Holy North Pole!

It is friggin' COLD in my room.

I hate hate HATE winter!!!!

>:|

Oh, hurry December 8!!!

About a month and a week ago...

C: Ms. R, are you going to stay at school during vacation?
Me: No, C, I'm going to go on vacation, too. But I'm going to stay for a little bit and teach the fifth graders.
C: FIFTH GRADERS!!! WHOOOOA....
Me: *Laughing*
C: You better be careful, Ms. R.
Me: Why, C?
C: 'Cause they're big and scary!

***************************

How I wish I had listened to her advice a little more. Intercession has been...an interesting experience. I'll just chalk it up to a bad mistake I think. I could have gotten so much more done and had a much more productive vacation for myself if I had just taken off and done my own thing at home.

I think the hardest thing is -- I don't know if I really helped any of the kids. I don't see a lot of progress from any of them. Sucks.

Only seven more days thank GOODness!! After December 8 I am a happy camper, and then me, and HoHo and "HoneyDew" (haha) are going to Hong Kong!!!

I cannot WAIT!!! =D

I am thankful...

for the love and happiness I've found with Damon.
for the continued strength and love I gain from my many wonderful friendships, especially Hollie's.
for my family, where I find support.
for my job and its daily challenges that make me a better person.
that God has given me this life as a chance to do something good.

Betrayal

Today I feel defeated.
Today I feel betrayed.
Today I feel like a horrible teacher.

I got back to my classroom today after dropping my kids off at the gate to find my wallet strewn on the floor with some of my dry-erase markers. A CD walkman that I had taken away from a student in my class was taken from my tote bag.

Obviously I have my suspicions. Nothing was taken from my purse or my wallet (as far as I can tell), but I still feel horrible. I'm so upset that I don't trust my students anymore. And I feel like, if I were the good teacher I'm supposed to be, this wouldn't have happened -- the students would have respected me.

They're 10-11 years old -- they should know better, right? Or should I have made it clear at the beginning that my desk and my purse are off-limits?

How am I going to handle this tomorrow?

anticipation :)

I'm really looking forward to the end of the year -- Thanksgiving, Christmas, the New Year, a trip to Hong Kong, a trip to Japan, and getting my kids back right after! I'm actually getting my Christmas shopping done early (for once), and I've got a real vacation to enjoy (although I'm wasting a good portion of it sleeping). :P

This has certainly been an eventful year for me, what with graduating, getting my first "real" job, getting engaged. <3 Who knows what the next year will bring? :) I can definitely say that I am a very happy girl. Forget the New Year's Resolution, life is too perfect! :)

Totally off topic, but I've been hunting for the White Christmas DVD...I've had a huge craving to see it the last two weeks. If someone sees it somewhere, give me a heads up so I can get it and get into the Holiday Season. :)

Enjoy your week...

Vacation...

So I've been off from school since October 27. I have 2 months off -- I don't go back until January 2. Before you hate me too much, though, keep in mind that every day I've been organizing files, planning my second semester, prepping materials, and

oh yeah...teaching 5th grade intercession.

I have a class of 25 "far below basic" kids. The kids who are supposedly the bottom of the charts, held back by behavior issues, language issues, and just plain "don't get it" issues.

The last 9 or so days have been reminiscent of my first student teaching experiences. Something about those big kids -- it's hard for me to gain their respect, to get over their attitudes. Imagine that you're in fifth grade, you've just started your vacation, and then you're forced to go back to school every day for over a month.

Yeah. They're not very happy to see me every day.

There's one girl in particular who's been REALLY riding on my last nerve. She's impudent, rude, and...for lack of a better word, down right b*tchy. Today I talked to one of my colleagues and found out that she's had a long history of abuse, neglect, and a whole laundry-list of family problems.

I'm suddenly feeling renewed - I guess it's Gods way of reminding me why I'm teaching in the first place. It's not to teach them fractions or to get them to understand how to right an interesting lead. It's because, somewhere along the way, they got left behind. And it's up to me to show them that there's still someone there who wants to help.

I hope I can remember this on Monday.

Maid of Honor Dress from Hell...

Hahahahaha....as big a Hello Kitty fan I am, I would NEVER...

http://www.uglydress.com/helkitweddre.html