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 :) :) :)