sig g's and freezees

Wow, I feel funny. Like not normal and definitely not myself. School is over in 2.5 days. I made it, almost. I'm sort of in a whimsical state, like not quite believing that it's possible, but also not wanting to wake up from that dream. We finished our math nine-weeks test yesterday and the reading today. We technically are supposed to give them on Wednesday, Thursday and Friday....but because we have kindergarten and they generally take longer, we got to start early. No one needs to know how early we finished though. Don't worry, we don't sit around and watch movies all day. Last Wednesday my principal decided we were going to have an awards program for the lower grades (K-2nd) and the kindergartners were going to do the program to show what they learned. It's like a graduation, without calling it such. I think we call it a promotion program or transition program, I forgot. Either way, we have to learn a song/dance and do some type of performance to show "what we learned." Well, my kids are going to be doing a Kindergarten poem, which they started learning today. Whoops...they each have one line written on the back of a big card and the cards spell out the word kindergarten. I'm not sure how many will freeze up and either refuse to talk or forget their lines, either way, it'll be a hot mess just like every other performance we've done this year! But, they get to wear their "Sunday Best" so you better believe I'm going to have my camera battery charged!! oh.em.gee, I'm nervous for our "performances"...if we hadn't been testing ALL of last week and most of this week we could have spent much more time practicing...however, that CLEARLY would have made sense.

We had a Pre-K transition meeting today for all parents of future Kindergartners. About 8 showed up, typical. I'm not sure if the invitations went out, nor do I think phone calls were actually made about it. However, each parent got a sweet workbook to work with their children this summer along with a pencil box of triangle-sided crayons, pencil and scissors. Pretty sweet...just for showing up. Because the other Kindergarten teacher is leaving next year, parents want their kid in my room because no one knows what the next teacher will be like. I just keep thinking, "HA, you say that now...." However, rumor has it that they hired a teacher that was here 3 years ago...she's of the motherly-age....and apparently wicked good. Perfect.

In terms of TFA and my first year of teaching...I'm D.O.N.E! I had my end of year meeting with my program director tonight. He was wicked excited about the reading levels my kids finished on and how they did on their big TFA math test. Our class average was a 92% for meeting kindergarten math standards. And we finished the year with a 1.37 growth in reading, thus meaning we grew more than one year in our reading...or so they say. This leads to the term significant gains or "sig g's" as Lois and I refer to it. TFA is all about having corps members make "sig g's" in their classroom because it means your students are learning more than expected in a typical year. I don't know how they figure out if you actually make "sig g's" but I guess I did. I just wish I were more confident in a handful of children moving on to first grade but seeming low in reading and math skills. What can you do at this point though. I'm retaining two students and will request getting one of them back. The other one can go into the other classroom and I'll be happy with that! It's mean, but he's a baddddd little boy. He still sucks his fingers, he doesn't talk, yet he is just bad. He takes pencils from other tables, he takes books from other kids, he doesn't do his work, he doesn't pay attention, he doesn't do ANY work unless I'm standing over him, he just needs to mature and stop writing jibberish all of his papers! Blahhh....done venting about the only mostly-silent child in my room...

Was in Winona last weekend to celebrate the sissy that graduated! It was soooo wonderful to be back! I really love that place...in case you hadn't heard, and if that's the case, are we really friends!? Basically flew back into Jackson in the middle of a tornado warning, life is sweet. Last week it rained ALL of the flipping time. And if it wasn't raining it was 85 with 90% humidity...FA REAL. I gave up running after I felt like I was going to die one afternoon. Friday is our last day of school, my room is getting pretty much cleaned/packed up. I do a lot during school!! Tuesday we have to come in to do grades and turn in things...sounds simple but I heard last year they were at school until like 7 p.m. Lame. Wednesday I'll pack and Thursday I'm going to ATTEMPT to drive the entire way from Ruleville to Amboy! Wish me luck and PLEASE call me SOMETIME during the day :) I wish my computer had auto-type so I could just say what I wanted it to type....then grad school would be done and out of my hair...it's all due on the 31st...EEEEEK!! How can the official start of summer (Memorial Day) happen without being at the lake or grilling or eating smores or sitting outside with freezees...instead I'm going to be pulling my hair out in human development crap. While doing so, maybe I'll go burn some student papers and toast some mallows....the.life.

Lastly....I'm in DESPERATE need of some Kindergarten and first grade workbooks to use for homework packets for next year. I have a few, but they won't get us through the year. The ones we used this year are being returned to the teacher they were borrowed from. Anyway...if you find any that are cheap but have enough activities/problems on the page to make it worth copying for my students...please let me know.

Miss you immensely and see you soooooooooooon :) :) :)

In Mis'sippi the rain dudn't drain, them skreets be flooded.

Well, here's another round of quotes from my class....I wrote down one today and realized how many I had stuck in a book and figured I'd better share them soon....

Me: read this word "cash." Did you hear the /sh/?
L.G.: Ms. Ward, when I grow up, Imma make me some caaaaash.

L.G.: Oh my Lord!
I look at him...
L.G.: I didn't say that, I didn't say that!

J.W. reading: Can the ______. It can't get up in there. Can the elephant get in? No it can't.

P.H.: I like Ms. Ballard
Me: That's fine, so I do I, she's my friend.
L.G.: No, he said he go with Ms. Ballard!

I.W.: Ms. Ward? You got make up on your eye? Close your eye, lemme see. (I closed me eyes) YEP!

unknown: Ms. Ward, Tyler just said s o o
Me: so? who cares, sit down and read.
L.G.: na-uh that's a curs word!

Supposed to find the beginning letter of nail. T.W. says, "it's an l." C.C. says, "that ain't no L, it's a dog-gone N." This child doesn't speak.

Talking about the underground railroad, Me: what were those people called?
J.T.: Chinese!
(oh.crap)

L.G.: Ms. Ward, you getting real, real flat (patting his stomach) (for a second I thought he said fat!)

Me: Is it raining?
D.W.: it fit to
translation: it's about to

"say what?"
Me: say what? say what? (like on Hannah Montana)
ALL kids: OOOOOHHHHH! (they totally think I'm uncool and don't watch Hannah Montana!)

L.G. gives me a hug in line for lunch.
Me: aw, you're so sweet."
L.G.: I'm a lil love bird

J.T.: I went to the doctor
Me: why?
J.T.: I was throwin' up!
Me: OH NO!
J.T.: I stayed there 'bout two weeks and came home with toys. They gave me two baby dolls.

T.W.: There a livin' room?
L.G.: Ain't no dog-gone livin' room up in here, it's uh classroom

Me: Don't even pretend to have something in your mouth
L.G.: I'm eatin' my tongue.

Muh Ward, I got uh cricket in my stomach, Ima mean in my throat. (aka a hiccup)

(acting like I was crying) it's so sad someone wrote in my book. I wonder who did that?
T.W.: probly erylast one of 'em

T.W.: I ain' nothing but a cockeyed!
Me: WHAT?
(after lots of questions…)
T.W.: you know, one eyed cockeyed, one not.”
Me: Oh, can you see me?
T.W.: Yep, an I can see the wall too.
Me: Oh? Can you see the book? Good, let’s read.
T.W.: Ahhhh, you be stressin’ me outttt….

L.G.: (supposed to be looking at the word wall) I need to go outside ‘n teach my brudda how to swing—as he stares at the pre-k kids on the playground

(reading a book about a girl sitting out on her tree house) “man, that girl be sitting there and get real, real black. She gonna be a black choca chip.

L.P: I can’t eat orange no more cause I throwed up
L.G.: I can’t eat bread no more
Me: Yes you can, you’re telling me a story (aka a lie)
L.G.: No I’m ain’t
Me: Say no I’m not.
L.G. No I’m ain’t

T.W.: Muh Ward, if yo teacher has a baby, you hafta help her (RANDOM)

I.W.: (during rest) Muh Ward, muh sista had a baby
Me: (not listening very well) What? Your sister?
I.W.: Yea, cause she be havin’ sex wit a boy…

Me: use white in a sentence
Kids: your board is white. You white.
L.G.: Sydney’s white
Sydney: I ain’t white, I brownnnnnn

M.R.: (after talking about my “truck) Muh Ward, you must got no kids (I guess I don’t get our connection here?)

Student: what that right there? (pointing at my neck/chest)
Me: Sunburn, cause I sat in the sun yesterday. Your skin gets darker when you’re in the sun.
L.G.: nu-uh, I’m BLACK.
T.S.: My cousin get like that?
Me: Oh yeah? How come?
T.S.: Cause he white

Me: (saying the sounds in the word hippo)
S.H.: Hippo
Me: Good, with an s on the end we would say….
S.H.: hungry hippos
Me: it word family, what letter could you put in front
L.G.: B?
Me: okay, write the B first, then i t.
L.G.: B E T?
Me: No, we’re not watching BET.

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Well, I'm back in Winonaaaaa....oh my gosh, I love my life. I flew out yesterday to spend a couple of days here for Cassie's graduation. Thought I wasn't going to make it, I had to fake a migraine yesterday to leave school early and catch my flight, then I broke my favorite watch....stupid karma. Then I got to Jackson only to realize my flight was delayed 15 minutes, no big deal. However, the screen said I would be getting to Dallas/Fort Worth at 7:10 and my next flight was at 7:15. Don't worry, I got to Dallas at 6:55 and trucked it to my gate making it to the final boarding call. PHEW! Sara GRACIOUSLY brought it to my attention, "you realize you hardly have time to make it to your flight, what about your bag." Well, lo and behold, my bag was at baggage claim in MSP before I even made it there!! Cassie and Joe picked me up (and brought me a delightfully organic sack lunch) and we made it to Winono-where by 12:15!

Hard to believe there are only two weeks left of school...and I am taking two days off, whoops. We spent all week testing and will spend all of the next two, testing as well. They're in kindergarten for cripes sake, but whatever. Is it real...did I really make it to the end of the school year? Wait, rewind that, we haven't made it yet.

Forgot to write about a big event in Kindergarten a couple of weeks back....we took a trip to the natural science museum in Jackson. It was an adventure. It was also the day after Easter break. Once we left the Delta, we were going over the los hills (I think that's what they're called--they are rolling hills, but in the Delta we have pure flatness) and each time we went over one the entire bus would say, "OOOOOOHHHHHH!" Heck, we could have skipped the museum and driven over hills and they would have been happy. I had a few parent volunteers, so I gave each of them 5 kids to be responsible for...well some were very concerned about their 5 students, while others were not. Rude. Whatever...no one got lost. But just in case they did, I made them put a slip of paper in their pockets that said, "If found...please call this student's teacher at ....." Haha, it's like putting a tag on your dog, right?! I even have a picture of me HOLDING A BIG FRIGGIN SNAKE!! It'll be posted, eventually!

Okay, happy Thursday....sorry for all of the suckas that have to work for the rest of the week ;) Congrats to Cassie on finishing her undergrad...and running a pseudo-half marathon today! Pray for my cousin Rachel's surgery tomorrow.

Gotta jet....gonna go stick my face in the lilac bushes since they are BLOOMING (and we don't have those in the delt)!!