Getting Close to Spring Break

BRENNEN was covering his face with his hood, crying and tattling.  At one point he was in tears because someone in his family is in his 70s and wouldn’t see him graduate college.  After recess, he went to the office because he felt sad.

After lunch, he was back in the office.  He was in a fight with Javier V.  Chris saw it and said it was not Brennen’s fault, but the office is handling it (they’ll get to it tomorrow).

SHAUEN told a T.O.S.A. he wanted to go to the office.  He was in tears.  The TOSA sent him back to class, but he never arrived.  I’m guessing he went to the office.  The office later said he was there.  “He was so upset he made himself through up.”

After lunch, I spoke with Shauen.  He claimed He was scared to go back to class.  He claimed that he went to Miss J, then he said he bumped into Mrs. Powell.  But he did say someone in Mrs. Monk’s class was chasing him and saying he was going to kill him.

ALYSSA was tattling on Brennen.  “He’s eating from his backpack.”  The 2 of them were not getting along and trying to get each other in trouble.

Later, Alyssa was standing, putting her crayons back in their box.  I wanted her to sit down, so called her name.  She wouldn’t look at me, she just kept putting her crayons away.  So I repeated myself a few time, each time getting louder.  I made her turn a pin for it, but she acted like she was being picked on.

When I came out after lunch, the male playground supervisor told me she kept on not listening to her.  He said she told her several times to get in line, but she kept not doing as he said.  Alyssa claims he is lying.  She wanted to talk to me about it after lunch, so I had her write it out.

CHRIS was in the office after lunch because he witnessed the “fight” between Javier V. and Brennen.

JAVIER V. was in the office because of the “fight.”  I’m told he will spend remaining recesses in Mrs. Pulliam’s class.

DESTINY wanted to talk to me after lunch as well.  I had her write it out, too.  She was getting into it with AlIYA, ESLY and JANETHLI.

Those 3 also wanted to talk to me after lunch.  I had them write it out.

I don’t know how the office deals with all this crap.

Inclement Weather

We had another inclement weather day, all day, even though the pavement was dry (for the most part) and the sun was out at lunch.  We did a 20-minute “walk and talk” after lunch since the students weren’t allowed to run on the blacktop.

Drinking Fountains

Here’s my problem.  I’ve just finished some PE, and my class is tired and thirsty.  I sit my class down at the lunch tables near the drinking fountains, and I let a few go at a time to get a drink.  That way they don’t get restless and into trouble while waiting in a long line.

Then another teacher finishes PE and just lets her entire class run over and get a drink.  Now the lines are very long, and my students have to be in the back of a long line.

#frustrating

Field Day

It was Field Day today.  Shot put (heavy balls), soccer kick (accuracy), 50 yard dash, free throws, broad jump, and lemon/spoon race.  I was put in charge of 4th grade supervision, which ended up being a fairly easy job.

It was a fun day, but the sun came out pretty early, and made it pretty hot out there.  I forgot to dress appropriately, so I was out there in long blue pants and a polo shirt.  I was dying.  After the first event, I wised up and called Julie and asked if she could bring me some shorts.

Irene, who has always been a bit unusual, just seemed to be on the spectrum.  She was so excited about the day before we went out there.  She got all worked up, so weird.  After all was done she was crying because she didn’t place in any event.  She even ripped her hat accidentally because she was so mad/sad.

After lunch there were the relays, by grade level.  We squeaked out a 3rd place (out of 5 4th grade teams).  A pretty fun day, but not much done achedemically.  Oh well, 3 1/2 days left!

And I got a burn.

Again…

Peter got a discipline notice last Friday (after I had left for the afternoon).  Apparently he was at the fence yelling at people passing by, calling them “gay” and other not so kind words.

Didn’t he just get in trouble a few days ago?

Kickball 2010

The annual staff v. 6th graders kickball game was today.  Wasn’t my year this year.  One good kick that was caught in the outfield, then a couple pop flies.  One low kick that got me onto 1st.  But it was a fun morning.  The staff won, again.  Everyone did the “Hokey Pokey” afterward.

School Olypics

This morning we had our school Olympics for the upper grade.  Mr. K and I were in charge of the “shot putt,” which was really a softball-size 5-pound ball.  We weren’t really given any instructions on how to run it, or even how the day was going to go.  It turns out each event would get a set of grade-level boys or girls.  You ran your event with them, and then when each event was finished, they would rotate.

Mr. K came up with a good way for us to find a 1st – 3rd winner.

The morning was actually pretty fun.  Mrs. S let us borrow some of her 2nd graders to help, and I think our event ran pretty smoothly.  I think everyone was hot and tired, but it stayed mostly cloudy for most of the morning, so it wasn’t too bad.

We were finished by recess.  Everyone got a bottle of water and some grapes when they were done.

Open House – Part II

Leaving Open House, and getting home from it, are two great feelings.  Walking to your car, with all the other teachers heading out doing the same, leaves me with a feeling of accomplishment, of achievement.  I’ve gotten through another Open House.  I put on another successful show.  But getting home feels great.  I never go home between then end of the half day a school, and the event.  There is usually too much to do, and if I happen to be ready enough, I just worry too much while I’m at home.  So I stay, get my work done, and hopefully enjoy a very casual, stress free, early dinners.  So by the time the night is over, it has been a long day.

I think this year’s Open House was good.  I think I had about 25 families show up, but more than that, I had about 5 former students come by to say hello.  One was in 10th grade, and apparently making really bad decisions (baby on the way and in a gang).  Another was a 22 year old I had when I taught 2nd grade at Price.  I totally remembered her for some reason .  It turns out she is the oldest sister of a current student of mine (I had the two girls’ brother in between having the two of them).  I had 2 students who are now juniors in high school, and apparently doing well, with plans to go to college.  And then I had 2 girl who I had 3 or 4 years ago.

It’s always pretty fun to see former students.  But when they are young adults, it’s just weird.

* * * * *

It’s always good to get Open House over with, for a couple of reasons.  The first (and they are in no particular order) is that there is always a push with teachers to get new, good work up on the bulletin boards.  That means pushing your students for their best work, and then taking down all their old work and putting up new work.  And teachers usually put more art work, and work in general, up on the boards.  So we’re jamming art, writing, and math all over, in every space we can find.

Another reason is that once Open House is over, it seems the end of the year is finally in sight.  All year long you look for the State test, and prep for that.  Once that is over, it’s the big push for Open House.  Now that that is behind us, we can finally look towards the end of the year.  But it’s going to be a busy 3 weeks.

In a couple of days we have the all-school Olympics, which my class has not prepared for at all.  Then the week after that is Gold Rush, which we are way behind in.  We are going to have to practice singing, dancing, and doing the play a lot these next 10 or so school days!  And then some time around then there is our report card prep day.  Once that hits, I’ll be busy after school for about 3 hours, for at least 3 days, and probably more.  Then there is a whole list of little things that need to be done before the school year ends (literally, we are given a list), all of which take time and energy.  By the time that last half day of school rolls around, it feels so good to get it over with.

I think we’re planning root beer floats after lunch on that day, just like last year.

Johnny, So Much to Write, So Little Time

There’s a 5th Grade Fitness test next year, so I need my class to be a little fit.  So I make them run some laps for PE.

So out we go, and I notice Johnny is obviously covering his ear.  I think, “Uh oh, what’s up.”

He tells me something bit him on the ear.  I look at it, and it looks like it is really sticking out significantly.  It’s also red, and looks swollen.  But a soar ear is no reason not to run, right?  So off I send him.  Well, as he comes around for his last lap, he’s still covering his ear, and for some reason holding his other hand up to his chest.  (That cannot be a good running position!)

He just looks goofy.  Another teacher joked that he was making call on his cell phone.

In the classroom, he keeps his hood on.  I make him take it off, but he really doesn’t want to!  He does, but then he covers it with his hand.  He can’t go all day covering his ear with hand, so I make him put it down.  Again, he really doesn’t want to.  But I make him.  He tries to raise his hood up over his ear.  I assure him that if he does that, or tries in other ways to cover it, he will just look goofy, and others will think something weird is going on.  So, hesitantly, he just leaves it alone, and no one notices.  No one says a thing.  But it does look big, read, and a bit goofy!

Oh yea, he also left his glasses at home.

Testing Hangover

Testing spoils you, as a teacher, that is.  Your planning is already set for the morning – testing.  During most of the other times during the day, you’re doing test prep, or something fun to relax the students.  You just don’t do too much during the two weeks of testing.  And the homework load is light, as well.  You don’t want your class staying up late doing homework the night before the test.  So there is little homework to check.

But there is a problem.  What to do the rest of the year.  I can go back and cover the things I’ve skipped in math, but that isn’t much.  Everything important needed to be taught before the test.  I do have one more theme in language arts, but I’ve taught all the important concepts.  So I’ve got about 2 weeks worth of stuff to teach in math, and maybe 4 weeks worth of stuff in language arts.  And about 6 weeks left in school.

Well, our Gold Rush play is coming up, so we can spend lots of time learning that, and the square dance we’ll be doing.  And we just found out we’ll be having and upper grade Olympics towards the end of school, so we can spend lots of time getting ready for that.  Those two, plus lots of science and social studies.