i know i know i know... christmas is wonderful! shuttup already.
but, wait- there's more.
did you ever get your teachers a gift?
oh, man is my closet full of boxes of teachers gifts. xmas & end of year. even with a few valentines mixed in. there were always such an array of gifts. from the dollar gifts, to the useless gifts, to the gifts that teachers call "real".
i miss that this year.
i have never questioned a gift, and have always received each of them with love and the BEST oohs & aahs i could muster. i usually had plenty to say. especially for the smelly gifts (perfumes, bath stuff, candles)--- hmmmmm, i guess i need to smell better. & the candy-filled mugs/bags--- mmmmmm, ooooh my dentist will be mad at me.
i always gave them a thank you and a hug. but there are always kids who weren't able to give. so i tell them tons o' times--- just "stay on green" & gimme a giant smile & a hug. that's all i need.
there was a fine line between gushing over the gifts so the others didn't feel bad.
especially because i remember.
i'm sure with a housefull of kids, and some older kids having to pitch in for xma$, teachers were NEVER on my parents' list of gift-giving.
.......but one year: oh the joy!
i was able to give my teacher a gift. i don't remember ever asking before if i could or not; maybe i knew i just couldn't. or, maybe i did ask. i'm almost positive i gave my first & likely only teacher gift to my 3rd grade teacher, Mrs. Ropp.
and if my memory serves me correctly, i'm pretty sure it had something to do w/ our impending move to selma, al over the xmas break.
with all the pride i probably knew how to feel... for the first time, i was able to lay a gift on her desk. (was it even wrapped????)
chocolate covered cherries.
i'm sure she knew what that meant for me; and i'm sure she appreciated it as much as i always enjoyed my dollar tree angel that chasity bought herself w/ her own money. or as much as the notes kids wrote to me. or as much as my paper holder. (??) or as much as the used ornament a kid gave me (and sadly, probably heisted)....
here's to gifts of love- of all shapes and sizes.
i hope you get the perfect ones!
merry christmas!
Showing posts with label teaching days. Show all posts
Showing posts with label teaching days. Show all posts
Friday, December 21, 2007
Sunday, November 11, 2007
the way i were
as mentioned earlier, i'm adjusting to unexpected new things in my new job.
i hope i was able to give you a glimpse of how my life was for the last 7 years. and although i would do the same again- there are some things i definitely miss.
-laughter: you can't not be in a room day in/day out with 20+ 6 year olds and not have some laughter in your day.
-hugs: one of the hardest parts about leaving was not just giving up starting over w/ a new crew, but leaving my past students behind. i still get visits from some of my "old" kids, and 2nd grade, 4th grade,& 8th grade hugs (gasp!) are just as important as 1st grade hugs.
-free time: grant it, it was sparse, but we had recess every day (i WHOLEHEARTEDLY believe in freeplay!) and spending a part of your day outside everyday is quite refreshing. even if it rains, we stay in and play together, or if i have work to do, can do it w/o guilt b/c they have center time.
-exercise: ok. so, no. i didn't come home and do that, but do you even know how much walking you do just in daily routines of teaching??? now that i've been on my butt for several months, and continue to do so in my desk job, i miss that excuse of being on my feet and moving constantly.
-importance: not only do i (& many people) find teaching an important/rewarding job... you know- shaping the minds, blahblahblah. nobody feels you're more important to them than these kids you get to call your students!!! and when you get right to it, that's what feels so good.
i feel i'm still a teacher at heart, and yes, i can always go back.... we'll see.
i'm enjoying this new part of my life. and now that i do have a job, i don't feel as though i had lost all of my identity anymore. guess i'll just learn to shape a new one.
i hope i was able to give you a glimpse of how my life was for the last 7 years. and although i would do the same again- there are some things i definitely miss.
-laughter: you can't not be in a room day in/day out with 20+ 6 year olds and not have some laughter in your day.
-hugs: one of the hardest parts about leaving was not just giving up starting over w/ a new crew, but leaving my past students behind. i still get visits from some of my "old" kids, and 2nd grade, 4th grade,& 8th grade hugs (gasp!) are just as important as 1st grade hugs.
-free time: grant it, it was sparse, but we had recess every day (i WHOLEHEARTEDLY believe in freeplay!) and spending a part of your day outside everyday is quite refreshing. even if it rains, we stay in and play together, or if i have work to do, can do it w/o guilt b/c they have center time.
-exercise: ok. so, no. i didn't come home and do that, but do you even know how much walking you do just in daily routines of teaching??? now that i've been on my butt for several months, and continue to do so in my desk job, i miss that excuse of being on my feet and moving constantly.
-importance: not only do i (& many people) find teaching an important/rewarding job... you know- shaping the minds, blahblahblah. nobody feels you're more important to them than these kids you get to call your students!!! and when you get right to it, that's what feels so good.
i feel i'm still a teacher at heart, and yes, i can always go back.... we'll see.
i'm enjoying this new part of my life. and now that i do have a job, i don't feel as though i had lost all of my identity anymore. guess i'll just learn to shape a new one.
Monday, November 5, 2007
what's this "real world" you speak of?
this new job has opened up more than just "job" related newness for me.
i'm not quite in the swing of things, but this week it'll pick up w/ meetings & training. i'm sure you'll eventually be hearing about my new job, but let's talk about a different newness.
let's talk about the.....REAL WORLD kinda job. it's quite interesting. i mean, i guess this won't be new to any of y'all; but humor me & let me enlighten you on the world of teaching:
- using the restroom: THEN if you're like me, you learn to "hold it" for 12 hours. if you're normal, you wait for your "break". which was usually either a) nonexistent, or b) at inopportune times. then during your "break", you rush to one of the 3 adult bathrooms, and spend your "break" waiting in line. *ahem, your "break" is supposed to be used for such things as planning the next lesson, grading papers, writing parent letter, etc.... you know, all things non-break-like.
NOW um, you just stand up, walk over and go. no reservations needed. ???? really?
- using the phone: THEN if you're like me, because of said "break" situation, you put it off till way later [dare i say too late] and never seem to have pertinent materials with you (calendar, work samples, grades, evidence, er i mean documentation); you walk down the hall & wait for one of 2 quiet phones, and try not to eavesdrop on the other convo. hesitate to leave a message if need be, b/c then you'll have to walk all the way back to your classroom, and turn around in 5 min when they call back. NOW pick up this appliance that is sitting on your desk and dial at the very moment you're thinking of the issue. [tho in a cubicle, i'm sure eavesdropping will be an everpresent issue] ????? huh!
- lunch: THEN you line up 21 6-year olds in the correct order to be in, according to what their lunch choice was that day...{no, susieq, you can NOT change your order right now}.... you walk down the hall {quietly! people are working. please don't touch the walls. thank you, susieq, i like how you remembered to walk on the 3rd square.} to the cafeteria, wait in line behind the other class, walk the kids through the lunchline {don't forget your milk.... get your silverware.... *clang!!! *sigh* please don't drop it}, make sure they get the right item {susieq, they made X for you, you can't just get Y b/c you want it now. order that tomorrow.}, make sure they're seated. {remember, only talk when the music is OFF..... yes, i'll open that for you.}, walk back down the hall and enjoy 20 minutes of "uninterrupted break-time" to woof, er i mean eat your food. [refer to the restroom section if you're still confused about "break" time]
NOW stand up, and choose where to take an hour. here? or out? um, ??? out? you mean, out of the building? to eat? and it's not goldfish & other finger foods you can eat while on "break"?????? wow.
- getting to work: THEN if you're like me, you'd want to feel prepared & ready, so you would get there at 6:45 or earlier. that's AM. if you're normal, you stroll in at 7:30 (7:15 if you have to report for a morning duty) (7:14 if you're actually going to help your coworkers and show up for said duty). the kids start coming in from 7:35-7:55 in a perfect world; some would show up at like 8:15! NOW it will change from day to day; but so far, 8:30's been the earliest, and apparently when we have training, our day starts at 10:00. ?????? you mean, it's light out when you go to work??
- leaving work: THEN who knows? usually not before 5:30 or 6:00. that's PM. sometimes you even lug everything you didn't get done home to work on until bedtime. that's 9 or 10 at the latest. THEN you tell your friend that no, you can't walk in the n'hood on mondays!!! i mean, that's "stuff the tuesday folder day"!
NOW again, believe me, there will be some loonnnnnggg days. but usually, it's 5:00 on the dot. and apparently 4pm when in training. and, so far i haven't heard of "tuesday folders" ????? so, you mean, i can keep preparing dinner? hmmmmm.
so, as you can see, i'm trying to learn this real world thing.
and i haven't even mentioned that i'm wearing real world clothes, and shoes with heels! ? ! and makeup that stays on for longer than 7:30am!!!
i'm sure there's more for me to learn. but alas, i've kept you this long.
thanks for listenin'.
i'm not quite in the swing of things, but this week it'll pick up w/ meetings & training. i'm sure you'll eventually be hearing about my new job, but let's talk about a different newness.
let's talk about the.....REAL WORLD kinda job. it's quite interesting. i mean, i guess this won't be new to any of y'all; but humor me & let me enlighten you on the world of teaching:
- using the restroom: THEN if you're like me, you learn to "hold it" for 12 hours. if you're normal, you wait for your "break". which was usually either a) nonexistent, or b) at inopportune times. then during your "break", you rush to one of the 3 adult bathrooms, and spend your "break" waiting in line. *ahem, your "break" is supposed to be used for such things as planning the next lesson, grading papers, writing parent letter, etc.... you know, all things non-break-like.
NOW um, you just stand up, walk over and go. no reservations needed. ???? really?
- using the phone: THEN if you're like me, because of said "break" situation, you put it off till way later [dare i say too late] and never seem to have pertinent materials with you (calendar, work samples, grades, evidence, er i mean documentation); you walk down the hall & wait for one of 2 quiet phones, and try not to eavesdrop on the other convo. hesitate to leave a message if need be, b/c then you'll have to walk all the way back to your classroom, and turn around in 5 min when they call back. NOW pick up this appliance that is sitting on your desk and dial at the very moment you're thinking of the issue. [tho in a cubicle, i'm sure eavesdropping will be an everpresent issue] ????? huh!
- lunch: THEN you line up 21 6-year olds in the correct order to be in, according to what their lunch choice was that day...{no, susieq, you can NOT change your order right now}.... you walk down the hall {quietly! people are working. please don't touch the walls. thank you, susieq, i like how you remembered to walk on the 3rd square.} to the cafeteria, wait in line behind the other class, walk the kids through the lunchline {don't forget your milk.... get your silverware.... *clang!!! *sigh* please don't drop it}, make sure they get the right item {susieq, they made X for you, you can't just get Y b/c you want it now. order that tomorrow.}, make sure they're seated. {remember, only talk when the music is OFF..... yes, i'll open that for you.}, walk back down the hall and enjoy 20 minutes of "uninterrupted break-time" to woof, er i mean eat your food. [refer to the restroom section if you're still confused about "break" time]
NOW stand up, and choose where to take an hour. here? or out? um, ??? out? you mean, out of the building? to eat? and it's not goldfish & other finger foods you can eat while on "break"?????? wow.
- getting to work: THEN if you're like me, you'd want to feel prepared & ready, so you would get there at 6:45 or earlier. that's AM. if you're normal, you stroll in at 7:30 (7:15 if you have to report for a morning duty) (7:14 if you're actually going to help your coworkers and show up for said duty). the kids start coming in from 7:35-7:55 in a perfect world; some would show up at like 8:15! NOW it will change from day to day; but so far, 8:30's been the earliest, and apparently when we have training, our day starts at 10:00. ?????? you mean, it's light out when you go to work??
- leaving work: THEN who knows? usually not before 5:30 or 6:00. that's PM. sometimes you even lug everything you didn't get done home to work on until bedtime. that's 9 or 10 at the latest. THEN you tell your friend that no, you can't walk in the n'hood on mondays!!! i mean, that's "stuff the tuesday folder day"!
NOW again, believe me, there will be some loonnnnnggg days. but usually, it's 5:00 on the dot. and apparently 4pm when in training. and, so far i haven't heard of "tuesday folders" ????? so, you mean, i can keep preparing dinner? hmmmmm.
so, as you can see, i'm trying to learn this real world thing.
and i haven't even mentioned that i'm wearing real world clothes, and shoes with heels! ? ! and makeup that stays on for longer than 7:30am!!!
i'm sure there's more for me to learn. but alas, i've kept you this long.
thanks for listenin'.
Friday, November 2, 2007
censorship
The Mr. likes to talk about my censorship. he jokes & gives me a hard time for censoring books I would read to my students. but it's not that i censor them, exactly. i just make them, um, more... dealable.
i don't think there are books that shouldn't be written & stuff. i don't think we should take harry potter off the shelves.
i started thinking of this post at halloween, b/c that's one time i could prove myself right. lemme give you a little background.
he makes fun of me & loves to know when i'll read Charlotte's Web to the kids each year. for anyone who knows me, i don't deal well w/ certain types of body humor, or issues. and the way i see it: the less you have to deal w/ grossed out 6 year olds who think that crap is funny, the better!
so, for those of you who haven't read this book in ages, let me enlighten you a little. Wilbur lives in a manure pile. only, in my class, he lives in a mud pile.
i don't see what the big deal is, but The Mr. sure does like to harass me about it.
mud is just as squishy, cold, and dirty as manure. but less gross. and i'm quite sure there are plenty of pigs out there who live in a mud pile. i'm just changing HIS location. (i don't say he lives in a pretty pen w/ a bed of hay).
here's the reason. picture if you will, a group of, say, 21 6 year olds. 2 of 'em are probly picking their nose by this point. how 'bout make, oh.... 14 of them boys.
now, go ahead and read: wilbur lives in a manure pile. .... "what's manure????"
do you REALLY wanna explain that to this class? do you really want 21 6 year olds saying "eeeeeewwwww grosss!!!!!!!" and then giggle b/c their teacher just taught them a fancy word for poops? I DIDN'T.
they could look it up or discuss it w/ their parents b/c i gave each of them the book for an end of the year gift.
ok. now, for the reason i thought of this post to begin with:
i had a student about 4 years ago whose mom was a little off. she came to me day 1 and told me her child wouldn't do anything, and that she's bipolar, (but they wouldn't diagnose her b/c she wasn't 7 yet) and blahblahblah all these things.
that year, i had a parapro (teacher's aide) who was pretty much opposite me, she wasn't going to censor anything... she is a gruff tellitlikeitis kinda lady who's had 2 of her own children. so, i guess she just said the same things to the students that she'd say to her own. i would cringe when she would say "hiney". me? i always said "bottom". in a world where "stupid" & "shut-up" are bad words (both the S-word, mind you) i'm fairly confident that "bottom" is probably the word they're used to at home.
anyhow....
there is a series of books about a character named Froggy. It always has some repetition in each of the books, and they're pretty cute. tho' slightly inappropriate at times, but i didn't censor the Froggy Gets Dressed, where at the end of the book, he stands there naked and blushing. (giggle giggle.... ).
i didn't own the halloween book. but Mrs. C did. and she read it to the kids, and they loved it. oh how they loved the chorus:
i don't think there are books that shouldn't be written & stuff. i don't think we should take harry potter off the shelves.
i started thinking of this post at halloween, b/c that's one time i could prove myself right. lemme give you a little background.
he makes fun of me & loves to know when i'll read Charlotte's Web to the kids each year. for anyone who knows me, i don't deal well w/ certain types of body humor, or issues. and the way i see it: the less you have to deal w/ grossed out 6 year olds who think that crap is funny, the better!
so, for those of you who haven't read this book in ages, let me enlighten you a little. Wilbur lives in a manure pile. only, in my class, he lives in a mud pile.
i don't see what the big deal is, but The Mr. sure does like to harass me about it.
mud is just as squishy, cold, and dirty as manure. but less gross. and i'm quite sure there are plenty of pigs out there who live in a mud pile. i'm just changing HIS location. (i don't say he lives in a pretty pen w/ a bed of hay).
here's the reason. picture if you will, a group of, say, 21 6 year olds. 2 of 'em are probly picking their nose by this point. how 'bout make, oh.... 14 of them boys.
now, go ahead and read: wilbur lives in a manure pile. .... "what's manure????"
do you REALLY wanna explain that to this class? do you really want 21 6 year olds saying "eeeeeewwwww grosss!!!!!!!" and then giggle b/c their teacher just taught them a fancy word for poops? I DIDN'T.
they could look it up or discuss it w/ their parents b/c i gave each of them the book for an end of the year gift.
ok. now, for the reason i thought of this post to begin with:
i had a student about 4 years ago whose mom was a little off. she came to me day 1 and told me her child wouldn't do anything, and that she's bipolar, (but they wouldn't diagnose her b/c she wasn't 7 yet) and blahblahblah all these things.
that year, i had a parapro (teacher's aide) who was pretty much opposite me, she wasn't going to censor anything... she is a gruff tellitlikeitis kinda lady who's had 2 of her own children. so, i guess she just said the same things to the students that she'd say to her own. i would cringe when she would say "hiney". me? i always said "bottom". in a world where "stupid" & "shut-up" are bad words (both the S-word, mind you) i'm fairly confident that "bottom" is probably the word they're used to at home.
anyhow....
there is a series of books about a character named Froggy. It always has some repetition in each of the books, and they're pretty cute. tho' slightly inappropriate at times, but i didn't censor the Froggy Gets Dressed, where at the end of the book, he stands there naked and blushing. (giggle giggle.... ).
i didn't own the halloween book. but Mrs. C did. and she read it to the kids, and they loved it. oh how they loved the chorus:
trick or treat, smell my feet
give me something good to eat [that woulda been where i stopped]
if you don't, i don't care
i'll show you my underwear!
?? leave it to that one student's mom to write me a pretty rough note demanding to know why we would teach her child that song. it took some clearing up, i tellya.
need i say more????
so, sometimes, censorship just saves time and energy!
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