♫ ♫ Back to Life, Back to Reality ♫ ♫
I do have to say that I LOVED starting on a Wednesday! It was great for the kids too. I didn't have to jump into a cold swimming pool and hit rock bottom but instead I was able to tip toe back into the swing of things and float! Why did that analogy pop into my head?? Hmmm...not sure, maybe I'm looking forward to summer break! haha! I know...Focus on the NOW!
Starting back without going to mundane teacher inservices was great!! Thank goodness for The Holiday Exchange!! I'm not sure who came up with the idea, if it was our new Superintendent or he took credit from someone who had been recommending it for years and no one heard their little voice until now...heehee! Either way, it's a great concept!!
The Holiday Exchange concept is... workshops offered in the summer and if we attend two workshops then we would get two extra days in January that are normally scheduled for teacher inservices. ~Ugh for workshops in the summer! I know, I know...but this time there was a better incentive...replacing two day and a longer Christmas break. Which would you pick? ~Yup...two extra days! The workshops were offered in all areas Math, Science, Language Arts, GT, Technology...blah, blah, blah. The best part of this was... ~I, Me, Moi, Yo, Ich... picked the workshops I wanted to attend. They weren't picked for me or I wasn't told what I had to go to. So if the workshop sucked then it was my own fault for picking it! I decided on Technology...love, love, love it! The Tech clan who puts on the workshops are also great people and they always find new and interesting things for us! It also doesn't hurt that I grew up around tons of technology from my dad. I truly feel his German brain is incredible! For those who know him know Einstein must have reincarnated into him. Heehee! A past coworker/friend of his, still to this day, says he thinks my dad had the first computer before Bill Gates! ~Damn, Damn, Damn!!!! haha! When I was little he had this monster of a black box (taller than me at the time) or computer brain hooked up to a little black and white t.v. and he created math games for my brother and I. We were very little doing simple math on this monster computer. Just an amazing brain. I didn't get the brains part just the German beer gene! haha!
Back to the Holiday Exchange.... I decided to attend the first workshops as soon as I could. We got out for summer break June 9th or 10th and the first workshops were the following week. I decided on early ones because I was still in teacher mode and sooooo glad I did. The workshops were offered throughout the summer and I think a few into October. If you did not attend any, then you had to show up on Monday & Tuesday, Jan. 4 & 5, for inservices...YUCK! Yes, there were a few teachers who for whatever circumstances did not attend the Holiday Exchange so they were stuck coming back. Ours had to go to Central Office. Not sure what they were made to do???
This is why many of us in YISD started with the munchkin on Wednesday! Yay!!!
Wednesday was a day of excitement for my munchkins and myself. I was a little nervous because I didn't think about school one bit while on break but I was ready to see my little munchkins. First thing I noticed was that they looked taller and older! ~Awww...my little babies are growing up! As a teacher we see a huge growth after Christmas with most kids. Growth in maturity and academically. It's like a light bulb finally starts to flicker and connect for most. The ones that don't, those are the ones we start to worry about.
Wednesday was also a very mellow day. After they fought to talk over one another, to tell me what they got for Christmas, they fell back into the routine of things. ~Raise your hand please so everyone can share with the class. We had new shoes, new hair cuts and my "Jimmy" had hair! Mom let his hair grow out! So cute! ~Did I mention he's my favorite! Shhh...don't tell the others! heehee I forgot to mention the update on mom for those of you who have been following since the beginning. As most of you recall, mom was pregnant, I think it was early December she had TWINS!! A boy and a girl. "Jimmy" was so excited and would talk about them and his kitty all the time. "Jimmy" is doing great in school and still has a few obstacles but you just gotta love him! He's moving away from talking in the third person and makes more eye contact but then quickly turns away. It's our little peek-a-boo game. I look, he turns away and smiles. One of the first things he did on Wednesday was run up for his hug! Now he doesn't want to let go! heehee! ~Ok, go sit down now. He doesn't move, so another big hug his way. ~Ok, go sit down now. Nope, he doesn't move. ~Did you miss my hugs? ~"Yup, yup!" and looks at me with his big doe brown eyes. ~Ok, "Jimmy" hurry, go sit down now...1.. Counting works wonders in my class...he flew to his seat when he heard 1. My munchkins know I better not get to 3...haha! I don't even have to raise my voice...they hear 1 and they're like little bugs scurrying around to get their heads down and quiet. heehee! Hmmm...is that control issues on my part or power...haha! "Jimmy" also said the funniest thing about his hair. I was making such a fuss about how much I liked his hair and how they let it grow when he turns and says ~Mom put jello in my hair! I had to stop from laughing but knew what he meant. ~No baby, it's called gel, not jello. Jello is what you eat. He actually giggled. Who knows, maybe mom did use jello, it was stiff and shiny. I've heard jello does wonders for nails maybe hair too! haha
Thursday was when the stress started to creep up. The Mr. Monkey slowly started to make himself comfortable on my shoulders. Reality kicked in...Memos/emails of testing windows here and there. Was it that time again? Didn't we just test them? Well here we go again because it's mid year. I tend to put too much stress on myself and need to slap myself from time to time to and remind myself I can't create miracles or just open a bottle of wine to destress! haha! ~Crap, these kids need to read! Admin wants them on the unrealistic reading level in this ideal class! Haha yeah right!! Yes, they're reading and they will all be reading but on the level that is realistic for each individual munchkin and not a blanket level for all! Don't get me wrong, I have great Admin, but how many out there have really taught K-2, especially Kinder. Not many, if any! The level of growth should be measured by what they entered with and what they've gained and leave with, not a number. Many entered with literally nothing, blank slates, and will leave with a vast amount of knowledge that they didn't have in the beginning. Parents have a huge role in this and this is the first year in 12 that I don't see many of them giving one iota of an interest in their child's education!!! Ugh! It's frustrating because I wish I could tell them how I really feel and tell them ~GET WITH IT PEOPLE!! these are your children and don't you want the best for them..read to them, talk to them!!! Ahhhhhh...that felt good to let out! heehee
Thursday was a day for ~Let's Talk! We all gathered on the rug. ~Uh oh...what is teacher going to say now? We had a long discussion about not being Kinder's anymore...they were almost 1st Graders now. There was a hush in the room. They sat in silence, either in fear or thinking about going home to play with their toys. Either way they looked like I had their full attention and they were with me on this one and understood my important lecture! haha! Until I asked ~is everyone ready to be a 1st Grader? Everyone strongly nodded and said yes with a gleam in their eye! ~Wow! I could be a motivational speaker on the side! Yeah whatever! haha Then I noticed right below me, my littlest one, my baby, nodding no. ~No! What? She didn't just nod no did she?? ~Don't you want to go to 1st Grade? She nods no again. ~You don't want to go to first grade?? Again a nod of no. ~You want to stay in Kinder?? Nods yes! The kids looked at her confused and in fear of what my reaction would be. ~Oh no, the teacher is going to blow! probably ran through their heads. This is when it hit me...she's my baby munchkin and probably doesn't understand the concept of moving up. So again I ask ~you don't want to go to 1st Grade? She shakes her head emphatically..no! ~Hmmm... why not? ~I want to stay with you! Awwww! ~No, baby, going to 1st Grade is a good thing. You want to learn all you can in Kinder and move to 1st Grade, then you move to 2nd Grade, then 3rd Grade, etc. Then the peanut gallery began to chime in...~yeah I'll be a big boy in 1st Grade. ~I'll be smarter in 1st Grade. ~1st Grade is going to be fun too! Thank goodness for the peanut gallery! I hope she understood, but she is my baby and is still very low. We'll see what happens with my baby munchkin.
After the class discussion, I sat down and typed out this long letter to parents about steppin it up! I didn't use those terms but I think I got my point across. I do have a handful that are terrific in working with their munchkin. What I'm seeing from the others is frustrating to say the least! Mr. Monkey was back with some friends sitting on my shoulders! Ugh!! I had not felt this way in a long time. Thoughts crept into my mind.. what else can I do? In job's that is! Maybe a part time job to get me into a different mind frame. Right at that moment "Jimmy" came for his hug. He has perfect timing and seems to know when I need the hug more than he does!
Friday finally came! Yes, it felt like a long week and it was only 3 days. It's my own fault for stressing! Mr. Stress Monkey and his friends haven't left and probably won't until the last day of school so I have to redirect the stress, which is a challenge within itself. Wine helps but I don't think that's the wisest choice. haha! I've thrown myself into doing another half marathon with some wonderful girls but I'm not doing a good job motivating myself. I can't get my lazy tooshie to run. I just don't fell like running, don't want to re-injure my back or is it excuses for fear of failure! I know I can walk if need be but really don't want to. I need to stop making excuses and get my tooshie out there. Maybe tomorrow...heehee! Running is such a mental game that I can't get into yet and running out of time...eek! How about a game of jump rope, jacks, or skipping! Heehee! I'm taking the monkeys with me now wherever I go and can't seem to shake them. I know running would help leave those monkeys off on a few trees somewhere but instead I'm slacking. We're all running our own marathon's in life, trying to get to the same place in the end...happiness, knowledge, fulfillment, and enlightenment. Crossing that finish line, bruised, blistered, emotionally drained and exhausted is the best feeling ever! Whether you walk across, sprint, jog, or crawl, you've made it, the hard part is just going over the speed bumps to get there. It's a great sense of Accomplishment!! "Jimmy" reminds me of this in the classroom on a daily basis with his hugs that all things are going to be ok. Life is simple, we just make it more difficult than it really is. (wow where did that come from...haha) My munchkins don't have to leave perfect or on a magical reading level but to leave more knowledgeable, happy, know they are loved, and be the best they can be. They WILL leave with that accomplishment and cross their own finish line.
Stay tuned for a whirlwind adventure coming up the next few months in my Kinder world.
XOXO's
