Dealerships and beef!

I was told not to do any heavy lifting after donating 2 pints of blood. As I was packing up to drive north I thought ummmm  "this is what they were talking about". I always manage to forget something and this time I forgot my camera, a Christmas tree, and a couple other small items.  My arm is finally starting to feel a little "normal" today which I am relieved about because it was like limp spaghetti. Anyhow, I made it north ahead of a storm that blew  all through the night. I was hoping to see more snow today but there wasn't enough to impress me much.

On the way up my check engine light came on so I got it into a mechanic today. The problem is covered under warranty by federal law. The mechanic called the local Toyota dealership and the guy lied to him. So he called another dealership in a bigger town where it was confirmed it was covered. So he told me not to take any flak when I went into the dealership.  So I had Dad follow me in. I asked the guy his name it was the name my mechanic had talked to. I said " I will talk to anyone but you, bring in someone else".  "Okay but what did I do?"  " I said I will talk to anyone but you". Then I waited patiently as he called the other guy a couple of times.  I said "I need a new part on my car which is covered under warranty. When my mechanic called here that guy ( I said pointing toward him) said it was not. Which is wrong it is covered!" He could tell I was wearing my cranky pants. He signed me up to come in tomorrow first thing and have it replaced. As I walked out I suggested "He make sure his people know what they are talking about".    Dad found this whole thing highly amusing. I will be interested to hear his version of the tale as my "intimidator"

I have been craving beef like crazy so I know I need to get my iron back up. I got some orange juice because Aunt S. I remember you telling me it helped the body absorb iron!  I was given a really yummy soup recipe by one of  my parents so I am off to make that.  Avoid dealerships they and lawyers go hand in hand. UGGH!

Chilly

Well the last day of school before break. Pretty much is controlled chaos. I pushed hard to get some work done this morning. This afternoon was a losing battle.  Luckily the weather co-operated and we had fresh snow. So I pulled out the sleds and wore them out quite successfully. It was necessary after the candy canes!  These kids and sugar are not friends whoo... it is a virtually instantaneous combustion.  Then they need to have some free range time.  One of the parents video-taped the Christmas play so we watched that this afternoon. It was funny watching them watch themselves. They thought they were pretty funny.

After school I was helping get the national anthem together for the ball game and a multitude of  other tasks when I remembered I'd signed up to donate blood. ON GAME NIGHT?? What was I thinking. Yea I wasn't. Then I said I would donate doubles. WHAT WAS I THINKING? I hadn't done that before. A new and chilling experience. Literally chilling they brought be a blanket and a couple of heat packs. It was pretty much how I felt after afternoon recess  standing in the blowing snow throwing saucer sleds up the hill to speed up the sledding process. I have a good arm. Anyhow back to the blood thing. I had to go eat my cookie afterwards, put on a pair of gloves and some slippers. BRRR. Then I made some hot cocoa and started to feel warm again.  All of the warming up though happened after....

I was asked to introduce the national anthem, the opposing team, and our team tonight. I don't have an announcer voice.  I don't think I messed it up too badly though. I did it in the right order .... so what more can you ask for? Well other than asking someone else to do it. Our refs had to drive through some weather to get here but they made it fine. It is getting pretty cold tonight so the roads were slick. Tonight I wasn't alone leaving the building four of us left together which I appreciated.

I received a few Christmas Gifts from my students. Homemade bread, fudge, jam, (shhh don't tell Dad), a neck warmer, and other fun things!  I also received some personalized stickers. That made my day they were pretty fun. I was excited to stick them on some spelling tests today :)! The kids are all about the stickers.
A little house cleaning tonight and some packing, cleaning, laundry tomorrow. I am heading north tomorrow. Taking the slightly longer route to have some better roads.  I have my I-pod charging to listen to some more Sherlock Holmes on my drive. If you like British television you must watch their modern version of Sherlock Holmes called "Sherlock". It is awesome.  I have one more episode to watch on Netflix.

Goodnight

Unexpected....

Okay clean house... You never know who will come knocking! OH my! My house is a disaster...and then a knock comes at me door. I was a little irritated thinking " who would be knocking at this hour?" Hasn't everyone gone home? What do they want? Well it could just be someone you know and want to see :)! A pleasant surprise driving through! I had cleaned one half of my house this weekend. Unfortunately it was the back half that no one sees.... Other than the bathroom. Oh boy!   Anyhow they took me to dinner at a local eatery. It tasted pretty good. I haven't eaten there before. It is a place that the kids who work there don't usually eat there. But I saw who was working tonight and I know they wash their hands...so we should be good!

Oh man it was such a shock to see familiar faces from home on my porch. Next time they come  I will clean house and they will have to stay awhile!

Cross Country

I pulled out my cross country  ski's I got for last years Christmas and finally had an opportunity to test them out. They worked great.. their operator experienced a few errors. I'd forgotten a few things. For  instance how to turn corners. The importance of tying your boots really tight. How the snow blows in this state leaving snow deceptively shallow or deep. There is a kind of rhythm to it that I had lost. Hopefully, with a few more practice rounds I will get a little smoother. It was fun and felt great. I always feel better when it snows. I think I breathe easier. That may or may not make sense but I've always felt that way. Perhaps it is the fresh air, the cold air, or the combination of both. I LIKE SNOW! Some people find this ridiculous and annoying.  Let it snow and let it stick!  After the eight inches we got last week it has been spitting snow since then. Not enough to stick really well and build up. This is disappointing. Hopefully, we will get more. I'm ready!

I was going to make soup on Friday and I was missing two key ingredients. It was such a bummer. I am still thinking about that soup. I really thought I had my spices lined up and all of them. I was wrong. Sigh. I am going to get some freeze dried veggies and check my spice list twice. It is frustrating buying veggies because sometimes once I get them optimistically I don't have time to turn them into soup etc. This is why I have a cooking day or two before school starts!  I think freeze dried veggies would be a good alternative. At least for what I can't get frozen. Some veggies freeze well. Some don't.  Also some dehydrate very well. I was thinking it would be fun to get a food dehydrator and learn to do it. Then I remembered I am one person and that would be over kill to do for one person. I also thought briefly it would be fun to learn how to freeze dry food. Then I read up on it and decided I didn't inherit enough engineering abilities  to execute that properly. Well, maybe I did but once again it seemed like a lot to do for one person.  A few of the mom's here dehydrate food. One make some amazing fruit leather out of pears. It almost tastes like candy without any sugar added.

I went over the mountain to hang out with a friend yesterday. We made a gazillion sugar cookies. It was fun to hang out with her. I've never understood the significance of sugar cookies. There is no chocolate involved. Their taste is only well... sugary. I can understand a little kid thinking they were the best thing every. Like I mentioned before... NO CHOCOLATE! I am not saying all desserts must have chocolate I'm just saying all the best ones do.  The second best desserts involve fruit. Other than the one HUGE Exception and that is FRUIT CAKE! Everyone always says you don't like it because you haven't had "MY" fruitcake. The only "fruitcake" which isn't cake that I like is banana bread. That would be way way better as a gift than fruitcake. Hey I'd even take a loaf of zucchini bread.  Fruitcake uggh.

I had e-mailed my principal this weekend because I had concerned parents contacting me. Sounds like there will be some plan implemented. I am thinking it might be an already existing plan. It isn't enough but I am trying to be glad the principal is addressing it in some way.  Well I have homemade chicken noodle soup heating up and I need to check on it. Not the soup I wanted to make but I live in the boonies. So adaptation is necessary.

Dump run

My toilet overflowed tonight which led to cleanup, which led to laundry, which led to more cleaning, which led to trash, which led to taking out the trash. I couldn't stand leaving the trash outside for the night so I decided to make an 8p.m. dump run. I found out that they plow the road to the dump. Which the jack-rabbits hop on and then are too scared to jump over the snow piles to safety so they run in front of your car for a long ways before tiring out and jumping next to the snow pile and playing invisible.   Dad said this series of decisions must've seemed logical to me.  Apparently, not to him.  Once you start cleaning you hate to lose momentum.

This week kind of felt like  two weeks in one. Not because it was a bad week, just a busy week. We had the town live nativity. It was as entertaining as last year. No one seems to know Christmas Carol's well enough to sing them with confidence. One of my students came and sat next to me. She was brought to the nativity but couldn't really figure out what it was all about. She attends or participates every year but hasn't been told the significance of the story.

We were also prepping for the Christmas play. One of the mom's took the ball and ran with it. Which was awesome because I simply didn't have time. She recruited a couple other mom's to help and they got the backdrop and stage done up in style. It came out really cute. The kids did a great job. One student that I called my "wild card" said the lines loudly and with confidence. Every practice this student acted like it was torture, embarrassing, boring, or plain annoying. Then suddenly was ready to go and proud of it.  Somehow they decide to come through. 

We also got about eight inches of snow on the day of the play. I brought out the sleds and we went sledding during recess. The kids had a blast. I didn't let anyone else take them to recess because I lacked the confidence  that they would supervise carefully.  I had four saucer sleds and they were perfect for the little hill at the school.  I took  a lot of pictures of their sledding fun.  How many kids do you know that get to sled at school?


Talking about school tonight makes me reflect on a recent school shooting. To be honest if I were a parent. I am not sure I would send my student to public school. It only takes one  crazy person, or sociopath to turn school into a  nightmare. There are so many laws about keeping weapons out of school that it leaves the staff and students vulnerable. What will be done to protect us? It seems that in this day and age we protect the criminals more than the victims or potential victims.

Next week we only have two days of school before our break starts. I am so ready. I've been pushing hard for long enough that I am feeling tired. We all need a break.

Christmas List

Last week one of my students was waiting to get some help from me. While waiting I hear her (ever so quietly...ahem) Whisper to the girl in front of her " I may seem like a normal student on the outside, but on the INSIDE I'm a WARRIOR". I got the giggles and  the rest of the kids followed. So watch out for those normal looking students.. they may have some Ninja powers you are unaware of.

This weekend we went to ride the Polar Express. It was so much fun and so well done. Every person who rode the train came home with a silver bell with the Polar Express stamped on it. They served hot chocolate and cookies. We sang Christmas Carols and they invited all the kids to the front car to sing on the mike. We heard Jingle Bells many times.  They all know Jingle Bells. Almost my whole class had the opportunity to sing a song. Pretty fun stuff.  They also wore their pajamas on the ride. It was really fun and great to see that light in the kids eyes.

When a couple of my students arrived with one set of parents. The mom pulled me over and said her daughter was teaching her friend how to "preg check" a  mare on her unicorn pillow pet. I laughed so hard. You can take the girl off the ranch....but.... you can't take the ranch out of the girl.

Today I asked my students what I should get my brother for Christmas. Here was their list.

Baseball Bat
A Tux
A basketball
A Ferrari
Baseball cards
A "Scream" Mask
A Tiara
A golfball
A Dog
A Gun
A princess dress
A Monster Truck
A wig
A Tutu
A Guitar
A Viking
A Bull
A LapTop
Saran Wrap over his door
A Sword
A Real Dragon

I thought it was a very comprehensive list.  :)

Update: Forgot to share that we didn't have heat at school today... all day. When I arrived my classroom was a little over 40degrees. We submitted a ticket to get the maintenance people here. Then the secretary called at 9 a.m. They tried to reset the computer remotely and that didn't work. They said they would come down and we never saw them. I am hoping we have heat tomorrow.

Also, the janitor came back from a week off. bummer. She complained about the lack of flushing of toilets. This didn't seem to happen with our substitute janitor. I think the kids are doing it on purpose to her because of her crankiness. I wasn't very receptive to this complaint. She threatened the kids with locking up the bathrooms. Oh yea that will solve the problem. Then they will go somewhere really awful that will be miserable to clean up. While she was gone the substitute janitor had a whole bunch of kids helping her clean. They were thrilled to have clean bathrooms. Maybe that is part of why my empathy was gone.

Band-aid

Once in awhile the health department comes to give vaccinations at the school. The first time they came I got my flu shot. At that time I asked them to bring a Tdap vaccination. I asked for a couple of reasons. I live in the boonies chances of injuring myself and needing a tetanus shot is likely. Also, whooping cough has been going around  the state and that's all I need. So they forgot it the next time they came. Then they said they'd bring it by on the way to another community, meet me and give it to me in the parking lot. They brought it but forgot to meet me. This time they came down they brought it.  I was pulled out of my class to go and get the shot. When I came back the kids asked where I went. I said "To get a shot".  "DO WE HAVE TO GET ONE?" they asked. "Nope you are all up to date on your shots". Of course they were thrilled about that. Then they asked "Did it hurt?" "Nope just a little pinch" I said. Then they asked if they could see my band-aid. That was very important to see the band-aid. They didn't ask if I got a lollipop so maybe that part isn't so important. :)

I got a ride to town to pick up my car today. I really would've enjoyed a longer sleep. I did get home early enough that I think I will have a nice nap. I still feel like I am fighting getting a cold but so far  my body is fighting it off.  Rest is important though. Tomorrow we go ride the "Polar Express" for a class field trip. I had anxiety about putting everyone on the bus with our elderly bus driver. So we are car-pooling. If we only had a couple of suburbans we could do it without the bus. I read the kids the book yesterday and so it will be fun to see what they think of it. I have never watched the movie but I have heard it is a good one. Hopefully, the ride holds up to their imaginations.  It gets very cold on the train so I have to remember to dress and bring a blanket or two.

When we got to town this morning we decided to stop for breakfast at a local cafe. Every baked good is made right there fresh and mouth-watering. I had a homemade biscuit with my breakfast that was amazing. I decided to try eating eggs again because I had avoided them for so long I thought maybe I could get away with it. I was wrong. My egg allergy seems to get worse as my age increases. It is a bummer because I love the taste and they are good for you. I just seem to reject them in a big way. I could eat organic for awhile but now not even those.  Oh well, back to no eggs.


My boss came down yesterday for a check in. She said she was bringing me a book next week called "The 5 Levels of Leadership". I knew very well what she was getting at. She said that I am a natural leader I just need to reign it in a bit.  I told my former aide about this and she suggested I purchase her "Administrating for Dummies" I looked it up on Amazon and it hasn't been published yet :).  I am very direct. I am also tired of our leadership making it okay for people not to do their jobs. I don't want to be the leader of anything but my classroom. I want my leader to LEAD effectively. If this happened all of us would enjoy our jobs soooooo much more. I have to tell myself throughout the day to  focus on the students. They're whats important. I feel like most of the time I am successful at this.

 I've been reading a book to the students about a man who started an orphanage. Every step of the way in all of his decisions. He prayed. I think as a country we'd better get back to that. I feel trouble ahead.

Home Game

Our first home game was quite exciting. I could barely take the anxiety. One of our girls is a fighter. The boys on the other team were intimidated by her and she made them mad. She would growl at them and get in their face. It was so fun to watch. They started tripping her and elbowing her and she didn't let it get to her she got more aggressive.  We did lose by eight points but considering we only had three on the bench and they had 10 I think that is pretty cool. 

I felt like I was getting sick all day so I took some Airborne and Zicam cold remedy. Hopefully, I can fight it off because I simply don't have time to be sick. I was watching my students eat junk food at the game tonight and thought to myself ummm great their brains will work well tomorrow.  It is amazing the effect bad food has on the kids. Send your kids with a healthy breakfast and don't overdo the sugar. I can tell within the first hour usually who ate a good breakfast and who did not.

I came home and kind of collapsed on the couch. It was a long, busy, day. I have some parents coming in to help next week which will be wonderful. The kiddos have been feeling neglected during reading time because the older ones haven't had a chance to read to a grown-up. It is really important to them. I think of how needy some of my students are. They get tons of attention in comparison to a bigger school. However, it still isn't enough.

Christmas play practice continues. Today they were really dragging. I really hope they can work up a little enthusiasm at our next practice.  It got to be kind of funny. 

Positive!

I had a wonderful weekend. I got to escape the "SMOKE FILLED" apartment and coyote round up and go to a students ranch. We made the stuffing for tamales. I about cutting up dried chilies and that even after you wash your hands twice you still need to keep your hands away from your face!! We did some other cooking while chatting and hanging out. It was so nice. Then I got to stay the night in their guest cabin. It had a gas fireplace. It was absolutely the quintessential ranch cabin. I loved it. The wind blew soooo hard that night. It didn't blow in gusts it was a perpetual wind. It was very loud. It woke me up a few times but I'd remember it's the wind and would fall back to sleep. Then on Sunday I joined this family to find Christmas Trees. It is a pretty cute tradition. They send someone ahead "Santa" to hang candy canes. Then when you drive up you stop where you see candy canes because Santa hangs them where the best trees are. Pretty cute. It poured down rain that day in true Western Oregon or Washington style. We aren't used to that down here. Everyone went home soaked, muddy, and happy. It was  a good day.

I came back and had to air out the house, do laundry, and change the air filter. I didn't get a lot done for school over the weekend but it was a good break for my spirit. I had a very nasty e-mail sent to me today I started to read it and realized if I continue to read this I will get a bad spirit, the students will feel it, and it will ruin my day. I closed it and will not read it. It was a great decision because I got back to the kiddos laughed smiled and enjoyed the rest of the day. I realize more and more that holding people accountable rarely exists in today's society. They resist it to an extreme level and other people enable them to not do what is right.

I was very happy to hear compliments about the sportsmanship and professionalism of our co-ed basketball team. They were complimented by other teams, their coaches, and people from the stands.  Tomorrow we have our first home game so I will have to be at school pretty late.  My car was fixed this week so this Friday I have to get a ride to town to get it and we have a Field Trip on Saturday. Next week is our Christmas play.

Call Vs. Farm

There is a kind of dumb song that has been out for awhile called "Call me Maybe"
You can listen to it HERE! (after commercial breaks)

A parent showed me THIS version today which I think is AWESOME!

The kiddos got a kick out of the 2nd version!  I had a substitute aide today. It was wonderful I forgot how much we could get done with good help. It was a good finish to a crazy week.

Raffles...

Sometimes things work out the way they should! Today we drew the name for our lamb raffle. My Aunt's name was drawn. She bought 20$ worth of tickets and asked that if she won it go to a family in need. After school today with several parents, the secretary, janitor, and more around a parent drew the winning ticket. My grin was huge when I saw the name on the ticket. Our secretary called right away and they were thrilled to be the recipients. This was one of those times when I knew that the right thing happened. YAY!!!

All of this week I haven't had a classroom aid. My secretary won't call a substitute so that has been frustrating. I finally brought it up today when I found out she would be out again tomorrow. Then the secretary asked the sub (who is a parent) To just come in as a volunteer instead of being a paid sub.  WHAT??? Seriously! I felt really bad that she even asked this. This parent has come in soooo many times to fill the gap before she was certified as a sub because she cares about our students. How could you ask her to do it again for NOTHING!! Grrrrrr.  It really ticked me off. 

Our High School basketball coach has really raised the standard for the players. I am really impressed and pleased that the expectations are more than in the past.  There was a bit of grumbling only from a couple of students who had worked with a sub-par standard before. I told them all of the reasons this was going on. Then I found out a recent graduate posted on Facebook recently that she wished her teachers had pushed her a little harder. She is having a difficult time at college. I know one of her teachers did and she was resistant. Now she understands the cost of working just hard enough to pass the High School state test. Also the school failed her by keeping teachers in jobs who weren't doing their job.

So we made it through another mad crazy day!

Giggles, Snot, and Hats

I have a variety of hats I wear to keep my ears warm and the kids entertained. Today there was a hat war the students kept stealing my hats. All I could think of was the germ factor. So I brought my hats home for baths. I can't leave them at school that is for sure! I didn't have help today and the kids were pushing all the limits. I never know what they will get up to but I finally had to get cranky. They apologized for "disappointing" me! I was surprised they used that word but appreciated the sentiment.

Before Thanksgiving break we had some pretty funny happenings at school. We had an extraordinarily long and disorganized assembly. There was an attempt made by those putting it on to be very professional and make it exciting.  That didn't happen until it was over. The principal was standing in front of the entire school and was about to tell us to go on our merry way when my kindergartner jumped up and ran to her. I was thinking "Oh no what is he doing?"  Then the principal says "  Student has an announcement to make". He stands in front of the whole school and says " I am going to be an UNCLE!!!!"   Long, long, pause.....while we all do calculations in our head and try to remember the age of his oldest sibling. We all seemed to realize at the same time this was indeed possible and happening. We all applauded and he got many hoots and hollers from the High School students.  This announcement was a dangerous thing to begin... it opened the door wide for the rest of my class. One of my second graders jumps up and says " I have an announcement too"  " I get to ride my horse  A LOT."   I get a visual image of the never ending announcemnts so I quickly jump in and say  " What do we say to the people who had this assembly" All of my students yelled "Thank You." Then I immediately made them line up and start leaving the gym. I hear as we are walking out a High School student say " I have an announcement to make  I LIKE PIE"!  

The day before our break I decided to have pajama day. It just makes it a relaxed day before break. The kids are usually wired before a holiday so it seems to have a calming affect. So at lunch the principal says " so it is pajama day?".  One of my students says " YES, Ms. C declared it Pajama Day". I didn't know I had the power to make such declarations but I like it! I will declare it Pajama Day the day before Christmas Break as well.

Cold season has begun. What this means is constant demands for cough drops from students of all ages. It also means going through a massive amount of Kleenex. It also means snotty sneezes. It is the worst. The kids are gagging I am trying to pretend not to gag. UGGH!  It really is a disgusting time of year. It is Lysol Spray and handy wipe time. My colleagues kids are constantly bugging me after school. So I gave one of them the job of wiping down the desks. She had a great time.

The janitor came in after school and said she'd be gone next week so we'd have to empty our own trashes. I  barely contained my laugh. All of us at least one time a week empty our own trashes. If we don't my Kleenex filled trash bags just get emptied but the bags don't get changed. It gets seriously disgusting.  I refrained from making a remark and just said okay.

Tomorrow is the day we draw our Lamb Raffle winner. I am excited to see who the winner is.  Our secretary was gone again today. Our 76 year old bus driver was the sub. This means the phone rings off the hook A LOT! I don't know where he disappears to but he does. The ones he does answer and take a message for he ends up interrupting my class for a sales call or other ridiculousness. 

I believe my alternator went out on my car and yesterday I had it towed. Thank goodness for Triple AAA. I had it towed to town. However, the chain of gossip was very excited by this occurrence! I have been stopped and questions numerous times about the state of my car. I had no idea it would be so excited. This is how short on news we get around here!

On a sadder note. We lost one of the good ones from my hometown. He and his wife had been married since 1937. It is hard to imagine the level of commitment that took and all the struggles, hardships, etc. They made it through it all. I was able to go say hello to his wife and she says to me " I have barely gotten through being without you so I don't know HOW you've managed without me". I thought that was very sweet. It was like watching a ship without a rudder or a rudder without a ship. However you look at it half of the whole was missing. 

Overall it was a good trip home for Thanksgiving. I wish I'd had a little more time but I packed in as much as I could. I got to make a snowman with my cute little cousins and hang out with some fun people! It was a little startling to realize I was surprised when I went into the grocery store. I forgot what it was like to shop somewhere that had such a variety of options. I probably should go to the big city a little more often!  Well, I had best sign off.

Battery Elves

Well the battery elves came and this morning I had a new battery awaiting me in the secretaries office. Then the "consumer math" class installed my new battery while I was busy teaching. I came out to a car that started this afternoon. So I am hoping it was the battery and not the alternator. This encouraging thought was shared with me " well you will find out in the next few days". Yay me! :) It was really cute when the big kids came in to tell me my car started, my whole class cheered for them and told them thank you too.

So that's how you get batteries in small towns!

Battery Life

Soooo, the saga of the battery continues. I called up north and ordered a battery. They make the 90 mile drive to deliver such things once a week. Luckily I ordered this on delivery day. One problem. When I suggested a deliver sight they said "well we bring them to a couple of places". I just never found out what those couple of places were. I did find out the owner is related to a local. The local was at the school so  I said if you get a battery or hear of a battery will you bring me the battery?  So if my battery is here I have no idea. I am just trusting this small town process. (sort of) So somewhere between here and there I have a battery bought and paid for. I just hope it makes it to me! The next step will be finding someone willing to help me install the battery. It is a small town. I'll keep you posted.

I was able to get a ride to work this morning. I new the driver was on his way because I heard him warming up the car. So that was good. I didn't get too anxious about him forgetting me.  He also brought me home. I have to assume I will also need a ride to work in the morning so I planned that. Friday we have to attend a training at our District office to go over data. This is difficult with our population because we don't have enough students to identify trends. The testing data doesn't get specific enough to be super helpful. So wish me luck, all I can do is hope to get something out of it.

Saturday we have a local basketball tournament played by locals. They form teams, pay to play, etc. They are generous and donate the extra funds to our Athletic Fund. So I will be at school for that. Next week, we have a short week and then are off for Thanksgiving break. I can't believe how quickly this month is going by.

Batteries

Yeah, batteries are not over-rated. Especially when your car doesn't move without a decent one. My car battery decided today was the day to give up on life! I had the car jumped once decided to drive around to get the battery to charge. NOT A GOOD CHOICE! I limped up the highway and turned on another highway toward the school. Keep in mind my battery is dieing and the sun is just below the horizon. It was getting dark quickly. I turned off my car lights which gave me enough power to get into the school parking lot. Luckily no one else was on the same road without their lights working. I made it into the lot and parked in my usual spot. Basketball practice was going on so I found a parent to give me a ride home. The teacher who helped me jump my car earlier is picking me up for school in the morning! So I guess I will be saving on gas money till I can figure out how to get a new battery here!

There is a NAPA that delivers but their battery selection kind of worries me. So I hope someone is going to town that would pick one up for me. You just never know what the day will bring.

Shopping...an all day affair

I am not a person who just adores everything about the shopping experience. About once a year I succumb to my inner girlieness and succumb to a shopping "just-for-fun" day. I am quickly over the excitement of such things though. I had to run to the city for some shopping this weekend. I didn't want to go on Friday because I needed a little rest and relaxation. Also a storm was blowing in and I didn't really want to drive through the dust and fog it was kicking in to town. So I thought I would go on Saturday. Saturday blew with snowy weather dusting the mountains, the valley, and icing the roads. So I was left with Sunday to go to town. I woke up fairly early but new it was cold because of the number of times my heater clicked on in the night. I looked out at the icy roads and decided to wait until the sun had shone on them long enough to melt it a bit. I am usually not this cautious but I need to buy new tires and mine don't have a lot of grip left. I packed some extra clothes, just in case, you really can't plan well enough for shopping in the winter.  So I left about nine in the morning. It was still very cold and it took a good 20 minutes to defrost my car. Then off to town I went. There was still some snow and ice on the mountain summits between here and the next town. The sun rose and by the time I arrived in the city if felt almost...balmy.  Judging by their hat and glove wearing selves, I don't believe the city dwelling folk would agree.

I had to shop for our school concessions for an event we are having next weekend. It was the first time I have had to get the big orange flat bed cart at Costco. What made this worse was the amount of people also at Costco today. It was a serious traffic jam. I didn't look at the books for my own enjoyment as I usually do, or walk down the aisles of holiday decorations now on display. I tried to as efficiently as possible get everything I needed without running myself or anyone else over. I pushed my big orange flatbed cart out to my car. This thing was loaded and heavy. There was just enough of a slant that I couldn't let go of it or it would roll away. The car next to me backed out and drove off. I had to place the cart sideways in that spot and load it into my car. I did plan ahead a little better this time. I remembered my industrial sized Costco shopping bags. WHOO HOO! These are the best thing ever. Especially when you only shop once a month and have a steep flight of steps to bring all your groceries up.

I went to a couple of other shops and since it appeared that the whole city and I were shopping, I decided to head towards home! I had another stop in the small town a couple of hours from my town. I went to Wal-Mart there for all of the stuff I couldn't get or didn't need in bulky Costco sizes. Wal-Mart was jam packed as well. I was so relieved to get out of there load up my groceries when... WHAM! I forgot something on my concessions list! UGGH!!!  I had to go greet the masses again. I still forgot something on my personal grocery list. But I decided it just wasn't worth going back again for it!

By the time I filled my tank and ran to the restroom the sun had fallen behind the mountains and I was driving in the dark. I don't know what kind of rat/mouse crosses the road after dark around here, but they are large with long tails. I don't know if I have ran one over but I see them scurrying across. I decided it is better than spiders.

I arrived back in town and had to stop at the school to unload all the stuff. It was soo cold. I had forgotten to leave a set of gloves in my car and my hands were numb. I usually keep a set in there this time of year. Since the weather just turned cold, I haven't prepared as well yet! I got my stuff brought in at home and breathed a sigh of relief. Shopping just isn't  that fun! Well at least this kind of shopping. It is a chore. I am glad I have it done! 

Tomorrow is a day off to honor our Veterans. I have been thinking about their sacrifice a lot lately. If you think of the number of veterans over the life of our nation who've made sacrifices I can't even comprehend, it gives you goosebumps. I hope that our nation understands not only the sacrifice, but why they did it. It seems like so much is taken for granted now. There was a cost paid and still being paid for our freedoms.

The Learning Continues

I had my class this week which was a strain on my brain. It was good though. We worked on learning the basics of computer programming. The idea is to bring it back to our students to expose them to programming. Maybe one or two will pick up the language of programming and run with it. I am fairly certain if I start my students on this they will quickly bypass my ability to help them. Luckily I know where to get help. The difficult part is finding time in the schedule to make time for this.  I was thinking about how many interruptions we have in our students learning in public schools. Many things that have NOTHING to do with learning. It is frustrating. It is amazing our students make as much progress as they do.

I cannot emphasize enough how IMPORTANT reading is. If you have a child beginning to read you can't stop it one day and not pick it back up for three months and blame the teacher for their lack of ability to read. You have to practice, practice, practice.  I feel bad for this student because they are falling behind their peers quickly. Their peers had the advantage in that they practiced reading all summer long. It made a HUGE difference as you can imagine. Read signs, cereal boxes, anything and everything that crosses their path. Reading is EVERYTHING! 

The wind blew the cold into town today. It blew so hard the playground fence was covered in tumbleweeds. It looked pretty funny. On my drive to and from class I only took out one jackrabbit. That was a nice change. We are supposed to get snow tomorrow. I hope so I enjoy how the white brightens up the world!

Put the Sock Monkey to Bed!

Yep, I was a sock monkey for Halloween. It worked out well for many reasons. 1. The costume was essentially footie pajamas which means all day comfort. 2. It was just chilly enough to make it a nice, warm, cozy costume. 3. I could whack people with my tail. 4. Everyone smiled, laughed, giggled, or chuckled upon spotting me! 5. I could stand to wear it all day long! 

So there ya go... 5 reasons why a Sock Monkey Costume is worthwhile! Anyhow It was such a busy day. All the kiddos could think about was "Halloween" all day long. Nothing was quite as important as that. We had an art project, a snack, and an episode of the "Munsters" for our party.

Now the sock monkey hears her pillow calling her name. The sugar crash that will come to the students tomorrow will make the day interesting.  Yay for teachers trying to teach the day after Halloween!

Bread Junkie

I ordered some home-made bread from a local Bread-Making genius. Dad looked at that bread like a Junkie looks at Crack. I knew he liked bread but I was a little surprised by his reaction. Then I found out  mom has been buying gluten-free bread. He really really likes it (ahem).

The 'rent helped me complete a few chores I haven't had time to do so that was great. They also helped at the Halloween Carnival. Dad took tickets and handed kids a "fishing" pole and mom was behind the scenes clipping prizes on the pole! 

I ran around getting our volunteers needed supplies, cleaning up, chatting, and trying to keep track of it all. The high-school seniors had their annual Pie-in-the-face auction. The seniors are auctioned off to take the pie-in-the-face. It is a great fundraiser. The price is generally paid by the parents! The students are amazing sports about this annual tradition. It was great to see how many little kiddo's were running around. I may have a lot of them in a couple of years if I stay here. I don't know if I will love them as much as I love the current group of kiddos though! They are phenomenal. It was a large turn-out for the carnival. It was worth the effort we put into it.

Dad has been torturing me with RFDTV a "rural" television station with things like AG Reports, pig training, and country western music. Okay maybe I exaggerated on the second item but you get the idea that it is RURAL TV at its finest.  Luckily we "forgot" to turn on the Duck Game or I would've had to suffer through that as well.  We got some cooking done and some things put away in the freezer. I didn't have much butter left but didn't really think about it. I ran to my favorite mini-mart to buy some butter but they didn't have any. I knew the Mini-Mart Cashier (our english teacher). He called his wife so I drove up to their house and she gave me a pound of butter. Note to self: When the 'rents visit stock up  on ketchup and BUTTER! I rarely use butter. If I do use it it is for baking. I just don't use it very often. Which is a good thing! It did shock the 'rents that I could forget to stock up on butter!

We were just discussing a song. Ma and Pa went to watch the Artist and brought me the children's c.d. by this artist.  Dad thought the song was "Stand and Burp" Mom thought it was something about dirt. I read the c.d. cover and it is a song about "Stan and Bert". I like the 'rents versions better! Well I think I do I haven't listened to the c.d. yet. We  listen to a lot of music in my classroom. The kiddos are listening to a lot of classical music and they don't know it. If I forget to turn on the classical station it doesn't take long for a student to remind me to do it. They all enjoy it which is awesome. I also play children's tunes. Sometimes the older kids or other teachers walk by when we are working and smile at me. If I can make a musical connection to what we are learning it clicks.  We have the "a-e-i-o-u sometimes y" song. We also have "silent e is a ninja" song we sing on a daily basis. I also have some math tunes that help with counting by 2's, 5's, 10's. It makes it so much more fun and the students remember it which is the goal!

Next week we will start practice for our Christmas Program.  The kids have been listening to the songs a little bit and are quite excited. I keep trying to encourage my colleague to make sure the little guys have lines in the play. After all it really is for them. I thought she'd be a little more receptive since her children are in my class. We'll see what happens. They are pretty excited to get going on that and my STEM project.  So.... that's all I can think of for now!

Update: Tonight I asked Dad if he would like some "Chamomile Tea" He thought I asked him If He'd like some "Camel-Milk Tea"!

Halloween Madness

Awww man delegating IS NOT always the best idea. For instance you ask for help making a  tri-fold stand alone plywood "divider" to use as a fish pond. Then they make it so short you have to have a oompa loompa sitting behind it on a really short chair to be hidden while hooking the prizes on.  Then the smooth side that you would paint to look like a pond.... they put the hinges on. So it folds in the wrong direction. UGGH!  Then you ask teenagers to help you paint it. Usually not a bad idea. Ummm it looks kind of like a pond. I will be repainting it for next year. It still looks better than what we had last year though. So there ya go. I am grateful an effort was made. The teenagers did run home to get a drill to put the hinges on the correct side... so They are problem solvers!


It has been such a roller coaster lately. I have been feeling pretty discouraged. Today I had an observer come from the state. It was so wonderful. I heard about so many things I was doing right.  I got so much positive feedback I almost didn't know what to do! I can't even tell you how much I needed that. I feel like this class I am taking has done so much positive  for me on so many levels. I am soooooo glad I signed up for it!  The observer was very impressed by how eager to learn my students are as well. They are awesome. If anything they get upset when they don't feel like they are getting to participate or share their thoughts. I have awesome students. They are seriously AMAZING!

Tomorrow is our Halloween Carnival. Ready or not here it comes. I also have to get the clean clothes off the guestroom bed so my parents have a place to sleep.  :)  Aww laundry... never ever ends.

2 Months

Almost two months into school and I still haven't received my handwriting books. The kids are perpetually bugging me for them. I don't know why they aren't here yet and I am tired of asking the question. It is great the kids want to work on their writing though. Sigh.

I look back on last week and talk about a busy one. I was fighting getting sick and didn't really know it till Thursday afternoon when vomiting seemed like the best idea ever. I never managed it but I did manage to get a low fever and have the chills. I went to bed early which was good because the next day I had to get up early to leave for a training.

What I see happening here is the same I have seen in other districts. Administration gets stressed about test scores. So they decide a million trainings is the best idea. So you go to all the trainings and become a master of none of the strategies. I wish they would focus on one area. Give you tons of support on improving in that area and then move on to another.  The brain gets overloaded.

I talk with a good friend quite often and we dream of our "dream school" when we when the lottery and build it. LOL. I know if I gave my students that many different strategies in one sitting. They'd be wandering out to recess with glazed over eyes much like I left the meeting.  It is also a problem that some people are so resistant to the changes and insist they already teach this way they don't listen at all. They already know it. Oh dear.  They predict with the changes to the Common Core Standards a lot of teachers will go into retirement. Change is hard.

I started painting our "fish pond" for the Halloween Carnival. I only have a coat of primer down. I need to get it done before Thursday so wish me luck! I also have an observer from the state coming to my classroom on Wednesday! Oh me oh my! 

I had the joy of talking with a former colleague this week. It was so good and so encouraging to chat with her. She even e-mailed me some of her wonderful ideas and lessons I remembered from her class. I now wish I had spent more time in her classroom. She ran into one of the parents of my students and heard a glowing report. It was nice to hear because the past few weeks have been decidedly discouraging.  It is all a tad overwhelming right now. I have hope this week will be a good one. If not the parents are coming down to see me. Wait till they meet my list of chores.  :)

The Jack Rabbit Hour

So I left at prime time to class and came back during prime time. Prime time for RABBITS that is! I only clipped one I think. So that went well. I had a wonderful class. We had a professor from Colorado School of Mines lead us through another PBL. It was fun. I could see a lot of us teacher have had a stressful fall. It made me feel better that I wasn't alone. What all of us in this class have in common is we really, genuinely care about our students. We want to do better for them. I've been feeling like the joy is being sucked from a job I truly love.  I think changes are needed in the Education System but I think government goes about it allllllll wrong. I need to when the Lottery so I can open up a private school and hire motivated happy people.

I have had a serious job offer in another county. It would start after Christmas break. I love where I am at in so many ways but I feel like I have to seriously consider this offer. We'll see there are a lot of pros and cons. I think the stress I've been experiencing is making me look at it closer than perhaps I usually would.

Back to class. IT was great! I left it feeling up beat encouraged and like I could tackle some good stuff. I AM SOOOOOO glad I signed up for this class last year. I had no idea how much I would need it when I signed up for it. It gets me "off the island" so to speak and broadens my point of view a little. I really, really, really, need to stimulate my brain with things outside of work more. It is just that I care and love my job so much I can't turn it off.

I bought two pumpkins today to decorate for our Halloween Carnival Pumpkin Raffle. I don't know how I will decorate them yet but that will be fun In my oodles and oodles of Spare TIME! HA! I sold some raffle tickets for our "lamb raffle" today. For our field trip fund. I have a big idea for our field trip this year. So hopefully we can raise enough money to make it happen.

The parents are coming down in a week. This means I will have to remove the mountain of clean clothes from the guest bed before they come. :) Hey at least it's clean clothes :)

one of those

This is one of those times when you just have to let go and hope it works out okay. I am absent tomorrow for my class and I have a sub. The sub said she will sit back and let the aide do the work. Ummm Okay... I said I'm not sure that will work. Oh my .... I don't ever want this sub again. We have a new sub but my colleague is gone for 2 days and so they put her in there. I have another person who just got her sub license but now has to wait for the paperwork to go through the county. I can't wait for that to happen. Having a good sub here is just the BEST THING EVER! I just try to be glad for progress.

 I've been under a lot of stress lately. One of my friends said I don't know how you are handling this so well. I don't know either. I know part of it is having good people to talk to. Wise people who give good advice. I know I am flawed, imperfect, and all. But I know my priorities are in the right place. I did a lot of thinking this weekend to prepare my mind for another week. I could step back and look  inward. I realized I just need to remain true to what I know is right. If I can do this and still be kind it will all come out okay.

Tomorrow I drive about 3 1/2 hours for my STEM class. I am so glad to have this to attend right now. It gets me around people who are excited and motivated and working to be better at their job. I came back energized and revived last time. I hope it does the same for me again. I really the refreshment.

I got a lot done this weekend but little was work related. I focused on projects at home for a nice change. I got a lot done and felt good about it. Part of me felt guilty that I might be neglecting work. It was good for my brain to move elsewhere for awhile.

My former aide and amazing person made a great suggestion to me. She said next time I have to be absent assign an Junior Substitute. She knows my students well and they LOVE to be bossy and in charge. I could give them a task list and have them help the sub in anyway they can. I think it is a great idea. They know the routine better than anyone. I will have to put that into action next time.

I've been making Tin Can Jack-O-Lanterns. At first I just looked at the picture and made the assumption that I could make them without directions. Wrong. Try to punch holes in a tin can without a solid surface behind it and well NOPE! So I went back and read the directions (bummer)! LOL So Freeze them full of water and then hammer nails or punches into them. It works. I have about 6 more to do. Then I will paint them.

Gas!

Welllllll..... Internet died, decided to work again, died again, is working again! (knock on wood). Luckily I have access at work or I wouldn't have worked on my online class, paid bills, and a variety of other exciting things. So I'm behind on the news.  I probably forgot some of the news...bummer.

Over the weekend as a truck was going up the road and I was taking my trash to my car I heard a yell " That's MY Miss C"  the truck pulled over a child jumped out and gave me a huge hug. Then they took my trash and drove off. That worked out well for me! :)  So don't argue with a 1st graders ownership of their teacher or you may end up taking the teachers trash to the dump.

I drove the cross country team and the day after they ran 13 miles 2 of them beat their personal records. That is awesome! We took them out for Mexican food where I broke my own rule and ordered a Hamburger. I just didn't want to drive kids home in a van after eating beans. It was a delicious Hamburger but you know what.... next time I am having the beans anyway. That's why they put roll down windows in cars right?

Ummm it is Hunting Season which means a lot of hunters driving through with trailers, atvs, and camouflage gear! It is interesting to watch. You can tell "city" folks because they park their trailer right next to whatever highway and then drive their ATV's miles up to the mountains.  The locals camp in the mountains, or at least well off the highway. Interesting. Dad was excited to hear about a 4 x 6 Mule Deer. Although the nagging has become incessant about me getting my hunting license. Sheesh!

A parent with their Agriculture Ed. degree came in this afternoon planted herbs with my students and discussed what things need to grow and where they grow best. It is great. She went home and her husband said "You look awful"! She really appreciates how much hard work teaching is! It is really nice to get that respect. It takes a lot of energy.

Speaking of that. I know that there is a lot of talk about teachers their vacations, not working much etc. I will be the first to say their are a lot of teachers abusing the system that are in it for the wrong reasons and aren't doing what they should be doing!....... Tonight I go to the gas station... the owner keeps asking me if I want to work there. He's had good luck hiring teachers. He's desperate for help. 1 day a week he says.  How hard is it to get help, and how poor is your help, when you are recruiting teachers to work at the gas station? Not that we aren't capable... it just amazes me that people are so unwilling to work! The Math teacher works there on weekends at least a couple of shifts. Anyhow, I just had to shake my head, If I need a 2nd job....look for me at Chevron :)!

How did I???

Today was one of those days that when I got home I thought to myself... "How did I do all of that in one day?"   I don't know but I did! Taking my vitamins to get through the rest of the week. I had no classroom aide this week which made more work for me but was a lot more peaceful. We worked on the Halloween Carnival after school, the big run coming up, and then our girls had a home volleyball game. I heard one of our girls after the game telling her mom off for not getting there on time. She kept telling her she was there (she wasn't) but the girl kept telling her you weren't I didn't see you and I couldn't hear you cheering for me. The kids notice people! They know when you show up. They may act like they don't notice but they do! So show up!

Tomorrow after school I go post the miles for the run, and work on other set up details. I have a lot of community volunteers as well as parent volunteers. So hopefully it all goes smoothly. It also sounds like I will be driving the cross country kids to their next meet this time it is about 2 1/2 hour drive away. I will probably do it just so they can attend. Saturday I am hosting a "painting party" at school to paint hopscotch, and four square on the playground!  WHAT WAS I THINKING?  I have to get ready for my STEM class, and work on my online class this weekend. Oh and Laundry so I can wear clothes to school. Anyone want to come be my chef, maid, organizer etc? I don't pay well but you won't be bored!!

Almost a Full Moon!

I had a four hour training on SMART Board technology yesterday. It was one of the rare trainings set up by the school district that actually held a lot of value for me. I was quite excited to finally get my hands dirty with this technology and learn more about how to navigate it. I also feel like I can start creating some of my own lessons on there which was my goal! What was even better is we had a lot of fun while learning. That is huge. At first I was worried because most of the application was about high school and a program they use that we don't in elementary. Then they switched and got down to the brass tacks of it. It was pretty fun. We also got some access to some lessons already created. YAY!!  So that was good to attend a training that didn't make me say " why did we attend that if no one intends to implement it?" or "why did we attend that if we have to beg for the supplies to make it work?" or "why did we attend that when there are way better programs out there?".  Those are the most common questions I ask. Luckily this time it was about practical application of technology we have.


After training I had a quick lunch attempted a quick nap and then went back to school to make sure they had what they needed for a home game. Then I hid in my classroom and worked on things until it was time to leave for our field trip. It was a cute play. The Missoula Children's Theatre came down to a local town auditioned students and helped them put on a play. We had a few giggles. The town asked us to audition next year. I am not sure what that would look like so I will need to gather more information. It was fun for the kids though. On the drive bag home near the top of a mountain summit our lights started flickering. If I had more confidence in the bus driver (age 73) I probably would have experienced a little less anxiety. Unfortunately just the act of riding on the bus is anxiety inducing.  We managed to pull off and figure out that for some reason his overuse of the dimmer switch was making the connection not work. So he had to with a virtually full moon in a vast desert, not use his "brights".  So we made it home again. The excitement on the bus rides is a little too much for me. It is always something that makes you dream of  a younger bus driver say maybe 60 years old :)!

We got in late last night and i quickly greeted my pillow. I am waiting to find out from some parents if they are going to the big city. I hope they are we need some supplies for our 13 mile run and I really don't want to make the drive to town. Especially since I need to buy new tires. I just don't want to tempt fate.

Another Day of Controlled Chaos!

It was such a busy day I really am not completely sure how I got through it! The kids have been so excited about participating in a run we are having next week they are begging me to train. The high school students are running 13 miles, the middle school 3.1, and the elementary 1mile. They are amazing. Seriously, do you know any elementary school kids (let alone a whole class) who beg you to train for the mile run??? So we've been practicing when possible at the end of the day. They are quite motivated! I just love my students. We also have been preparing to go on a field trip tomorrow. It is about  1 1/2 hours away, by bus add  1/2 hour and some nausea. Oh man I forgot to buy ginger!  Okay so we are going to see "The Tortoise vs. The Hare" play. It really went hand in hand with preparing for this race. I read them the story and then we watched a couple of Tortoise and the Hare videos online. I wanted them to see the different versions  and realize they all have the same message. After watching these they really started to strategically plan their run. 

Today our cross country team left for a meet. They one 1st and 2nd in our Division. I was so proud of them. They have really pushed themselves to make this happen. They were pretty proud of themselves as well. After school today our volleyball team had their first home game. They lost all three games but the first and third were very very close. It is the first year in awhile they've been pushed to do well. I've seen so much improvement in them so that is good. Only a couple of them are super competitive. One of them has NEVER played before. I think living where we do can be a good thing because they really have to learn to overcome obstacles.

Ummm what else is new? I have a training tomorrow morning, will attend the beginning of tomorrows volleyball game, and then leave for the field trip. Sometime this weekend I have to get ready for next week. I am sure there is more but honestly... I can't remember..
G'nite

Singing the Procrastination Song...

I am taking a  4 week class this fall. It isn't that it is boring just dry. Reading the laws and cases. It is a good thing I decided against law school. Not that I even considered it. I am learning quite a bit from this class. It is interesting to find out what laws have possibly been violated, or not. I have just been procrastinating on my homework for this class!  I got it done in time though. I will drum up some motivation and try to get ahead in it because the next several weeks are going to be nuts!

I was looking through my "to-do" list and everything that is coming up in the next few weeks. It gets a bit overwhelming quite quickly. I found out today something that surprised me. Another teacher who rarely says anything was frustrated by some of the speed bumps thrown in front of us. I don't know how we can overcome this issue. I was surprised because normally this teacher is a little wishy-washy. When you don't get the basics taken care of you just get sooo frustrated. It really impedes progress!

I knew we were short of substitutes but until paperwork goes through I am not sure what will happen. It is crazy. It makes a teacher nervous to leave when their is nobody remotely competent to oversee a class. Well I think I will hit the showers and look forward to a new day.

Orange Cones

This state has a unique gift of distributing orange cones generously for miles, and miles down the highway. It is really great because it lowers the speed limit 20 mph. Such torture! I don't understand their methodology for road construction. 

I drove the kids 4 hours away for a cross country meet. It was fun to see them compete and find out more about this sport. I am thinking I may need to organize a meet in this town if we have kids competing next year.  It was a very long day though. I also found out if you eat at a buffet on friday, it might be a seafood buffet. YACK!  Check it out first. Yep yep.

The negativity is wearing me out around here. I have been turning around and walking away. I sometimes think if they could see themselves, what would they think. It is sooooo frustrating to want better for students when everyone around them is like "why bother?". UGGH! It is a obstacle for sure. At the beginning of this year we got this story about we're all pushing the same wheel and to move it forward we all have to be pushing it. Well I think there has been some speed bumps and some folks throwing obstacles in front of the wheel. 

On the way home from the meet this evening I took out two jackrabbits, spotted one coyote, and a few hundred bugs. Stinking jackrabbits. Seriously you need to drive through here just after twilight. It is like the signal went on to run into the road. Then in the morning the vultures and hawks are sitting in the road eating the carcasses. Yummy!

I had a tire issue this week. It needed to get changed till I can get to town and buy new tires, get an alignment, etc. Thank goodness for teenagers that live in the boonies. I set out the spare tire, and came out after school the tire was changed! Awesome!

I am sooo sleepy so I will sign off for now... G'nite

Reflections..

If I reflect back on the past few weeks I can pretty much sum it up like this. "AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA"
Yep yep! I've made it though. Some things were a serious pain in my behind. (Sarcasm alert)  I LOVE how this town embraces incompetence. Yep drives a soul batty. It is nice to get verification from other people once in awhile.... "Have I lost my compass for what is normal .... or does this sound nuts to you too?". 

Tonight I met the other teachers and high-school students on the mountain side to paint the first letter of our towns name. It hadn't gotten a refresher for a couple of years so it was definitely needed. The kids were fairly controlled in their painting. Not too much paint on one another. They demonstrated a bit of self control.

In other news I found out our cross-country coaches paper work had not gone through. Somehow I think it was one of those deliberately lost files. It happens once in awhile. So I am driving the team 208 miles one way to their meet on Friday. What I do so they can compete. 

I had a parent volunteer in the classroom today. She is awesome because she dives right in. I don't have to ask her and she comprehends what the students are doing. It is absolutely fabulous. YAY... then our principal, school counselor, and a interventionist came it. The counselor I had invited to do a "good touch bad touch" lesson with the kids. Of course the student I  wanted to have this lesson the most was pulled from school. OF COURSE! Sigh!   Then this is irony. Playing soccer out at recess one girl gets a soccer ball kicked at her and she has an amazing shiner. Then another one slips and slams her forehead into a bookshelf. Big bruise in the middle of her forehead. So I have this lesson and send them home bruised and banged up! Sheesh! 

I started my school law and constitution class this week. I will have a lot of homework every weekend but it will only last 4 weeks. So hopefully I can get this all done without too much headaches. I found out about a new teacher that moved to a community south of here from the other side of our country. I am going to try to meet her because I think she left the green green grass of home for the sagebrush sagebrush land of sagebrush.  Well my pillow is shouting at me...

G'nite

Happy Birthday TO ME!!!

It has been a lovely weekend! I got to hang out with some friends in the country and breathe some fresher air. Every time I go out that way I think I need to find a place to rent out here. It is a longer drive to school but is so peaceful out there. At nighttime the stargazing is just beyond what you imagine. Most nights you can even see the Milky Way. I  love how peaceful it is out there. There are a couple of places for rent and I am going to seriously consider it.

I was feeling soooo much stress the end of last week I really had to consider how to let it go. With a lot of prayers and getting out of town it made a huge difference. I really want to start my week off with a positive attitude and a smile. So that is the plan. If it gets to me I need to go and watch the stars for awhile! I spent some time with some great people this weekend  which was really beneficial.

One of the folks I visited with was getting ready for a sermon this Sunday. He was asking me about my thoughts on forgiveness. Here I've been going through this situation and forgiveness wasn't at the top of my list. We discussed it for quite awhile. One thing that we have a tendency to do is judge others for their lack of forgiveness. It is such a process and needs to be done in peoples own time. You can't push anyone to forgive. Sometimes someone else doesn't know they've done something, or need forgiven. Also, sometimes you think you have forgiven, but all you've gained is a little distance. Then when confronted with it again all those feelings come back and you know forgiveness hasn't been achieved. Then when you think about God's capability of forgiveness and the breadth and width of what or who he has forgiven. That is too phenomenal to big for words. We finished our conversation with the fact that  we know we've forgiven when there is peace. It was a great conversation.

This very peaceful weekend allowed me to take several steps back and breathe and let go. I really think it will give me the opportunity to start off a new week with a good attitude! This weekend I also met a young lady who just moved here to be with her husband. She finished her teaching degree this summer and wants to volunteer. I had a long talk with her and she was soo excited and asked me a lot of questions about education and school. It was refreshing and rejuvenating for me to chat with her. It brought me back to why I really love me job. It is those little faces that greet me every morning ready to go. It is awesome! She is going to volunteer at least a couple of days a week and then will be subbing for us sometimes. So things are moving in a positive direction.

So Happy Independence Day to Mexico hopefully, you can find some Independence from the strong arms of Drug Cartels! And Happy Birthday to ME!! Thanks for all the phone calls and messages! It has been a great birthday!

P.s. the saloon got a little noisy this weekend for a coyote roundup! I don't know what is more scary that I am learning to sleep through it or that I think it's normal!

p.p.s a good friend of mine had a healthy baby today so that is my best Birthday Present yet! Congrats to them!

Bats, JackRabbits, Coyotes

I've noticed this fall especially a lot of bats flying in the evening around the lights eating bugs! One night at the gas station I thought good thing Mom isn't here she wouldn't have exited the car and probably wouldn't let me either! I kind of like watching them.
I had a class in 142 mile away town today! It was such a good class. So engaging and fun. It was really great to hang around some positivity and learn some great stuff. It was a busy fun day.

I left long before sunup for my class which is at prime Jackrabbit time. I nailed a couple, saw a coyote slinking away, saw mice running across the road, and an owl catching something. The stinking jackrabbits though! You might be surprised at what those buggers can do to a car. Anyhow I get to the town my class is in driving my school car. Lights flashing behind me pulling me over. Yikes getting pulled over in my work car! "do you know why I pulled you over?"  Classic officer question., I was thinking did I do something wrong, I was a little lost, maybe I missed a stop sign or something?   I said "no". " you have some plastic hanging under your car". I got out to look and sure enough the jackrabbit had not only taken his life but the life of the plastic air flow thing-a-ma-jigger under the car.  He told me to just drive to my destination because I was just a couple blocks away and have them help me.  I got there they had me go into the school bus shop and one of the mechanics rolled under there and removed it. Had a little rabbit fur and a lot of blood spray on it. Those stinking jackrabbits!

I hadn't been grocery shopping for a month so after class I did the grocery run. I probably should've gotten two carts but I managed with the leaning tower of groceries and made through checkout and to the car without losing anything. I feel like I can go another month now!

On the way home a coyote was in the middle of my lane eating the jackrabbit roadkill dinner special. I had to come to almost a complete stop before he decided it wasn't worth it and ran off the road! Yikes! I got home and had to unload all of those groceries. That is always the worst part. I apparently wasn't unloading them with a lot of grace or silence because one of the barflies offered to help me unload! I took him up on that offer. Just to get them to the top of my stairs!  I appreciated it. He is a barfly that respects my boundaries so I was okay with it! Then I had to find a spot in my fridge for everything. Somehow that isn't a factor when I am buying the groceries :)!

My mistake of having such a great learning day was to check my e-mail when I got home! Don't do that!  Seriously! If you've had just a day that made you smile and you feel good about it. Don't get on that FB, don't check your e -mail! I had a e-mail requesting I attend another meeting with the staff member who doesn't want to work! Seriously! WHY DID I CHECK MY E-MAIL!  I don't know how I am going to handle this yet! I am sooooo done with this situation! If I made as many excuses I would be in huge trouble. UGGH.

For a little while today I forgot the significance of today's date. It wasn't that I forgot completely. it just went to the background for awhile. Which I think was a good thing. When I saw all of the postings I remembered so much of where I was, and all the emotions I felt. I was too close at that time for it to ever be surreal, it was far far to real.

Anyhow, it was a great day for learning had a professor with a degree in physics and civil engineering teach us today. It was engaging and fun!

We Couldn't Understand This Location

Alright Google Maps you've let me down. It isn't like I am going to a ranch in the boonies. Nope I'm going to an actual town with Grocery stores, multiple stoplights, Big R,  fast food chains, casinos, boot barns, and more! I have to go near the Jr. High school, and Google maps says "We couldn't understand this location"!   The map the school website had posted had 3 possibilities and none of them labeled. They also linked to google maps. Sigh....

Luckily I just got a text message with directions! If I can find East 4th Street in this booming metropolis I should be fine!

It was a busy day, and I had to get ready to be gone tomorrow for my class. I will  have to get up about 4:30 to leave on time!  I am driving the school car (a retired police car)! It is quite easy to speed in it. What is more fun is driving up on someone and have them slow wayyyyy down!  A little entertaining! The police drive wayyyy nicer and newer cars than this one so  I guess people are just playing it safe.

A local had a birthday party at the park today. So I went up for a little while before heading home. It was great for me because dinner was provided and tomorrow is grocery store day! It is getting pretty boring in my fridge! They had four kinds of homemade ice cream yummy. They also had a singing cowboy from one of the ranches. Honestly though I really was most excited about a dinner I didn't have to cook! I get so sick of my own cooking :)! That's why preparing some freezer dinners is a great idea. You aren't sick of it by the end of the pot! Almost every weekend I've been trying to cook a freezer meal.  I have class tomorrow have to drive 142 miles one way to class. It will be a long day tomorrow. Hopefully, I've written a good list for the store because by the time I arrive I probably won't care!

I need to hop in the shower get my coolers and grocery bags by the door! We have a professor from a Colorado University coming tomorrow to teach us something about Asteroids!  He sounds delightfully nerdy and passionate about his area of expertise! Should be fun.

G'nite

Lazy Day

I spent was somewhat lazy today. Decided not to go in to school today, and got a few things done at home. I managed to wear my pajamas most of the day which was just what I needed! Then I got a phone call. One of my friends from the town I lived in before was driving through and wanted to meet me for dinner. So we had some good laughs, talked about movies, and more. It was a fun break! It was funny because I was just thinking I'd make a pot of Taco Soup..a little unenthusiastically, and he called to have me meet him for dinner. I really loved working with his wife a the year before last ! She is pregnant with their first boy and due in the next couple of weeks. So I expect to hear very soon that she had the baby!  I often visit their family when I go back to that town. I really enjoy hanging out with them. He has pretty much gutted and remodeled their entire home. It is fun to see what he has done every time I visit. The funniest story he had to share was stopping at Wal-Mart in the town where I go grocery shopping. He said when he was going into Wally-fart a very attractive woman was setting up a "kissing booth" in front of the store. He was kind of surprised to see that at a store and was wondering how desperate for money she was that she would kiss Wally-fart customers! So he went in and came back out and the price for a kiss was 1.00$. However, the kiss recipient wasn't the attractive woman but a Great Dane. He said he giggled about that for many miles down the road.

Today the town had a "wine walk"! It was a good day for me to hide out. They don't really need an excuse to drink here! I heard sirens going a couple of times. I don't know if it was "wine walk" related but I will probably find out later. Tomorrow I have a lot to do at school but it was good to take a day to check out!

Epiphany!

Had a realization today. Sometimes you need to stand back and let someone sink or swim. Time to get out of the way. I was attempting to control the outcome. It will probably be the same but I need to get out of the way and let it happen.What I will do is invite help to my classroom that care as much as I do about learning. I will use them for interventions, and areas of need.  I feel better about these choices than the ones I was making before. I can't make someone else do their job, and if my boss won't take care of it, I really have no power. I was attempting in my own way to make sure something was done. It wasn't working, so I need to get out of the way and invite people in who are willing to make the work get done! 

I went in to school for a few hours today and got quite a bit accomplished. I will probably go back this evening when it is cool and quiet and work some more. I have class next week so I have to prepare to be gone. We do not have any sub's right now. I am not sure who will end up subbing for me but I am fairly certain it will be the bus driver. Yikes! Seriously YIKES!  I have asked a parent to come in and teach the morning lessons to the students! She is a little nervous I think, but I feel good about her coming in. She understands how animated you need to be and how to make it exciting. She also has healthy boundaries for student behavior.  She is working on getting her sub license and it really can't happen soon enough! I have another parent coming in for the afternoon. I think this will help make sure everything gets done!

Not so great day... but a nice ending!

What can you do when someone makes it okay for someone not to do their job? I don't have the answer! I hold myself and my students accountable. Why can't I hold my aide accountable. It is so annoying. I have learned a lot from this experience. I was going to change my  plan..based on the horrible meeting today. Then I thought NO I'm NOT!  Why am I being asked to make it okay for you not to do what I ask of you? Forget it! I am going to focus on the kids, and you're either with me, or not! If you're not don't expect me to make it okay for you and I won't be sitting down with you for a meeting again. GRRRRR

I came home pretty disgusted and frustrated. I talked to one of my students parent tonight. Most of my girls are way, way, tougher, stronger, and more independent than the boys in my class. They are amazing young ladies. Well this parent was telling me her daughter was out helping her Dad round up some cattle. Something broke and the Dad had to run back to the truck. When he got back she at 7 years of age had kept the herd together and drove them several miles closer to where they needed them to be! Isn't that awesome? Her mom told me I don't know where her future will take her but if it takes her to New York City at least I know she can castrate any perverts hassling her!

It was so great for me to chat with this mom. She's a strong, practical, independent woman raising a daughter with those same values! It was a great finish to a not so great day! It put my focus away from this other nonsense and back on these kids who are amazing! I have the privilege of being their teacher! It is awesome. It motivates me and excites me

Have a great Day, Night, Afternoon...

Question answered!

Awhile back  I asked the question "If you fire someone when you're drunk, and don't remember firing them, are they still fired in the morning?" I found out that you're not fired, but your boss does have to call and ask you to come in to work!  Also if you are wearing a very colorful multi-scarve turban upon your head. It may be because you believe aliens are trying to steal your thoughts. If there are aliens I truly hope they are looking for more worthy candidates to steal thoughts from.

My pregnant aid, who is making me crazy, had a good day the other day. Ahem. Our janitor who unlocks all of the school doors was unable to come in one morning. The first teacher who arrived just propped the front doors open with our heavy piece of old rail road track. It makes and excellent doorstop. So we went about our day. I took my students out to the bus and the wind was blowing so it was blowing the door closed even with that doorstop. I kicked it out of the way and went inside. Then I had to call one of my coaches. So to make sure I had service I went up by the windows at the front of our school. I saw the aid approaching the door and before she gives me a chance to get to the door she starts banging on it and yells at me to let her in literally it took maybe 20 seconds for me to walk over and open the door then she makes a comment about me not opening it quickly enough.  I was still on the phone with the coach so I am not responding to her. She walks  about 4 yards into the school and tells the janitor (who just got there) " you locked me out!" The janitors eyes are huge and she says "uh no I didn't I just got here", " You locked me out the door was locked.!"  I had finished my call so I say " I'm not sure the door every got unlocked today".  Then I start walking away (out of target range). I hear the janitor say " see it probably never got unlocked just propped open from the inside, I haven't been here today" I keep walking so I have no idea if there was more to this crazy conversation.  I have been walking on eggshells around my classroom. I really hope she decides this is too much for her and decides to move on. Pray for me to have some patience, and wisdom in my words!

I had a great day today. I went out to one of the ranches and made a 6 loaf batch of homemade bread. Sooo yummy! It is one of those mom's who makes a fresh batch of bread every time they run out. They never buy bread. So then we had fresh from the oven bread with honey on it. Ohhhh  yum. We also went out and picked beans from their garden. I also helped them move some furniture around. They had a flash flood that filled up their window-wells and ended up breaking a window and flowing into their basement. They had fans and humidifiers and were trying to clear it out. Then another flash flood came through.  So they are still in process of cleaning up the mess.

I also had a nice time yesterday. Drove about an hour to have a good hamburger with  one of my friends here. It is good food and was very relaxing. So I was able to get away from school for a bit. I did go to school on Friday morning and discovered one of my coaches left her keys in the door of the school when she left for the game. Luckily I was there in time to take care of it. The computer guy also came on Friday. I can only hope he took care of most of the issues. I know one he wasn't able to because I tried to get on the SMART exchange website and still couldn't. So I will submit another help ticket and hopefully this will get taken care of.

I have a mountain of laundry and dishes to do! Hope you are having a good Labor Day Weekend!

I have this... but not that...

Ever play "I have this, but not that, so I can't make this" in your cupboards? Eventually all you can do is just eat cereal. ha ha. I also frequently play "I'd make this, if my dishes were clean". Sometimes it just isn't worth doing dishes, or even doing the dishes after you make it. :) What I do to avoid doing dishes.  It is time to go to the grocery store. I'm not going for another 12 days or so. There could be some creative cooking between now and then. I just really have to remember my list when I finally go. That's the worst to forget your list..or leave that one thing off your list you really needed.

Something else great happened today. A few of the girls from the volleyball team thanked me for my efforts getting them games and making it happen while we were on summer vacation. I thought that was really sweet. I didn't feel like I had gotten them enough games but it was much more than they'd had in the past.  We ordered them new uniforms this year. They really liked them and were pretty excited. They fit them better than the old ones and they fit them. I know that was repetitive but you should've seen the scary uniforms from last year. I was embarrassed for them. So they have new ones that look really nice and they don't look like streetwalkers ahem.

I have been requesting black ink for my printer since April of last year. I asked the secretary to only order me black. I said color is a bonus but just get black and get extra. The order came today with one black cartridge. UUGGH! Seriously. I can't figure out why she ordered some of what she ordered. Things like pens, and ink, and tape we ordered the minimum.  I don't know.... what can you do.

The superintendent came to our school today to look at our portable. They are talking about donating it to the town clinic. The secretary thought they should have the clinic at the portable at the school. I do NOT think this is a good idea. The kids out at recess, the public going into the clinic right there? I hope this doesn't happen. I guess if I needed an antibiotic I could go on my lunch 1/2 hour lol. Nawww, kidding. They already have land the clinic presently sits on but the building itself is pretty scary. I really don't know what to think about it, we'll see what happens.

I mentioned that I have two student aids. Thank goodness for them because they are getting way more done for me that my classroom aid. They also come in with a really positive attitude and are willing to help. What more can you ask for? I need to do some desk re-arranging this weekend. I think most teachers do this about a gazillion times in a school year. :)  

I'm gonna make it!

Day three of the first week of school. I think we were all feeling it today. I've been getting to school at six in the morning and leaving at five. This catches up with one pretty quickly. My students requested last year that we begin every morning with patriotic songs. I thought "Why not?". So I made a play list of some of the shorter songs along with lyric packets for the students. We started this morning with "This Land Is Your Land." One of the high school students comes every morning to pick up one of the elementary students. They say the pledge together. It is pretty fun for both of them. Every week a different student does it. I think the older and the younger students look forward to it!

It needs to keep cooling down. We left the lights off in the school building today, and left them off in my classroom all day. It keeps the heat down but it is still miserable in the afternoon.One of my classroom aides told me today she can't wait for winter! How often do you hear that? That's how hot our classrooms are!
Makes it pretty hard to keep everyone going. I've really had to make sure the kids are drinking enough water. My new kindergarten student has fallen asleep at his desk both of his school days in the afternoon. It is a long, long, day for the little guys. 

Our principal was at the school for awhile today. She said I could move the amplification system into my room.  So I am excited about that. I don't know how soon it will happen but I am glad. It will save my voice especially in the winter, and I can make sure all of my students can hear me. It is an issue in my room when the fans are running to beat the heat.

I am feeling spread a little thin in my classroom. My aide isn't even attempting to help. yay! I keep sending kids to her. I realized on the math today she didn't know the math to help them. Other than that though she isn't even trying. Pray for me to have patience, or her to move on, or both! 

I've been making my students write a lot more in every subject area. Some of them are NOT enjoying this. It is important they do it, but some of them really, really, fight it. We are doing math notebooks this year. I can tell this is really challenging them because they are not adapting very quickly to the concept. That makes me glad I am doing it. I also mentioned yesterday I tried a different strategy on them. I realized yesterday it works well, but I need a little more prep time. Good thing this weekend is a three day weekend so I can look ahead and get some lessons in place.

We managed to get six computers working so I was able to give my students one of their pre-assessments this morning. I have about six help tickets into our tech department. Hopefully, he can get it done on Friday. I I was a little disappointed that more wasn't done. However, when you're one guy trying to get the whole district going with newer computers it isn't easy. I haven't learned yet not to have expectations. I can't get on the SMART Board exchange site which is really bumming me out. I find great lessons on my home computer but don't have access at school. Which makes perfect sense doesn't it?

I am reading "Red Sails of Capri" to my students. I think their favorite character in the story is the mom  Signora Pagano.  The father says she doesn't cook by smell, by taste, or by sight, but by talking to the food. Today their was a great part about cooking macaroni. My kids laughed so hard I imagine they will be telling their parents  "Macaroni is Jealous, it likes all of your time and attention, turn your back on it and just for spite it turns to mush, sticks to the bottom of the pan, or burns." This is paraphrased but my students loved it! I love how they can get into a good story! It was funny when I asked questions about the story I didn't expect my new kindergartner to answer any. He was paying closer attention than I realized and was able to answer some questions! Fantastic! We are reading such a variety of stories this year. It will be interesting to see which ones the kids really relate to.

Welll I think I am working my way to bed time

G'nite

Shared by one of my parents!

http://www.hooves-and-horns-cowtoons.com/

What I learned today!

I learned some cool stuff today. I tried a different strategy for teaching math to my students. Trying a different method on your students is a little bit scary. It didn't go perfectly but I saw such an increase in their understanding so I was glad I did it. I figured out from this experiment how to reorganize it to make it work better during the next lessons! I wish I had been brave enough to try it earlier but so goes learning. If you're not learning from your students... you need to go do something else. Luckily children are so forgiving and don't always know when you did an oops, or if they do they're forgiving!

In the usual style for this district. Only  two of my classroom computers would turn on. They turned on but you could not log in to them. A couple of them the screens didn't work and one didn't have any cords to plug it in. Why do I trust in other people that they will get it done and that it will all work? WHY?? Oh well even if I could've had the students log in to the computers, none of their names or I.D. numbers had been entered. So we couldn't use our online assessment programs. On the upside I have been BEGGING for a voice amplification system for my classroom. I have a tendency to lose my voice fairly often, or stress it. I had one of these systems at my previous job. The research says it helps with teacher fatigue, and student understanding. The students do not miss as much information. They found one for me in the school. The OTHER part of this equation is that It needs to get installed...yes I am probably optimistic about this happening. Anyhow, I am excited by the possibility of getting this.

I also had a chance to have a chance with our "new to our school" teacher. I was curious about what he thought about our staff meeting. It was the biggest relief to hear him voice his thoughts which so matched my own. "That was the most unprofessional staff meeting I have ever been to". Unfortunately after the year last year it was NOT the most unprofessional staff meeting I had ever been to. He also said that the principal didn't really want to be involved, didn't want to hear of or deal with any issues. The principal just wants us to do our jobs and not ask anything of her.  Luckily the majority of the staff is self motivated. However, it makes it extremely difficult to get those holding us back to do anything! It also gives power and control to people who mishandle it. Sigh. I finally decided today it would be much easier to work with this kind of principal that a micro-manager. I do wish the principal cared.

It was so great to see all the kids again! Four of my students read 100 books this summer. That is one-third of my class. It really is huge! I had to go get their ice cream certificates tonight so they would not be disappointed. The ladies at the cafe were pretty excited about it. They will give the kids thumbs up when they go redeem them. So that is a great thing!

It is supposed to cool off a little next week! That will be good because we were all dreaming of swamp coolers today. My classroom stays the hottest year round. I think it is because it is in the middle of the other classrooms and has the most windows! It is nice in the winter but this time of year, not so great! I decided to make my day a little easier by giving my classroom aide a daily task list. That way if she has any free time she knows exactly what do to. Especially if I get pulled from the room for something else. I am noticing her patience with the kids isn't great. It wasn't great before pregnancy though. I know we aren't always teaching them things that are exciting for us. We have to be excited about their learning because it is very important to them. If they find it fun they will learn a little quicker.

I am sooooo tired after the first day. I plan on going in early tomorrow. G'nite all

Here they come....

Ready or not here they come! First day of school tomorrow. I worked most of last week and all weekend. I am starting way more organized than I started last year, but I still feel there is room for improvement. My classroom aide came in for awhile. She is barely pregnant, told everyone, it is a high risk pregnancy, and is hormonal as heck! She couldn't control herself at all in the professional setting so I can only imagine what she is like at home. Pray for me to have some patience. Generally the majority of my patience is reserved for my students. If you want to suck it away from me... you're way, way, down on the list!

I rearranged my classroom and I am much happier with it and feel like the students have more room. I also feel it is more functional. My aide is cranky about it. I think it is a much more workable plan for my students and that is what counts! I just want to improve on my skills every year. If you aren't helping me get there please get out of the way!

I tried to be optimistic after our school meeting with the staff and the principal. I am not feeling very optimistic though. Some of the things the principal had to say sounded good, some did not. The principal likened us to a group of people pushing a wheel. A wheel that has been sitting for a long time and takes the whole team to get any kind of movement. The principal doesn't want to hear about any impediments or obstacles in front of the wheel, we all just need to push. This was a little frustrating for me because we have staff members throwing speed bumps, and other obstacles in the wheels path. They constantly do this. If the principal doesn't deal with those people the principal is in the way as well. I will share more of the meeting later.

I am very excited to have my students back tomorrow. All the other stuff aside, they are the most important thing! They are why I keep showing up! One of my students in second grade this year made it to the national finals rodeo for kids! She is phenomenal! I can't wait to hear about their summers. I gave the students a 100 book challenge at the end of the school year!  I know a few of them made it and read more than that, but it will be interesting to find out about the rest. Of course the teacher's kids barely read this summer. That makes perfect sense doesn't it? How can you preach the value of reading and not have your kids reading? I don't get it! I am starting our first read aloud book tomorrow "The Red Sails of Capri". 

We have a cross country team this year but I can't seem to get a hold of anyone about cross country meets! Sheesh! Wish me luck! I will just keep asking until SOMEBODY, SOMEWHERE, can tell me SOMETHING! I start my online class soon, have to finish getting my STEM project together, and well... I am signing off to hit the showers!  Wish me luck on the first day back to school!