Friday Five

What was...

1. ...your first grade teacher's name?

Annie = Mrs. Conrad (shiver, shiver)
Paul = Can't remember

2. ...your favorite Saturday morning cartoon?

Annie = Darkwing Duck (technically afterschool but still my fav)
Paul = G. I. Joe or Transformers in Spanish

3. ...the name of your very first best friend?

Annie = Lisa Hamilton
Paul = can't remember

4. ...your favorite breakfast cereal?

Annie = Fruit Loops
Paul = Lucky Charms when in the states

5. ...your favorite thing to do after school?

Annie = have a snack, read
Paul = doesn't know

Student: Who are you again?

ME: I found this book in a park when I was on a camping trip? Would you like me to read it to you?
Students: Yeah, yeah. (nod in agreement)
ME: Have any of you ever been camping?
Student: Camping? (surprised and astonished look) That's dangerous!

This morning - very, very early in the morning Paul and I heard helicopters circling around and around.

"They must be looking for a fugative," I thought.

When we woke up we could still hear them, there is a rapist on the loose in our neighborhood (don't worry mom my husband is watching out for me and has pronouced death to the man who harms his wife) so we thought maybe they were looking for him.

That is, until I went to work this morning. I was driving to the Hawthorne bridge and just on the corner of Hawthorne and Grand is the courthouse building (about 12 blocks away from our home sweet fourplex) and all the gay couples were lined up to get married. There were reporters and everything.

Then I got to work and I had to call the person I was subbing for. Guess where she was? At the courthouse getting MARRIED to her partner.

Then as I was coming home I saw the same scene again only huge. News trucks, helicopters, the works. Paul and I are going to walk down there now and watch the circus. History in the making whether you like it or not.

I was just called by the phone-a-thon students. Those of you who went to MBC will recognize this as an incredibly painful but necessary night in which you spend four hours calling alumni and asking for money. Now they are calling me!

There are some seriously impressive blogs out there. It makes me feel humble. These people have links and you can leave messages for them and everything. It's amazing. I have been having fun checking out blogs from teachers and also christian blogs.
Check this one out from a christian teacher: What in Tarnation?
Also, this one is impressive. There is so much so see. I'm still trying to figure out how to let people email me. Jen Speaks
Stayed home today (no jobs) and washed all my windows, inside and out. The reason for this was because I really couldn't stand to look at another job posting. I would rather do housework than job hunt. I also found the coolest cow serving tray at a thrift store. The bad news is that there is no more housework to do, so if I stay home tomorrow I'm stuck with the job hunting.

Note I recieved today:

"I think Mrs. Robinson is the best supstut ever."

I was picking the students up from the playground in the morning where they wait for their teachers. The grass was moist and dewey and it was morningy.

Student: Mrs. Robinson, you shouldn't walk in the grass in the morning.
ME: Why?
Student: Because a lot of people bring their dogs here and the dogs go poop and the principal doesn't have time to clean it all up before we get here.

You are Marcie!


Which Peanuts Character are You?
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"I'm warning you, I'm not a counselor, I'm not even a middle school teacher," I said to the middle school "behavior management specialist" whom I was there to replace. Once in a while there are not enough substitutes to go around and the automated voice calls you for a job you are not really qualified for. I guess, technically, I am a certified teacher. But let me tell you, the middle schoolers and I both know that I'm not supposed to be there.

I wonder how the behavior management specialist ended up teaching golf? This was the only class I had to teach in the afternoon so I made my mind up that I could make it through. I went to the gym thinking that there would be a person coming to teach golf and I would just be there to help. When I got to the gym the PE teacher told me that the golf teacher would not be there today. "Good luck", she said. I have learned that when someone tells you good luck (especially secretaries) it's never a good thing.

So it's really hard for me to look like I know what I am doing when I don't - especially when it comes to sports. The only other times I taught junior high I made the mistake of telling them I was really an elementary school teacher. That was not a good move.

I'll have to say that the golf lesson went very well. I even have to say that the day was rather amusing, although I will never go back. Paul wants to go back to school next year to be a middle school science teacher. I say good luck.

Student: I'm so tired. I stayed up all night because of that scary movie.
ME: What movie?
Student: Snow White

Oh, and get this: Paul spent the whole time we were at the library - almost two hours - in the math section. I love my husband.

As Paul and I were walking out of the library tonight I whispered to Paul, "Sometimes the library is a scary place." There was a man bugging a librarian because "he was very unhappy with their service". All I have to say is, you've hit an all time low when you feel you have to harass a LIBRARIAN.

I was a middle school counselor last week for (thank goodness) only half a day. I'm sure there will be more on this later. It was quite a harrowing experience. I don't want to give it all away but I actually had to teach GOLF. I know some of you who know me well are laughing right now because the actual amount of coordination and knowledge that I have in this area could be contained in a hollow easter egg.
More on this later...
(I took notes while I was there for my blog knowing that it was good material - I think I am a blogging nerd)

Paul and I were teaching Preschool Children's Church yesterday and we were learning about the Good Samaritan. I asked the kids if they could tell me the story and one boy did. When we got to the part where the man gets rescued he said, "And then the American guy came and helped him out."

I was teaching kindergarten today. I was supervising recess when one of my students came.

Student: I have to go to the bathroom.
ME: You can go inside and use the bathroom.
Student: Or I could just go out here.
ME: Thats not a good idea.

I'm sick today (thanks Kelina :)). Paul keeps telling me to just put on more clothes (I'm not cold I just have a cold). Yesterday I took some Claritin 24 hour non-drowsy extended release cold medicene in the morning to help get me through the day because I had to work. It worked. I was actually not drowsy for (almost) 24 hours. I couldn't go to sleep until 3:30 last night. Good thing I didn't have to work today.

I just finished a "wonderful" book that every teacher should read.
Click here to read about Ron Clark and "The Essential 55"

Today I was teaching in a second grade class that had a student teacher. Being a recent student teacher myself, I tried to generate some excitement about her.

ME: I hear you have a great student teacher.
Students: Yeah
ME: What are some of the things you like about her?
Student: She does cool science experiments with us.
Student: She's nice.
Student: I like her because she is a teenager.
ME: Really? A teenager? She looks older than that to me.
Student: I think she's about 18 or 20.
ME: Well how old do you think I am?
Student: Probably about 30.

Turns out we are the same age...

Overheard conversation today (first grade):

"Guess what? On my birthday my cat crawled into my pinata."