Day of Rest

I got home from school at 8:00 last night. I was in bed by 8:15, woke up at 6 and ate breakfast, then went back to bed and slept til 8. I'm tired!

It was a good week this week. I had a substitute for Thursday and half of Friday because I had BTSA and RIS (Reading Intervention Specialist) meetings. Our staff took over a Mexican restaurant for happy hour yesterday. :)

Learning From Mistakes

I learned yesterday that I need to know what I'm doing with my students in the afternoon and not cram in random things and then get mad because they are loud (probably because they don't know what they're supposed to be doing). Today was much better. It was a lovely day, actually. We played math games and looked at our plants and read some stories. I had two parent complaints today, though. What do they think I am, superwoman?

I also learned yesterday to read directions. I was starving so I came home and made this weird pork dish that I bought the ingredients for. I got to the last line that said "simmer for 1 hour" and was very disappointed.

Pictures of Fast Plants

Watering the seeds:
Observing fast plant seedlings:

Oh, so cute!

Aren't You Jealous?

Peter Yarrow kissed my hand. (Okay, Steven, I know you don't care.) I saw him in a little mini-concert, mostly directed towards kids. You had to buy his Puff the Magic Dragon book at an independent bookstore in San Jose or go to the school that was being dedicated to get into the concert and afterwards he signed them. I went with Joanne's parents. So fun!

I'm not moving!

Rumors were astir that I might have to move classrooms, but we found out today that they are moving the staff room, not me, to put in the new kindergarten. Hooray!!!

The fast plants are growing and they are so cute!

Fried Rice Failure

I bought sesame oil so that I could make fried rice like my mom. I failed miserably and burnt the pan.

I bought a book that I'm really excited to read and have had time to get to page 5. From Through Painted Deserts:
"...everybody, every person, has to leave, has to change like seasons; they have to or they die. The seasons remind me that I must keep changing, and I want to change because it is God's way. All my life I have been changing. I changed form a baby to a child, from a soft toys to play daggers. I changed into a teenager to drive a car, into a worker to spend some money. I will change into a husband to love a woman, into a father to love a child, change houses so we are near water, and again so we are near mountains, and again so we are near friends, keep changing with my wife, getting our love so it dies and gets born again and again, like a garden, fed by four seasons, a cycle of change. Everybody has to change, or they expire. Everybody has to leave, everybody has to leave their home and come back so they can love it again for all new reasons."
--Donald Miller

Back to School Night was last night. It was okay, but it really made me feel inadequate and afterwards I just felt so bad for my poor students who are being hauled through this year of chaos with me. So I decided to go to Bible study even though I would be late because it's not healthy for me to go home and sit in my room and think unpleasant thoughts. I'm glad I went because afterward we played a slightly different version of King Jabba, which is the best game on Earth. I left at 11:00. I feel like a Sim. I can't get all those little happiness bars green. If I spend time working on my social bar, my sleep bar turns red and this a problem because I can't focus on writing anymore. Poor little worn out eyeballs.

We planted our seeds yesterday and the kids were really good at following the directions. My dad made a fancy light hooky together thing so I have 3 plant boxes all lined up. I hope they germinate soon!

I'm almost done testing the reading levels of all my kids. They range from level 3 (beginning of 1st grade "I can eat. The dog is brown.") to level 28 (end of 3rd grade level, think Harry Potter). It's like the old-fashioned one room school except they are all about the same height.

I am rock, I am an iiiiiiisland

"In vain have you acquired knowledge
if you have not imparted it to others."
-- my fortune cookie

I'm listening to Simon and Garfunkle and let me tell you, you should too.

Just to let you know, I love my kids.

:)

Woe is me

It's 10:00 and once again I have no idea what I'm doing tomorrow. Ahhhhhhhhh! This job is ridiculous... who signed me up for this?

On a brighter note, I had a pretty good day with my kids today. I got a few shirts and a washcloth and a toothbrush holder at Kohl's and I met another girl at Bible study.