Catch Up

We had our first snow day of 2010-2011 today, and while it seems like a little bit of a waste so close to Christmas break, I've surely enjoyed it anyway. I finished most of my Christmas cards, caught up on TV and sleep, and crossed off a few Christmas presents from the list. The weather was just downright nasty last night with whiteout conditions and 35 mph winds causing -15 degree temperatures. Even the town schools cancelled last night before 8 so you know how bad it must have been. Today is sunny, windy, and cold but the roads are being cleared and I'm sure we'll go back to school tomorrow. 7 more days until break!

The second day of the conference was a good one. I did spend some money on books and knick knacks but with the school covering the cost of the conference I had some cash burning a whole in my pocket. When I got back, the heat in my room was not fixed. They tried to fix it on Wednesday but the piece they had was also broken so they had to order a new one. We had class in the cafeteria, computer lab, library, and finally the social workers room on Thursday and Friday. The workers said they would be back to fix it on Friday but were a no show by 4 o'clock. I seriously hope they were able to fix it Saturday because I consider it a distinct possibility that the pipes for the bathroom could have frozen last night and today if it wasn't fixed. I guess I'll find out tomorrow. It was quite the week being displaced from our usual classroom and unfortunately a wasted one academically. At this point, I'm just anxious to get to break and then start over in January. I plan on pretty much treating it like Day 1. I think it's the best mindset to have and the best way to get the class back on track. It's been a rough 2 months of challenging behaviors, a rushed schedule, and uncertain expectations for the end of the quarter grades. I think the time off will do everyone some good to refocus and reconnect to what is important. More on this later.

Jingle Run, Snow, & Kindergarten Conference

The good news is that my toe is actually not broken. Jammed pretty good but less than a week later it only slightly hurts when I bend it-so definitely not broken. I was actually able to run/walk in a 5K on Sunday which I may or may not ever do again. A group of friends talked me into it and with no training in 9 inches of snow I finished in 39 minutes. Nothing to brag about and I haven't been this sore since high school volleyball my senior year. There was a lot irony in the fact that the run was for arthritis that made me feel like I had it the next day. I told someone as we started that if I was going to do something that I hated so much, like running, it was a good thing we had 9 inches of snow to cheer me up about it. Also I was wearing a sweet elf outfit. Check out Facebook for the pictures.

Yes, I may have already mentioned it once or twice but it snowed on Friday night and Saturday. Enough that we probably would have had a snow day if it was a school night. I think the Champaign totals were between 7-9 inches and it was BEAUTIFUL! I didn't have anywhere to go so I stayed in and watched it turn CU into a winter wonderland. It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas!!

Currently, I am sitting in a Hilton hotel at the Illinois Conference for Kindergarten Teachers. Day 1 was good with new ideas and fun presenters. Hopefully, tomorrow is as good and then there will only be 3 days left and 2 weeks before Christmas break. I'm a little bit relieved to be away from the classroom for a few days but dubious of how the kids will be with a sub. The sub I thought I was going to have was really good but I found out today that they shuffled people this morning and she didn't end up in my room. I'm not really sure what this means but hopefully not terrible things. The only email I got about the day was that I picked a good day to be away because my brand new geothermal unit is not working and is quite possibly blowing out cold air. The secretary wanted to know where my lunch tickets were because she didn't want to have to be in my room for more than a few minutes looking for them. She guessed it to be about 50 in there. Maybe everybody was spending so much time shaking and being frozen that they didn't have any extra energy to misbehave. Hehe. (My evil plan has unfolded perfectly! Just kidding but it would have been brilliant if I had done it on purpose.)

Backfire

In an attempt to send myself to ISS, I kicked a door. And, probably broke my toe. Or least that's what it feels like. This is my life.

And why was I trying to send myself to ISS you ask? There was a fight in my room on Monday. Two kids trying to rip each other's heads off.

Is it Christmas break yet??

2 More!

Days of school before a 5 day break that is. Things are neither better or worse in the classroom. I think I said a few weeks ago that 22 is my magic number. I've been at 21 students for 2 weeks but Monday a new one starts so it's back to 22. 10 girls and 12 boys. Hopefully, he adjusts a little better than the last newcomer (lots of screaming).

I will NOT be going to a bowl game. I love my Illini but a loss at home on senior day against a 1-9 team means I'll be saving my money and spending some extra time with the family. IF we win at least one of the next 2 and make it to a bowl, I just can't get excited anymore. Basketball, however, is another story. Almost too much excitement already and we're only 5 games in!

As the Adage Goes

You may have noticed a lack of substance in my posts of late. Not a lot about school. Short. The explanation is simple. As the old adage goes, "If you don't have anything nice to say, don't say anything at all."

. . .


Seriously though, it's not as bad as all that. It's challenging and hard to describe without sounding like a lot of complaining and griping so I'm tending to avoid it. Rest assured, I'm sure a long reflection post is in my near future.

In other news, the family's coming for football, Glee club, dinner, breakfast, and church this weekend. Sometimes, lazy weekends are good and sometimes, crazy busy weekends are good. I've had the perfect mixture of both this fall and this one will be the best one yet. In all honesty, the thing I'm most looking forward to is winning the football game on Saturday so that I can start planning for a warm weekend bowl trip. It's going to be the perfect way to spend my coaching stipend.

Things I Love About

Fall! (Summer had it's chance so why not give fall a turn?)

-Football games
-Hooded Sweatshirts
-Changing trees
-Crunchy leaves
-TV Season Premieres
-Blankets
-Jeans
-Hats
-Cool fresh air
-Sleeping under piles of blankets with the windows open
-Soups
-Wiener Roasts & S'mores
-Hayrack rides
-Carving pumpkins
-Caramel Apples
-Harvest-combines, corn dust, grain bin dryers, wagons, empty fields. There's just something supremely satisfying in understanding how important and gratifying this process is. All the work and worry and prayer that's gone into it and to finally see the rewards being reaped is hard not to love.

Pockets

It's always fun to check my pockets after I get home as a gauge how the day has been. Some usual. Some not. Some of it's mine. Some it's not.

-SOAR tickets
-paper clips
-a key (found on the playground)
-barrettes
-candy (and sometimes I eat it)
-string
-crayons
-pens
-markers
-puzzle pieces
-blocks
-rubber chips
-hair ties
-bobby pins
-money (rare & usually change)

This list probably would be longer if I seriously wrote down every single thing that I came with but I haven't. Maybe next time.