My Classroom in August

Nothing!!!

At last

we know that

it is

NOTHING!

More tonight...with pictures!

Pictures coming soon. Left my camera at school for the weekend and was too busy to drive the 4 miles to go pick it up. :)

Tired of waiting

I am starting to get full on annoyed at the Doctor. The MRI was Friday. We were told that the radiologist would read the films the same day and we would be notified if there was something important. Monday came, no word. So, I called. The office had not even requested the records from the hospital. Waited all day yesterday to hear from them. Still no word. So, today I call again. Doctor has the results but has not "reviewed" them yet. Meaning, the nurse can't tell me anything, though she assures me that she will remind him and that someone will call soon and let me know. That was 3+ hours ago. Seriously! How long does it take to read someone else report??? If I don't have an answer tomorrow I am going to TMC to get the records myself.

The Licked Surface

I picked up a Tucson Weekly last week while noshing on my favorite Baggin's sandwich - The Navajo Chicken ( well, now to be PC they call it the Hopi Chicken, but to me it will always be a Navajo Chicken...but that is beside the point.) So, according to the paper here is my horoscope...

"In the 18th century, the French Academy laid down rules about the differences between professional and amateur paintings. For example, it was decreed that true artists must create a 'licked surface,' hiding all evidence of their brushstrokes. The illusion was more convincing that way; viewers could sink their attention fully into the image without being distracted by thoughts about the artist's process. When the Impressionists barged into the scene in the 1870s, one of their rebellions against convention was to reject the licked surface. By making some of their brushstrokes visible, they declared they weren't interested in upholding the artifice. They wanted their audience to get involved in their subjective interpretation of the scene that was portrayed. In the coming week, Aires, I encourage you to be like the Impressionists. Forget about trying to present a licked surface. Reveal the inner workings that are whirling and humming behind your eyes."

So...I am trying really hard to channel this advice as I prepare for Open House tomorrow. And since you know me, you know how very hard it is for me to forget about the "licked surface" and allow my parents to see that not every inch of my classroom is clean and organized. Likewise, tomorrow night---while I am at said Open House--- the home teachers will be here. So I am trying to be tidy without being perfect. Well...I am trying. I will let you know how it works out. 

(Just for the record...I really do know how to correctly cite my stolen quote thanks to many years of my life being spent studying at or working for UoP...but to do so would be giving you the "licked surface" that I just promised to try and avoid. LOL)

Dear Miss Becky

Little did I know that last year at Open House when you gave me a gift of Scentsy, I would FALL in LOVE. I didn't at first. It sat on my desk. I wasn't quite sure what to do with it. But when we moved into our new house, I found a home for your sweet gift. I was hooked. Seriously hooked. Because now I have three large warmers and two small ones and one more on the way soon! And now...now I know the pure magic of Scensty. So today, you are at the top of my list of blessings because you alone introduced me to the power of Scentsy. The power to save my nose and home from the ultimate nasty smell of a house where last night's chicken skin and fat were left in the trash while the a/c was off all day. So...thank you Miss Becky and Mulberry Bush. You are both magic!

Nothing...nothing...nothing...

So, tomorrow roughly between 10:00am and 1pm would be a really good time to pray extra hard for nothing. Nothing...nothing...nothing. A mantra that has been in my heart and on my lips again this week. MRI take 2 tomorrow 11am at TMC. Good news is...she will be put to sleep with gas and won't be awake for the IV or the tube being put in her throat or for the noisy MRI machine for that matter. Hoping beyond hope that tomorrow goes so much better than last time and that the results reveal that it is nothing...nothing...nothing. Praying...praying...praying that we have already seen the worst of it.

Kids are too funny

LOL! During snack time two of my kiddos "toasted" their apple juice boxes to "the best teacher in the world!" I am such a lucky girl this year!

And from Monday: "Boys and girls, I want you to draw me a picture of something that you did this weekend. (followed by a whole bunch of ideas)" 10 minutes later, J brings me his journal. "I went to outerspace this weekend. I got in my ship and went, but I was only gone for a minute and that is why you can't ask my mom because she didn't see me." Kids are funny!

In other news...so far so good, no tears from My Princess in Training today! And she wrote her name with a lower case r and a. Progress!

Dear Boomerang

I love your programming. I love that my kids can watch the same shows that I loved- like the Jetson's and the Flintstones. However, I think that we are going to have to breakup with you. The problem is my middle-est is highly susceptible to infomercials and unfortunately you appear to rely heavily on these, filling up every commercial break with some doodad that we really don't need. I don't think I can tell her one more time that I am not going to buy moon sand or a pillow pet. Do not even get me started on the squiggly thingamabob that "follows" you around. So, until she gets over her need to have everything you are advertising we are going to have to go our separate ways. You will be missed, but you infomercials will not.

Yep. That would be my kid...

You know the one...the one hiding under the table crying because she didn't follow directions and decided to cut her book apart. She is also the one that cries every time the teacher asks her to write the lower case r and a in her name. And she is the one that missed all of exploring time because she didn't finish her journal because she spent all her time going to the bathroom and talking to her friends. Yep. That would be my kid. Unfortunately for her I work where she goes to school so I get the daily update. And right now instead of playing in my classroom she is practicing her name and saying "I can do it." She also knows that crawling under the table will never ever happen again. Let's hope this is just a phase and that it goes away quickly for her sake.

To The Gigantic Storm Lighting Up My Windows

Did you really have to come at bedtime? I have three scared kiddos cuddled up together in My Little Reader's Bed. I doubt that sleep will come anytime soon. The real fallout will come in the morning, when you are long gone, but their grumpiness abounds. Next time how about an afternoon monsoon like the ones I grew up with??

10 Things I am Loving

1. Bare Minerals. It really is a magic eraser for your skin. If you haven't tried it, you should. I can't believe I waited so long!


2. Outlast lipstick. My lipstick is always wearing off during the day. With my pale complexion I look completely washed out without lipstick. Enter Outlast. Lipstick that lasts all day. You have got to be kidding me. Surely it won't work. Oh, but it does! I am probably the last girl in the US to jump on this bandwagon, but hey at least I finally figured it out.


3. Panko-crusted chicken with honey-dijon cream sauce and homemade mashed potatoes. Love at first bite!


4. Cox On Demand. Seriously there is no way I can stay up late enough to watch the shows I love and now I don't have to! Yea for Covert Affairs and Psych whenever I want!


5. Take and bake Magpies pizza. YUM!


6. Only having 1 kid in daycare. Thank goodness! With shrinking paychecks this is a huge blessing!


7. Fun free fonts from Kevin and Amanda. Downloaded them straight to my computer and suddenly everything I label around my classroom looks just that much cuter!


8. My classroom. I love how it is set up this year. It took a while to figure out where to put everything, but it is perfect and I love it. Pictures to come soon!


9. My class. Seriously great kids. I am having so much fun!


10. Knowing that tomorrow after church I can climb into my jammies and stay there until the crack of dawn on Monday!

Here's my sign-update

Happy news today! The little girl was placed in one of the other two possible classes. The teacher with just 20 students compared with my 24. Phew!

Picture Day

According to Princess in Training: "Picture day is the best day ever! We should have one everyday then I could always wear pink." Too cute! I can't wait to see the pictures. Pink plaid dress, pink mini-shrug, pink bows for each pigtail, glitter hairspray, and pink cowgirl boots. Unfortunately the boots won't make it in the picture, but she really was quite adorable! I love my pink girl!

10 Reasons I love Love LOVE my class

1. They are the smiliest group of kids I have met in years!


2. An equal number of boys and girls.


3. No E. I do have an H, but he is NOTHING like E. Like not even in the same universe of behavior as E.


4. They can actually walk all the way to the cafeteria in a line without anyone fighting or getting hurt!


5. They know how to use glue sticks!


6. Thanks to awesome previous parents, these parents already like me...well, all but one and I can't even begin to solve her problems. Because really I have no control over the fact that I don't have cubbies or a water fountain or the fact that I do have a special ed student-a very sweet one, but apparently that does not matter to her.


7. They are so funny and make me laugh all day.


8. The playground aides and specialists have not yelled at me once this year for their bad behavior...oh yeah...that's because they don't misbehave. :)


9. They totally get it. Everything I have taught them (you know all the amazing feats of reading, math, and science that you learn in the first 7 days of school) has totally stuck. They will tell me, "remember yesterday when you taught us....that was so cool!"


10. Not a single one of them has intentionally hurt another child and already been suspended...and yes this did happen last year. Twice in the first three weeks of school. Good times.

Here's my sign

Every so often one of my fabulous principals will lovingly remind me that I have a sign plastered across my forehead. You probably can't see it because I even forget that it is there until that day. You know the day....the one where said principal comes in my classroom at the end of the day and begins with..."So, how much do you like me?" And then she drops the bomb. You know...the one where your perfectly wonderful class of students is about to be disrupted by a high need student that is not finding success in one of your colleagues classrooms. And suddenly I am reminded that I wear a sign across my forehead that says, "structured, organized, firm, and unable to say no to a challenge." It happened at the Charter School...and several times in Glendale. It also happened my first year in Sahuarita. And then it happened again today. To be fair today's bomb is not entirely a done deal, though probably it will be since of the three possible teachers I am the only one with a special ed aide that can provide the additional support this student will need. And to be completely honest I ended up really loving most of the kids that came from these situations. I loved Betteva and Dee. It took sometime but Justin and I eventually made it work. I loved Andrew...well, until he attacked me with a pair of scissors. And I would be totally lying if I didn't say it was somewhat gratifying to know that my principal trusts that I can be the teacher this student needs. Her compliments are given sparingly and knowing that she thinks I am fit for the job is a little self-esteem booster and a reminder that I really am good at what I do. Though this year, while I am loving my class part of me wishes that I wasn't so good at this just so we could keep hanging out in our happy little world of kindergarten free of temper tantrums and screaming and crying-me of course being the one that is crying.

Hilarious!

I have a Scentsy warmer in my classroom. Currently I am melting a lovely smell called Candy Apple Red. I have a little boy in my class whose mom also sells Scentsy. So yesterday he was telling me that he loves Scentsy and he was trying to describe the smell that is his favorite. Today he came into class and yelled "Teacher, I love Skinny Dipping" (which happens to be the name of one of the Scentsy smells...which I had to quickly explain to the three parents that were still milling about the room. I could hardly stop laughing. After two days, I have to say I am so glad that I am laughing this year and not crying.

Survey Says...

Well, the good news is that I didn't come home crying today. Nor did I feel an overwhelming urge to quit teaching altogether. Which believe me is a HUGE improvement over last year. It was nice having a balance of boys to girls...not like last year with 17 boys and only 8 girls! I did have a lot of criers this morning, which is unsual. Thankfully most were fine by recess and the two holdouts were okay by the end of the day.

I have a nasty sunburn because the recess aides decided to give the students an 8 station tour of the playground which lasted roughly 45 minutes and I of course had not put sunscreen on. OUCH! I also have 5 lovely blisters on my feet. Double OUCH!

I have some very cute, sweet kids in my class. I have a feeling which ones will be my super star helpers and which three names I will say the most this year. Though, even my trickiest little guy is nothing like my friend, E, from last year. Thank goodness!

The best part of the day was having my sweet friend, Tara, stay to help. Her older son was in my class two years ago and this year I have the privilege and joy of teaching her youngest. Yesterday at Meet and Greet I begged her to stay today, and she jumped at the chance! It was awesome! The perfect pair of extra hands, an encouraging smile, and a marvelous friend wrapped into one! The day went so much easier than I thought! Here's to a great second day tomorrow!

First Day of School

I got the news today...

My favorite pizza place is coming to town!
I am a HAPPY girl!

To the inventor of the school uniform

You and I are not friends. I have known for a while now that the day would come when you would rob My Princess in Training of her trademark pink. School shopping is not fun when you are forced to buy such blah colors. Neither is picking which clothes she will wear for her first day of kindergarten and her sister's first day of second grade. Little girls should be allowed to dress like little girls. And really...don't even begin to try and win me over with your "rationale" that dress codes dissuade gang activity. First of all, I am fairly certain that blue is a trademark gang color. And secondly, SERIOUSLY exactly which gang are you expecting my five year old little girl to get mixed up with in the classroom of a top 5 Arizona teacher of the year? Just to show you who's the boss...Princess in Training will be changing shirts at exactly 2:05 tomorrow and every other day in the foreseeable future, and in the meantime, she will be wearing pink underwear, pink shoes, pink socks, pink bows, and she even has some sneaky pink stitching on her shorts. So there Mr. Inventor of the Dress Code.

In Denial

I should probably be doing something that will be useful when I go to work tomorrow. I should probably be thinking about making name tags or writing some kind of lesson plans to guide me through this first week. Something tells me I should be making a list of the things that I need to accomplish in the first 4 hours tomorrow before the parents and kids arrive for Meet and Greet. At some point I should consider what I am going to wear tomorrow as well as my three kids...you know since we have to be dressed and out the door by 6:45. After all we haven't even been out of bed before 7:30 lately. I should probably do a load or two of laundry, since I am not sure I have any undies for tomorrow. I should also probably go clean up the aftermath of dinner. The nesting side of me thinks that I should go do something about the bomb that exploded in the playroom yesterday or the one that went off in the kids bathroom today, but really they will probably languish in their current state until at least Saturday. There is also that pile of clean laundry that has been hanging out in the living room since Thursday. I should probably fold it and put it away. Is this where I also mention that I have not completely unpacked my bag from the trip to Vegas two weeks ago? I could finish putting my color books together or script my first day. I could also iron the uniforms so they are ready for Tuesday, but then again I can always leave that until tomorrow. I could unearth the top of my dresser or my desk for that matter. But the truth is...being in denial is so much more fun. Because when you are in denial you can forget about all those menial tasks listed above and go paint your toes while watching the Next Food Network Star. Yep. I am going to keep on hanging out here in the land of Denial...well at least for the next hour.