Let's Change The World

Last week, my students did an in-depth study of Martin Luther King, Jr. We were, of course, getting ready for the upcoming holiday on Monday. We also talked at length about President Obama and the plans he had to change the world. We had some lively discussions and my second graders were pretty forward thinking.

With this in mind, I assigned a writing prompt:

If you could do anything to make a positive change in the world, what would it be?

Most of my students took to this writing assignment like ducks take to water...well all except for one little boy. He's super smart and very high in his thinking, but he hates to write. I thought he might get behind this assignment though because he had some really good ideas in the discussion. Alas...no.

Many of the papers that were turned in were single space, neatly written, and complete front with most of the back taken up in words. My little darling...his paper simply had one sentence.

I like the world the way it is.

When I came to his paper my mouth fell open. First, as a teacher I was a little upset that he didn't take the assignment seriously and this was the most he could muster. Secondly, I could only think how sad that truly was...leave the world the way it is? Now, I understand that he's just an eight year old, but come on! I'm working my way through the grading process (I'm not really the best on-time grader...parents hate that about me!) but I keep coming back to his paper. I wouldn't consider myself "globally aware" or even all that interested in the big picture going on around me. I do what I can (though seriously...what is "what I can") and I try to leave a good mark. If asked...nope...I think the world can be made better. Do I know how...well that might be a little gray. My definition of "made better" might be a little bit different from yours. Either way, the world is still in need of constant improvements...just like me.

So it always makes me think when I come across his paper and maybe...just maybe...he should get a little credit for that.

Over Already?

I can't believe that the first week of school is over already. I can't believe that my little holiday weekend is over already! Things have been really busy and fast paced and I've been worn out so I haven't made time to update about my first week of school. So let me do that now...

I love my new school! I can't tell you all the differences between where I am now and where I came from. It really is night and day...or more accurately Heaven and Hell. Everyone gets along on my team and we're working really well together. We have this "Maxine" of the group that keeps me in stitches all day long. It is so nice to work in a relaxed atmosphere rather than a negative one.

My kids are really good too. This week we kept our homerooms all day long and tomorrow will begin the switch process. I'm sort of nervous about that because it is new to me, but I think I'll love just teaching Language Arts and Social Studies.

Getting up at 5am has taken some getting used to, but I'm getting used to it. Case in point...this morning my eyes popped open at 5:17am. Thankfully, I was able to shut them and go right back to sleep. That probably won't work tomorrow morning though!

I hope that everyone had a great holiday weekend!

Such Language

As a teacher, there are just some things that I've grown accustomed to when it comes to parents. And then there are things that just blow me away.

Today, on our way to lunch, one of my little potty mouths turned around and let the person behind her have it...to the tune of you mother $@*&^! I was shocked and frankly a little amazed that an eight year old not only knew that phrase, but knew how to use it properly. Well I suppose properly is up for debate, but you know what I mean.

Anyway, this isn't normal behavior for this child so instead of taking her to the office, I decided to handle this in-classroom so to speak. I made her move a clip and took away her recess time. I also let her know that we'd be calling her mom too. Our afternoon was rather busy so I didn't have time to make the call until close to the end of the day.

I called her mom and explained that something had happened today and the child responded in a very inappropriate way. I also said that her daughter would be telling her what exactly she had said. Said child gets on the phone and says the above statement to her mom. Her mom talked to her for a minute and then she handed the phone back to me. At which point my jaw dropped when her mother said, "You called me just because she said..." Well you know what she said but the mom said the actual phrase to me!

I tell you...I would have been mortified...no...terrified to have repeated that to my mom on the phone. And I can guarantee that my mom would have been so embarrassed to have to speak to the teacher after hearing her child said such a thing. Parents just aren't the same today as mine were when I was growing up.

So, that whole little thing made my Monday a little more interesting.

Going Wild!

Tomorrow is the second grade field trip to the Houston Zoo! The kids are excited and even the teachers are excited. I'm excited because I have nine parents going! Yep...nine parents. That is more than half my parents. Y'all pray (or wish for us!) good weather. This is the second attempt at this field trip (last one "rained" out) so we really want that chance of rain to stay at 20%.

Oh, and I'll update tomorrow...heck who am I trying to fool...whenever I get to it with pictures of our positively wild time and my positively new red hair!

Playing Catch Up

You guys really are the best. I've become this horrible blogger recluse, yet I still check my comments daily hoping that you guys haven't followed my terrible lead. And I'm always surprised! Thank you all for the wonderful comments and emails. Even when I'm being unusually quiet, I appreciate the thoughts and support. I'd promise to return the favor, but with my current blogging habits I might just end up being a terrible liar. So, I'm going to take it one day at a time and make time to visit at least one friend every day. Baby steps and all....

Anyway, the vacation time share...excuse me vacation home purchase...turned out to be a lot of hype. But you never know until you go right? I conned my cousin into going with me (promising her the "free" seat next to me on the plane to Vegas and all) and also so she could remind me to be strong and remember my favorite phrase, "No, thank you!" The guy who showed us around was really nice (and cute...but I wasn't swayed) and even took my "No, thank you!" very well. He just asked a manager to come over and talk to me about financing. I couldn't afford this place with the cute guy and even though I was curious about the "deal" this other guy could make me I still couldn't afford it. For those people that could it seemed like a good deal. Well, once I told him "No, thank you!" he became a little rude. Okay, more than a little rude. I believe his exact words were, "Fine, keep throwing away your money." (See they try to sell you on the idea that the money you'd spend on their vacation getaway is less than you'd spend on a year's worth of vacations.) I replied that I didn't think I was throwing away money at which point he stomped away from the table leaving me completely clueless as to what to do next.

When I finally did make it to the prize hut it wasn't all it was cracked up to be. I "won" a trip to Aruba that I have to pay to get to, pay to eat and drink at, and pay to get around on. Not so great of a deal. Of course there is the Vegas trip...the one that leaves on Tuesday only between 3pm-10pm and lets us stay at the luxurious Days Inn. The best thing I got was a $40 gas card!

I was finally able to sleep again, but I'm not sure how long it is going to last. It is 9:45 and I'm wide awake. Hopefully a little blogging and then a little in bed reading will help me drift off at a reasonable hour. It is probably because I got the most unprofessional e-mail about my contract today and I'm all up in a stir again. As my mom has told me...let it go and don't pick it back up. Leave it alone! Keep sending me sleepy time thoughts okay...

I've applied at two more school districts. Just a little nibble in Spring but I'm still keeping my fingers crossed that somewhere out there someone wants me. And no, Lori...not in Arkansas! It is a waiting game but I've waited before so I'll make it. Patience just isn't my long suit...not by a long shot!

Yes, there is a guy. But that is all I'm willing to share. Right now it is just a friendship (which is how they should all start out right) but I'm open to whatever comes next. We'll see.

There are only 29 days of school left. How does that happen? How can it already be the end of April? Time sure goes fast these days. I've got a great crop of kids this year and it is hard to believe that my time with them is already drawing to a close. They have made great gains this year and I'm so proud of them! And of course they keep me laughing (which I've needed a little bit lately)! The other day we were discussing diagrams and how some diagrams point out the names of parts. This particular diagram was a plane...parts of a plane. We got a little stuck on the word cabin (most thought that was a house) but after some explaining I thought we had it.

Ms. S: "Where does the pilot sit?"
S: "In his seat Ms. Stewart!"

Well, apparently not. But I had to laugh...

Thanks again for hanging in there with me. You bloggers are the best!

Pinch Protection

I keep saying it and once again, I really should write down all the funny things kids say to their teachers and write a book! Some days the best part of the job is what comes out of their little mouths.

As I'm sure you guys are well aware, today was St. Patrick's Day. Like most people, I wore green in an effort to avoid any pinch activity. See...I thought I looked pretty good for the first Monday back after Spring Break.



Anyway, as the kids came into the classroom, I looked them over from head to toe and if I didn't see green they had to endure a little pinch (please don't turn me in for child abuse...I swear it was the gentlest of pinches!) before they could enter. Out of sixteen kids only two needed a pinch. Our morning was running pretty smoothly when one of my boys just about came out of his seat waving his arm.

"Ms. Stewart, can I pinch you?"
"No! You only can pinch if the person is not wearing green."
"Ms. Stewart, you shouldn't have worn green. We all want to pinch you!"

I wasn't sure how to respond to that kind of logic! I reminded him that I didn't want to get pinched so I wore green as pinch protection.

Later in the day, I met up with my Pre-K friends (I think I hear a calling to go back to Pre-K...a whole other blog post...) and one of the little dolls that loves to give me hugs every afternoon ran up to me. She grabbed my name badge and pointed to my name. I should mention that my first and last name is printed on my badge under my picture. She pointed to each letter in my first name as she said the letters out loud. Then she said, "That says Ms." She repeated the same thing with my last name. Then she said, "That says Stewart."

She was so excited that she looked up at me and said, "I can read!". She was just so darn adorable! Kids...gotta love 'em!

All Things Pajamas

Let me begin by thanking all of you for the well wishes. I'm not feeling one hundred percent, but I don't feel like crawling into bed and dying either! I so wish I could call in for a sick day, but most people simply do not understand how horrible it is when you do. Quick (promise) side rant about work: most of the time when you get a sub they move the sub to another spot and your kids get split. That is good on one had because you know your kids will continue to learn with your fellow teachers. On the other hand, your fellow teachers have three to five extra kids in their rooms that they were not expecting. I don't want to put them through that unless I absolutely have to. I don't absolutely have to right now. Anyway, thanks for thinking of me!

Now, onto the reason for such a strange title. I have had two somewhat strange dealings with pajamas in the last few days. As y'all know, I love Christmas time! I managed to get my tree up and decorated on Sunday amid feeling yucky. I have several other things up around the living room, but I still have about two boxes I need to unpack. (I have some pictures and I'll post those soon.) Well, one of my favorite things about my house is that I have two rows of windows in the living room. I put my tree in front of the last window and open the blinds so anyone passing by can see my tree. Yes, I'm vain that way. I quickly discovered that if you have the blinds open that means skimpy pajamas are out. I'll let your imagination work overtime as to how I made that discovery. Let's just say, it's flannel pj bottoms and full coverage tops for the rest of the holiday season.

The more recent run in with pajama talk was when one of my little kids asked me if I slept in pajamas. The thought quickly passed through my mind if he'd been down my street the night before. I assured him that I did sleep in pajamas. I tried to quickly move on to another topic, but he wasn't ready to leave this topic. He then went on to explain that he slept in his underwear so when it came time for Christmas morning he just ran out to open his presents in his undies. Sometimes the things these kids want to share just tickles my funny bone!

Now, I'm off to get into those decent pajamas and settle in for the night.

The Review...Picture Style

The other morning I started out the door to be greeted by this sight. I had a little "friend" trapped inside the screen on my front door. Thankfully I was on the glass side. I'm not sure exactly how he go in there, but he obviously found his way out because he wasn't there when I got home. Thankfully!


Thanks for all the words of luck on the whole paper making project! That whole day was crazy. I have fifteen kids in my class and one teacher was out (without a sub) so we had to split her class. There were five extra kids in my classroom that day too. If you're a teacher you probably know the difference one new child can make so you'll appreciate the fact that I had five extra! Anyway, I called the kids back in small groups and helped them press it through the screen. It was pretty messy, but the kids seemed to love it! And in the end, that is all that matters. They were pretty excited on Friday to actually see it dried and be able to take it home. This was the paper mush (it was soupy, cold, and kind of smelled). I was happy to dump it out Thursday afternoon!


I had my hands full just getting the kids to make their paper and lay it on the towels that I didn't bring out the camera, but this is what my trial run piece of paper looked like. It was a little thick at the bottom (paper after my own heart!) but it is paper nonetheless!


Yesterday, a bunch of friends and I went to the Texas Renaissance Festival. It was fun! It was pretty much like stepping back into another time. I wore jeans and a long sleeve t-shirt, but there were many there dressed in costume. I suppose they wanted to really get into the spirit of the day. Costumes ranged from the royality garb to a thong and much too small bra with chain metal hanging off it. Anyway, there were many shows to enjoy. My favorite was the jousting. Even if it is fake and the winner predetermined it was still fun! We happened to be sitting in England's section and guess what? Sir Thomas won!


Another show we saw was the Washer Women. It was pretty funny too. I loved this sign...made me think of my own laundry. Though I'd never say that laundry was fun clean or otherwise!

Disaster In The Making

It isn't often that you know when disaster will be striking. I mean, who would want to know right?! Well, I know. It's happening tomorrow. Intrigued?

It all started on Monday. See, we're learning about natural resources this week in Science. I'm teaching these kiddos to appreciate and conserve things like soil, water, plants, air....those kind of things. I also happen to be one of those teachers that think Science is best hands on. I think this might be the start of the disaster.

Well, in the teacher's edition, there was this seemly simple six step "recipe" for making paper. It involves newspaper strips, big tub of water, and window screening. Well, I got the newspaper torn into strips Tuesday afternoon (fully expecting that the book was right and the mushing process would only take "a few hours") so we'd be ready to go this morning. Not long after I put the water into the tub I noticed a big water puddle on the table. What the heck? My big tub leaks? See, I'd like to think that an experienced teacher would say, "This is the sign of something not going right. Let's just scrap this idea."

My solution was to stick some rags under the tub and let it set overnight. I really thought it was just dripping from where I'd had it in the sink. Oh who am I kidding?! If I'd really thought that I wouldn't have put rags under it. Dang it I really wanted to make paper! Well, this morning I came in and all those rags were soaked, but more importantly...my paper was NOT mush. Those strips of newspaper were supposed to be disintegrated into paper "mush" pulp. I had wet newspaper strips. Did I mention that I do Science first thing in the morning?

So, I quickly came up with the idea of having a teachable moment and letting the kids know that sometimes things do not go as planned when doing experiments. And, I told them that they could help me speed up the process. I let them all get their hands deep into that wet newspaper and mulch it up. They loved it! The best part is that all that squishing pretty much turned it into gray mush. It appeared that my experiment was back on track.

This afternoon I went ahead and cut the window screening into pieces. The theory is to dip this screening into the mush and then press the water out leaving a thin layer of mush to dry and turn into paper. Learning from yesterday's little opps, I decided to try out this dipping thing. Well, good thing I did. First, this mush stuff is pretty darn soupy. And it's not exactly thin either...more lumpy. There is no way the kids are going to be able to press out all the water. Trying to salvage this, I folded the screen up and wrung it out. This worked...sorta. I'm kidding myself. This is going to be an absolute mess.

Right now, I'm thinking that instead of them each getting to make a sheet of paper we'll do some sort of table group thing. That way we only have to go through this process five times instead of 15 times. Did I mention that I only have 30 minutes to finish this up tomorrow morning? Oh, and when I thought it would be an awesome learning experience I invited the principal to come and see? And one other thing...my evaluation is due any day now.

Yep, disaster. Tomorrow morning. 8:00am. Wish me luck!

Happy Halloween

One of my sweet kids brought me a little jack-o-lantern today for Halloween! Her parents had drawn a face on an orange for me and written Happy Halloween Ms. Stewart on the back. I thanked her for the cute jack-o-lantern and she quickly informed me that it was really just an orange. What a cute idea and it totally made my day! Gotta love sweet "homemade" gifts from kids!

Today was a half day staff development day. The kids went home at noon and the teachers went to a meeting. I know this is going to sound like a rant (and maybe it is just a little bit) but just bear with me. As a teacher, I'm already over-whelmed by all the paperwork that comes with teaching. There are so many things to do and assessments to give. I already feel that sometimes all that assessing gets in the way of actual teaching. Anyway, today more work was dumped in our laps. One teacher looked at me and said, "Is it too late to change careers?" I'm sure she was joking, but seriously...how many straws before the camel breaks?

All that said to just say that those sweet and thoughtful (and almost always simple) gifts from kids really brighten the days. I'd like to say I treasured it. Well, I did...right up until lunch. Tastiest jack-o-lantern I've ever eaten!

Hope everyone's Halloween is full of more treats than tricks!

Burn Baby Burn

This week has been perfect...well as far as the weather is concerned. It's been very Fall-like. The temperatures have hovered right around 60-65. I love it! Winter is my favorite season. I enjoy the bundling up and cold noses. Unfortunately, living in Texas I don't get too many bundling up type days. So, I truly enjoy the days of Fall when the temperatures dip low enough to require using the sheet, blanket, and the comforter. I love pulling out the jackets and long sleeved shirts. I love it all!

One thing I don't love...turning the central heating and air to heat for the first time in the season. Monday was the start of particularly low nightly temperatures. When I got home Monday, I set the thermostat to 65 and waited. Nothing. I figured it would dip low enough to come on before I went to bed. It didn't. This week has been one stressful one at work so I had many other things on my mind than the heat. I crawled into bed early (bundled up in pajama bottoms, t-shirt, and socks) and thankfully fell right to sleep. Imagine my shock to wake up about an hour later to the smoke alarm going off!

I must sleep deep because when I'm startled awake I feel shaky and my stomach hurts. Anyway, I immediately smelled the air (couldn't smell smoke) and reached around in the bedside nightstand drawer for my glasses. I got those on and I couldn't see anything that looked like fire, but I could certainly hear the smoke alarm. In my house I have one above the bedroom door and another one above the spare bedroom door at the opposite end of the house. The one above my door wasn't going off. So, I wondered into the living room. Nothing seemed out of place...nothing even smelled burnt. I hit the lights and grabbed a pillow off the couch. I went to wave it in front of the smoke detector and nearly took out everything on the top shelf of my bookcase. Finally, I was able to wave enough air in front of the dumb thing to get it to shut up.

I peeked in the spare bedroom, but everything seemed to be in place. Then it dawned on me...the air had kicked in. Sure, it is warm air coming up out of the floor, but enough to set off the smoke detector?! I thought about yanking the battery out but decided I'd rather be safe (and jarred right out of bed) than sorry. Thankfully, it didn't go off again. I guess it was just the first-of-the-season stinky air thing.

And speaking of smoke detectors and fire safety, the local fire department came out to do some demonstrations for the kids this week at school. It's Red Ribbon Week (you know...let's all be drug and alcohol free) and this year we're focusing on making good choices. The firemen bring a ladder truck and a fire trailer so the kids can practice exiting a house safely. The kids got a kick out of the whole experience. They especially loved getting to jump out the window to safety!

Well, while the kids enjoyed the fire trailer, the teachers enjoyed the firemen. Most of them were older guys, but there was one guy that was so hot! (That sounds so high school...lol!) Of course that started the joking about "Well, you can light me on fire anytime you want if he's what is coming to put me out!" and "If I'm on fire I stop, drop, and he rolls on top of me!". You know...completely inappropriate stuff for school! Believe me, it was the perfect mood lightening moment. Did I mention we're pretty stressed out at school?

Anyway, I'm enjoying this touch of Fall to the max because it probably won't be around long. If you live where there are four distinct seasons, please enjoy some of the Fall and Winter temperatures and weather for me!

Cranky Baby

Here is a hodge podge of the week so far:

Fall Cleaning Project: Crap still in my living room, but the spare room is vacuumed, furniture arranged, bathroom scrubbed and smells fresh. I'm going to deviate from the plan and move all this crap back into the room but in sections so I can organize in there. I can't stand this crap in my living room!

Funny Kid Quotes: I'm beginning to wonder if these kids are as funny as my group last year. Maybe I just need to listen harder?!

Teacher: (whose back was turned to the board, writing) "Oh, who said evaporation?"
Student: "Uhh, no one Ms. Stewart. I think you're hearing things!"

Teacher: (who has some natural curl and when I'm in a rush I just spritz it with my curl vamp stuff and my hair has this total bed-head quality...the head band normally tames it a little, but it's the whole mess look)
Student: "Ms. Stewart did you forget to comb your hair today?"

Health Stuff: Last week I got some water in my ear during my shower. I tried to shake it out, but with little success. Anyway, now I hear like I have cotton in my ear. It's just been annoying, but not it is starting to hurt. I was one "cranky baby" this afternoon. I've got an appointment with my doctor on Thursday afternoon, but I'm willing to try shoving my key in my ear. Anything to pop that bubble!

My Co-Captain-ness: My friend Niners and I are co-captains for our school's Relay For Life team. Tonight was our first meeting and I have to admit that I'm a little overwhelmed by it all. Our theme this year is Monopoly. Each site will be a place on the board. We're not going for the popular ones (Boardwalk and Park Place) so we're looking for one with creative possibilities. Any ideas?!

Venting Update: After speaking to another teacher and my mom (who is my absolute calming center!) I realized that I might be over-reacting just a little and letting some personal issues cloud my judgement. Oh, the principal is still disorganized and horrible at communicating, but I'll give her that it might be because her plate is as full as mine is. Being swamped with meetings and paperwork is tough on all...the administrator and the teacher.

So, that about sums up the week so far. Normally the days go by fast, but I feel like this commercial I saw:

"I feel like I woke up this morning and thought it was Thursday, but it's only Wednesday."
"Dude, it's Tuesday."

So much to do, and so little time to get it all done in!

They Don't Get Much Better

Today was good on a lot of levels.

It was Friday.
It was payday (and my step raise kicked in...not much but more than I was getting!).
It was mac and cheese day in the cafeteria (you know the really cheesy clog you up for a week cheesy kind).
There were also veggie sticks in the cafeteria.
My lesson plans are in and I'm 93% ready for Monday morning.
I had a very enjoyable dinner out tonight.

And today's goodness is running over into tomorrow.

It will be Saturday.
I will get to sleep late.
The only chore on my plate is laundry (let's face it...it never goes off my plate!).
I'm going shopping (okay so it's only grocery shopping but shopping is shopping!).

So, like I said...the days don't get much better than this!

Lock Down

Our school went into lock down today. That basically means that you need to stay in your classroom and lock your doors. You also need to know where your kids are at all times. The whole lock down happened because a prisoner escaped from a local prison, killed a prison guard, took a hostage, and was considered armed and dangerous. I suppose this situation is bound to happen what with living in a town known for it's prison system. The whole situation was resolved by late this afternoon, but not without the death of at least one person and several people probably traumatized. Thankfully, the kids were blissfully unaware of what was happening outside of the school walls.

The world we live in is a scary one. In college, the professors don't teach you what to do when the angry student confronts you with a gun or what to do with the verbally abusive parent who thinks you can do no right in regards to his child. How to comfort the child that had no food last night and no one to tuck her in isn't a class you'll find in any course catalog. The strength and courage to put yourself on the line for a child that isn't yours is something that you must already have inside when you decide to become a teacher.

Even though I knew we were relatively safe inside our classroom and our day continued without upset, I couldn't help but think about what we'd do if for some reason we weren't completely safe. And I knew that I'd do whatever I could do to protect those sixteen babies in my classroom. One of my boys asked me later in the afternoon why we went into lock down. I told him that sometimes it is important to practice ways that teachers keep students safe. He replied with, "You'd keep me safe?" What else could I say? "Of course I'd do anything I could to keep you safe." Whatever that anything might be, I know that something inside of me would would allow me to do it without a second thought or a moment's hesitation. And that is kind of scary too.

Intestinal Upset

Warning...read the title again and proceed with caution. It's a kind of read at your own risk type thing!

Okay, I don't know what the deal is but this better not be setting the tone for how my year is going to go. We've been in school four days and there have already been three (that's one less than four) bouts of "getting sick" in my classroom. I'll spare you the details, but today's was pretty bad. Two words...both ends.

With a new group of kids it's hard to know right away who your fakers (the ones who mysteriously get a tummy ache during work time but are fine to play at recess) are and who seriously need the trashcan. Unfortunately, today's victim came from first grade with a warning from the teacher that she was a faker. So, I didn't believe her but still gave her the trashcan in an effort to keep her on task. All I can say is thank God!

Anyway, just say a little prayer that the teacher doesn't catch any sort of intestinal upset herself!

Oh, and since we're already in the middle of such a nasty topic let me leave you with a little funny...

Little Girl: "Ms. Stewart can I go to the bathroom? My stomach hurts."

Ms. Stewart: (coming off of the aforementioned incident) "Yes, go right now!"

Ms. Stewart: (upon her return) "Does your stomach feel better?"

Little Girl: "Yes! I just had gas and my mom says that I'm supposed to have gas in the bathroom. Actually, Ms. Stewart I've had gas all morning."

Ms. Stewart: "Well, I'm glad you feel better, but let's not share that with anyone else okay?"

Spam Spread

To begin with, the first days of school have been great...just busy! Monday night I went to bed about 9pm completely wiped out. I have a great class but full of talkers. I guess it really is true what my mom said - I'd be teaching kids who were just like me! And because what is a good teacher post without an "out of the mouths of babes" moment here is something overheard today during our restroom break.

Little Boy: "This is how you hold your bubble." (He was showing this little girl how to close your mouth and not speak in the hallway...doing a great job...lol!)

Little Girl: Looking at him with her face scrunched up.

Little Boy: "Whoosh (all the air from the bubble coming out). Did you see?"

Little Girl: "You're annoying."

I had to hide my grin behind my hand. It was priceless and I can't wait to see what little daily funnies this year brings!

Okay...on to the topic of this grossly titled post. Sunday I made the grocery run. I was out of everything. Don't you just hate when everything seems to empty at the same time? Anyway, I was walking up and down each aisle when something struck me on the canned meat section. Canned meat section...you know this can't be good.

Maybe I should put in a disclaimer like if you've just eaten or if you ever want to eat again stop reading here. Keep reading and then let me know what you think?!

Stuck on the end of a shelf next to the little weenies in the can is a tiny tin of Spam Spread. Picture Spam (hopefully without the jelly that comes out of the can with it) blended up and put back in a tin. Everyone swallowed that bit of bile that just came up? I picked up a tin and then quickly put it back. I didn't want anyone thinking I was actually considering buying it!

Now, let me stop right here in this tale of perversion and say that I don't have what anyone would call a sophisticated pallet. I mean I think $0.33 no name weenies are just fine for my bun. I even like...prepare yourself...Spam. I have some great memories of my mom being gone on business and my dad making us fried Spam and bologna sandwiches. Spam isn't too bad in mac and cheese either. No one is ever inviting me over to dinner huh? Or maybe I should say no one is coming over to my house for dinner huh?

Well, I like Spam but I draw the line at Spam Spread. I can't even fathom what you put Spam Spread on. And frankly, it turns my stomach to think too hard about it. So, when you're on the canned meat aisle, make sure you grab the tuna or the chicken and not Spam Spread!

Okay...I feel like I've officially done my good deed for the day.

The Sorta Virtual Tour

This has been one busy week. I thought I was ready for school to start, but little extra to dos kept popping up. For example, I thought I was only going to be at the school yesterday (yes it was open on a Saturday) for a team meeting. I was there from 10am to 8pm. I was pretty worn out when I got home last night, but I've got a lot to show for my many hours spent up in my classroom this past week!


This is what my classroom looks like when you're standing by the door and taking it all in. I don't know if this comes across in the picture but there is so much space in there...I love it!


I guess you could say this is my pride and joy. Our school theme this year is Positively Wild so we have a jungle motif all over the place. I think this reading corner is so inviting...not to mention all those books!


Along this wall are my center activities. If you can't tell I like things to be organized so everything is in a basket or box! Also, along this wall is our publishing station and our math warm ups.


Here is my desk...messy. So like me! This year I have more little knick knack things to put up around the walls and decorate with. And unfortunately, my desk is always this messy. Even when I'm trying to be neat!


Here is the reading table where I do guided reading with the kids. I'll spend many hours back here at this table. All that blank wall space will be for class writing examples.


And here is the door. I had such a hard time deciding what I wanted to do with it. I'm not sure that the blue background and the orange boarder match the green and brown in the monkey but hey...it's growing on me! And believe it or not, I traced that monkey and cut him out. I wouldn't consider myself artsy but I think he came out really good!

So, there you go. Now you know where I'll be every day! Also, I have more pictures that I took for my family to see so if you want to see the whole tour around the room just drop me an e-mail or leave your address in the comments.

R.E.A.D.Y. Spells Relief

This week has been so productive at school! Last year I was in the precess of moving and setting up my home so sadly my classroom was regulated to the back burner. And it showed...all year long. I had things up on the walls and name tags on desks and stuff but I felt so disorganized. I had basically cleaned out one cabinet (and when I say cleaned I mean I threw it all in another cabinet so I could have a space for my stuff) and just started the year. It was crazy! I didn't know where anything was when I needed it. Is anyone else like that...if you're not organized everything just seems to go to pot?

Well, not this year baby! At the end of July, I went up to the school for several days and I cleaned out those cabinets. I found things I thought I didn't have and discovered several things that would have made teaching so much easier. Currently, it's all organized and labeled (you'll see...I plan to take pictures!). It looks wonderful! I had to show another teacher (one that I drove crazy with my lack of organization last year) and she was so impressed and proud of me! And I'm pretty proud of myself...those cabinets look great!

Another ready thing is that I've got the room in order too. My desk is where I want it (I moved it three times last year!), the student desks are where I want them and bungee corded together so they don't walk (I spent about two hours last year trying to decide where I wanted them to go), and my centers aren't just put together but they are out and ready to be introduced! Everything is coming together so nicely.

I was up there all day yesterday, and by the time I was ready to come home I was feeling very good about the room. I still have a few things that I need to get accomplished next week. I still have to put up the class schedule and tape down the name tags and decorate the door. We're going to have one more work day plus the time in the afternoons after meetings. But I don't feel overwhelmed...I feel ready! It's a complete change from last year.

I know that some of my regular readers might not understand what the big deal is about being ready but I promise you that any teacher can appreciate the fact. And I'll also be posting a few pictures of my room next week too!

I'm On Vaca...

Do you think there is such a thing as too much of a good thing? I'm beginning to wonder if perhaps I've hit my vacation quota! Don't misunderstand, I've thoroughly enjoyed all my trips and adventures this summer, but I'm glad to be home. And I think I'll stay put for awhile!

This trip to the beach was great on so many levels. First, I loved getting to head out to the beach again! I've really enjoyed all the sand and surf time this summer. I guess there is just something refreshing and humbling about being next to something so vast. I even enjoyed the sand between my toes (though not so much all the other places sand tends to get...ick) and just laying out and being a beach babe. Second, it was great to connect with people you work with on a level that isn't just a professional one. In case I didn't mention this before, I went on this trip with six other teachers from school. I'll admit to being a little nervous about how we'd all interact, but it was great. We're teachers so we did talk a little bit about school stuff, but mostly we got to know each other on personal levels. That was amazing! Thirdly, I knew that this was my last hurrah before school started so I wanted to make the most of the days. And I did! I felt like I was able to relax and soak up the last bit of summer.

Before long it'll be time to get back into the groove of all things school, so right now it feels great to justify everything because "I'm on vaca!" (I think this is a line from Legally Blonde where the lead character's ditzy friends want to go on vaca (vay-kay) to Harvard to visit her.) Anyway, all week long we explained away everything with "I'm on vaca!".

For example:

"You slept until 10:00am!"
"So, I'm on vaca!"

"I don't usually go without make-up or doing my hair."
"Oh who cares...you're on vaca!"

"I shouldn't be eating this yummy chocolate cake at 2am in the morning."
"But what the hell! I'm on vaca!"

Every time we turned around someone was saying "I'm on vaca!" in that house! We were and we enjoyed every minute of it too. Like I said, it was great, but I am ready for some normalcy too. Starting next week, it's back to being in my classroom all day (organizing and decorating) and then comes the welcome back in-service things. And I'm okay with that because believe it or not I crave a routine.

But, I know that the memories and relaxed feel of summer are going to stick around for a while! And I'm happy about that!

Something For The Classroom

In between laundry and packing (yep...again), I got a little creative and crafty this afternoon. I made an altered clipboard for the classroom! Well, actually for right outside the door. Currently, each classroom has this plastic thing with pictures from clip art on it to tell where we are exactly when we leave the classroom. And last year, it didn't even have my name on it. I had to put a little post-it note with my name on it because it still had the last teacher's name at the top. Anyway, I thought this was a much better alternative. Plus, it's a whole lot cuter too!