I've been practicing my soccer mom skills this last week while taking my awesome cousins Zane and Ella to and from their soccer camp for a couple of days. We had a great time hanging out on Tuesday and Thursday going to camp, the park, and even a picnic lunch in the swingset play house. It's fun to just hang out with family and this summer has been a great opportunity to do just that.
I also met the head SB coach who is the JH band teacher. She is very nice and seems like she will be easy to work with. We are going to have a lot of help from the HS coaches so that takes some of the pressure off of us. Currently, we have 6 game dates and most of them will be double headers. It's a short season with the first game August 7 and regionals starting September 8th. Since school doesn't start until September 7th this year, it's not even going to interfere much with school. We've officially ordered coach polos, equipment, and uniforms so we're basically all set to go. The only thing left is to decide the team! Tryouts will be July 26. Now I just need to brush up on my own skills. It's been a while. HA!
Sunday, June 27, 2010
Tuesday, June 22, 2010
My New Title
is . . . . wait for it . . . . just wait for it . . . .
Assistant JH Softball Coach!!
Well, not really sure what else to say except that it happened and I think I'm excited about it. I did apply but kind of half heartedly knowing that it would cut my summer a little more than a month short and I don't have any experience in coaching. I thought it would be a good foot in the door to coaching but was hesitant because of the fact that tryouts are as early as July 26. I'm meeting with the head coach this week so find out more about the schedule and what the heck we are doing. It's a new program so it's never been done before in our school. Apparently there are summer clubs that lots of girls are on so we have that going for us in that we won't be starting with girls who were like me when I started. (Nothing since t-ball) It will be a big switch from Kindergartners to Jr Highers but I guess they thought I was up to the challenge. Even if I'm not so sure. Better go dig out the glove. Anybody want to play catch!?!?!?
Assistant JH Softball Coach!!
Well, not really sure what else to say except that it happened and I think I'm excited about it. I did apply but kind of half heartedly knowing that it would cut my summer a little more than a month short and I don't have any experience in coaching. I thought it would be a good foot in the door to coaching but was hesitant because of the fact that tryouts are as early as July 26. I'm meeting with the head coach this week so find out more about the schedule and what the heck we are doing. It's a new program so it's never been done before in our school. Apparently there are summer clubs that lots of girls are on so we have that going for us in that we won't be starting with girls who were like me when I started. (Nothing since t-ball) It will be a big switch from Kindergartners to Jr Highers but I guess they thought I was up to the challenge. Even if I'm not so sure. Better go dig out the glove. Anybody want to play catch!?!?!?
Thursday, June 17, 2010
Summer Update 1
Since I am officially kicked out of room 23, the Room 23 blog will be on a hiatus for most of the summer. I may post about what I'm doing this summer but don't expect anything regular. It's not going to be very exciting for a while. Rest assured, however, my funny stories and mundane musings will be back in September. Yeah!
I'm keeping busy by babysitting, traveling a little, and volunteering. I started volunteering at the Champaign County Humane Society yesterday and had a good time washing dishes and doing laundry. You have to do the grunt work before you can get to the fun stuff like walking dogs and petting cats. I'm not a cat person but they have lots of kitten that are pretty darn cute.
If you have any projects or jobs that need an extra hand, let me know and I'd be up for helping you out. Working hard to avoid boredom so be a friend and help me out!
I'm keeping busy by babysitting, traveling a little, and volunteering. I started volunteering at the Champaign County Humane Society yesterday and had a good time washing dishes and doing laundry. You have to do the grunt work before you can get to the fun stuff like walking dogs and petting cats. I'm not a cat person but they have lots of kitten that are pretty darn cute.
If you have any projects or jobs that need an extra hand, let me know and I'd be up for helping you out. Working hard to avoid boredom so be a friend and help me out!
Thursday, June 10, 2010
Full Circle
Of course the difference between this and the very first pictures is that all this stuff is marked with MY name and MY room number. : )
This is the gym with only the PreK things in it. Whoops. Don't think 15 more classrooms are going to fit. The latest I heard was that they were going to bring in PODS for the furniture. We shall see.
And this used to be Bethany's closet. It is now my classroom. Want to pretend in be in Kindergarten? I've got almost everything I need to teach you!
I've been kidding people that when we get back in the fall it will be the easiest for me to put my room together because only having a week to ready a classroom is all I've ever done. And this time, I'll know what I have to work with, how I want it done, and what to expect. I'm really not kidding at all and this time there will be air conditioning so from my point of view there really isn't anything to complain about. LOVE IT.
This is the gym with only the PreK things in it. Whoops. Don't think 15 more classrooms are going to fit. The latest I heard was that they were going to bring in PODS for the furniture. We shall see.
And this used to be Bethany's closet. It is now my classroom. Want to pretend in be in Kindergarten? I've got almost everything I need to teach you!
I've been kidding people that when we get back in the fall it will be the easiest for me to put my room together because only having a week to ready a classroom is all I've ever done. And this time, I'll know what I have to work with, how I want it done, and what to expect. I'm really not kidding at all and this time there will be air conditioning so from my point of view there really isn't anything to complain about. LOVE IT.
Tuesday, June 8, 2010
Last Few Days
June 1: Almost there! 2.5 days and 1 hour left. I started sending things home and cleaning up around the room. It was the last day of centers and I was scrapping to find things to do that wasn't packed up. We had a lot of extra recess.
June 2: BIG clean up day. We used shaving cream on the desks which had LOTS of perks. (Thanks Aunt Joyce for the tip!)
1. It smelled good.
2. It killed at almost 30 minutes of our day.
3. They thought it was the funnest thing we've done all year.
4. Everything was cleaner than it has been all year.
Then, I tried to set them down in front of a movie. However, my crazy kids begged for extra work because they didn't want to watch the movie. It was A Bug's Life for crying out loud. I can count on one hand the number of movies we've watched all year so I thought it would be a treat. Guess not. I guess my lessons have been so exciting and engaging all year that even a movie is boring in comparison. : )
Suspecting that some wouldn't come on the half day, I tried to send everything home but kept finding things after they left. It was also the last day for PE and music. I don't think the kids really "get it" that it is the end of year.
June 3: 1/2 day and LAST real day of school.
I was recognized at the morning assemble for being at school everyday this year. Of course I had to have a few subs for GC training and testing but I didn't take one personal or sick day. I didn't think it was that big of a deal but everyone was very impressed. They were pretty awestruck that I could really make it 180 days surrounded by kids without being sick. Apparently, I have super charged white blood cells and an immune system of steal. We only had one student who didn't miss a day all year. They took our picture which was probably in the paper the next day. The principal thinks it will make parents request me next year. He also encouraged me to take an occasional "mental health day." I figure next year it will be easier to step away for a day. We'll see. I also expect to get sick sometime in the next week. My life usually works like that. As far as the kids day went, we tried to finish watching the movie, cleaned out everything that was left, and those who didn't have a referral all year got to walk to Dairy Queen for a dilly bar. It is almost a mile there so it took a little over a half an hour to make the walk there. I really didn't have any complainers but some dawdlers who literally kept stopping to smell the flowers. Again, the police stopped traffic for us and it was a perfect day for a walk. Not too hot, not too cold. I told everyone to say goodbye to room 23 and got big hugs on the way out. I wonder about their summers and what it will be like for them. School is often the best and safest place for a lot of these kids. I pray that there is a hand of protection over them and they come back in September with wonderful stories of their summers.
June 7: Report card pickup! I had 8 kids show up to get theirs. No surprises about who came and who didn't. I only have one student being retained and I think an extra year of K will help her be successful for many years to come.
I finished packing up everything and left my room until September. It was a little weird knowing that I won't be able to be back there for almost three months. With the construction, they are disabling our keys and no one knows what we will be coming back to in the fall. I'm planning on it being a mess. Most of the stuff I really need is stored away in Bethany's closet until I move out of my current apartment at the end of July. I'm thinking it will spend the month of August in Grandma and Grandpa's garage so that I only have to move it 2 more times instead of 4. Hopefully, everything else will make it back into my room safe and sound. We have excellent janitors but their summers are not shaping up to be a lot of fun. I did my best make it easy for them with large orange papers on everything I own but chaos is sure to ensue anyway. There will be pictures coming soon of what my room ended up looking like in the end and where all my stuff is currently being stored.
June 2: BIG clean up day. We used shaving cream on the desks which had LOTS of perks. (Thanks Aunt Joyce for the tip!)
1. It smelled good.
2. It killed at almost 30 minutes of our day.
3. They thought it was the funnest thing we've done all year.
4. Everything was cleaner than it has been all year.
Then, I tried to set them down in front of a movie. However, my crazy kids begged for extra work because they didn't want to watch the movie. It was A Bug's Life for crying out loud. I can count on one hand the number of movies we've watched all year so I thought it would be a treat. Guess not. I guess my lessons have been so exciting and engaging all year that even a movie is boring in comparison. : )
Suspecting that some wouldn't come on the half day, I tried to send everything home but kept finding things after they left. It was also the last day for PE and music. I don't think the kids really "get it" that it is the end of year.
June 3: 1/2 day and LAST real day of school.
I was recognized at the morning assemble for being at school everyday this year. Of course I had to have a few subs for GC training and testing but I didn't take one personal or sick day. I didn't think it was that big of a deal but everyone was very impressed. They were pretty awestruck that I could really make it 180 days surrounded by kids without being sick. Apparently, I have super charged white blood cells and an immune system of steal. We only had one student who didn't miss a day all year. They took our picture which was probably in the paper the next day. The principal thinks it will make parents request me next year. He also encouraged me to take an occasional "mental health day." I figure next year it will be easier to step away for a day. We'll see. I also expect to get sick sometime in the next week. My life usually works like that. As far as the kids day went, we tried to finish watching the movie, cleaned out everything that was left, and those who didn't have a referral all year got to walk to Dairy Queen for a dilly bar. It is almost a mile there so it took a little over a half an hour to make the walk there. I really didn't have any complainers but some dawdlers who literally kept stopping to smell the flowers. Again, the police stopped traffic for us and it was a perfect day for a walk. Not too hot, not too cold. I told everyone to say goodbye to room 23 and got big hugs on the way out. I wonder about their summers and what it will be like for them. School is often the best and safest place for a lot of these kids. I pray that there is a hand of protection over them and they come back in September with wonderful stories of their summers.
June 7: Report card pickup! I had 8 kids show up to get theirs. No surprises about who came and who didn't. I only have one student being retained and I think an extra year of K will help her be successful for many years to come.
I finished packing up everything and left my room until September. It was a little weird knowing that I won't be able to be back there for almost three months. With the construction, they are disabling our keys and no one knows what we will be coming back to in the fall. I'm planning on it being a mess. Most of the stuff I really need is stored away in Bethany's closet until I move out of my current apartment at the end of July. I'm thinking it will spend the month of August in Grandma and Grandpa's garage so that I only have to move it 2 more times instead of 4. Hopefully, everything else will make it back into my room safe and sound. We have excellent janitors but their summers are not shaping up to be a lot of fun. I did my best make it easy for them with large orange papers on everything I own but chaos is sure to ensue anyway. There will be pictures coming soon of what my room ended up looking like in the end and where all my stuff is currently being stored.
Sunday, June 6, 2010
Decatur Zoo & Children's Museum
I'm backing up a little to cover our field trip to Decatur. We went a couple of weeks ago and had a lot of fun seeing the animals and playing at the museum. The bus ride was long (a little over an hour) and of course everyone was really noisy going there. Some of them slept on the way home to make that trip a little easier. The weather was also beautiful despite chances of rain.
We went through the zoo in about an hour. It's pretty low key with the biggest animal being a camel and this lovely zebra. There were also cheetahs which was maybe the most exciting animal. We didn't have any parent helpers but two extra teachers came with us to increase our adult/child ratio. Overall, everyone was really good and there weren't any real problems. One student had an accident but we came prepared. Lunch was on the grass with a lot of bugs and spiders to scare everybody but they survived.
The Children's Museum was next for another hour. They had a lot more fun there. There are two floors, and they got to spend time on each floor playing in a hospital, grocery store, mechanic shop, shadow room, bubble room, water area, and climbing structure. I had three kids refuse to get on the bus but after learning they would have to walk home if they missed the bus they decided it wasn't worth it.
Tuesday, June 1, 2010
My First Last Full Day
is tomorrow!!
More updates and pictures to come after school is out and I'm bored. However, I should explain that the previous post a little bit. After reading "There Was An Old Lady Who Swallowed A Fly," I posed the question, "What would you do if you were playing on the playground and a fly just flew down your throat and you swallowed it? Would you be like the old lady and swallow something to get it?" I guess the best way to get funny stories is to ask funny questions.
More updates and pictures to come after school is out and I'm bored. However, I should explain that the previous post a little bit. After reading "There Was An Old Lady Who Swallowed A Fly," I posed the question, "What would you do if you were playing on the playground and a fly just flew down your throat and you swallowed it? Would you be like the old lady and swallow something to get it?" I guess the best way to get funny stories is to ask funny questions.
If I swallowed a fly . . .
I would eat
acid!
a tire chip!
a bomb!
candy!
a drink of water!
a sandwich!
a bubble!
Perhaps we'll ALL die.
acid!
a tire chip!
a bomb!
candy!
a drink of water!
a sandwich!
a bubble!
Perhaps we'll ALL die.
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