4:30 p.m. Depart from Jackson
5:30 something Depart from Memphis
8:39 p.m. land in MSP...HOPEFULLY
Dear Jack Frost,
If you could PUH-LEASE hold off on the blizzard conditions scheduled for Saturday, December 20, I would greatly appreciate it and so would Northwest Airlines for not having to deal with my crabby-ass. I promise I have tried to be really, REALLY good this year. I mean, I still yell at my students, and I kept one of the Christmas presents that I gave to my students...but hey, right after I told them to be very, VERY careful, he threw it then he went and broke someone else's. Now I don't think you would let him have it either, right?
Anyway, you know I enjoy this Mississippi heat wave...although I wish you had given me a bit more warning because yesterday I wore a long-sleeved shirt and red puffy vest as my holiday outfit only to sweat during our Christmas program. I mean, who would have thought they would need to open the door and windows after we had ice several days ago....a mean trick. Although I have to admit the warm weather was welcomed this week when I was busy playing Santa's elf; but 71 degrees when I am supposed to be at the HEIGHT of my Christmas music wonderland, what is this crap?
Oh and if there is anything you could do to take care of the ant problem in my classroom (and the school for that matter) I would really like that too. Are you and Santa tight? I want an ant-free classroom for Christmas, pull some strings. I would also like my class to not be a "hot mess." Seriously, we try to do something and it usually turns out like a joke. Both kindergarten classes did the reindeer pokey for the Christmas program yesterday. And despite the fact I copied the antlers from the other classroom, ours still drooped and we looked more like dogs than reindeer, oh sheesh. We.are.a.hot.mess.
Although I have this feeling I might not make it home tonight...I haven't even complained about getting up at 6 a.m. on my first day of Christmas vacay. I took my friend Andy to the airport and have putzed around the house ever since. I figure if I'm stuck in Memphis, at least I'll be tired enough to fall asleep.
Fa la la la la, la-la-la-la....at least I have A TON of new Christmas music on my ipod!!!! It was like Christmas came early!
Sincerely,
*Kami*
Saturday, December 20, 2008
Thursday, December 11, 2008
Dreamin' of a Delta Christmas....
Ahhhh...the holidays are hereeeee!!
Thanksgiving was great, but an incredibly hectic week and despite running around the entire time, I didn't get to see everyone and do everything that I wanted to. I kind of knew that was going to happen so there isn't much I could do about it...but it was a good week none the less.
Those crazies showed up to Kindergarten in a partially subdued state...I couldn't help but think "WOW...Holiday breaks are AWESOME!" But..by 10:15 we were back to normal...aka...mildly out of control. We only had two weeks of class for the semester. The last week (next week) is spent doing 9 weeks test...so basically I am out of my room for the entire day giving reading, language arts, and math tests to each kid, individually. I don't mind...my day is much less stressful being out of the room.
Anyway...my little lovely came back mid-way through the first week. He was pretty quiet for the first day or two. His daddy told me we shouldn't have any more problems because he doesn't want to go back to that facility. Poor kid told me he slept there all alone while "them fo went home" translation "while all the folks went home." Who knows. Either way...this week we have started back on our previous track. Yesterday we didn't have an eraser and we scribbled through the ENTIRE reading worksheet. Then got mad, fell to the floor, held his chair over his head and lunged at other students if they even THOUGHT about getting closer to him. Grrrr...today he was disrespectful all day and finally at 2 p.m. he threw the table's entire pencil basket and pencils across the floor. Ugh, instruction does NOT happen when he acts like this. Anyway...he was kicking the wall and doing cartwheels down the hall to the office...I guess he takes his anger out through gymnastics now? He leaves the room for awhile and comes back more subdued and usually apologetic, it's good, but oh so freakin stressful.
In our professional development meeting yesterday we had to write down two things that have gone well this semester. I leaned over to my friend, the other Kindergarten teacher, and whispered, "nobody has died yet." Ughhh...really, that isn't the whole truth. Some of them might be lucky. But most days I'm thankful for having some sense of sanity left. I really am impressed with how far we have gotten this semester. Right now we are reading sentences, blending LOTS of words, segmenting sounds, and we know 37 sight words (well, some of us!), all of which I'm not sure how happened, but we managed. I don't know how to teach kids to segment sounds (especially medial sounds) but I just learned that by practicing it every single day, they just get it. Some way, some how, they absorb it...phew, because if we relied solely on instruction, we'd all be in trouble.
Our new superintendent takes over in January and today we had a meeting about all that he expects. Good lord, it's not like I have enough to learn and do....now I have to post my daily objectives outside my door and in my room. Let me tell you, in Kindergarten, we go through TONS of objectives each day, I'm going to guess at least 30...and you think I'm going to post each and everyone of those in two places, you're out of your damn mind!
One quick Kindergarten story and I'm out....we made a big gingerbread man on Monday. We put him in the oven in the cafeteria and went to our room to read The Gingerbread Man story. Then we went to get him out of the oven and he was gone. We spent the week getting clues and searching for him. Mostly of the time his notes said, "Run, run, as fast as you can, you can't catch me, I'm a Gingerbread Man." Today, he left us a note and gingerbread crumbs. But we finally found him! BOYYYYY were we excited!!! It was fun, I'm glad we did it because I feel like we spend so much time getting down to business and NOT having fun in Kindergarten...wtf. Next week, amongst the chaos of testing ALL week-long...we are going to try and make some christmas tree ornaments to take home as presents for our parents.
Headed home this weekend for April's wedding...I have the day off tomorrow, although it isn't much of a day off since I have to be on the road by 7:45 a.m. I'd like to make it known that I am only bringing a carry-on...but it is packed to the brim. How on earth do people fly like that? I can't even get two outfits, pajamas, shoes, and a little bit more into that tiny suitcase, much less clothing for a week! High-maintenance, I know....
Ahhh...Cassie is reading at the Christmas Light Service right now...one of my FAVORITE things E-VER!!!! I L-O-V-E CHRISTMAS :) :) :)
Thanksgiving was great, but an incredibly hectic week and despite running around the entire time, I didn't get to see everyone and do everything that I wanted to. I kind of knew that was going to happen so there isn't much I could do about it...but it was a good week none the less.
Those crazies showed up to Kindergarten in a partially subdued state...I couldn't help but think "WOW...Holiday breaks are AWESOME!" But..by 10:15 we were back to normal...aka...mildly out of control. We only had two weeks of class for the semester. The last week (next week) is spent doing 9 weeks test...so basically I am out of my room for the entire day giving reading, language arts, and math tests to each kid, individually. I don't mind...my day is much less stressful being out of the room.
Anyway...my little lovely came back mid-way through the first week. He was pretty quiet for the first day or two. His daddy told me we shouldn't have any more problems because he doesn't want to go back to that facility. Poor kid told me he slept there all alone while "them fo went home" translation "while all the folks went home." Who knows. Either way...this week we have started back on our previous track. Yesterday we didn't have an eraser and we scribbled through the ENTIRE reading worksheet. Then got mad, fell to the floor, held his chair over his head and lunged at other students if they even THOUGHT about getting closer to him. Grrrr...today he was disrespectful all day and finally at 2 p.m. he threw the table's entire pencil basket and pencils across the floor. Ugh, instruction does NOT happen when he acts like this. Anyway...he was kicking the wall and doing cartwheels down the hall to the office...I guess he takes his anger out through gymnastics now? He leaves the room for awhile and comes back more subdued and usually apologetic, it's good, but oh so freakin stressful.
In our professional development meeting yesterday we had to write down two things that have gone well this semester. I leaned over to my friend, the other Kindergarten teacher, and whispered, "nobody has died yet." Ughhh...really, that isn't the whole truth. Some of them might be lucky. But most days I'm thankful for having some sense of sanity left. I really am impressed with how far we have gotten this semester. Right now we are reading sentences, blending LOTS of words, segmenting sounds, and we know 37 sight words (well, some of us!), all of which I'm not sure how happened, but we managed. I don't know how to teach kids to segment sounds (especially medial sounds) but I just learned that by practicing it every single day, they just get it. Some way, some how, they absorb it...phew, because if we relied solely on instruction, we'd all be in trouble.
Our new superintendent takes over in January and today we had a meeting about all that he expects. Good lord, it's not like I have enough to learn and do....now I have to post my daily objectives outside my door and in my room. Let me tell you, in Kindergarten, we go through TONS of objectives each day, I'm going to guess at least 30...and you think I'm going to post each and everyone of those in two places, you're out of your damn mind!
One quick Kindergarten story and I'm out....we made a big gingerbread man on Monday. We put him in the oven in the cafeteria and went to our room to read The Gingerbread Man story. Then we went to get him out of the oven and he was gone. We spent the week getting clues and searching for him. Mostly of the time his notes said, "Run, run, as fast as you can, you can't catch me, I'm a Gingerbread Man." Today, he left us a note and gingerbread crumbs. But we finally found him! BOYYYYY were we excited!!! It was fun, I'm glad we did it because I feel like we spend so much time getting down to business and NOT having fun in Kindergarten...wtf. Next week, amongst the chaos of testing ALL week-long...we are going to try and make some christmas tree ornaments to take home as presents for our parents.
Headed home this weekend for April's wedding...I have the day off tomorrow, although it isn't much of a day off since I have to be on the road by 7:45 a.m. I'd like to make it known that I am only bringing a carry-on...but it is packed to the brim. How on earth do people fly like that? I can't even get two outfits, pajamas, shoes, and a little bit more into that tiny suitcase, much less clothing for a week! High-maintenance, I know....
Ahhh...Cassie is reading at the Christmas Light Service right now...one of my FAVORITE things E-VER!!!! I L-O-V-E CHRISTMAS :) :) :)
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