WARRIOR DASH

What does that have to do with school today. Not much except the fact that I educated many people on what it was, and was granted the permission to by my Groupon for it. Look out Tulsa cause I am so excited for this. Class today went well. I created a new seating chart and the teacher liked it so I got to rearrange some desks. We had our first two hour meeting for our second grade guided reading groups and work shops. It was actually kind of fun which surprised me! I have my lesson ready to go for tomorrow and I am officially registered for the warrior dash. Short post, but I have insanity to tend to! Getting ripped to be a warrior!

Fitting In: Real or Imagining?

Pleased to inform that things are going pretty well. Friday was the first JEANS FRIDAY...I never realized the torture my teachers were living in the other four days of the week. A group of students decided to include me in their poll and inform the class I am the biggest kid in the class. At least one of the girls corrected it to say, "No Teeeeeeenager!" Shoot I'll take it! The alumni vball scrimmage Saturday went well. I shoulda got there sooner to warm up cause it took me way longer than normal to get in the groove. Might of had a small case of nerves. The school definitely has a good team and I hope to keep helping and see them go all the way to state. Sunday I took personal time, also called procrastinating lesson plans, and went to play softball. As it turns out prolly should have made the lesson plan. Sliding into second I tore most of the flesh off of my leg...least I was safe (I know this is where you are asking yourself and the answer is yes...I do in fact take community league ball very seriously.) Staying up last night and completing my rough draft lesson for Wednesday, kids gotta learn about metamorphosis, I began to contemplate what kind of clothes I would be able to wear with my Swiss cheese leg cause we all know injuries and soreness are like one nighters...ALWAYS worse the second day. I opted for a dark colored dress. No amount of dry-fit, cotton, or any other kind of material could have contained the amount of icky my wound let out today. At one point it literally dripped down my leg while teaching. Aside from that little bit of self inflicted torture I can say that today was an AWESOME Monday and yes I will capitalize that because they don't come too often. The kids were on their A -game in the hallways, students that usually take large amounts of time and hassling to complete their work were done first, and there were no signs of Mommy-Pation today. I know this sounds like I stayed in bed all day and continued to dream, but it really did happen. I was even reminded how much of a kid I still am. I was working with one student and he had to state his favorite movie, "Hercules." Without even taking a breathe or thinking twice I squealed, "Me too!" There is nothing about me that wasn't being serious when I said that! Later another student brought me her own personal copy of Junie B. Jones and told me that I could read it! Not only was a super touched by her adorable thoughtfulness I found myself slightly excited to get started. Hey, stop judging. To be a good teacher you need to know what your kids are into and make an effort to show interest as well. In the teacher's lounge I actually talked today during lunch/cracked some jokes. I'm even beginning to think it is cute when the students call me Ms. Sadler. It must be all those cute little lisps. It take me back to when I talked like that. Really thinking about it today and Friday do seem somewhat dream like, but I know there are good days like this. If there weren't teachers would have no passion and soul for what they do and the profession would cease to release it's hidden magic every once and a while.

Mommy-pation

What words does one use to describe the feeling of getting home at six-thirty deciding to take a nap for a few hours and not waking up till two in the morning...AWESOME! The only thing unfortunate is that I was not able to complete my blog entry. However it turns out that isn't quite a tragedy either because I got more material today. One of my students has been having a very serious problem...Mommy-pation! Don't know what that is? Let me enlighten you. It begins on a Monday, August 22nd to be exact, with very strong feelings of constipation. You feel embarrassed and don't want to tell anyone. Eventually you must confess to your teacher the reason you are crying and since your mom works in the school and your only request is to go see her, your request is granted. You do the same thing Tuesday and Wednesday as well until you finally have a "break through" Wednesday night. For some reason your mind still seems to be troubled and even though your mom has a talk with you about needing to stay in class and no more during the school day visits Thursday challenges you. Initially you think you will be okay, but then have a break down and once again go to your teacher, "I am having really bad thoughts and I cannot say them but I don't want them in my head." Naturally since your teacher is wonder (and doesn't really know what to do with comments like that.) you're able to go to the counselor. She gives you a stress ball equating to a balloon filled with flour. This gets you through most of your day until you pop it in the lunch room floor. With all the sadness beginning to well in your eyes you look up to me and pitifully say, "Ms. Sadler, my ball popped." I will then guide you to the trash can, tell the maintenance lady, and have to pull you aside to say no one is mad and there is no need to cry. This will help you for a little while, but eventually the tears will start again and you will cry longer than anyone knew was humanly possible without a death being involved, perhaps the death of your balloon was significant enough though. You will again approach your teachers, because let's face it, it's what you do to gain additional reassurance that things will be okay. You also request that your mom is emailed to keep the record at four for four emails for the week. Fear not though your Mommy-pation will eventually stop for the day, but don't get too comfortable because there is a very strong chance that it will come back at least once on let's say Friday 8/26/2011!

If You Only Knew!

There are so many things you find yourself wishing others knew. To the student today sticking his pencil between two dice and moving it back and forth...it look like a male appendage. To the student wearing the K-state shit( I mean shirt)...it will get you nothing but a closet full of horrid purple clothes and a lot of enemies. To the student writing all of their numbers backwards... someday that will count against you, but for now it is okay. To the student who asked me how to spell lasagna...I wanted you to give it your best shot without too much of my help because sometimes that word still confuses me. In fact when I am writing and can't look up a word I choose one I can spell that means the same thing (like most of America!). Then there are the things that beg knowledge from you on a different level. If the student today only knew how sorry I am that both of his parents are in jail and that he and his three siblings have to live with their grandparents until his "providers" are released. I am sure that you are just exhausted and that effects why you don't finish all your work...we will make it together. To the student with cystic fibrosis...you are AMAZING and every time that I look at you I find myself saying a silent prayer that they will find a cure for you. You are only in second grade and deserve a long and healthy life. To the student acting out...I see you, you matter, and being better will get you the attention you want and deserve. These are my students for the next eight weeks and while I know the difference we make in each other's lives won't be turned into a novel or a major motion picture I hope we really come to understand one another and they never have the feeling of "If You Only Knew You'd Understand!"

First Day of Second Grade Round Two

There isn't anything quite like the feeling of waking up at five and getting to go back to sleep because you do not have to be up for another how. It's equally horrifying counterpart is waking up at 7:45 already late for your first day of student teaching. I got to experience both of these emotions today. I don't think that I have ever gotten dressed for one of my jobs quicker than I did today. I even had the [pleasure of making a half dressed call to the school to inform the office secretary Jenny that I would be late and could she please let my teacher know. After brushing my teeth and grabbing my lunch box (a totally adult style) I was in my car and sitting in traffic that looked like Allen Fieldhouse just let out. For those of you unfamiliar with Lawrence, Kansas and basketball, shame on you, this is the equivalent of Dallas traffic on steroids. I managed to make the trip to Eudora before the school day actually began. I even had the privilege of signing in with the other tardy students. Luckily my teacher is a saint and totally understood that it happens to us all. During the school day I witnessed approximately one wedgie picking, three different farting episodes, a case of tears from missing mom, an wipe out on the concrete basketball court, a power outage for most of the afternoon, and heard the word thong. Was even extended an invite to hopefully play in the Eudora Alumni Vball scrimmage this weekend;local already! All in all it was a great day and all of the faculty seems pretty nice. With such an adventurous first day who knows what tomorrow will bring. What I am certain of is that I will be setting two maybe three alarms tonight.

Lightbulb

So what else is there to do on a Friday night in Lawrence, KS after you have spent an AWESOME summer in Massachusetts only to return to a four and a half hour student teach meeting? I'll tell you! Unpack all the items you've accumulated over your life span but don't really need, cook BBQ chicken, try to get ahead of the game only to fall behind when school actually starts, AND revisit old technology projects. Make no mistake I did not go searching for this fantastic idea. It came to me when I was checking my email and discovered I was one of the chosen elite to get a Google+ invite (insert shout out to Brad Thorson)! After forgetting my password, recovering it, and changing it I was lead back here to the blog I created last Fall for a technology class. While looking at the two incredibly lame previous blogs I decided to give the world a little more. Monday I will grow up by forgoing my Fall Break, proving my student loans weren't a waste, and solidify my role as permanently in school. What the hell am I talking about? Student teaching my friends. With all these thoughts running through my head I decided that this blog will now be used to capture that magic that is first time student teaching and other accounts I find worthy! Stay tuned often....It is going to be a wild year.