Saturdays

This was my Saturday. Baking Halloween cookies while I watched the Illinois game. I took my cookies to a Halloween party and went as depressed Illini football fan-no costume necessary.

We had a great field trip last Monday to the Reindeer Ranch. The weather was sunny and 60. There was a little wind but it didn't bother the kids any. Everyone did a great job on the bus and outside. No one was afraid of the reindeer and no one got hurt. It was a very uneventful but successful field trip. It's a great short trip; and since we probably won't be able to go to the zoo because of budget restrictions, the best one we'll go on this year.

Tomorrow is Halloween and I've been told it's a beast of a day. It's been on Saturday and Sunday the last two years so I haven't had to deal with the chaos that is this holiday. We are having a small party and an assembly to keep the teacher's sane. We don't get to dress up like we did back in the day. I remember enjoying it as a kid but as a teacher I'm pretty gosh darn sure I'm glad we don't do it. Trying to put 22 students in costumes which they will then immediately begin pretending to be sounds like an awful nightmare. I'll stick with playdoh and a "Circus Boy" assembly thank you very much.

I went in to school today for the second time this year. I haven't spent nearly as much time prepping this year as the last two but I don't think it's been a good thing. I've been relying too much on what I think I know but it hasn't been working. I needed the extra time to gather my thoughts, get extra prepared, and put myself in a good place for the next three weeks. We have three weeks and two days until Thanksgiving break with a four day week thrown in the middle so I know it's going to go fast. I'm afraid it's going to go too fast and we won't accomplish the things we need to get done. I'm okay with where we are right now but I know we've still got a long ways to go. I've settled back a little and in Kindergarten that's never a good idea. They'll just run you right over. Today was a preventative measure to ensure that doesn't happen. Here's hoping it works.

October Happenings

We were rained out of our field trip last week. It was the most absolutely miserable day in October that we have had so we elected to stay at home. It was smart choice because we would have had to spend the entire on the bus. We are going to go tomorrow (Monday) instead. It's supposed to be 65 and sunny and if the weather is anything like it is today it will be perfect. We are going to the Reindeer ranch again. The Fireman (good? no?) is not going with us. I'm 98% sure he would run off into the corn maze and we would have to send up flares and search parties. It's been decided that it's just safer for him to stay at school. He has also started stealing things. He's quickly becoming a 5 year old kleptomaniac. He's taken a Capri Sun out of another student's lunch box, a 5 dollar bill off my desk, gum out of the speech teacher's purse, and the list goes on. Maybe his nickname should be Klep.

We still managed to salvage the week by carving a pumpkin on Friday. This is the third year I've done it and I wondered before I did it if it was a good idea. It's fun and the kids enjoy it but one slip up with that giant knife . . . but I didn't slip up and I got really good pictures of my kids digging out the pumpkin guts. One girl is even holding her nose while bravely reaching in to pull out a few seeds.




The end of the first quarter is tomorrow. I can't believe it's been 9 weeks already. One quarter of the year done already?!? How is that even possible??

Randoms

We have settled into a pretty good routine in room 25. I need your help figuring out a nickname for the "alarm puller, shirt cutter, attention span of a gnat" kid. It just so happens that he has the same name as one of my brothers and it's really starting to ruin the name for me. I have a feeling I might start shuddering when I hear the name and that's probably not good when it happens to also be family. All suggestions are welcome. It needs to be catchy and short and quick. GO.

Parent/Teacher conferences have come and gone. This is a four day weekend for the kids and a three day weekend for me. It was hard to imagine how we survived last year with no holidays. We had so many five day weeks I forgot what long holiday weekends felt like. I think I'm going to remember pretty quickly though. DVR here I come.

The new ride is great. It still has the new car smell and starts every time. It gets pretty good gas mileage (27 hwy) and has already started to store my random crap. Currently there are balloons, clothes that need to be given away, and a printer.

I like that the weather is nice but it needs it to be about 10 degrees cooler. The combines, wagons, and tractors are out and it just doesn't feel right to no be able to put on a sweatshirt. I LOVE sweatshirts.