Week flying by?

Is it just me or is this week flying by? Wow! I can hardly believe it's Wednesday evening! Thursday's are my designated "early" nights (I only stay until 5:30 or so), so it practically feels like a day off. Then it's Friday, and the weekend!

Today was lots of fun, and reminds me why I want to be a teacher. It's crazy - it goes from one extreme to another within a day, and I try to start them all out the same. I guess I do have over a hundred other people influencing my days, but it's a good thing those bad ones (days) come and go. If they just came and came and came... that'd be rough!!

Thanks Amy for the encouragement, and the insight about kids! Just have to remember to keep the boundaries, right? Not let them change too much...

Liz and Heather brought dinner to me this evening and that was like a dream come true! Honestly, I'm usually sitting at my desk trying not to eat too many mints or chips, or drink too much PowerAde ZERO by 6:00 (because I'm so hungry). I got to sit down and eat dinner with them without taking an evening off and leaving school early. They even helped me with a few things when we were done :) Beware -- if you come and visit me at school, I might put you to work...

I'll end on that note...
Happy almost-the-weekend!!

Oh, the trials

I don't want this to turn into a blog where I complain about being a teacher, but I have to tell you about today.

I was informed that: "200 other students hate you, so something's gotta change" by a student who I was punishing.

I know it's not true (I don't even have 200 students all together!), but that's just a taste of what happened today. (Plus it's not my job to have all of the students like me.) It was another "day." I think I have to beware of Tuesdays from now on!

Just makes you smile :)

Wesley John, about three and a half months old.

This, that, and the other thing

Some randoms:
I'm getting sick. :( All week at school my students were back and forth to the Kleenex box, so I did whatever I could to stay away from the germs. But I guess it's not possible when there are so many germs floating around.

PowerAde ZERO. Have I ever mentioned how awesome it is? My friend Heather introduced me to it, and I'm pretty much addicted. I don't do sugar (except for the occasional mocha -- like once or twice a month), so the only things I can really drink are water and diet pop. and I don't really do caffeine, either. Water's great, but sometimes I would just crave something else to drink. PowerAde ZERO is delish, and it has no sugar! My students have actually been asking me about it lately because there's always some on my desk.

We're trying to plan our next family vacation. We have a few ideas about where it's going to be. (and when!) So hopefully within the next 8 or 9 months we'll have a week away with just the 17 of us :) [17 = two parents, ten kids, four spouses and one nephew]

Next week is the Wild West, Federalism, the Constitution, Natural Resources of Michigan, and Ancient Rome. Any ideas?! :)

I tried to plan a last minute night away with some of my sisters, to no avail.

I haven't watched any football today... and it seems strange.

I feel good! na-na-na-na-naaaaaa.....

Can you tell what song that's supposed to be?

Anyways, had a raspberry mocha frappucino this evening, and it's giving me SO MUCH energy!! I feel like a different person this evening -- not a zombie, totally out of it. It's awesome!

Awesome job tonight to my "little" brother Pete! :) His football team won, and they're now 3-1. Lots of his buddies are on the team, and I can tell they just have a blast out there! It's so much fun watching when they're all having such a fun time.

It's a great day to be alive!
Happy weekend to you all~~

Happy Constitution Day!

Here's the teacher in me coming out:

Take a minute today and think about what the Constitution means to you! 221 years ago today (September 17), the United States Constitution was signed by all of the delegates (55 to be exact) in Independence Hall, Philadelphia. It's the government that was set up the best way those men knew (it took them almost 5 months to complete), and it has lasted for us through thick and thin. It really is an amazing document if you think about how life was back then, and realize it still works for us today, in this world so different from the one 221 years ago.

Anyway. Just wanted to throw that out there, maybe make you think for a few seconds about it.

Today was much better than yesterday! I won't say it was the "best day" ever, but I'm figuring out some new things, and defining who I am as a teacher. I figured out a few new things today that work for me, and none of yesterday's craziness carried over. (THANKFULLY!!!!) I have a workshop tomorrow, so I spent most of today figuring out how to be on this end of having a substitute teacher. I was a sub for almost two years, so I definitely know what it's like to be on that end. I've never been the person writing the plans and preparing the students, though. That was a new one.

My laptop came in today! I'm excited about that so I can do some work from home on the weekends so I'll have maybe one day every week that I don't physically go to the school.

On another note, I was just realizing that out of the past 31 days, I've had one day that I didn't work. So one day off in an entire month. The reason I'm still functioning is that 8:30 bedtime I talked about before. I feel nice and refreshed and rested in the mornings, so I'm ready to go!

That's all for now. Once again, HAPPY CONSTITUTION DAY!!! :)

Why am I a teacher?

I had a day today. A day that made me wonder why I'm a teacher. I've heard all about these days, thought I'd probably have my share. Even kind of knew one was bound to happen. and my first one was today. At the end of the day I wanted to scream, leave, and not think about school for at least twelve hours. Well, none of the above happened. But I did leave early. On my way home all I could think about was everything I wasn't doing tonight. And how late I get to stay tomorrow night to make up for it.

I guess sometimes you just have to leave, and know it'll all still be there when you get back. And that even if you're not as planned as you want, you'll all make it through the day.

Right?

I have to thank my sister Julie for listening to me vent. At one point I was so frustrated and all I could think about was how I'm putting so much time, effort, and so much of ME into this, and none of my students even appreciate it.

She told me she does. (Appreciate it.) and it was my first smile since the last bell at the end of the day. so

THANKS Jules!! You're awesome!

Just to give you an idea....

Here's this week for me:
United States History: Changes in transportation, communication, commerce, political boundaries, immigration, migration, population, foreign affairs, and goods produced between 1776 and 1870 in the United States.
Government: The Constitution
World History: The ancient dynasties and empires of China
Local History: Michigan achieves statehood
Civics: Roots of American government.

However... I'm also doing a presentation for Constitution Day on Wednesday (for the entire high school - grades seven through twelve), and I have a workshop to go to on Thursday. So I have to prepare for a sub. My first time -- I've always been on the other end of things!! This is weird! also, I feel like I'm not ready to "give my classes" to someone else. I feel like I want another month with them. Then I'll be ready to go to a workshop, or whatever. Oh well -- we'll see how they do with a substitute!

The teaching part is really fun!! I really do love teaching! :)

8:30 bedtime

My days have been so long and exhausting so I instituted an 8:30pm bedtime for myself. Probably the first bedtime I've ever really had, but I need it!! By that time I'm just so out of it and mentally exhausted, I have to hit the hay.

Week two was good! I really love teaching! it's the whole staying after school for lots of extra hours that is a little difficult. But I want to be the best teacher I can be, so its taking some time.

First week down,

something like 35 to go.... Although that's not exactly true because we didn't have a full week. Nevertheless, I was ready for a break on Friday afternoon. It was nice to ease into things.
I'm teaching three different history classes (United States, Local, and World), and Civics and Government. It's a great time to be teaching Civics and government since there's such a big election coming up... U.S. History is a lot of fun for me -- it feels like it's already so ingrained in me. I don't have to study too much, and I get excited about it. World History is going to be pretty tough. There's just so much to talk about and go through. In just a year. Again, I find it really interesting, especially relating it to things going on today, or comparing it to today. Plus I have a smaller class so I can do a lot more.

Julie has been a huge help setting up my classroom! She feels the same way as I do about organization (HAVE to be organized!!), so she has some good ideas and has spent a couple of hours just helping me find places for things.

I have a few workshops in the next couple of months, so I'm already going to need substitutes. Ahhhh! I've always been on the other end of that. It's going to be weird making plans and having someone else come into my class and follow them.

This is an incredibly boring post. I wish I had a sweet story to tell...

The first day I got a lot of comments like "Are you here to stay?" and "Are you our real teacher?" and "Are you here for good?" (I didn't expect that.)
and "I heard you had a really tough interview!!"

small town - rumors fly!