Magistra

So, today, it happened.

I finally started my tutoring. Which would be all fine and well, except that part of my tutoring is in a language I have never spoken!

(and, well, let's face it...no one speaks it!)

I am SO glad I took on this little summer project however. When Mrs. Emily said "oh yeah, the girls are starting their new school and they will be behind 1-3 years on Latin." I jumped all over that.

I have been super interested in Classical education since I read the book The Well Trained Mind, and when I almost took the job at a Classical school. The job would have been amazing except for the fact that the salary was 14,000 dollars for the year. I snubbed my nose at that when I shouldn't have, because I spent the next 8 months in a junky job, and the last 2 months unemployed! OH well, I could've never known I wouldn't get a teaching job that paid 30,000, right?

So, I ordered a Latin curriculum for the girls, and a teacher's manual for myself and Mrs. Emily to use, and I have been working ahead of the girls to get a feel for what the lessons are like, how the letters are said, and the flow of the program, and let me tell you, I am loving it!

If you ever want to learn a new language, research and order an elementary based program that goes up at least 4-5 levels. It works better than any other book based system I have seen (for adults,) because of how fast I can complete units. It's also very encouraging to be like "wow! I finished 3 lessons today, and have semi mastered 20-30 words!"

But, this book is written on a 2nd -3rd grade level, so it's not like I will be fluent by the end of the book, just familiar.

It makes me very excited to start learning Arabic, although that is going to be 50 times harder to learn, (umm, different alphabet, a "throat" language, and reading right to left is really going to throw me off.)

I don't really know if I'll keep going through the next books, but we'll see what happens. I don't think learning two new languages at the same time is wise, but, if I feel like I really enjoy learning Latin and that it is a relaxing rather than a stressful thing, then I might consider it.

Right. So our first Latin lesson went well today. I think the girls are a little overwhelmed with the new vowel sounds and all, but they are so bright, they caught on quickly. Now just to make things more creative, interesting, hands on, and entertaining!

*sigh* I love teaching.

(ps: Magistra means female teacher, and I told the girls they had to call me that! What a riot!)

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Magistra

Starfish

Once a man was walking along a beach. The sun was shining and it was a beautiful day.

Off in the distance he could see a boy going back and forth between the surf's edge and and the beach. Back and forth this person went.

As the man approached he could see that there were hundreds of starfish stranded on the sand as the result of the natural action of the tide.

The man was stuck by the the apparent futility of the task.

There were far too many starfish.

Many of them were sure to perish.

As he approached the boy continued the task of picking up starfish one by one and throwing them into the surf.

As he came up to the boy he said, "You must be crazy. There are thousands of miles of beach covered with starfish. You can't possibly make a difference."

The boy looked at the man. He then stooped down and pick up one more starfish and threw it back into the ocean.

He turned back to the man and said, "It sure made a difference to that one!"

********************

This has always been one of my favorite "wise stories," or motivational stories. Technically, it was pasted on the walls of the bathroom stall at the school that I worked at, so, you know.

It was kinda unavoidable.

But it has really grown on me. Thinking about how little things can make a difference to people.

It just has me thinking, that's all.

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Starfish

St. Patrick's Day

Funny how a big a "holiday," can become here in the US, isn't it? I find it amusing how we'll use any excuse to party.

Me? Well I did absolutely nothing today. And by nothing, I mean I kept myself busy inside the house for the entire day.

Woke up still not feeling good (I started feeling nauseous yesterday and dizzy,) and made myself go back to sleep until almost nine. Woke up still feeling like I was going to fall right over, but I made myself get up and eat something, before tackling the big project for the day.

You see, this weekend, Ian and I finally unloaded all of my teaching stuff from the car. And then it just SAT in our beautiful office, making it look and feel very cluttered. So, today it was my job to unpack, sort out, and reorganize all of the books, including the four boxes going to my friend Olyvia (I hope you have room!) And then, naturally, it made me feel like cleaning out other parts of the spare closet, like my arts drawers, and organizing my stationary and correspondence material.

So I got all of Olyvia's books boxed up and put out by the door, and organized all of the books I would be keeping into three different age groups, and got SoMe of the closet put back together....

And then I got bored.

And distracted by a subproject.

And figuring out how to bake a potato in the microwave for my dinner (what?!? we don't eat potatoes ever!)

And now it's 11 o'clock at night and there are boxes, and crates, and the vacuum cleaner, and our old TV, sitting in the middle of our beautiful office. And husband keeps tripping over stuff.

But that's what tomorrow is for!

PS: I think I figured out I was somewhat dehydrated. I drank two glasses of water and within half an hour I felt perfectly fine. Which was weird, until I realized I have drunk nothing but milk for the last four days. Darn it.

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St. Patrick's Day

Tongue Tied

Yesterday, was one of those days.

You know the kind. The days when you JUST can't seem to get your words right! All day long, I was calling the students by the wrong name, or saying the wrong thing. At one point I even said, "just ignore whatever I say today!"

Good thing they don't know what the word "ignore," means!

Uggggh, but, my utter embarrassment came later that day. When talking with another teacher, our conversation went very normally until the end:

Teacher: Well, it was good talking with you! I hope you find work soon!
Me: Thanks! I hope your internship ends well.
Teacher: Thanks! Have a good night!
Me: Okay, You're Welcome!

......

You're Welcome? Where did that come from?! Luckily we had already parted and I was just trying to say goodbye as we walked away, but, You're Welcome????

Oi Vey!

I felt so dumb, but luckily I could duck into the room and hide my embarrassment from all who were walking by.

oh. right.

Yeah, a group of about 5 other teachers HAPPENED to be walking by right then.

Mortification.

Then, I drove home, stopped at Publix, and was so flustered that I dropped an entire container of blueberries on the floor. They all rolled every which way, and then I dropped my basket in desperation to clean up my mess.

It fell on top of some blueberries.

They were squished.

I was embarrassed.

Hopefully, I will have it more together today!!

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Tongue Tied

Dream Job

Growing up, I ALWAYS wanted to be a teacher. Seriously. Going back to my farthest memories (around 3 or 4,) I wanted to teach and be in the classroom. And that was about the extent of my knowledge on the subject.

Starting in late elementary school, I surrounded myself with kiddos, and loved "helping" them, however I could.

By Middle school, I was babysitting. And making lessons for each time I went to abysit. Seriously. I was awesome. (somewhere along the years, I lost that though, and went to sitting obs a lot less prepared.)

In high school, at the age of 16, I became licensed and certified as a Florida preschool teacher.

I also began nannying 4-5 days a week when I was only 14 years old. Crazy. I would go straight to their house after school, greet them after school, make a snack, help them through homework, drive them (once I had my license!) to pop warner cheerleading or basketball, or appointments, and made sure they were showered and got some time playing outside. And that was the next 7 years of my life.
I loved it.
And I miss them so much.

THEN, I startd college, and I got to go into elementary classrooms to observe and help. My vision of my classroom changed. I was suddenly aware of the need for a schedule. The need for direction.

By the time I was in my internships, I knew I was going to have to fight to have my creative, warm and inviting, book loving classroom.

And then, I graduated, and suddenly the crashing education job market made me keenly aware that I didn't care what kind of job I got, I just wanted a job.

5 months later, I finally had a "job," but something wasn't right. The school maybe wasn't a great fit. Or maybe it was the area. Whatever it was, it was just not right.

And then I lost my job. Stupid "economic " crisis.

And then I got a long term subbing job, and suddenly, I realized how easy it would be for some people to burn out in teaching.
I was tired.
I was not satisfied.
I was mad.
Sad.
Grumpy.
Dreading work.

And it has slowly dawned on me that maybe I did not want to actually work in the public school classroom.

So my dream job has now become the following:
To homeschool someone else's kids for them.
To be able to design my own curriculum implement strategies, and to have a small class size.
I'd love to do that with my own kids, but we know that THAT won't be happening in the Galloway household for awhile.

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Dream Job

Ice, Ice, Baby....

Now, for all of you who live above/withing 200 miles of the Mason Dixon Line, you may not understand this, but trust me, it's the truth.

I am a Florida girl.
It's true.
And it is most apparent in winter, because I just don't know how to cope.

Today, it was 17 degrees when I went to my car. 17!! I could almost double that number and it would STILL be at freezing.

I said ALMOST people. sheesh. I know it's 32 degrees for freezing.

I just really don't know how to deal with cold.

For example, when we were in NC a couple of weeks ago, my friend Courtney and I went for a drive, and by my feet was this contraption. The conversation in my head was as follows:

"Oh what's that?"
"Hmm, it's got a blade!!!"
"Oh, that's good. Courtney has a weapon to defend herself."
"But...a very strange weapon. WHat is it? Not a chinese star, not brass knuckles."
"maybe it's NOT a weapon. Then...um... what is it?"

After about 20 minutes in the car, it dawned on me that it was an ice scraper.
They have tools to scrape away ice.
So weird.

I just take a bottle of water and pour it over my windshield.
Then again, that doesn't really work when it's below freezing, as I found out this past week. Because then the water freezes in a thick sheet on your windshield.

Are you as astonished as I was? Because seriously. I was SHOCKED. Water freezing right before my very eyes.

Today, I wouldn't let my kids go to the library, because it was still in the 20's. On the board, I wrote "No library. Too cold."

They thought that was a crock.
They didn't think it was a crock when they stepped outside for lunch without their jackets.
They ran back in and got their jackets. And hats. And gloves. And scarves. And one kid had a blanket around him.

Plus. 6 of my kids are absent today due to the cold.
They should have just cancelled school.

*Sigh*

I think I might die whenever I move "north."

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Ice, Ice, Baby....

My School...

At MY school:

The teacher's lounge ONLY serves sweet tea. No questions asked.

The saftey patrol wear bright orange belts...and cowboy hats.

Boots and camo jackets are part of the dress code, (unofficially. I am SO un cultured in my Steve Madden's.)

It's normal for "ya'lls," and "oh my words," to escape the mouths of students and teachers without correction.

To earn money for the library, the librarian sells giant pickles on Fridays.

If the kids are too rambunctious, it is perfectly normal to open the door and let them run in the field.

"Riblets," make a normal appearance on the kids lunch menu.

My name is prounounced. Mizzes Gal-way.

The classes do not have phones.

The kids get excited about the rodeo coming. Pee-wee bull riding, is, in fact, for children.

Prayer is said before the staff meeting begins.

There is a family of cats that lives under the shed. One of my student calls him "Target Practice."

They often write about their guns or how many deer they shot that weekend.

It's very interesting.

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My School...

Lima Beans

I absolutely can NOT believe I forgot to tell you this story. It is an important one. And it even has a moral....sort of.

Last Thursday, the class and I started our unit on plants. And, like any other warm blooded elementary school teacher, I decided to do the old stand by....The lima bean in the baggie.

So on Thursday, the students investigated (fancy word for : drove me crazy with using their magnifying glasses to look at each other's mouths/up each other's noses,) dry lima beans. As they left that day, they plopped their handful into a bin to soak overnight.

The next day they each pulled out ONE bean and put it in a baggie with a paper towel, taped to the window. After that was done, we still had about 60 beans in the pot of water. We also had several kids absent, so I decided to just leave them until Monday.

Unfortunately for me, Monday was MLK day, and we had no school. Also unfortunately for me, the directions, which I had read, by the way, stated to "not leave the lima beans for more than 24 hours for they will begin to ferment."

They were not kidding.

I walked into the room on Tuesday morning and the first thing I thought was "Gee, give me a bucket so I can puke! What is that smell?" My nostrils led me over to the culprit. The vat of lima beans.

The pot was now filled with 'corn' yellow colored water and the entire room was stinky. It took me about 20 minutes to dispose of the toxic mess appropriately, but in the end, I learned, that science manuals do their best to NOT lie. 

I should really pay more attention to them.

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Lima Beans

Excitement!!

I am So so SO excited for this weekend trip! It will be a nice break from teaching and Gainesville, though it's very possible I will freeze my hiney off.

I packed some wonderful snacks for our drive, and there is a chance that I am really excited about our brownie cookies and our hummus and pita for snack. And our Strawberries. And our Diet Caffeine Free Coke, (or DCFC, as we refer to it inthe Galloway household.) Did I tell you Ian can't have caffeine? Gives him horrible headaches, bordering on migraine level. We need to get him tested for that one though before it's official.

Mmmmm. Hummus.

Also, over at Bound To Books, the votes are in, we are reading The Count of Monte Cristo. Head on over there for directions to join our virtual book club!

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Excitement!!

Neglecting

I have been neglecting my blog these past couple of days, but I am not ashamed of it at all. I mean, technically, if I want to reach my 300 blog posts by the end of the year, that means that I need to only miss about 5 days a month, and if that's so, then I am already at my limit.

I really don't feel bad about this, you see, because I believe I have other, more important things, that come first.

Like spending time with my husband
And with my Lord
And talking with my family
And calling my friends
And feeding my husband
And going to Orlando to visit friends (I did that this weekend!)
And keeping our home clean and oasis-y
And relaxing with my husband
And reading
And, oh yeah, working

All this to say is, I have not forgot about you, oh worthy blog! But I have my priorities straight, and I will catch up another day. Perhaps when I have something more exciting to say.

For now, this little update will have to do.

The end.

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Neglecting

Oh, Gregory

I was thinking today, as my kids were all working on their writing assignment (what would YOU do if you ran away, by the way?) about an incident that happened while at my senior internship, and I about died from laughter, thinking about it. Of course, then the kids, who already think I'm crazy, were really concerned. Here it is:

I was working in a fifth grade classroom and had *taken over* for the semester as teacher. I had walked the kids down to PE, on a cold, rainy day, and had left, not thinking anything about it. When I picked them up, 45 minutes later, we marched, single file, up the stairs, and into the classroom. We started our reading lesson, and about 20 minutes in, I realized one of my students was missing.

Now, you have to know something about this kid. First of all, He was GIANT. He had about 4-5 inches on me! Secondly, along with his height, he had a ginormous head. He was also a klutz. And a mess. And was just generally a "spaced out," child. And, like most teachers know, weird behaviors in the child are usually explained by the behaviors of the parents. His mom, was a cymbol wearing, grass juice drinking, belly dancing for a living, kind of mom.

It so totally explains it.

Right. So, missing student. I asked the class where he was and several of them told me he had fallen in the mud and went to the clinic to call his mom for new clothes.

An hour passes, no student comes back.

I call up to the front office and they tell me that the clinic has been closed all day (apparently nurses get sick too,) and that they haven't seen him at all.

The teacher who is in charge, takes over, and he calls down to PE, and they haven't seen him. Then he calls the office and gets them in on the search party. They make several announcements over the loud speaker, but still, no sign.

Finally, they pull out the big guns, they call the police. Soon we have police searching our little suburban school campus, and police dogs coming into our room to get a scent sample from his backpack.

About an hour before the end of the day they FINALLY find him.

He is in the PE bathroom. He is wet and muddy. He is crying. And he is completely clotheless!!!

Apparently, after going to the clinic and finding it closed, he decided to remedy that problem by washing his jeans in the sink. So he gets undressed, washes them, and then, because we all know what happens to wet jeans, he can't get them back on. Somehow or another his shirt gets soaked so he takes that off TOO! And he just sits there. All day. And students from the afternooon PE (kindergarteners and first graders,) come in all day and whisper about "naked boy," but NO ONE thinks to tell a teacher about a non dressed student in the boys bathroom.

So, he was slightly embarressed the next day, but all I have to say is, he's lucky that didn't make the news!!!!

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Oh, Gregory

New Class...Again

Well, today was my first day with the new third grade class. I kinda got a sinking feeling about it yesterday, when the teacher who was briefing me on everything told me that I would not be doing the lesson plans, or the grading. Yeah. She told me that the teacher, who was on maternity leave, would be doing all of that.

Why go on leave if you are going to insist on doing all of that? So weird.

So I am just in a glorified babysitting position now.

It's all right though. I'll deal.

And Deal I did. Today was a HORRIBLE Day. The kids were just wild, and disrespectful. Seriously. I would say to "stop talking," or "get back to your seat," and they would just shrug it off and go about their business. I've worked in a lot of classes, and I have never seen such disrespect.

Since they use the "color" changing system, I often forget who I have given their first warning to, throughout the day. So, I think tomorrow I will have a paper named "Warnings" and will write the child's name on as soon as I give them their warning. That way, I will be able to be a little more consistent in using the teacher's discipline system and perhaps they will take me a little more serious.

That's all for now. I am heading to bed early. Despite an hour long nap during Oprah (which I was seriously sad I missed!) and an hour long walk with my husband, I am hoping to finally get a good night's sleep. Wish me luck!

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New Class...Again

We Wish You a Merry Christmas!

My Class and I have been talking about song lyrics, the patterns that they form, and rhyming schemes that are present. More specifically we have been reading through Christmas song lyrics. Here is their finished product:

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We Wish You a Merry Christmas!

Meeting with the Principal

I just met with my principal, and found out that they have worked a little something out for me.

I will be long term subbing (so the same thing I am doing right now, same pay too,) until April 9th.

I will be in a third grade classroom across the hall from the first day of school in January until the last day in February. There is a weekend, and then on that following Monday, the second of March, I believe, I will begin in a fourth grade classroom. I will only be there for a month, or until Spring Break, but still!

Praise God for working this out! We were going to be alright financially, but this added bonus will be a huge bonus. It will give us some breathing room. A chance to save. And a chance to work on getting rid of any student debt.

Must go pick up kiddos from PE.

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Meeting with the Principal

Stormy Clouds

Yesterday was one of those perfectly delicious, weird weather, Florida days. You know the kind. The ones where the clouds roll in to stay (big, black, puffy clouds,) and the wind picks up and tosses about the "leaves" we have on the ground. The kind of day where you wish you could just crawl in bed and stay there.

Well, I probably should have done just that.

Yesterday, at the end of the day, I lost my teaching job to the "budget crisis." I'm pretty heartbroken over having to leave my kiddos (and for losing the potential income.) But I know that for every thing, there is a reason. God is in control, and though I may not know exactly why this is happening, I do have an inkling of an idea. More 0n that later.

For now, please pray for us. This isn't really the "best" time of year to lose your job, (though I think that argument could probably be used any time of the year,) and there aren't really any job prospects on the horizon.

Thanks.

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Stormy Clouds

Interesting Reads...

I spent my evening curled up on the couch, watching TLC, and grading the November prompts for writing. The prompt was "what is your favorite time of year," but it seems like most kids just took the first season that popped into their head and ran with it. They just wrote a story that took place during that season, slapped a title on it, and called it writing.

EVEN, the kid who wrote about how Fall is his favorite time of year because he gets to use his gun to hunt deer-and then once they catch deer, he and his dad (father/son bonding maybe?) get to gut it and bury its guts in the ground.

I was kind of appalled.

Then I focused my attention back on Reba and was happy again.

On another note, my day was WONDERFUL and the kiddos were great. AND I got my insurance packet, so, pretty soon, I am going to be a married, INSURED, teacher. It's pretty amazing, let me tell you what.

Also, next week, I get my first and second paychecks.

Watch out, because I might just catch flame.

I am that on fire.

Or, at least I feel like it.

One good day down, hopefully four more to come.

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Interesting Reads...

Gators, Nachos, and Grading

We spent our Friday night at OUR home, with our friend Sam coming over for a visit, and me falling asleep on the couch around 9/being carried to bed around 11 by my lovely husband and sleeping to 9 the next morning. Oh, it was wonderful. I would have slept longer, but said husband doesn't like to let himself sleep TOO late because he says it makes waking up early on Sunday all the harder, so his alarm went off at 9.

We spent the morning and early afternoon watching Food Network and History Channel, eating cereal (for breakfast,) and omelets (for lunch,) and spending some time cleaning up the house. It's actually gotten pretty messy because of our trip, unpacking, me being sick, and still getting used to my work schedule.

Around 2, we packed up and headed over to see Sam's new place. Not that we haven't seen it before, but that was when it was just his friend's apartment living room. Now that living room is Sam's bedroom and we went to see all of the changes, eat homemade nachos, and watch the SEC championship with his friends.

Have I said lately.....

GO GATORS!

Well, there. I said it. :) 

And now, I am on Sam's computer typing this post, taking a break from my mountains of paper grading. I've been trying to get caught up on these worksheets that are titled the "Fab 40" (because there are 40 of them,) and I have to say, adding the term "fabulous," does not make something more exciting. At all.

Anyways, I better get back to that. And see if I can sweet talk my way into ordering some pizzas. Because, no matter what, nachos is not a meal in my book.

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Gators, Nachos, and Grading

My Hands are Full

Both literally and figuratively. Literally, because I spent most of today running around with two glasses of sweet tea in my hands. That is because I JUST found the teacher's lounge and there is free, FREE I say, sweet tea. I was one happy teacher.

Figuratively too, because it's been a really rough week. Here's the story:

On Wednesday, Ian and I hit the road to go to his parent's house. Traffic was horrible, and it took us nearly 3 and a half hours to do our 1 3/4 hours trip. We had a wonderful dinner with his parents, then headed over to my parent's house to hang with my momma for a little, then back to his house for some much needed rest.

I woke up at 4:45 on Thanksgiving morning to take my momma to the airport (to see my daddy,) and I was feeling kind of off, but I figured it was the early morning thing. Came back home, crawled into bed and slept for several more hours. Only to feel even worse when I woke up. Thanksgiving morning was fun though, hanging with the in-laws and one of my new "brothers," cooking and just relaxing. Around noon I decided to lay down for a little because I SERIOUSLY wasn't feeling good, and as I snuggled into bed, I took notice of what kind of pillow I had been sleeping on all night. A feather pillow. And then it dawned on me. It was my allergies!

Well, by that night (during our watching of the movie "Australia,") my throat was closing up and my breathing very labored and raspy. Everything went to my lungs, which I am not sure it has ever done before. I spent the next 48 hours in medically drugged haze as I recovered, but I had lost my voice, energy, and all will to eat, and gained a raspy cough.

We headed home on Saturday night because I desperately wanted my own bed, and spent all of Sunday recuperating for Monday's work.

Monday was not fun because I had no voice and just wanted to sleep, but we (including my students) made it through, and these past two days have been me on the mend and school is finally falling into a pattern.

Well, expect more from me the next couple of weeks, because I still want to reach my 100 post goal, by the end of this year.

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My Hands are Full

As promised....

Pictures of my classroom- post clean up! Click here to see the pictures of the classroom Pre cleanup.

My school, the front office!

From car line, into the school.

The outside of my quad, my room is right betwen the trees.

The field that I let my kiddos run in whenever they seem like they have too much energy. It's right outside of my door.

Small group reading center- where the magic happens. Or, the learning, whatever.

My Lesson Prep table, with all of the materials I will need for then ext day or two. We're starting a chemical testing lab and it requires quite a bit of set up.

The desks, grouped in sixes, except for the middle table, which has an empty 7th desk on it.

The beautifully clean book cases, wiith all of the book spines facing one way. That empty counter/top of book case, will be our "science center," with plants and rocks and magnifying glasses eventually.
The bookcase nearest my desk, with all of my children's books I have collected over the years.

The front of my desk, with their incentives sheet. Right now, they are getting a sticker for each night they have their planner signed.
My chair and calendar behind my desk. I'm still working on my pictures back there. Since I don't have a printer I had to take what I already had printed. A picture of Katie R and I in England, and a picture of the Alderman children (minus Foofy) after ice skating. If anyone asks, I say/fib that they are my cousins. It's just easier that way. ;)

My file next to my desk. Each child has 3 different files that things have to be placed under, so having it by my desk instead of in the filing cabinent, is alot handier.

My desk, with a desk calendar (for 2009,) my plan book, open to this week's plan, my basket of miscellaneous items, a picture of Ian and I, until I get my wedding pictures printed, and, best of all, my bell.

The bulletin board behind my desk with the monkey cut outs for the jobs around the classroom. They haven't gotten very good at them yet.

Spelling words, "the land of G" paper (for gallon/quart/pint/cup conversion) and my beloved whiteboard. I am a little "anti chalkboard" because of my allergies and my student's allergies. So, during the day, I use the whiteboard, and only write on the chalkboard what is staying up there for awhile.

The alphabet line, with V W X, Y Z added, finally. The employee at the teacher supply store gave my husband a discount once he heard the story, haha.

My board, with the overhead projector semipermanently unplugged. I have never heard of using a projector with 3rd graders. It's so odd. I will use it for somethings, but not often. Also, our rotation/grouping charts, my stool, and the yellow behavior chart.

In the reading corner, the pillows to sit on, and the bookshelf with some thirdgrade appropriate books. These kids aren't the best readers and most of them are nowhere near reading a chapter book. Sad, I know.

The reading corner, with the big blue chair, and my rocking chair. Also the filing cabinent which we use because it is magnetised.

The chalkboard in the reading center where we do a graph of somesort every day. Monday is a Venn Diagram asking them which food they will have on Thanksgiving, Ham, or Turkey. They each have a red circle with their name on it and a magnent on the back, and will have a chance to come up and place it in the appropriate place.My Falling Into Reading bulletin board. Each time they get a 100 on their Accelerated Reader test (a program that creates 5-10 question quizzes on books from the library) they get their name and book title on a leaf. These are all just from this week!

The computer center that my lovely husband cleaned up for me, it was a mess before, trust me!

The built in that is still the messiest part of the room, but I don't really have a place to put all of her things that she left, so there it is.

The social studies center, their favorite, yay! Each day they get their folder out of the blue box on the left, and a book (which I have checked out of the library and layed out) on a particular state, they read for 10 minutes on that state, then they write 3 facts and draw a picture. They have learned so much! We learned about Florida, Georgia, and Alabama this week. Also, each morning we read and correct sentences about a president, this week it was George Washington and John Adams.

Again the social studies center, with the MASSIVE purple boxes with all of the supplies for just this chapter of science.

The back counter, still a work in progress......

But it looks MUCH better doesn't it?

Pile of junk mainly, except for my AWESOME math addition cards that my Daddy found for me at a Garage Sale. We use those almost every day. Thanks daddy!

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As promised....

You better Sit your bottom down....

because this could be a long post!

Or, that could be my favorite new catch phrase.

That, and "What? I am SURE no one is talking to me or asking me questions while I am in line! No way is anyone doing that!" which is repeated about 2 dozen times a day.

That's right, I am officially a teacher.

I know alot of people wanted to read my first day account of what happened, but, honestly, I can't remember much. I remember that the kids were shocked to see their room rearranged and dust free (shocker!) and that there was alot of "but that's not how Mrs. xxxx does it!" but other than that, nope. Not much of a memory.

The past four days have been quite an adventure. I have had to follow through with plans that were left for me and integrate my own into the curriculum. I have had to establish rules and routines that the kids need to follow. Sure, there have been alot of tears (by the kids, not me. Wait, I don't know if that's better or worse), but, only four days in, and my kids were nearly angels today. They seem to have really grasped onto how I am running things.

I will tell you, my biggest concern is homework. These kids, they just don't do it! AND their parents send in lame excuses for why their child didn't do homework. Since when is saying "My child did not do their homework because I had to take his sister to cheerleading practice," an acceptable excuse!?! Or, my favorite "My child does not have his homework because I threw it away." What? Really? You threw your kids homework away. hmmm. Sounds like johnny didn't do his homework, you forgot to ask, and by the time you realized, you were driving johnny to school. So lame.

I don't even give that much homework either. It's usually about 15 minutes of spelling practice a night. That's it. All I have to say is, when they fail their spelling test tomorrow, I WILL be sending a note home saying "Gee. Looks like your laziness has paid off."

Or, maybe not.

Maybe something more politically correct like "Johnny has failed his spelling test, please sign and return acknowledging that you have reviewed the test, and his study habits with him. Also, according to my records, Johnny did 1 out of his 4 assigned homeworks. Perhaps this explains the low test score. Please encourage Johnny to complete his homework nightly."

Yeah, that sounds better.

Anyways.

I have so much more to tell you, but, since I am trying to reach my 100 posts goal, I will save those for later.

Pictures to come tomorrow!

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You better Sit your bottom down....