It's Been A While

I know it's been a while since I've posted last, and I can't say that it's been because I've been that busy. At first, I was waiting to remember the pictures and then I just didn't ever seem to get around to it. I'll start with the fact that my "nothing exciting planned week" last week ended with the making of plastic bag ice cream. Thanks to mom's recipe and her advice to head outside with it, we managed. We shook and shook and shook those bags of ice until we couldn't shake anymore. I actually suggest using duct tape instead of rubber bands. It didn't break and allowed everyone to shake to their little arms off. The end product was delicious and very exciting. The only usable picture I have is one that Mrs. E took out of her classroom window. Hence the reason the kids are turned around and you can't see me.

This week has been full of turkeys and thankfulness. I forgot to get pictures of our home made turkeys that we made by tracing our hands and feet but maybe I'll get some pix up by thanksgiving. We also made these place mats showing what we are thankful for and I did get a pix of those. They are starting inventive spelling so I'll leave it to you to see if you can figure out what exactly is is what they are thankful for this holiday season.





Tomorrow I go to smartboard training and Tuesday is the last day of school before a 5 day break full of turkey, family, and friends. I'm looking forward to it. Hopefully with a busy and productive weekend, I'll be super prepared and able to spend a weekend away from school and just enjoying myself. Happy Thanksgiving!!

Monday

I'm not sure if there will be much news to post about this week. We don't have anything very fun or exciting planned. I'm actually hoping for it to be mostly uneventful. We have Wednesday off for Veteran's Day and while it's going to be a little offsetting to have a day like that in the middle of the week, I am looking forward to the chance to work ahead and try to get really on top of things.

I don't think that I mentioned it before but the students did get free H1N1 shots/nasal spray vaccines last Tuesday. I qualified and could have gotten one since I am under 25 but didn't. I'm not really sure why but I guess I'll just have to suffer the consequences if I made the wrong choice.

In outside of school news, I am currently thinking about finding an apartment for year. So far, all of my options are unfurnished so if by chance you are looking to get rid of or replace any old furniture, just wait until August and let me know. I'd be happy to take it off your hands. : )

That We're Awesome!

Parent/Teacher conferences went off without a hitch. I had lots of helpful advice from other teachers, the principal, and few parents of Kindergartners that I babysit for so I can't even say that I was surprised by any of it. Everyone was just excited to hear about their child in school and I hope that I was able to answer all their questions. I went by fast and now I've actually done everything I needed to do for next week so for the first time since school started, I'm not going back in this weekend! YEAH! It only took me a quarter and a half day off school to get it accomplished but I'm finally there. Hopefully, sometime after Christmas I can manage to make it more than once a quarter. I also got a new school laptop yesterday. It's a brand new MacBook and now I'll hopefully start doing more on it instead of my home computer. I don't think that I reported either that I will be going to Smartboard training on the 20th and hopefully getting it installed over Christmas break. Now, if only I can get them to put it where I need it and not just wherever they want . . .

My funny moments from yesterday:

1. After reading a story about dinosaurs, the book posed a question about what dinosaurs might learn about people if they were around and went to school and we were extinct. The first answer: "That we're awesome!"

2. We had popcorn for snack and some the students were eating the unpopped kernels. I told them that it was bad for their teeth but they explained to me that they weren't chewing them just swallowing them. So, I told them if they swallowed the kernels they would go into their stomachs and get hot when they ran around and POP. This got quite a few curious looks. A few minutes later, I realize that more students are eating the kernels. By the end of the snack, they were going around "listening" to each other's stomachs trying to hear them POP. One student told me on her way out the door to PE, "Listen, I can hear my stomach popping!" ; )

Oh yes, he did.

Today in a down time moment when we were finishing an art project, some of the kids that were finished were sitting at their desks coloring pictures. One student came to me with a piece of paper with two holes cut in it and said "Look I made a mask!" That's nice. Great. Next thing I know I look up to see the same child walking around the room with the "mask" GLUED to his face. Oh yes, he did. He used his ever creative imagination and the materials at hand (Elmer's) to glue his mask onto his face. I politely asked him to take it off at which point he was loudly proclaiming, "Ow, ow oow" and I was trying very hard not to laugh. This story gets better though when after taking it off I see that the green marker he had been using to color the mask has bled through the paper because of the glue and turned part of his face green. Oh yes, it did. Luckily, it was washable and he did not go home with green all over his face. Not sure how if I'm going to bring that one up at P/T conferences or not. Not really sure how to start that conversation, "Well, your child is very creative. Just yesterday he glued a piece of paper to his face because he didn't have any string! He then proceed to complain about how it hurt to take off but he sure was excited about that mask!!" Maybe not.

Parent/Teacher conferences are tomorrow night and Friday morning. Wish me luck! It's one place where I have yet to be on either side of the picture so if nothing else it will be one more "1st" out of the way. Looking forward to having it behind me.

Picture Time!

The fall party was complete success and the kids were only crazy for about 10 minutes right before we went to the Power Store. Otherwise, I was very proud and don't know why teachers hate holidays so much. My kids were awesome. ; ) We had 4 stations with playdoh, coloring, snack, and Halloween bingo. A kid brought pumpkin pie for snack so that was an extra special treat. We also had a magician come for an assembly that had everyone laughing hysterically.

Now, I'm going to see what I can do about putting up some pictures with covered or no faces of the kids. I wish you could see them though because they are very cute and pictures seem to bring out the best in them. : )

Fall Party Playdoh Table

Reindeer Ranch

We got to choose pumpkins to take home!

Feeding the reindeer

Pizza Hut

Happy Halloween! Uh, I mean Fall!!

Yeah, we don't get to have holiday parties here at PA, but we are going to have a party nonetheless. Officially, it is a "Fall Party" but since all of my students do celebrate Halloween, it is definitely a Halloween themed party. We will have LOTS of snacks, a movie, a game, a craft, and an assembly to finish off the day. I have a parent coming in to help and I'm probably not nearly as planned as I need to be for it to go off without a hitch but I'm jumping in anyway and excited to see how it all falls down.

Otherwise, it's been a pretty regular week. It's felt really long since it's the first 5 day week since the last week of September, but I was prepared for that. And really, they haven't been that crazy or hyper about Halloween. I let them talk about it at certain times and otherwise they are content to just be their regular 5 year old selves. Which is still loud and silly and crazy but just not more so than usual. However, I am glad that the actual day of Halloween falls on a Saturday and they won't be spending it at school. It is the small things that I am grateful for these days. I am also almost completely recovered from my hacking cough. It's still there but I'm always careful to "catch" my germs so someone else doesn't! All the kids are back too and excited as ever to be at school. YIPPEE!

I will report that I had to write my first discipline referral this week. I probably had reason to do it before this and probably let a few more things slide than I should have, but there had to be a first. Now, it's done and over with and if it weren't for the fact that I am writing it here I probably wouldn't be able to tell you what my first referral was a year from now. On a side note, you should know that we have 2 kinds of referrals. An "Ooops Note" and a real hard core discipline referral. The Oops Note is a "I messed up and didn't make a great choice so I got in trouble" kind of note. It usually involves the teacher calling the parent and the student sitting out of recess or getting a timeout. The principal sees them but is not involved unless the teacher asks him to be. You might get one if you pushed and shoved in line, talked all day and couldn't shut up, did a cartwheel in the hallway, etc. Basically, anything that isn't violent, vulgar, or a repeated problem. Discipline referrals are handled by the principal with the teacher, parents, and student.

I wrote mine for a student who has been refusing to do anything in the classroom. It's power and attention issue for him, but after 3 Oops Notes for the same thing, I decided to step it up. It was little things like getting in line or moving to a center or washing his hands but he just outright refused to do whatever I asked him no matter what else I said or did. So, instead of picking him up and throwing him, I let Mr. E handle it because by the end of the day I had tried everything I could think of and didn't want the other students to think the he was winning and start to do some of the same to see what they could get away with. That is exactly NOT what I need: a classroom full of students who do whatever they want. Or a nightmare. Basically the same thing. In the end, I think it was definitely the right thing to do, and it did help because he was much better today. I only hope it stays that way and it doesn't become a routine problem. I'm sure more insight will come from Parent/Teacher conferences next week. Ooohh yeah.

My Colorful Drive

Between sunrises in the morning and turning leaves and combines, my 30 minute drives have become quite the array of fantastic colors. Sometimes, I think I should stop and take a picture but the thought of stopping the car and getting out just never really makes it further than a thought. I'm really trying to just appreciate the sunrise and it's beauty instead of being depressed that I am actually awake to see it and most days that goes pretty well. I just know that it's going to be a long winter of lots of brown for that drive so I hope to appreciate the colors while I have them. The trees really are quite fantastic with lots of reds, yellows, and oranges. I'm a pretty big fan of fall, cold weather, and winter but not the rain. I could without all the rain and I'm sure every farmer in the state of IL is thinking the same thing. GO AWAY RAIN!

In sickness news, I still had 5 kids gone on Friday. I'm really hoping we recover soon because too much of this and I'm going to forget what it's like to have a full class. Oh wait, I think I already have. Might be a long 5 day week next week. I am also getting another new student on Monday so I'll be up to 19. Whoo Whoo. I felt like crap on Thursday but toughed it out at school and was better on Friday. Today feels even better so I'm probably on the up swing. Never had a fever and the cough seems to be the only lingering symptom. With the trend of the previous paragraph: GO AWAY SICKNESS!