all? I think that it’s not about WHAT you do with your life but if you follow where God leads. I feel as if I need to take a pause after saying that because it is SO much easier said than done.

Here’s where my heart is: I would love to get a teaching job this year and delve into the world of classroom life. But I only want to do that if God calls me to it. Some of you know this, but a couple weeks ago I was offered a teaching job. Yeah it sounds crazy to write that. I was truly and really offered a job to teach munchkins all day at a brand new elementary school. But I turned it down. Don’t jump on me yet. See ever since I left that interview I prayed about it and what to do if I was offered a job. I just had this feeling it might happen (by the way feelings usually = God telling me to listen up).

The school was far away and I would have had to move and spend a lot of money to do so. I also would have had to leave behind a great “cloud of witnesses” that surround me where I am. So I prayed and I talked a lot to my parents about it and I never had a peace about it. Never.

I knew that even though it might have been a great opportunity that I had to turn it down. Do you know how many people have given me crazy looks when I told them that? Especially in this economy, people think it’s crazy to turn down a job. But to me life is more than a job. It’s about doing what God says is best for me. It’s about family and love and fellowship and ministry. The world screamed at me to take that job but God softly whispered and told me not to.

I could have had a classroom of my own and used my little flower pot set of pens that say “Ms. R’s Class”. I could have taught in teaching bliss every day with a Smartboard, projector, and document camera all in my own classroom. But I won’t. At least not at that school. But you know what? I still have hope, hope that God will provide in some way, even if it’s something I am not expecting.

One thing I know to be true: I desire to seek after the Gospel in this time of waiting and hope, not the american dream. The american dream will only leave me hopeless and empty. The Gospel, the great Gospel that I have been called to, will never disappoint.

the almost Graduate Journals

In. Two. Days. I. Will. Graduate.

From. College.

How good it feels to say that! I still don’t really believe it. I mean yes I know that later today I know I will get into my car and drive back up to school to begin the festivities with my friends, but seriously, me graduating from college? Get outta town! Ok, well then I’ll get out of town.

So I am graduating from college. On Saturday I will be the proud owner of a Bachelors of Science in Elementary Education. A degree- I will have a degree!!! I think I forgot about the whole degree thing many times during college. I mean college was always part of my plan and my parent’s plan for my life so going to college wasn’t an odd or weird thing. It’s what was supposed to happen. But I think I forgot about the whole, when you graduate you get a degree thing. Until now. Bring on the degree baby!

My student teaching wrapped up wonderfully. Yesterday was my last day. They had a “suprise” party for me in the afternoon. I say “surpise” in quotes because do you know how hard it is for 7 and 8 year olds to keep a secret? Yeah, it’s not the easiest thing. They spilled the beans. Multiple times. Each time I just pretended not to hear.

So my cooperating teacher announced in the afternoon that we were going to have a little celebration for me. She had each of the kids come up and give me the cards they were supposed to make at home or a hug. I love hugs.

They wrote the cutest little things in their cards. Here is a sampling:

“I hope you have fun at your new job. You was a nice teacher. Love you.”

“Thanks for being the best teacher. I will miss you. I will miss you. I will miss you.”

“Dear Ms. R. I do not want you to leave. I will miss you so much.”

“Dear Ms. R. Thank you being the best assistant (they got student teaching/assistant confused all the time) teacher ever. p.s. I hope you have a class when you leave.”

“You are funny, nice, proactive (big word for a second grader!) and you always had lots of patience (so not true!). Congratulations for graduating college. We will all miss you a lot! (a lot was underlined three times)

“Dear Ms. R. Thank you for teaching us. I liked when you teached us frackshens (fractions, and my teacher’s heart skipped a beat – I actually taught them something! woo hoo!!!) I will really miss you. I hope you come to my school next year.”

“Ms. R Please don’t leave. If you leave, I’ll miss you.”

Got any tears yet? Those kids are the SWEETEST children ever. I love them.

They also gave me some books for my classroom and some classroom supplies. I love these things as they are so practical and useful. And when I use them in my own classroom hopefully someday soon I will be able to remember the awesome kids that gave them to me.

So all in all I was sad to leave yesterday. But still excited. And feeling a sense of accomplishment.

I know that at this point, all of you dear readers are going to ask the question.

“What is next for you?” “Do you have a job yet?”

1. I don’t know.

2. I have no job.

Phew. Okay, that’s off my chest.

No seriously I really have no clue what I am doing. I want to be a teacher. I want my own classroom and to teach little boogers all day.

But, in case you haven’t heard, the economy is REALLY bad right now. Bad to the point that teachers were I live are receiving a pay cut and teachers on terminating contracts (including some of my first year teacher friends) are not guaranteed jobs for next year.

So I’m looking. I’m e-mailing my resume whenever I see an opening. And I’m waiting. Just about most of the places I am interested in are on a hiring freeze so they can’t hire anyone anyways until July at the earliest.

And I’m doing a lot of praying. And a lot of thanking God. Because it could be a lot worse. I have a place to live for free and I have food to eat. I won’t be homeless and I won’t starve.

The only plans I have are that for the summer I will try to get as many babysitting jobs as possible so that I can save up.

That’s my story and I’m sticking to it. 🙂

second grade silliness

At the carpet for math working on a group problem. Child A is burping frequently.

Ms. R: Child A, could you please stop burping.

Child A: Ok, maybe.

Burping continues.

Ms. R: Child A, please use your manners and stop burping.

Child A: I don’t have any manners.

Ms. R: You could have some manners. It would be a good idea.

Child A: Ms. R, I am NOT that kid.

beginning the week

I think Sunday  night is one of my least favorite times of the week. Which is weird because Sundays are my favorite day. I love going to church, spending time with friends and then enjoying some rest in the afternoon. 

But then comes the realization that the weekend is quickly slipping away and that the work week is about to begin. Don’t get me wrong, I love student teaching. I love my students and my teacher and am learning a ton. But I’m still exhausted. And sometimes I just don’t know how I am going to get all of the work done and still go to sleep at a decent hour every night.

Today I was even more unhappy about the weekend ending because I really did not get a lot of “down time” until this afternoon. I worked all day yesterday and then babysat at church for a Valentines Banquet. I got a bad headache yesterday that lingered into today turning my attitude quite sour. Thankfully I got my medicine refilled today and will hopefully be feeling much better soon.

And so this afternoon I was grouchy. I had a bad case of the blahs. I was not ready for the week to come and I was angry that I didn’t get a fun and relaxing weekend. Before I knew it I was in the middle of my own self appointed pity party complete with laziness and a main course of whining.

What a nasty habit selfishness is. The Lord really called me out this afternoon as I realized that the source of my anxiety about the week beginning was an unhealthy two-fold:

1) I was not adequately prepared and ready for the week to begin, partially because there were a couple of things I should have finished last week. The laziness factor also did nothing to help this.

2) My anxieties and blahs were really an indicator of my selfishness. Somewhere along the line I had to determine in my mind that I have a right to a relaxing weekend, a right to lots of sleep, a right to be happy all of the time, and a right to not have a headache. Really and truly I do not have a right to any of these things. My feelings also revealed that my trust in the Lord is not great enough. If He really is Lord, if He really is my Saviour then my hope and heart would be set upon Him and His Kingdom, not how I am going to make it or not make it through the week.

All this to say that the Sunday Grouchiness Syndrome is no syndrome at all but really a big fat sin wrapped up in silvery, shiny paper. I have no right to it and really should avoid it at all costs. Sure, I may be stressed. Sure, the week ahead may be full and packed tight. But the God of all of the universe is in control and has a plan. He doesn’t need me worrying about it at all. 🙂

it’s been a while

This has got to be the longest break I have taken from blogging ever. I really miss writing so frequently! 

Christmas and Christmas break were wonderful and very refreshing. I enjoyed the time off and time spent with friends and family. I really did not want break to end. 

Then last week the madness started up again as I had meetings for student teaching and I took the Praxis II exam. It was a busy weekend and the mountains were super cold!

But now here, I am after my first week of student teaching. I absolutely love it! My second graders are the cutest kids ever! My teacher is also amazing and very kind and we laugh all day long at their crazy antics. Unfortunately the little boogers may have given me a cold as I have a bad sore throat and stuffiness and all that jazz. My older brother has also been home this weekend and he has it too so the source of my cold is unknown. Most likely I got hit with it twice as hard. Haha. 

Even so, I’m taking some time today to just relax and chill. If you’ve read any of my blogs before you know that I hate being sick (ahem mono) and am pretty grouchy about it. I am such a people person and don’t like being by myself. Especially during what was supposed to be my long, fun weekend. Oh well. While I am missing church incredibly right now I am realizing that it’s ok and that I can still have some special time with God. Who knows, maybe I’ll even get some more blogs written!

So be patient with me, dear blog reader, I’m not giving up on this thing. Hopefully soon the writing will be back to a more normal and steady pace.

teacher immunity

Forget the “#1 Teacher” Mugs. Forget the chocolate or homemade baked goods. Forget the candles and cheesy christmas ornaments. As of today this is my first year teacher wish list:

1. Lysol Wipes. Lots of em.

2. DayQuil/NyQuil/YourchildrenaredrivingmecrazyQuil

3. Tylenol/Ibuprofen

4. Cough drops.

5. Hand Sanitizer. Attached to your child’s wrist so that they can disenfect at any time.

6. tissues. tissues. tissues. and tissues with lotion.

7. homemade chicken noodle soup.

8. apple cider and hot chocolate

9. headache ice packs

10. airborne, vitamin C, zinc, echinacea tea

edit: I need to add some things:

11. dove dark chocolate 

12. cepacol – this stuff numbs and is so awesome for like 30 minutes.

no, I’m not sick because of kids right now. why would you EVER think that?