Soap Box

 Yesterday was a very challanging day. It was open house, where your classroom is turned into a sardine can with half your parents there, I got some, hmm how to say it, undesirable feedback, had a fire drill mid-nap and lastly I got bit, scratched, pinched and called names by a nugget. And it was only Wednesday, excuse me? 

 You know this is only my second year teaching, I am still learning so many things. But one this is certain, I love my nuggets. Every last one of them, I might not love the choices they make or they way they do somethings but I love them. Loving a nugget does not mean giving into their every request. I make an effort EVERYDAY to make EACH child feel important, I say "I love you" more times than I can count, I hug 400 times while they leave snot on my shirt, I put on band aids on 12 of the tiniest paper cuts that ever existed. But I simply can't do it all. Every shoe won't get tied, someone's sore toe won't get tended to and every bruise won't get a kiss. I don't have enough time in the day, I still have to go to PLC's and call back a parent, document on this, and turn in that..not to mention teach! 

 By no means am I asking for a pity party, I'm just asking that you give your teachers a break. Think of the effort and attention it takes to tend to your children, and multiply it by 20 or so. I'm not a parent, nor do I wish to be right now, because I have 24 kids already. And I give them everything I have 5 days a week. I'm amazed by the teachers that do have families of their owns, and by parents in general, it's an unimaginable task in my mind. 

 I chose this profession for the nuggets. They are who I am focused on, and they are the ones who I go to work for. The rest of my job (meetings, lesson plans, documentation, conferences, ect) is a requirement, but the kids are the reason. The day the reason changes is the day I won't be a teacher anymore. 

Two words

CALM DOWN. 

That's basically all I can say about today. Everyone needs to calm down, high blood pressure is for the birds 

Today's pockets: 

gilittery stars

Marker

Eraser

Pen

Cube 

JTTW

I Oh my, Monday, you have shown me no mercy! (I didn't even do that alliteration on purpose, but I'm glad it happened.) 

 Apparently today was keep your kids home from common core day, well all my parents must love common core because my nuggets were there. I had a few out but that was broken legs and sickness. I'm not well versed enough in common core to start a hoopla about it, so I'll stick to what I know: Jesus take the wheel moments. 

Number 1: when a nugget answered every question on a assessment wrong even though I was stressssssing everrrry worddddddd. 

Number 2: when a nugget refused to stand in line and then hystercaily cried/screamed the whole way to lunch, whilst swinging a jacket about. 

Number 3: Math...just my entire math lesson was one giant Jesus take the wheel moment. Addition with this new series might kill me. 

Number 4: naptime...once again just the entire naptime. 

Those were the big ones, trust me, there were plenty other little moments. 

I am a winner! Today I started a whole brain teaching strategy: the mighty score board (not a legit name). When the nuggets do as they are told they get a point, when they don't, I get a point. Welllllllll, the score was 15-3. My extra sip of water at the end of the day was so refreshing! I'm trying to motivate the nuggets for this last week, but I know they know a break is coming. Boy do they need it! Hey, I need it too!

 I have decided to make my break productive though, I want to get a jump start on lessons plans. So I'm gonna devote a day to getting as much done as possible. Now that's my plan, the day will come and I'll likely end up drinking wine and sending random snapchats. 

Today's pockets:

Talking Buttons: hahahaha

Markers: it's weird that thru are both green. 

P.s. My KK is on point!! I got a magic feather/colored hair clip in! Loves!

Hamburger Wednesday

 Midway through the week, but Friday still seems far away! 

 Today was eventful. I had to bring my car to the shop for making a noise similar to an old fire engine siren (wannnnnnnnnnnnnn). Fingers crossed that it's not te alternator. Ain't nobody got time for that!  I had a dress fitting for my best friend's wedding, exciting! An after school meeting caused another "after school meeting" at a co-worker's house. And finally I had Hamburger Wednesday with the Delaune's (the greatest group of people that exist)!  

 The cold did nothing to calm my nuggets. Everyone has cabin fever around school. They know the break is so close and it's causing insanity! Is it May yet? 

 Seriously, this year is flying by. I can't believe it's almost Thanksgiving! Let's hope this speed keeps up the second half of the year! 

Pockets:

Highlighter

Bobby pin 

Block

Button

Baby it's cold outside...

 Did I just Christmas song lyric my title? Someone slap me! I'm no Grinch, but it's too early for the eggnog. 

 I had a mild heart attack a second ago when I thought today was only Monday. At least it's Tuesday. If you can find one positive thing about your day then it doesn't seem that bad. 

 The nuggets and I had an okay day. We NEED Thanksgiving break, but we're in it to win it. I had two friends absent and then two friends leave during the day. There is a cold going around the room slowly taking down everyone. I'm loading up on the vitamin c! 

 Tomorrow is suppose to be freezing, so I'm sure the nuggets will be crazy because they have on hats and gloves. Because seriously, who can keep their good wits about them when their hands are covered in fuzzy fabric. 

 No word back on my observation yet, I'm thinking that won't be until Friday, which is fine with me. No matter the results I'll either have a reason to party or forget with the help of Rhianna and my best friend! 

 My pockets just had the talking buttons in them, which are not scatterd on the floor. I'm a hot mess, always. 

And this is how it went.

 This next sentence really needs to be read in Truvy's (Dolly Parton's character in Steel Magnolias) voice. YOU'RE JOKING RIGHT?! 

 That's how I feel about my children's behavior today during my observation. They were acting like it was their first day of kindergarten and that they had never been asked to sit down, ever in their five years of life. 

 I wanted to just fake pass out so I could be done with it already. That would have probably lead to an entirely different observation occurring though. 

 It's leaps and bounds from my lesson last year but it just had higher expectations of my nuggets. They are capable of so much, they are brilliant, but they made poor choices. It more disappointing than anything. There is nothing that can be done now though so I should probably go back to sleep since it's 4:25 on a Saturday. 

Observation Jesus take the wheel

 I woke up today with ease which is surprising since last night I had a headache that was equivilent having Mount Rushmore fall on your head. I was extremely glad to be rid of the constant pounding inside my skull. 

 Upon arriving at school I grabbed the bull by the horns and asked to have my observation moved up. I won't have planning tomorrow so I figured why not just teach through that hour. The only thing is that our supervisor will be there for a meeting in the morning and my principle isn't sure how long that will last. So we're going to play it by ear and see how it goes. I'm hoping to get it done before lunch, just get it out the way! 

 My children were atricious yet again. All but five of my boys had to move their clothespin. What is up with them? Is it the weather, are they getting fed pure energy, is it the moon's gravitational pull on the Earth, and alien abduction? Whatever it is, I'm gonna need them to get it together for an hour tomorrow. 

 Thanksgiving definitely cannot get here fast enough! I'll be thankful for silence!

 Say your prayers to observation Jesus that none of the nuggets catch fire or stab me tomorrow, or my worse fear, they all begin speaking in Spanish.  

Today's pockets:

Talking buttons: only nuggets in possession of these buttons could share a word problem. 

Counters: picked up by one of the many garbage men that are in my class

Bobby pins: gravity always wins, always. 

Tuesday

 Today was better than yesterday but that really isn't saying much. I had three nuggets out sick, one waited until school to throw up so I could fully enjoy it! 

 The closer my observation gets the more tempted I am to join the circus. I could most certainly rock a sequined leotard; in fact I dream of such things often! Why oh why did I pick a Friday? Pish posh that was silly! It's taking forever to get here and the anticipation of it all is slowly stealing my soul.  

 Have you ever heard someone say something and comprehend absolutely nothing?! That happens to me hourly. Seriously five year olds and come up with some stuff! "If you didn't have a yard, bears would get in your house" or "can I feel one of those (referring to a chip)". 

 My pockets are empty again. 

One light.

 Is it bad that I actually perfer that only one out of four bulbs is currently emitting light from my bathroom fixture? Somedays just aren't meant to be illuminated I guess. 

 Today was pretty much terrible. Yeah, terrible is an accurate adjective. My nuggets were off the wall! Half, literally (11 out of 23) moved their clothespin. 3 of them to red. It was infurrating. 

 I'm the kind of tired that keeps you awake, you know the kind that seeps into your bones and finds it's way to your brain, preventing any rest. It's a strange, overwhelming feeling. 

 I wore some new pants today that had the strangest pockets, big enough to fit 3 paper clips and smurf, and they zipped. Weird. 

Anyone still there?

 Have you forgotten about me yet? It's likely, and totally understandable. I can't believe how long it's been since I documented my kindergarten life. I apologize for my carelessness.  

 Things got super crazy for a while, they kinda still are. Here is the rundown: I got famous, one of our kindergarten team members got a new job, one of my nuggets said he was gonna stab me, my wisdom tooth is starting to make an appearance and my formal observation was rescheduled three times. I think that about covers it. 

 My nuggets are starting to get a little antsy. It's time for Thanksgiving break! 3 more weeks. I'll feel a or better after Friday though! My observation is scheduled for noon, so start praying to observation Jesus. I'm trying not to think too much about it, because that's usually when I screw everything up. I am already having dreams about it though. So here's to a quick week that ends well! 

 On a side note, my wisdom tooth is coming out and it is awful. I now have a new respect for babies who are cutting teeth. Like, I don know what to do with myself it hurts so bad. I'm hoping that it quits soon because I don't have time to have surgery until the summer. Because everytime I have something done and they say oh you'll be back on your feet in a week, it's more like a half a month for me. So pray to gum pain Jesus too! 

Boo-tiful

 A literary tragedy occurred yesterday. I had a full blog written, pocket picture included and then my app closed without warning and didn't save my work. I'm hoping you can be empathetic about this matter. It was just one of those blogs that you couldn't re-write; it's words were lost in the virtual iPhone world forever. 

 Speaking of lost things, I found both things I had last yesterday, our Romona book and my Promethean pen! The pen was on top of the cubbies and Romona was hiding in my guided reading bin!  As hard as I try I can't seem to keep my guided reading table in order. It just gets away from me everyday! 

 My classroom is turning into a spooktacular place! :) In true Amanda fashion I'm falling over myself in Halloween excitement! Along with my daily festive earrings, I'm putting up more decorations by the day. In fact I just went to te store and bought more decorations and black garbage bags to make spider webs with! 

 I didn't get to do all of these fun things last year because I was too busy just trying to keep my head above the water. What a difference a year makes! I absolutely have to give credit to my nuggets, they are a great group, but I also have to give some credit to myself! I'm working harder than I ever thought I would and I've made huge strides as a teacher. I'm just overall more comfortable. Foooooooo shoooooooo! 

 Now as for everything else that my job requires, blah! Paper paper paper! Doesn't the people in charge know I'm a hippie who cares about the trees?!? Sheesh. Does the paperwork ever end?! 

Today's Pockets:

Highlighter

"Beware" caution tape 

Stickers

Chinese Chef recipt 

 

Sappy

 I feel like I should be voted off the island for not writing in so long. I don't know what's wrong with me, oh wait, I'm constantly exhausted! 

 I'm totally loving teaching this year but I'm also just worn out! The amount of effort and energy that it takes to run a classroom is unexplainable. I can see it all paying off though. Despite all the effort and late nights, my to do list is still long! Teachers never really clock out! 

 Walk through shave started happening, I've had two so far with good remarks. I'm excited about all the positive feed back I've been getting, it's such a change from last year. 

 To all my future teachers out there: your first year of teaching will most likely drain you of everything you have. It will likely break your heart and your spirit. I am here to say that you've just got to suck that first year so you can grow into the kind of teacher you want to be. Every tear I cried last year, every crazy thing that happened, all helped me to know how to handle this year! 

What day is it?

 An entire week since I've posted? My passion for writing is totally unsurpassed! Last week was just crazy with the bugs and the washing and the nit picking. I don't want to press my luck so I won't set it in stone, but I think I'm done with those cotton-headed ninny muggins for now. What an exhausting process. Not that your asking, but my advice would be to not get lice! 

 The days are seeming to get longer, or maybe it's just my work load is getting larger. I either need more hours in a day or less work, preferably the latter. The amount of paper work is overwhelming! And the acronyms!!! They never end! PLC's, SLT's, PGP's, IEP's, RTI...I could keep going here. I know it's all part of the job but man it would be nice to just teach! 

 Even with the extra work this year, I'm still having a better year than last year! PRAISE HIM! I did have a "Jesus take the wheel" moment when my nuggets were having difficulty following oral directions for Math. No doubt, I was saying something in a way that they misunderstood, but we were late for nap and I just needed them to put four cubes on the paper! 

 On the subject, math stations are for the birds. There I said it, "smite me of mighty smiter" is probably a better phrase. I'm sure it'll get better with time. It's just the figuring out how to make things work thing that gets me. Give me another year and I'll be a math stations guru! 

 But I do have to give myself a high five for staying after school today with two cowokers to workout. Yay us! 

No pockets today friends! Sorry!

Couldn't make it up if I tried.

 Well folks, I debated about writing about this topic, but I figured you're all loyal readers. And if you haven't judged me by now then you probably won't ever. 

 It has happened, every teachers nightmare, lice. I woke up this morning and just knew it. I woke my mom out of a dead sleep at 4:30 in the morning and made her go through my hair, she saw nothing but I knew better. 

 I was the first person in the Walmart, getting the treatment. After washing my hair and having my mom go through my hair again she found those angel of death bastards. I was naturally mortified and cried like I had been shot in the arm. 

 The crying basically continued for like three hours. I couldn't go to school, I was worried about my nuggets, disgusted by my mane and exhausted from doing all of the above. I cleaned my room, my car, washed anything that would fit in the washer and sprayed everything else. Spent a little too much time on Google, which in turn lead to more crying. I tried remedies I found, viniger and water, pillows in trash bags and head in grocery bags, combing my hair every three minutes, everything short of pulling a Britney and completely shaving my hair. Don't think I wasn't tempted  though! 

 Here is my question about these God-awful creatures: are they preggers before they get in your hair and just drop the kids off on their way somewhere, or are they doing the nasty there? If the latter: were they married, dating, legally old enough? I mean these are all legimate questions. I figured I had to find the funny in this situation or I'd still be crying. 

 Oh look, it's only been 12 minutes since I last had someone pick through my hair like a gorilla, better get on that.

Here's to a better and less itchy tomorrow!

Better late...

 Slackerrrrrr! This week has just been so wearing that I fall into bed when I get home and just don't get out again! 

 By no means am I having a bad week, just an exhausting one! Yesterday was testing though, and my nuggets and I didn't go to Brain Break. 

 You may think brain break or recess is for the kids, but it's just as much for the teachers too! We all need breaks. But my nuggets devices to not follow directions during our math lesson. I knew if I let them slide this one time, then they would think it was okay to repeat this behavior, so I put my foot down. I told them that I knew not everyone was talking but that we were a team, and if your team shoots at the wrong goal, you'll never win the game. 

 Was my analogy lost on them? Most likey, but they sure did understand not going play on the big play set. I also told them that yesterday was the first day they decided to talk so much, and it would be the last day. Lets hope this sticks! 

 Friday is finally here! Ready to start the day and get to the weekend, that is of course booked. Hopefully I can squeeze in a nap or two and catch up on sleep! 

I didn't photograph my pockets, but I bought my wig for my Romona wig! I'm like overly excited about this!

Friday Fail

 I woke up today, after snoozing for an hour, smiling to myself because it was Friday.....FAIL, it's only Tuesday!

 This was like being 7 and finding out that Hannah Montana was really Miley Cyrus, tragic! 

 My Tuesday wasn't too bad though, and neither was my Monday! I was exhausted yesterday, like going to bed before 8 exhausted. So excuse the missed blog! 

 My little nuggets did very well on their DIBLES testing (it's a little dumb)! I'm a proud mama. But now I have to keep the bar high! 

 I'm trying to put together math stations by Friday. Jesus take the wheel! I feel like this could be dangerous! I'm excited about making the kids look forward to math but  not looking forward to training them in something new. 

 Each time you add something to their day, they go a little crazy. Totally understandable, they already have so much on their plates! It's just hard to change a routine that's already in place. 

Today's pockets:

Pens on pens on pens

Dove chocolate wrapper

Paper clips 

Today is almost yesterday.

 Oh happy day! My Romona books came in today! This year, I started reading Beezus and Romona by Beverly Cleary at naptime. I loved these books when i was a kid! Just a little each day, even when I really have 4,000 things to get done, we read about Romona! 

 I'm in love with how much the nuggets love reading the book together. The ask about it everyday, and talk about what we read afterwards. I've been reading off of a website, but today my actual books came!  I'm so excited to show the nuggets tomorrow! 

 I had my first friend move a clothespin today. It made me so sad, but I have to be consistent or I'll be a doormat again, no thank you! I gave two fair warnings, and my friend still decided to talk to his neighbor when they were suppose to be working. Tis life I suppose! 

 Tomorrow is my first Grandparent's Day. I'm anticipating a mess! Things rarely go as planned, so I'm not over stressing myself. 

 Today I played soccer with my boys at brain brake, exhausting but so fun. They made me feel like I was Usain Bolt! "Oh man, Ms. Amanda is super fast". I probably actually looked like a penguin trying to run! 

 My pocket contents are on the bathroom counter, and I'm in bed. So I leave you with our project for tomorrow! 

The three S's.

 Today I got snotted on, scratched and high fived (aka slapped) in my arm by my nuggets. And I can still say that it was a pretty good day! All in the life of a kindergarten teacher. 

 The snot was from a crying nugget who didn't feel good and wanted to go home. The scratch was from a nugget tantrum, totally accidental, the scratch not the tantrum. And the high five slap was from an end of the day over excited nugget. 

 The heat is unbearable these past few days. Just walking from place to place in our courtyard is uncomfortable. Yesterday I had a nugget crying because no one wanted to play duck, duck, goose at brain break because they were all too hot. Come at me, fall weather!! 

 Yesterday I had a Mrs.Peaches moment.  Let me tell you about Mrs. Peaches, what a perfect name right? She was my very own kindergarten teacher and she made a huge impact on my five year old self. 

 At the time, I couldn't think of anyone greater, still she's a top contender. She pulled all of my baby teeth. She tauhht me how to tie my shoes. She always welcomed me into her classroom, wven when I was well out of Kindergarten. When I was in swimming lessons and got to pick a friend to bring for our last lesson, I picked Mrs. Peaches, and she came. 

 Having your teacher cometo swimming lessons is a big deal people! Of course she had a family to take of, errands to run and things to scratch off her to-do list , but despite all that, she suited up and jumped in! I've never forgotten that experience or how Mrs. Peaches made me feel. 

 When I got the position as kindergarten teacher, I called her to tell her that very same day. "Oh my girl, you were made for this" is what she told me, and I'm starting to believe it a little more. Essentially, Mrs. Peaches is the teacher you want to be. 

 Last night I got a message from one of my parents from last year who just moved away. Her son was allowed to invite two friends to his siblings' birthday party and he chose another first grade boy and myself. 

 I could have burst with love! Obviously I accepted without hesitation. I can't wait to see my little nugget! This is why I became a teacher! :) 

Today's pockets:

Raveled string from a school bag

Writing tools galore! 

Scissors: how I don't have a hole in my pocket, I'm not sure

Oh la!

 Thursday, quit acting like Friday! Sheesh this is a long week! I know it's because of the three day weekend, but man Friday is taking years to get here. 

 Yesterday was exhausting. Half day with the nuggets, half in meetings and a night with the parents. I think my open house was successful! This year is already so different than last year! Praise Him! 

 Today was an exciting day. I had a nugget with "juice poo", those seethe exact words I was told. I had to hold back an audible laugh! That was the first time I had ever heard that term! I sent my poor nugget to the office to call home. I hope he is feeling better and can make it back to school. Oh the things that are said by five year olds! 

 I'm not sure if you know this or not, but I'm sort of a celebrity. I am Rhonda-Faye. Did I just blow your mind?!? A volunteer at our school, whom I'd never met before stopped and asked me if my name was Rhonda, to which I didn't even think she would be talking about my alter ego. I politely told her no and showed her the real Mrs. Rhonda's room, but she said oh no, you just look so familiar! So then I asked if she were referring to Ms. Faye and she excited said yes! Haha, local celebrity sighting at school! 

 My nuggets were well behaved and we got through our lessons just fine! So far I've had a wonderful but long week! Here's to hoping tomorrow is effortless! 

Today's pockets:

Highlighter

Snack napkin

Paper clips 

Beverly Cleary said it best....

 "Exasperated" would be the term to describe how I feel right now. 

 Please read the following in Romona Quimby's voice: (she's 4) "my feet hurt, my knee hurts, I have a headache, I'm hungry, I can't find something I need annnnnd a man almost ran directly into me in Walmart". 

 I feel better now! I just could not get my mind to wrap itself around the fact that today was only Tuesday. I'm guessing that since yesterday went by so quickly I thought two days had passed. Sadly, they had not! 

 Today wasn't bad, my nuggets and I had a good day. Today was just long! My babies went to stations and they did a fabulous job, yay them! And you know what!? Yay me, I taught them that! Haha.

 Tomorrow is a half day, but why would we get to go home? Followed by an afternoon of meetings, is our open house. I feel ready and over-whelmed at the same time. That's basically how I feel everyday though! 

Today's Pockets:

Only writing utensils again. So boring! 

 

Noteworthy

 I'm trying something new this school year. I made a weekly goal for myself. Now don't judge me, promise you won't?  I made the goal of painting my nails every Sunday night. Sounds silly doesn't it? But I think it's important I leave time for myself this school year. Last year I was utterly consumed by school, this year I want to keep the balance! 

 I'm rocking some pretty cute purple nails today! The nuggets enjoyed it! And I enjoyed my day with them! :) I can't wait until all the schedules are finalized and we are in full swing! 

 We haven't started stations yet, but we've been talking about them everyday, so hopefully we'll get into those soon! I have a feeling that this year's centers will be great! The nuggets are so excited about them, and I am too! 

 Today I received an amazing letter from a parent that reassured me of my professional choices. In it she stated his her child is excited about school and our classroom! That's all I really want to do, make children love learning! Learning is the one thing we can all do, so why not love doing it? 

Today's Pockets:

All kinds of writing utensils! 

So far..

So far, so good! 

So far from last year. 

So far from the weekend still! 

I am having such a fabulous week it's freaking me out. It's like I'm certain that lightening with strike me or a building will appear and fall into the classroom. Despite the greatness, this has still been a lonnnnnng week.

 My little brand new nuggets worked in partners with cubes! CUBES! One hit the floor, that is all! For you non teachers, this may seem like no big deal, but nay! It is like a Christmas miracle!!! I was totally amazed at how well they worked with their "neighbors across the street" (their face partner)! I could have moon walked all around the room, but I can't show the nuggets that I'm too hilarious yet or they'll learn to break me. 

 I did get my first "I hate you and I hate this class" today followed by a tearful " sorry, I miss my mom" and a hug. It's hard being five years old some days. 

Today's pockets:

Highlighter: working on making this letters. 

Scissors: just incase things get cray and I need to defend myself...kidding of course (kinda)

Puffy sticker: I'm not sure how that got there

Magnet and regular tape: from one of my custodial nappers 

 

Whatdaya know?!

 I'm sorry I didn't blog yesterday! I was exhausted from all the awesomeness my boys brought to the class! I am amazed at the difference from last year to this year! 

 I thought that today would be all out anarchy, because last year it was! I had already arranged for reinforcements to come in, aka my mom, because surely I would be lost in a sea for nuggets. I wasn't though! Having my mom there to stuff folders and pass out snack was awesome, no doubt. But I wasn't crying and needing to "use the bathroom" (cry in the bathroom, talk to myself in the mirror, splash water in my face and repeat). 

 I'm hoping that this year is everything last year wasn't! I have a feeling that I will get to be the teacher I want to be! How exciting is that? 

 I'm sure you're annoyed that I haven't had any hysterical mishaps, but I have to admit I love it! I do have a funny quote though " I'm getting weak" was said yesterday by one of my nuggets who was tired! 

Today's pockets:

Pencil friend coupon: pencil management 

Highlighter: so bright

Promethean pen: magic

Penny: for your thoughts

Pins: of all kinds!

  

Adjectives!

 Great, good, grand, lovely, pleasant, far-out, stupendous! Those are all the adjectives that could describe my day with my girls today! 

 I was equally parts nervous and confident this morning. I knew how I wanted things to go, I just wasn't sure I how I was going to get that to happen. Once I was in the classroom though, things just happened. 

 The girls listened so well, they interacted with each other and with me without any trouble. Lunch didn't make me sing any Carrie Underwood, how great is that?! 

 I'm hoping for the same kind of day with my boys tomorrow. Last year, it was the boys that had me crying on the first day of school and having mild heart attacks. But as I have reminded myself, frequently in the past week, this year is not last year. It's pretty great that I get to start over again and approach everything in a different way with a whole new group of kids! 

 I know that even though I had a rough year last year, my kiddos still learned, and they knew that they were loved. Yes I am in this profession to teach children the ABC's,  how to count to 100 and read sight words; but, I am also in this profession to make sure kids know they are important and are loved! 

Today's pockets:

Binder clip: yay

Highlighter: helping with some letter formation 

Bone magnet: from a misplaced station 

Are you sure?

 Are you sure today wasn't Friday? Geeeeeeez, could this week be any slower?! I'm glad to have the time to get my classroom ready for my nuggets Monday, but I'm ready for the weekend. 

 I'm totally exhausted, so I know all my other teacher friends are too! I can't wait to just sleep without an alarm, not that ill sleep past 7. 

 Tomorrow is our meet and greet. I'm pumped about seeing my little nuggets for a bit. Then I know I'll have a million things to do! I feel pretty prepared though! I already have my work for Monday and Tuesday printed and waiting! 

 This will be a good year! I'm determined! 

Today's Pockets:

Quarter: so rich, so rich

Binder clip: my favorite office supplies, if ever you want to make me happy, give me a binder clip! 

Mail!

 Testing is over! Hip, hip, hooray! If I had to ask the same questions again I think I would have passed out! 

 I guess it's just a preview into my everyday life that's gonna start in Monday. Repeating everything you say is a job requirement in the teaching field. 

 And as of right now, I'm ready to do it! Bring it on Monday! 

 Nothing extremely exciting or hysterical happened today, but I got a letter from one of my nuggets that was so cute! 

Good news, I have a new phone case, a computer decal and Nurse Jackie Season 2 headed my way! :) 

Today's pockets:

Sisscors- I made my word wall today, yay!

Left over punch outs from the letters

Sweet letter! :) 

The wonders of the Walmart.

You know, I feel bad for produce! They get passed around from one person to the other, judged by their color and firmness, and some never get picked at all. It's really not that fair. That poor plum was just ripe at the wrong time!  

 I went on a healty food biegne today at the Walmart. Something ironic happened to me while shopping. I saw a bizillion (that number is completely accurate, I swear) kids run up to the 3000 teachers that were at the Walmart. What's ironic about that? I was one of those students. I saw my own second grade teacher, and like I was still a second grader, I ran up to her, surprised that she ever leaves school. 

 It's moments like that, and teachers like her that make me confidant that this is what I want to do. I have no doubt that this year, like last, will be extremely hard. I know I will cry and have fits over situations. I know there will be days that I say "this just isn't for me" as I lay on my classroom floor exhausted from the day. But I'm going to deal with that because I want to see a nugget 16 years later and make them feel the way I felt today, loved. 

 That is the reason I became a teacher. You'd swear it was the pay, but no! :) 

 Geez, I'm almost too positive for myself to handle. Sarcasm and loathing aren't far behind my friends! Stick with me, my misfortunes will soon appear and be hysterical. :) 

No pockets today, but just wait!

Come at me bro...

And so we are here. It is officially the last official day of summer. Sure last week was spent at meetings, but tomorrow is the day when it really starts. 

 As a Kindergarten teacher I don't have a classroom full of nuggets to greet in the morning, but I do have testing to do. Giving the same test over and over again can be monotonous, but it has to be done. 

 I'm not extremely nervous yet, but talk to me in about three days and I'll probably be stomping my feet and crying like my two year old niece. As of now, I'm keeping my hopes and my confidence high! 

 To my teacher friends, have a great year! Let those nuggets know who is boss! :)  

UNO

 And so it begins! Today was the first day back. "I love meetings", said no teacher ever. Not that the information presented wasn't valuable, it's just that I would rather be doing almost anything else than sitting in a chair made for five year olds. 

 I am in no way ready for nuggets to come to school, I'm not ready to back at school at all, but I have no choice. 

 I'd be laying if I said I didn't cry last night with no real explanation as to why. But due to this I was extremely productive cleaning wise. I cleaned my bathroom and part of my room. All why breathing all  rapidly and thinking of every possible thing that could go wrong. For example: all of my students speaking German. My classroom becoming void of any adhesives, thus everything falling off my walls. Or the faculty members all turning into aliens. 

 Luckily, none of those things happened this morning, but hey there's always tomorrow. 

 Tonight was full of work...and games! :) 

 

Naturally

Naturally since it's the last Monday of freedom, I shall be dining at Raceland's finest establishment, Chinese Chef. Eating alone freaks me out, so joining me will be my mother, sister, love bugs and teacher soul mate. Actually, doing anything alone freaks me out. If I could have someone with me the majority of the time I'd be a happy camper.
 And then it's days like yesterday that I feel as though I should buy a house and live alone. I swear I change my mind about things more than I change fingernail polish. The thought of having my own house/apartment is totally alluring. I could listen to Jay-Z on repeat without annoying anyone, or eat 13 pizza rolls at 6:15 A.M. without being judged! But I would probably cry and make people come sleep over because I'm scared that Toby from Paranormal Activity 3 lives in my closet. Then there comes that whole responsibility thing, I haven't really gotten use to that yet, nor do I enjoy it!
 I just paid my bills and boy is Chase mad! If Chase were an actual boy and not just a bank, he would have broken up with my 12 five dollar movies ago! I'm just trying to actually own my MacBook and pay off my student loan. The loan which was only for one semester of college when I thought I was going to move away and change my life. Want to know what really happened? I cried everyday until I could move back home....what a baby!
 Assuming that you read my blog, you probably also stalk my Facebook. Remember when I annoyingly posted pictures of grilled chicken and carrots everyday, twice a day? Well that is about to start happening again. Looking at pictures from May and at my own reflection now is "wannnnnnn" worthy. Summer is just like one giant buffet! So starting next Monday I'm getting back on schedule. Why Monday you ask? Because out three meeting days this week will be full of deliciousness and I have no self control! I am happy to report that my school pants still fit though, so I'm not way off track!
 These last two days of freedom will undoubtedly be spent at school working on things, but I also plan to squeeze some fun in there too! I worked hard for my summer, I sure won't waste it!

The end is near.

Day 1 of my last week of vacation was spent at school, naturally! The morning consisted of labeling, stamping, stuffing and licking(vommmmmm) envelopes. I feel as though we are a highly advanced society and yet we still have to lick peppermint flavored strips; putting ourselves in harms way of getting a paper cut on our tongues that leads to roach eggs finding a home in our mouths. (I couldn't even make this up, it happened to a lady, somewhere, in some year. Google it) 

 The rest of the day was spent fighting with Word because it insists on doing things they way it likes it. Excuse me computer program, I am a human, respect my wishes! I also cleaned up my classroom a little more. I seem to make a new mess each time I go back in there. I might want to stay away from now until school actually starts! 

 The real fun happened when I played with my, now favorite thing, laminator! I justified this purchase by saying "it's on sale and you'll get a lot of use out of it with all the school stuff you have" but in reality I saw it and thought "oh my God, you need to laminate your Beyonce ticket, get it now"! And so, today is the day that I fell in love with an inanimate object! This little beauty is so fun! I'm actually trying to find new things to pass through its magical jaws! I can wait to just laminate pictures of myself to hand out to people! 

Say what?

 Summer is almost over, it's true! One more week is all that I have left. I don't think I can accurately describe the loss I feel. Oh sweet Summer passed so quickly. 

 And I don't know about my other teacher friends, but my "vacation" was more of a "preparation". Now I will admit that I let myself have June. I didn't even think about school, let alone do any actual work. But July has been nothing but lamination, rearranging, cleaning, purchasing, and worrying about the new school year. My to do list is lengthy and the amount I have scratched off isn't at all! 

 My classroom looks extremely different now though. I'm like the new setup so far and I hope it works in my favor! I've been researching classroom management in an effort to not be a five year old's doormat again. 

 I'm ready to take kindergarten by the crayons! Wow, what a stupid phrase. Please forgive me, I haven't had to be witty in two months. My brain is slowly coming out of sleep mode! 

 Although I still have a lot to do before my new batch of nuggets arrive, I plan on making the most out of this last week. I worked hard for this summer, it won't be wasted! 

I leave you with my fortune from last week!

Success

 I did it! I survived an entire year with Kindergarteners! No one was crucially injured or harmed. I might have had a breakdown or seven but I made it! 

 My nuggets, in true nugget fashion, were  bonkers today. Then again, I was too! It's like the day stretched out longer than ever possible! 

 It was a bitter sweet day though, I had to say goodbye to my first moving nugget! One of friends is moving out of Lockport and I'd be lying if I said it didn't break my heart seven different ways! 

 This year was beyond hard. It challenged me in every way, every day. But hearing my nugget say "I'm gonna remember that you love me" made all of that seem like cake! And I guess that's why I signed on to teacher Kindergarten next year. Yes, you heard me right, I'm staying in this crazy grade! So get ready for another year of Kindergarten pockets!

Today I took a picture of what was in my school bag! I'm such a hoarder! 

One more dayyyyy!

 From 2 to 10 nuggets today. I had 10 little graduates come back to school, we had a fun little movie day.  

 Who knew kids loved to wipe things down so much? They loved cleaning the tables and chairs! They wiped everything like four times! It was hilarious. I got so much accomplished yesterday and today that I don't know what I'm gonna do with myself the next two days. My room is picked up, I've done all my cumulative folders, I disposed of all student information, stored records and thrown out tons of stuff. 

 My heart burn is still kicking, which sucks but hopefully it dies down a little each day. I feel like there is a tiny person in my chest who randomly drop kicks me and using a flame thrower at the same time. I would like for him to find a new home! 

 Tomorrow is the last day with my nuggets. But my year won't be officially over yet, we have until Friday. And as soon as that bell rings we'll be heading off to celebrate my mom's retirement! That lucky lady!

Eh, what's up Doc?

 None of the nuggets fell and I didn't fall! Hip, hip hooray! This morning was similar to running a marathon. That might not be a good comparison since I don't run to the mailbox, much less a 26.2 miles. But I didn't stop, I was sweating profusely, my feet hurt, I'm exhausted now and I kind of smell bad. So if anything, a marathon will have to do! 

 I had one baby absent because he was sick, I feel so bad! I wish he could have been there with the rest of his friends. But I'm the one back at the doctor.

 I'm having these crazy chest pains, and it just hurts. Hurts to breathe, to drink and to eat. I've been having what I thought was heart burn since Friday, but now it's starting to scare me a little. So I left school a little early to come get this situation checked out. I only have three days of school left, I just want to feel okay!  

 June is already crazy booked up for me, so I don't really have time for a medical condition. So rude body, so rude! 

No pockets today! But I did confiscate two dinos from a nugget before going on stage! 

Scholarly

 Agh, this weekend was a beautiful glimpse into what summer will be like! Beach, beach, beach, hopefully minus the sickness. 

 My nuggets graduate tomorrow so naturally I'm ill. Though its not confirmed I'm pretty sure I ran fever Friday night while having dreams about graduation and calling kids names aloud in my sleep. I took meds all weekend and it seemed to have surrendered, as if! It came back with a vengeance today, but luckily I was able to get a doctor's appointment, two shots and the bubble gum medicine. Why yes, I am five and requested the liquid form of the medication. 

 I'd be lying if I said I wasn't horrified of tomorrow! I'd also be lying if I said I wasn't rather impressed with myself that I actually made it to this point! So I guess I have mixed emotions, scared, worried, nervous, but also proud, excited and grateful!

 Today has been a long day, so I'm ready to watch some dvr while attempting to tame my mane and rest up for the big day! Shout out to nugget graduation Jesus tonight!

Mardiritas

 Was today real? Did I actually finally get observed? If was, and I did! YAHOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO! 

What a relief it is to be done, and to know that it went exponentially better than last time! The nuggets did as they were told, they participated ad worked quietly. What a magical lesson it was! 

 When they walked out I wanted to run to each nugget and give them a celebratory pick up and swing hug. That would have surely insued madness though! 

 The rest of the day was carefree, until graduation practice. Oh my word, having 75 children on a stage is psychotic! Their stomach hurts, and their legs hurt, this one poked him, and that one pulled her hair. Being on that stage makes me turn into Ricky Ricardo, I just want to start walking in circles, mumbling in Spanish...if I knew how to speak Spanih and all. 

 But hey, it's all good! I'm done! And now it's time to celebrate with my favorite! DG and margaritas, sounds perfect to me!

 Today's pockets:

Alligator 

Lipstick: the loveliest shade of pink a 5 year old could have

Marker 

Ultra

 This day went from an Icee to a Michelob Ultra very quickly. The nuggets were off the wall today!  

 We practiced for graduation, oh what a mess! How my kids are gonna stand still for that long is beyond my comprehension. How I'm not going to have an absolute break down is also uncomprehendable at the moment. But hey, that's a whole week away and I've got an observation to get done still. 

 Have I mentioned my lack of observation before? I can't recall. I probably shouldn't drink the night before a possible observation, but then again I probably shouldn't have gone into education and I did that anyways! 

 I do have good news to report, I finally have a Promethan Board! It is beautiful! My theory that the nuggets would be stunned silent was completely incorrect. 

 If this year has taught me anything, it's that you're probably always wrong. 

Today's pockets: 

Marker: I'm running low 

Cough Drop: confiscated. 

Id and debit card: my purse has been eaten by my car 

At last I seeeee the light!

If you didn't read the title in Repunzle's voice then this might not be the blog for you! 

 It is upon us, the last full week of school, I have very mixed emotions at the moment. Part of me is acting like an extra from the end of Grease, running around and throwing papers in the air. The other part of me is having heart palpitations about the insane amount of stuff I still have left to do, you know that getting my formal observation! 

 I actually went to school today to input scores, because why would the website work on any of my computers at home? That would be convient, and we all know how much I hate that! My computer is set up for my Promethan Board, but not the board itself! So I have no idea when that sucker is gonna get installed. 

 I'm hoping for the best but preparing for the worst when it comes to this week. I'd like to think of it as a laid back time to enjoy my students' last days at my very own nuggets, practice or graduation and make fun crafts. My Negative Nancy side is preparing for hair pulling, stress raising, off the wall behavior and unrealistic expectations from others. 

 Bring it on last week of school! Come at me bro! 

Wickedly Awesome

 So I didn't blog last night because I went see Wicked. Words cannot do justice to describe how incredible it was! I cried, I laughed, I felt my heart burst inside my chest. I'm one of those strange people who become affected by art, in any form, but this exceeded all of my expectations! It reminded me so much of one of my mentors who is no longer here. I could feel her with me and it was magnificent. She's one of the reasons I wanted to become a teacher and I miss her constantly, so last night was wonderful. 

 I'm almost done testing my nuggets and I get to leave at 1:00 today to head to a cousin's wedding! You can say I'm fairly excited about my weekend! Wedding tonight, my best friend's graduation party tomorrow and plan-less Sunday! 

I leave you with a picture from Wicked!

Day late

 Sorry for my lak of literature yesterday, I had some drinking to do! 

 Yesterday was much better than Monday but it was still observation less. That's okay though, because now I know that it is going to be at the beginning of the week next week! So I can rest easy about it for the rest of the week and just worry about my end of the year testing I have. 

 I got some wickedly awesome news, I'm going see Wicked Thursday! This is beyond exciting, not going see Beyonce exciting (which I am doing in July) but still amazing! :) 

 I'm hoping the rest of the week goes fast, testing everyday, Wicked Thursday night and leaving early Friday for a wedding! 

 Next week, knock out my observation and the last full week of school. I'm sure it'll be full of graduation practices and stressful planning! I'm so ready to have this year under my belt! 10 days! 

Is this real life?

Friday, please come back. Friday was possibly the first day of the year that I actually enjoyed teaching. I had a great day. It was raining cats and dogs and I only had 19 nuggets! I got to do so much with them! It was magical. Did I get observed on this whimsical day you ask. No, of course not. 

Monday, please step off. Ugh I had a day full of attitudes and crawlers. Yes, I said crawlers. One of my nuggets decided that the practical thing to do in the middle of my math lesson would be to crawl all over my floor. I ignored this behavior at first, but when he started to crawl under tables and hit other friends' legs I called for reinforcements.

 Even with all they mayham, I would have loved go get an observation. Did I? No! I'm trying to explain this in non-teacher form. Waiting for this observation is like doing something wrong and your mom finding out. You're just waiting for her wrath, you know she knows, you know it's coming so you're walking on eggshells, hoping she forgets. That or like waiting in line at Target: you're anxious, not knowing how long it's gonna take or how much it's gonna cost you! 

 12 more days! Lord Jesus, help me!

Today's Pockets: 

Id and debit card: part of making inferences 

3 markers: standard number for pockets

1 pack of post-its: also standard

Busy bee of the week name card

Busted

Busted on many levels:
1. Busted for not writing all week.
2. Busted ink pen in my pocket.
3. Busted spirit.

A Celine song was on the radio this morning when I got in my car and it gave me hope for the day, then I almost baked into a moving vehicle. That should have been my first sign that today was going to be a pile of excrement. I always almost wreck though, so I didn't pay any mind to it.
I was ready to make today my bitch, pardon my French (I don't understand that term, it's English, I'm speaking English). Oh how the day turned on me. I see the administration walking towards my classroom and I get an automatic rush of excitement and terror at the fact that I might finally get observed, only to watch them pass me by and go to the Library.
I didn't give up though, I had a whole day ahead of me and a good Math lesson for the afternoon. As each hour passed things got worse. The kids were crazier and I was more annoyed. I wanted my observation be done with so bad, so I kept my fingers crossed as I started my lesson, nothing. Just a headache.
I'm starting to go crazy, knowing about all the observations happening around me and hearing how others are so glad to be done is maddening. Just do it! Come at me bro! I'm teaching, maybe not well, but I'm trying my hardest. So just get it over with, I feel like I'm gonna crack.
Today was the kind of day that makes me want to find all of my nuggets when they are 23, well with the exception of maybe three, at their jobs and just annoy them for 4-7 hours. Does that make me a bad person?
How I'm gonna make it through the next 14 days is a totally mystery to me.

My pockets? INK!

Mai's it's May!

Thursday, you sly dog you! Today was almost pleasant. I enjoyed myself a little!
I'm sad to report that I didn't get observed on either of my legit lessons, so that was a bummer, but it could have been worse! I don't know if it's my imagination or if my nuggets are actually listening to me more. Could it be? Is it true? I have 19 more days to see! It's like sometimes I have no control over them whatsoever, an then other times its like I'm the queen of Kindergarten.
Naptime....was....AWESOME! I was a naptime nazi and made the kids write lines whenever they talked or got off their mat. The old school approach worked as well as LILO works a party! It was magical! I have some children who will write every naptime for the rest of the year I'm sure, but so be it!
Tomorrow is our class trip to Disney on Ice. I'd be lying if I said I wasn't more excited about this than the nuggets. Am I horrified of being responsible for 22 nuggets at the New Orleans Arena? Absolutely, but I can't wait! It's gonna be a fun day, I feel it! Plus I have about 85 parents coming along!
Along with a good day and exciting day ahead, I and made it to May! I have survived 9 months!! I've had a kindergarten baby by this time!
Today's Pockets: that's a lie, this is from yesterday!

Writing utensils: for writing
Post it: aka, teacher mail
Half a ticket

Too much Tuesday

I'm not sure how many more times I can say, "Is he hurting you? Is he hurting someone else? Is he hurting himself? Then I don't need to hear about it!" and "criss cross applesauce, hands in the cookie jar" before I'm eligible for an episode of Snapped!
I've been back at work two days and I already wanna pull my hair out! Oh the nuggets are crazier than ever! My dreams if them returning to school as mellow, mature nuggets was quickly shattered into a million tiny fragments.
Second round of formal evaluations have started, which makes going to work similar to walking on a land mine. I'm just ready to have it over and done with! Can't get much worse than the first one! Unless Jesus really wants me to quit! Haha
The nuggets really get under my skin sometimes, but the second I put on When I was your Man by Bruno Mars I can help but smile. It is hilarious to watch 24 five year olds sing scream "I SHOULD HAVE BROUGHT YOU FLOWERS AND HELD YOUR HANDDDDDDD". I basically have a love/hate (not really) relationship with them. Love always outweighs it though.

Today's pockets:
Magnet
Bendy snappy thing

Busy Bee-ing

Sorry for my lack of literature, I had to dance in the middle of Canal street in a bee costume. Last night was our Raising Cane's fundraiser night so naturally I wore a costume. To be honest, I just like costumes. No matter the event, if a costume is appropriate (a costume is always appropriate in my book) I'm wearing one.
It was hysterical and super fun, but also exhausting! Teaching is wearing me out! One more day and then a blissful week off! I can even translate my excitement to text! Elated, overjoyed, ecstatic, pumped, jazzed, keen, exhilarated...nope, none of those do justice!
I got my third walk through observation in three weeks today. I think baby Jesus himself must have stepped into the room along with the administration because my nuggets were perfect. Little sweet nuggets all sitting down, participating, raising hands, answering questions, and staying seated. My heart stopped beating because I thought I must have died, I was unreal. And then when the administrators walked out, baby Jesus must have gone with them, the nuggets were berserk! I mean, standing on chairs, screaming, tongues wagging crazy.
I'm about to make life size posters of the administrators to hang up so they think they are always in the room! I am more than thankful that the nuggets were well behaved, I like need to go give tithes to the church! I just wish they would have stayed that way until the lesson was complete!
Tomorrow will go fast, tomorrow will go fast, tomorrow will go fast! If I say that enough times will it come true? My plans include a lot of imbibing and a lot of dancing. It's the second greatest event of the year this weekend, the Lockport Fair. For those of you who have never been, please make it a priority to attend. It is a magical event where you are reassured that you're making the right choices in life! The food is amazing and the people watching doesn't get better than this!

Today's Pockets:
Poker chips: every 5 year old needs to learn the rules of the game
Marker
Dinosaur

P.S. you're welcome for the bee pictures.

Be the Bee

Day of the last week before Spring break: foe! Today was like being dragged behind a car in a burlap sack. That's really unjustified, I have no idea what that's like and I apologize if I've brought up any painful memories.
It started off in failure and it's ending that way too. I'm currently trying to make a bee costume to wear to our Raising Cane's fund raiser night. Now this is isn't a requirement, I'm just trying to be awesome. My original idea of stuffing a t-shirt to give me a rounded bee body turned out to just be a glimpse into my obese future. Which makes me worrisome that I skipped my workout to make said costume.
Waking up this morning was surprisingly easy. I thought for sure it would take a small army to get me moving, but I was awake before my first alarm. Because I have 6 set, legitimately.
Did I ever mention that I hate centers? Having at least 20 five year olds left to their own devices while I try to teach nuggets how to read nonsense words is basically the worst idea ever. Given, I didn't correctly train the nuggets, but I didn't know how! I can't wait to just know what to do because of all the experience I have!
Tricky thing about experience, it comes from bad judgements. And while I've made plenty of bad judgement calls, I still have no idea what I was suppose to have learned. And I seem to still be making bad judgement calls, frequently.
Four more days until I can sit in a kiddie pool and drink until I think I'm in the ocean! Did I just admit my drunk intentions aloud? Whoops!

Today's Pockets:
Marker
Bee bucks

Did you think we broke up? Never!

Missed me? Along with a rather long list of issues, commitment is one of the top five! This week has been so long I don't even know what day it is.
On Tuesday I legitimately thought I blogged. Turns out I wrote it in my head while showering and then just went to sleep. I kind of fell into a slump this week. You know those days that you wish you had an option of not playing? I had a few of those. Spring break just needs to hurry.
This morning I thought I was going to go insane. The rain seemed to have given them extra energy and less care about getting in trouble. It was a zoo!
I find that as a teacher I have many job titles. Zoo Keeper, Maid, Nurse, Writer, Artist, Singer, Cattle Herder. Just to name a few
As I was giving a nugget an attitude adjustment in the back of my room during group work in math, I got a surprise observation from the HBIC. (Google it) it was one of those "they're right behind me aren't they" kind of moments. It actually went well though. My other nuggets were working together and most importantly correctly!
I got all positive feed back! Second walk through like that, could it be? Am I improving? It kind of made me want to flip over a table in a "yeahhhhh boiiiiii" Flava Flava way. I celebrated with Jambalaya for dinner and soon there shall be drinks with DG!
Quote of the day: "I don't like herbivores, I only like carnivores. I want the carnivores to take over" all with tears in his eyes.

Today's pockets:
Writing utensils
Nugget ID
Bag-o-Math

I'm not sure if I can walk and blog.

And so Monday started with a restless nights sleep because I had crazy dreams that legitimately made me question myself.
I thought for sure the day would be shot due to a schedule change but I think my nuggets rather enjoyed it. I had braced myself for full blown anarchy when I told them centers would be after lunch and computer lab was first. They must be growing up because they took it like champions.
It was nice to switch things up a bit! It was much better than I had anticipated, did I still want to punch myself in the face? Of course I did, but I felt it much less vigor today!
This week has promise! I'm fearful of walk through observations, but confident that I'm prepared. Surprise observations are like playing hide and seek and forgetting that you're hiding. You've been waiting in your spot for so long, being perfectly silent, which is the equivalent to teaching awesome lessons and having the nuggets comprehend what you're saying. But then all of a sudden you let you leg slip out or you sneeze, relation: when the nuggets look at you like your speaking Spanish or you forget how to spell a word while trying to write a sentence on the board. That's when your super awesome spot is revealed! This made much more sense in my head than it sounds here, I promise!
Our usual workout didn't quite happen the way it usually does so currently multitasking and blogging as I walk my street. I'm usually already in bed now but cutting four bell peppers took me a century.

Today's pockets:
Name stick
Highlighter
Walmart list: I spent under $50, hooray!

When I grow up...

I know I've said this before but now I'm really starting to question my choices: the thing I look forward to the most during the day is my workout. Who am I?
Today there was no workout, so sad. I had full intention of it and all my coworkers bailed and I have horrible self motivation. But I do plan on going for a walk later, which is better than nothing, even if it does involve a daiquiri. It was that kind of day that deserves one!
It was career day, and it was long! Five presentations from a/an: tankermen, etnergy, baker, animal shelter worker and aerobics instructor. So I lied about missing the workout, I did body attack with the kids and the instructor....then fell out the classroom and got a huge bruise. True story. This job is so dangerous!
It was also a dress up day for the kids. I had a chef, a rockstar, a baker, military men, teachers, doctors, ballerinas, sports players, cops, and my favorite, "a karate chopper". As a child, I would have chosen to dress as either a Mary Kay lady or a garbage man. I'm now thinking those might have been legit choices.
Later in the day one of my nuggets flipped his desk, hitting me in the leg. That's the moment Mommie Dearest almost came out, I instead just called the office and tried to lower my blood pressure.
I think everyone in the Lafourche Parish school system would agree with me when I say that it's time for spring break! Two more weeks! Two longgggggg weeks!
There's a saying that goes "if you ask God for patience he doesn't just give you patience, he gives you opportunities to e patient"....I don't remember praying for patience, but I'm sure getting a lot of those opportunities.

Today's Pockets:
Half of a butterfly clip/decoration
Fish: pulled straight from a nugget's mouth

Stuck

A staple was stuck in my finger today. That is all.

Pizza wishes

Truck day, ugh! 17 trucks, 3 hours and 24 hungry nuggets. It was really cool to watch the nuggets get excited about the different vehicles and all their gadgets but it was equally exhausting. Gaining their attention after that extravaganza was basically impossible, loved it!
The best part of the day was journal time. We wrote about truck day and what kind of truck they hoped they would see. One if my nuggets wanted to see a Pizza Hut car! How great is that?!? I high fived her, greatest answer ever!
Our workout this afternoon was intense. My arms are like rubber bands and my legs hurt just thinking about moving them! The thought of showering is daunting because I know I'll have to lift my arms over my head. Tanning was even a little painful! NO PAIN NO GAIN!! Was my attempt to be a scary go-getter work?
3 more days, 3 more days! Tomorrow I'll be sporting my colones shirt for college day!

Today's Pockets:
Markers
Tickets
Tootsie Roll
Cross Necklace
Strange Wire?

And...I..Was...Running

My class played the biggest April Fools joke ever. They were so well behaved in the morning and then after lunch they were all like "April fools, we're gonna act like animals again! MUAHAHAHAHA"
Seriously the morning was magic! Even a little while after lunch when I had a surprise walk through, they were cooperative and engaged with only minor behavior infractions.
Out walks the boos, in comes the crazy! Their group work was atrocious and I almost lost my mind. They were even unfazed by our usual naptime edible bribe.
The icing on the cake though, was when I had to literally run up the play set to catch a nugget. Today was our extra recess incentive for those friends who made good choices during the month. I had my friends who made bad choices sit down while the other played. Well wouldn't you know that one nugget just decided that the rules didn't apply to him, which is the reason he was sitting in the first place, and sprinted towards the playground. Not only did he climb the set, but then refused to get down. My frustration level was beyond any normal level when I climbed up magenta stairs, squeezed (good thing I've been working out and eating grilled chicken) through a purple twisty tunnel and out onto the platform. I was able to catch him on the ground and luckily my mom was there to take him to the office.
The bell rang just in time, praise Him! I at least got to put my frustration to good use with our afternoon workout, which was cray today! I'm not gonna get skinny by thinking about it though.

Today's Pockets:
Boo-coo (that's a real word) markers
Cash money
Ink pen: taking from an up and coming tattoo artist in my room
Fish
Tickets
Crayon

Half and half

Today was a half day, but good Lord it lasted forever. Is the week over yet??!
Day two of bagged lunch in my room was annoying, I miss the cafeteria! It just dragged out so long! Like I was only with my nuggets for 4 hours but it felt like a century. I feel like they have special powers that sense when I'm exhausted and they just get crazier. It's like they are gremlins and I gave them water after midnight!
Tomorrow should hopefully be better....pshhhhh! Spring Extravaganza might be the straw that breaks the camels back! Not the actual working of a booth, but the nervousness of not knowing where all of my nuggets are!
I'm excited to see my kid's faces when they see all the glitter around the room that the Easter Bunny left when he passed through. In actuality it was just my improvisation plus my laziness of not wanting to clean the mess I made making a poster. I was acting like Ke$ha with the glitter, spreading it all over my classroom.
This time tomorrow, I'll be in Grand Isle! Where is the fast forward button?!

No pocket possessions today besides marbles, and you all know what those look like by now!

Ta-da!

I started today off on the wrong day. I literally was forcing myself to wake up because it was duty day. Nothing ruins your Wednesday like realizing its Tuesday. I did get to stay in bed a little longer though.
Which is extremely hard to get out of in this freezing weather. Like really, what's the deal? We're only days away from April and people are wrapping up their plants because there is a freeze warning. I'm not about it! I'm ready to complain about how hot it is outside!
One of my frantic five had a green day! Can we have a hoop and holler? Can we has a hooray? Can we have a party?! It was amazing! I'm not entirely sure how I happened but I'll take it!
On the other hand I had a student throw his chair and flip his desk over, but my other nugget got a green!!!!!!!! Yay!
Zumba went by so quickly today because my workout partners and I were so busy talking about our life choices that we were at the cool down before we knew it! Then a trip to Walmart cost me 25 bucks, when my basket contained glitter, Rice Krispie treats and crayons. Followed by synthetic sun and dinner with old friends.
Dinner was hilarious and reminiscent but the real action happened on the way him. My life was in total jeopardy when a demonic black cat magically appeared in front of my car, scaring the daylights out of me and almost causing me to run off the road.

Today's pockets
Frog
Marker
Marbles
Mardi Gras bead
String
Paper puzzle
Paper clip

3 more!

Well I think that today could be called successful! At no point in my day did I feel the urge to punch myself or anyone else in the face! Verrrrrry good day!
It started with one of my nuggets having virus like symptoms all over the boys bathroom but ended with a fun review game of the day!
I do have one nugget that thinks he's Bruce Lee or Uma Therman and tries to fight me or another nugget whenever the mood strikes him. I'm a little scared that he'll come back to find me once he hits puberty, but hopefully I'll be famous then and my body guard can handle that situation. Kevin Costner preferably. Of you don't understand that reference I can't say that you understand me at all.
I am beyond thankful that this week is a short one! Half day on Wednesday, Spring Extravaganza on Thursday and off for Good Friday, praise him! Only one more day of nap! Which was a sort of a wreck today. I had a kid crying so hard she was about to throw up so I ended up holding her until she fell asleep and then felt so bad I didn't want to wake her. So I sat there doing nothing for thirty minuets and trying to control the other nuggets from behind sleeping beauty!

Today's pockets:
Post it's- from our math lesson
Lego Transformer: what, you don't have one?
Marker

Friday, where art thou!?

I have found my next career!! Line/backer! I'm a boss at blocking five year olds, who I'm sure are faster than Jerry Rice. Today, I blocked three nuggets from sprinting from me...at the same time! It was a reach out and extend leg move big it was totally effective!
Thursday really? It wasn't Friday?! One disappointment after another! Haha. Next week is a four day week! Praise Him!
Quote of the day: Me: "your clothespin is moving for that." Nugget: "I don't care". Ohhhhh, oh you don't care eh? I had to take ten seconds to myself to prevent my angry ethnic self from surfacing. By the time lunch rolled around I was deal with runaways and a constant humming noise I decided to just start singing "Jesus take the wheel" and bring in the office.
Both recesses were spent in my classroom. This might be good for my classroom environment but not so much for my bladder. By the end of the day I thought I'd burst or sure!
In my afternoon workout frenzy, I left my pants at school, along with my pockets contents! Don't you hate when you leave your pants at work?