Tag Archives: Confessions

The weekened ate my homework…

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Confession: I have a stack of grading 6, 7, 8, 9 inches high that has been collecting in my “To be Graded” bin…and I didn’t even look at it this weekend!

I had a paper for my master’s project, grading, planning and blogging to do this weekend, but it was 90 degrees, sunny and breezy. The patio was calling my name…and I answered! So, the grading is not graded, the blogging is not blogged, the planning is not planned, and the paper is not…papered (eh, it almost worked). I guess you could say that the weekend ate my homework.

Cures from the Classroom

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Today is my birthday! So what does a nerdy teacher do on her birthday? Give a benchmark test and clean up vomit!

Yep, today my kids had to take a benchmark math test…all. day. long. Booo. At about 9:30 one of my students raised her hand and said, “Miss, my stomach hurts.”

Confession: I rarely let my kids go to the nurse. I found out very quickly my first year of teaching that kids inexplicably get sick during tests and during any other undesirable activity. Basically, no blood, no vomit, no fever–no nurse pass! (Of course I make exceptions…usually I’m pretty good at dividing the really sick kids from the fakers) To ward of my constant complainers I have a bag of tricks to cure almost any complaint, and it works 87% of the time!

Cures from the Classroom

Bottle of Lotion: Cures: Itches, redness, invisible skin ailments. Me: Here, put some lotion on it.

Wet Paper Towel: Cures:  “Sprained” [body part],  headache, anything that “hurts”, jammed, slammed or stepped on fingers, itches, redness, invisible skin ailments– can be used with the lotion if necessary.

Vaseline (the tube kind): Chapped lips, can be used interchangeably with the lotion.

Band-aids: Cures: Minor scrapes, paper cuts, or if the previous solutions don’t work.

Drinking Fountain: Cures: Stomach ache,  Sore throat, cough, hiccups, general not feeling good.

“Do you need to go to the bathroom?”: Cures: Stomach ache, general not feeling good

Trash can by desk: Cures: Stomach aches

Cough Drops (Make sure you get the “yucky” flavors: Cherry, original or menthol): Cures: Coughs (duh :)

Lay your head down for a minute: Cures: Any of the above.

**NOTE: If a students clearly is hurt or sick I always let them go to the nurse!**

Ok, back to my story. This student  looked like she felt yucky, so I told her to get a drink and gave her a pillow to lay her head down. A few minutes later…Blaaahhh! All over my pillow, the desk and then in a bucket I had set by her desk! Ewwww.

Our custodian doesn’t come in until noon. It was 9:30 with a classroom full of students trying to take a benchmark. Birthday or no birthday, I had to clean up that vomit. And, sadly it was one of these pillows that I made this summer…Pillow–>Trash. Oh well…

And to close off that kind of gross story, I just have to share this birthday card:

Plant Killer

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I have heard from a lot of teachers that having green, growing things in your classroom is good for the atmosphere and student responsibility. So this summer I bought 4 plants to live in my classroom window sill:

Here are two of my healthy, happy plants...not pictured: African Violets and Fern.

Here are two of my healthy, happy plants at the beginning of the year...not pictured: African Violets and Fern.

Confession: Every one of those plants is dead. With the exception of the African Violets, which I know are delicate, every plant I bought was supposed to be hardy and fool-proof! My kids watered them according to the instructions on the tag…but over the past 6 months one by one they bit the dust. Even my bamboo plant, which my coworker informed me, “You have to try to kill bamboo!”

Ah me, what’s a nerdy teacher to do? I have NO green thumb. I guess I’ll have to create a warm and inviting classroom some other way…

Labor Day= Teacher Recovery Day.

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Confession: I have started 5 or 6 posts…and simply could not finish them! I have been having a mental block when it comes to actually reflecting on my teaching, one that I am going to get over NOW! Here is a brief run down of the last two weeks.

  • I have a relatively small class this year, I started with 18 students. The unfortunate thing about having a small class is that I will get all the new kids, and in a fairly transient community like the one I teach in, I know that I’ll have quite a few new ones.
  • **New Teachers: I highly recommend making a few  “new student packets” the first week of school. Any letters, information sheets, folders, supplies, etc…that you hand out the first few days, make a few extras and put them all in a folder or bag, ready for any new students that might come! Since my class started so small, I’ve made 5 “new student” packets. Bring on the new kids!
  • I already got a new student, another girl. This year I have 13 girls and 6 boys. This is totally opposite of what I usually have! Having so many girls has made fora very chatty, dramatic, class. I have struggled to adjust my teaching to accommodate so many girls.
  • The first week FLEW by. I started Writer’s Workshop and the kids loved it. Their excitement about writing was contagious! I’ve kind of gotten to the point now where I’m going “what next” and I’m feeling overwhelmed about how to continue. I think it’s going to be really good, it’s just a big adjustment.
  • I have had a much more difficult transition back to the classroom than I anticipated. I think I mentioned before that the first day is not like reading a bike…going back to the classroom in general is not like riding a bike. All the little details and decisions that fill a classroom teacher’s day were overwhelming. I have felt like a first year teacher all over again!
  • Confession: Last Wednesday was the worst, I quit in my head several times, convinced myself I was a terrible teacher, was certain I had made a huge mistake, and had a good long cry. (Too much confessing?) But, after crying it out, and praying for perspective and truth, Thursday and Friday were great.
  • Labor Day weekend was a Godsend. I love having a day off so soon after school starts, I was able to relax and only think about school a little bit :) I also whipped up a Triple Chocolate Cheesecake from scratch…like

So, here we go again for week three!

ps. I have pictures from the first week, but I keep forgetting to upload them to Picasa! Coming soon.