My Classroom .... Finally!

My third grade classroom ~ Polka dots

View when walking in the classroom door. The majority of the color in my room is blue and green. Since the theme is polka dots, I thought I'd use blue and green to neutralize the setting for both boys and girls. Each curtain is tied off with blue polka dot ribbon.

Amber Storm gave me the idea of hanging round lanterns from the ceiling. Polka dots! She's so smart.

This is my About Miss Rhodes board. I have pictures of Molly (of course), family, and my beautiful friends. It also has items I enjoy such as my favorite piece of art, pictures of some of my paintings, an owl for my favorite animal, french fries and strawberry ice cream for my favorite food, a beach for my favorite place, a record along with pictures of jazz instruments for my favorite music, and pictures of the A&M campus.

My guided reading area. Kidney tables....O how they take up so much room. And the orange bulletin is not finished ( I created it by hand and hot glued to the wall :)...Ive hot glued nearly everything to wall, lol ). We will add to it as the North America unit progresses. The orange bulletin board will change every month to two months. We study each continent throughout the year, so it will rotate as the continent we are studying changes.

The yellow bulletin board (one i also created, along with the purple - its just wood beneath it) is Our Class Album. I'll use it to put pictures of the students throughout the year.

Look What We Did bulletin board is purely for the kiddos. Each student has a distinct area where they can display anything they would like to. Good grades. Writing. Pieces of art. It's their contribution to the room and makes them feel like they are part of the decorating process. Plus, others get to see their accomplishments and talents.

Below the board is my class library and reading chair.

View of my desk. All the bright yellow, pink, and orange pieces of paper on the back of my file cabinets are for Class Jobs. They are magnetic so I can move the student's names on a weekly basis.

I have 19 students...makes it hard for arranging the desks. Next year I will ask for tables. As for now, this is how they are arranged. I'm sure it will change once I have the kiddos in there. It's hard to see - but I took inch thick polka dot ribbon and lined my white board. (The metal was scratched and boring) One is puple polka dots and the other is green. I have an alphabet strand across the top of the classroom - it's in green polka dots. Even the name plates on their desks have polka dots :)

I have pictures of the room before decorating took place if you scroll down my blog.

My Blank Room ..Color Coming!

I have my things scattered everywhere, but this is my basic layout and what I have to work with. I have lots of color coming soon. I can't wait to finish and spice it up. More pictures to come next week!!!

Tuesday July 28, 2009 - Busy week

Finally got my contract signed and turned in. What a relief! *Sigh* I'm still in the process of decorating the classroom. Putting things up. Hanging things on the wall. Etc. It's an exciting and nerve-racking process. I wish I had someone to just tell me where to put everything. That would just be too easy though. I need one of those easy buttons :)

Big garage sale this weekend. Def not ready for it to start, but ready for it to be over with. They are so much work! After this weekend summer will nearly be over with. How sad? I feel like it flew by and I didn't have the chance to really celebrate graduating college and having a free summer. Guess I celebrated by sleeping in everyday.

Monday, July 20, 2009 School Supplies

Of course, when I return home I find my contract in the mailbox. “Sign and return by June 30, 2009” HA! Good thing I have another one in the mail.

Mom and I spent Sunday morning school supply shopping…for the third time. I love it. There is nothing better than the smell of a newly opened box of crayons. My classroom will be decked out head to toe in crayola products, utensils, crates and baskets, and one pretty awesome treasure chest!

“Don’t you love New York in the fall? It makes me want to buy school supplies. I would send you a newly sharpened bouquet of pencils if I knew your name and address.” – You’ve Got Mail

Thursday, July 16, 2009 My contract is running from me.

My future principal called three weeks ago to notify me I was approved by the school district and my contract would be in the mail very soon. I was elated at the thought of receiving my first contract, especially one that would rename me as an adult. A fully employed, money making adult. I needed this contract more than anything to prove I was actually taking the next logical step in life.

A week goes by and no contract. That’s okay. Sometimes these things take a while. It’s not like any ole letter. Second week passes and still nothing. Several emails and phone calls later, I found it was sent to my prior collegiate address. One I would be moving out of in just a week. Phew! So I really was hired and I’m not dreaming. I, Morgan Rhodes, am still a future third grade teacher. As mom and I pulled into my apartment parking lot today, I nearly stumbled to get out of the car and into my mailbox. This simple piece of paper had been like a lost treasure to me and I was finally at the end of my hunt. My sneaker-covered feet had reached the metal treasure box and I had the golden key to get in.

YOU HAVE GOT TO BE KIDDING ME!

Have you ever expected something to be sitting under the Christmas tree and woke up Christmas morning to find it missing? Literally missing, because you knew it belonged there and some tragic mistake must have occurred. That is how I felt at this particular moment. Nothing, there was absolutely nothing in my treasure box. Not even ads or super market coupons. When I returned to my mother and told her my contract was yet again on the run and my mailbox awkwardly empty, she reminded me of the Change of Address I had recently filled out at the post office.

Me (aggravated): “So, they just take it all out and throw it away?”

Mom: “No, they remove it and mark it to be sent to the changed address.” Me (angry): “People aren’t suppose to mess with your mail. Isn’t that some sort of law?!”

Mom: “Yes, but when you fill out a change of address…”

Me (worried and becoming infuriated): “So you’re saying it’s been moving around and is in the process of being mailed back to my new address?”

Mom: “No, after this much time it was probably lost.”

Did she just say lost? Wow, I’m so going to be the new, completely aggravating, hard to deal with employee that can’t seem to get their crap together. Back to the annoying emails and phone calls. Lord, this totally isn’t funny right now. Let go of your piñata string, and let me actually make a few hits before you draw it back up, and I swing and miss completely, please!

Student Teaching Pictures :)

Only 9 days left of student teaching for me. It's so bittersweet.  I feel like I am ready for my own class, but can't stand the thought of leaving Mrs. Cade or all my babies.  I already have baseball games, birthdays, and talent shows I have promised to return for! I'm such a sucker :) 

P.S. If you click on the picture it gets really big and is much easier to see. Then just backspace to go back! :) 

Mrs. Cade and I 

Aggie Gig'em pose 
Strike a silly pose! My Miss Amanda and I - she's always attached to my hip. She's the first and last hug I receive everyday ...makes my heart smile!!!!Class pic! 
My kiddos and I 

Hello Old Friend

Strike a funny pose!

Fourth grade teachers: Me, Mrs. Cade, Kaitlyn, Mrs. Pierce, Lauren, and tiny Mrs. Landers in the front.

Student teachers ~ Visitng before the day starts!
Me- being silly. I attempted to look cute at school one day and made the mistake of wearing TERRIBLE heals.  I was letting my feet breathe :) 

Have I neglected my poor blog or what? Nearly a month....GEEZ! 

A lot has happened in the last month.  Let's see- Did my two weeks of full responsibility.  They went by oh-so-quickly, but were GREAT.  I actually start my second rotation next week.  

My supervisor came for my midpoint evaluation 2 weeks ago.  I had forgotten to email her twice letting her know I was in full responsibility (even though she has a calendar I hand wrote saying I was-and I replied immediately when she told me I forgot) so she said I was NOT DEPENDABLE  with me supervisor, co workers, and peers, and that I needed to work on that.  I wasn't a happy camper after that meeting.  She took off in several areas of my review for that - really can't stand the woman! Last week she came back to evaluate me.  I was teaching a math lesson and surprisingly, I got a really good evaluation.  I think that's something very hard for her to give- so I was grateful.  

Right now I am back to observing the class and teaching a few subjects a day.  I have no idea how teachers get through the day, week, month, or year without an aid.  Seems like Mrs. Cade and I have so much to do (especially paperwork) and we can never get it done- even with the two of us.  

I spent Valentines with Holly and Emily.  We saw Confessions of a Shopoholic-Super cute! Jacob sent me a bouquet of flowers and a sweet poem.  I can't get enough of his writing :) Only 11 days until I am finally in Scottsdale, Arizona.  Yippeee! Time really has sped by. 

Last weekend I was in Victoria for heart doctor apointments.  Everything has checked out ok- I'm just going to have to live with the fast heart beats again- something I'm not very happy about. O well! 

I took my final certification test last week too- found out today I passed - Praise Jesus! Now all I have left to do is apply for certification.  A huge weight has been lifted off my shoulders.  BUT I jinxed myself- I had to lie to get the day off to take my test. I said I was sick and now I really am.  I finally, FINALLY, went out on the town Friday evening and came home with bad allergies. It has turned into a awful sinus infection.  I get to use this wonderful invention-the neti pot- where you pour water in one side of your nose and it comes out through the other side of your nose and mouth. YUCK!!! It's not pretty at all.  And very uncomfortable.  SO I missed school today, BUT will be going back tomorrow. The kids are taking their TAKS writing test. I get to act as an hall/bathroom monitor.  Basically, I get to read all day. Im okay with that!! Best part- we get to wear jeans or workout clothes :)  

Squash Smosh

Wow – I can’t believe it’s been a whole week since I’ve blogged!  I’m so behind.

 Let’s see: Last Friday I finally got to teach all day, just me.  Mrs. Cade was gone for the day.  Of course, there was a substitute, because I’m not allowed to be alone yet, but I did all the teaching.

 We did a fun macaroni activity.  The macaroni acted as apostrophes, commas, and quotation marks.  I wrote bare sentences on strips of paper and the kids had to use the macaroni to punctuate them correctly.  There were 10 stations and each pair rotated around until they had visited all the stations. 

 My favorite par during the activityt:   Here’s how it plays out ::

  Caleb:  Zariyah, your hair keeps leaving grease on all the chairs I sit in. (He didn’t mean it rudely at all – even though it sounds like it)

  Maya:   WELL, she is brown!  (She just smiled, thinking it was funny)

 I about DIED laughing.  I just went and hugged Maya.  Kids really do say the funniest things.  She wasn’t black, but brown. Haha.

 Anyways, Friday went great.  Sure there were a few behavioral problems here and there, but overall the kids did a good job of treating me as their teacher.

  

FAST FORWARD --- Week 5

 Monday went by in a blur.  Mrs. Cade let me leave right when school got out so I could run home to study for my ESL test (English Second Language).  Grr….so was not in the mood to study! Tests like that are just ridiculous.  Doesn’t the state know – that’s why God invented books! So we don’t have to memorize EVERYTHING!

 I took my test at 8 am Tuesday morning. I was out of there in an hour or so. The day was complete bliss. I felt like a college student again! ….. I ran to office max, then to target, went home and took a nap, ate lunch in front of the TV, worked on some lessons, worked out….. it was RELAXING!!!

 I concluded the evening by smashing a ten-dollar spaghetti squash on the sidewalk.  I told mom she was never allowed to introduce me to a vegetable that required a man to crack open.  I had the butcher knife stuck in it for a good fifteen minutes.  FINALLY once I threw it on the ground it cracked open…..You would think everything would go according to plan after that….Nope.  I cooked it wrong.  I totally forgot to cover it in the oven so it could steam properly.  Needless to say, I got aggravated- left it in the oven (overnight), put the chicken back in the fridge, and had popcorn for dinner!

 Today was a pretty good day. I was exhausted, but what’s new? My supervisor came and watched me teach a reading lesson. I got all good comments- something I wasn’t expecting! I’m finally starting to feel this weight lifted off my shoulders.  Or maybe it’s just the stress lessening? When Full Responsibility starts next week, so I’m sure I’ll be back to stress mode ASAP.

 Mom comes Friday and I’m THRILLED.  Girl’s night!   Mom, Amber, Emily, and I are going to see He’s Just Not That Into You.  I know it will be great. I’ve had that movie release date in my calendar since November…I know – I’m a weirdo!

 

OH – And Molly is doing wonderful.  Her naps have been a steady 8 hours, and mom has kept her food bowl filled properly! 

Week 4 .... feels like Week 100

This is one of those weeks that never seems to end.  I might have referred to the past few weeks as agonizing, but this one beats out.  It has been overly stressful and it’s only Wednesday.

 Monday I dealt with a kid who was banging his head on a door because he was frustrated.  Yesterday, a girl who could care less about her TAKS test, thus failed.  Today, a girl shooting food through her straw.  The girl sitting across from her got the food- strawberry juice and whip cream to the hair. 

 On a happy note – I haven’t received an apple, but I did get some jewelry.  One of my sweet little girls made me a bracelet with a big strawberry charm on it.  Super cute! She’s a sweetheart! The same little girl gave me the biggest laugh Monday morning – a silent laugh that is.  For some reason, neither Mrs. Cade nor I know why, our kids believe they are falling apart.  (I know mom – I did the same) We send at least five students to the nurse everyday.  What do you tell them? “Sorry kid, suck it up…I know you just don’t want to be here for math class!” …. Not exactly appropriate.  Well, my little bracelet-making sweetheart came up to me first thing Monday morning and told me – “Mrs. Rhodes, I might have some trouble with my ears today.  They weren’t working this weekend and I might lose my voice because my throat hurts.” ….. For your peace of mind – her ears are still working.  Well, as far as I am aware of anyways!

On another happy note – I finally bought (well, mom bought) a dress for Kemp’s wedding.  That makes one less thing for me to worry about.  I’d been watching this dress since the beginning of last fall and it finally went on sale!!!! I may be overdressed, but I’ll be a Grecian glamour goddess. Haha.  Well, the dress is a Grecian glamour goddess in my eyes at least. 

Today I taught two lessons – math and science.  Both went fairly well.  For math I reviewed homework problems many of them were having trouble with before I gave them their math exam.  For the review I used an overhead so everyone could watch me work out each individual problem…..Ya…..I had a shadow puppet show going on up front.  Needless to say, that little girl didn’t do as well as she would have if she had been paying attention. 

 Friday Mrs. Cade will be absent.  For the first time, ever, I will be the teacher in a classroom.  Of course there will be a substitute, but I will be teaching everything.  This will be a test – a test for my patience, a test of my teaching ability, and a listening and following direction test for my students.  I’m praying they don’t give me a hard time! 

A week in review

Last week went by so quickly.  I love having Mondays off.  The government should include Monday in the weekend.  People would be less stressed and much happier! 

Lets see...I taught several lessons.  All of them went fairly well.  Once you're done you always think of something you could have done better- its inevitable. 

I created a door display for the class.  'Mrs. Cade's Class Is Sweet on TAKS" All the students got a heart.  The heart had their picture on it and they had to write their TAKS goal on the heart. I know I know...I'm so clever.   :)

Thursday, I, as well as the other teachers, got to break up a fight between two fourth-grade boys.  Why on earth they were fighting? - we have no clue! Their punishment was school suspension for 2 days...not nearly hard enough...these boys seem to be in trouble all the time! Mrs. Cade surprised me by bringing in two Diet Cokes from the coke machine in the afternoon - Absolutely made my day! I needed it after the recess commotion. 

The best part of my  Thursday..... Jacob told me he loved me.  Sorry for getting mushy on ya pop - but it was the best part of my day. Dont worry- I'll always be your little girl no matter what.  Promise! Couldn't ask for a better set of parents.  

Friday - best part of the week- the PTO catered lunch for all the teachers.  They do this once every 6 weeks.  It was soups - chili, chicken noodle, taco sup, beef stew - all scrumptious.  I tried basically all of them...I had to!  They also brought sweet tea with the good sonic ice and a plethora of desserts to choose from.  We were like a bunch of hippos after...so full! It was a much needed treat! Later that afternoon we had an ice cream party for 3rd, 4th, and 5th grade students for doing so well on their practice TAKS test.  

I spent the weekend relaxing.  Slept till lunch everyday and took naps in the afternoon. Very very very very lazy.  Loving every minute of it.  But if it helps - I did grade papers in between sleeping periods :)   

I only have two weeks left before my Full Responsibility starts...Yikes! Im starting to get very nervous! I also have to begin studying for my ESL test...especially since I didnt pass it the first time...by one question! :( 

Raiders, Magnolias, & Holes

Today began just as a Monday would....except it was Tuesday.  It was one of those days where as much as you try do what your suppose to do.... that's just not going to happen.  

The first lesson of the day was on Hooks & Grabbers in writing.  We are trying to teach our students to create a hook at the beginning of their stories to draw the reader in.  To do so, we got to show 2 min clips (the law only lets us show 2 min)  of Raiders of The Lost Ark, Steel Magnolias, and Holes.  My favorite of course was Raiders of the Lost Ark, but all the kiddos liked Holes (it's Disney!)......You should have seen their expression when we played Steel Magnolias.  It's safe to assume they would never read the book.....they all thought the beginning pretty much sucked.  hahaha 

Our lesson this morning was interrupted by the inauguration.  The entire school watched it for a good hour.  Obama was the first president I have ever witnessed being sworn in.  The whole time I just kept thinking....please dont get shot in front of all these people! Aretha Franklin performed, as well as an amazing concerto.  Sassy Franklin wore a hat with a HUGE bow on it...the kids found it quite amusing.  

Lunch flew by, as well as recess.  The afternoon was interrupted by an assembly in the cafeteria. Fundraiser time! It's for cookie dough, and I, of course, have already been asked to buy some.  These kids dont waste time when it comes to prizes.  I told one little girl I would buy some for her....but that's it! I don't need any cookie dough anyways! 

I finally got my trips to the gym going again...it only took 5 months???  Luckily, I have Ms. Amber Storm there with me now. It's  much more motivating! 

Tomorrow I will be teaching 3 lessons - reading, writing, and science.  All of which are very time consuming and hectic! I will also get all next weeks lesson assignmnets.  That means I will be sending the next 5 nights typing them up.  Byebye lazy relaxing evenings! 

 

Spencer's 10th Birthday

The birthday boy! He turned 10 on Friday. His mom brought the BEST cupcakes for the class! 

    Kiddos being silly: Jessica, Catherine, Caleb, Zariyah, & D'Stinee 

  Sweet sweet girls. Shannon and Amanda. They sit at my table!

 Cupcakes were a hit! : Nick, William, Zachary, Curtis, & Nathan

Nathan acting goofy. For some reason, it was the thing to do.

Goofy picture - Go!     D'Stinee, Jennifer, Ashley, and Allison

My girls ~    Rachel, Catherine, Zariyah, and Kenlee 

The magnificent Caleb! 

They enjoyed smearing icing all over their faces for the pictures!

Jessica, Taylor, Lilia, & Ross 

TAKS DAY

TAKS RELEASE DAY.  Poor kiddos were stuck in chairs ALL day long working on a practice writing TAKS test.  For the most part they did good though.  Mrs. Cade and I worked on grading some of the writing. It’s really a difficult thing to do. You become biased. Tomorrow all three 4^th grade teachers and 3 student teachers are meeting to grade them.  Then we will get a score from that.

 I spent the majority of the day in our pod (a small room that connects to all four rooms, basically in the center).  One of our students needs modifications, particularly reading aloud. So, he and I sat in there. He read aloud and did his test, and I worked on lesson plans.  Really today was a blessing in disguise.  I needed time to work on lessons.  Got stuff done finally!

 Mrs. Cade and I made a deal with the kids. A rather large deal.  If ALL the students pass the test :

 1.      Mrs. Cade and I will let the kids spray our hair with fun colors

2.      Kelsi, Mrs. Cade’s daughter, will visit. They all love her.

3.      Kelsi’s boyfriend, a gymnast, will do a flip for every 4 scored on the writing part of the test. (4 is the highest you can get – ranges 0-4)

4.      Mrs. Cade will do a cartwheel for every 4 scored

5.      I will put my legs behind my head for every 4 scored

 Well, for this test not everyone passed.  Mrs. Cade and I don’t have to deal with the hair spray YET. If they all pass the real one – we will! … But this is already a 4 and I have a feeling there will be a couple more. I need to start stretching so I don’t break my legs off. Definitely should not have agreed to that condition, but they wanted it. Any incentive we can give them to do well is worth it. Of course, there were the few today that really didn’t care at all (the few that SHOULD care) and basically finished in a matter of minutes.

 We did have a few good papers though.  Some of our students, if they would practice their skills, could become great writers. The prompt was: Write a composition about your favorite adventure.  The boys loved it…girls not so much.  One boy, I hate to say it – but my favorite – wrote about his day in the woods and this hidden trail he found. He described part of his adventure (where he came to some water) like this: The water sparkled like diamonds.  There was a large stick in the water. I walked on it like I would on a rope at a carnival. ………..Pretty great. 

 At recess, we had a mini-drama situation.  The little clique of girls – mean ones- started on the uni-brow kick.  They started making fun of anyone they could.  The tall girl in my class became the butt of their jokes today.  Poor thing.  She doesn’t break easily.  Never gets upset or cries.  Today…they broke her. She was so upset.  The girls kept making fun of her. We didn’t notice until we saw her against the building crying.  The funny thing is – She is probably the prettiest girl in the 4^th grade and she DOESN’T even have a uni-brow.  Mrs. Cade and I told her she was way to pretty to be getting upset and those girls were just jealous.  Watching her sit there though made me teary eyed. I really hated seeing her like that- letting those girls get to her- her self esteem basically plummeting. Poor baby.

 The day went by quickly…real quick.   Tomorrow is Friday. I can’t wait to be home. Time to REST!!! 

Science Lesson - Yes Mom, I know my hair looks great!

I'll teach monkeys to swim!

            Today I taught two lessons, both of which I wrote.  The first went off without a glitch. The students got to work in groups, brainstorm ideas for writing prompts, combine all their ideas on a large piece of poster, and present them to the class.  Some of their ideas were off the wall.  One prompt they had to brainstorm was: If you were an animal trainer, what would you teach your animal to do?  Answers were all over the place – Monkeys to swim and dance, Horses to do flips, Cats to do the worm, etc.  I think they really enjoyed it.  I know I did. Mrs. Cade said I did great, looked like a pro! J

             This afternoon I taught a social studies lesson.  My supervisor was there to grade me. While I was nervous, I knew the lesson would be fairly easy to conduct.  As I sat on the couch at the back of the classroom, the students gathered on the floor to listen to me read the chapter aloud.  After, I handed out a crossword puzzle for them to complete.  My supervisor gave me a good review. Her only critique was my voice.  Now either I was just nervous or she just isn’t used to my Minnie Mouse voice, because normally I feel like I am too loud. Mrs. Cade has never mentioned my voice being too soft. 

             My stress level has diminished a bit.  I might not have a life every evening for the next few months, but I’ll be okay….Hmm.  I just need to be ahead….I simply must know exactly what I am doing the following week so I can prepare.  If everything flows that way I will be fine.      

             Tomorrow I will be teaching, rather conducting, a science investigation.  Hopefully the kiddos can calm themselves…..they hear the word experiment and chatting immediately proceeds.  

Did you do something different to your hair?

          BLITZ started back up today. It's a TAKS intervention program the school uses for all grade levels.  We have it every morning in either language arts or math.  I'm not the biggest fan of it....I'd rather use that time to write in journals.  In the past I’ve never witnessed teachers use them much, but Mrs. Cade does.  It's just hard to find time to fit them in.  Something I plan on doing though! I enjoy hearing the kiddos stories.  Last week they wrote on someone who has influenced their life.  One of the little girls wrote about her dad.  She didn't meet him until she was eight - Her mom never told her about him.  Broke my heart to hear that! She was funny though.....she mentioned getting off the plane and seeing a man stand there with a "white girl" and wasn’t sure she had the right person.  Poor thing...I can't imagine going through an experience like that. How nervous and frightened she must have been! 

             Mondays are always crazy.  Mrs. Cade stayed at school till 9 last week cleaning up the back counter so I would have a space of my own :) She’s so sweet.  I love to watch her with the kids, especially when she’s disciplining them.  She uses a serious face to correct their behavior and moments later the sweetest smile breaks across her face.  The “I love you, but you’re getting on my last nerve grin.”  She’s good at it!

             My day went sour at 9:20 a.m. Mrs. I Don’t Know What I’m Doing (my supervisor) was on campus to watch Lauren teach.  She lost my schedule…. It was in a mess of papers.  Aren’t teachers expected to be a highly organized species? She is the definition of scatterbrained.  I found out at lunch she decided to do a little switch-a-roo on our lesson plan requirements.  Instead of writing ten LONG lessons in the next four weeks, I now have to write twenty-five.  TWENTY-FIVE! I about had a heart-attack.  Anger built up….stress set in….tears were on the verge of falling.   I was even more aggravated that she failed to notify me of the change…she only told the other two fourth grade student teachers.  I asked mom if it would be alright if I strangled her….. Unfortunately, I don’t imagine it is. 

           Trying to concentrate on school throughout the day was impossible.  I was constantly wondering where Jacob was.  Is he flying? Has he landed? Wonder what he’s doing? Wonder if he misses me as much as I miss him? …… It’s going to be a long eight weeks…..BUT I managed to pull myself out of my sparkly pink bubble world.  I taught a science lesson this afternoon – Natural weather events.  The kiddos worked together at their tables to illustrate a natural weather event and then presented it to the class.  It went over well and Mrs. Cade said I did a great job J ….. Always nice to hear.  In a few weeks I know she will have a difficult time critiquing me.   She hates to hurt people’s feelings just like me. 

 I came home and sat in bed working on lesson plans till 8. …Still not done.  So this is the life of a teacher? Hmm…..great.  Who said being an adult was fun? I would like to strangle them too. 

 Spencer, a sweetheart who tends to stutter and forget homework often but is very intelligent, asked me this afternoon, “Ms. Rhodes….Did you do something different to your hair (waving his hand in a motion around his head)? I had worn my bangs down today….mainly because I didn’t feel like washing my hair last night and I knew it would still be pretty today.  “It looks different….it looks nice,” he said.  I smiled and told him I just wore it differently today. That was all.  Mrs. Cade broke out into a snicker when he said it looked nice…..it was completely random, but adorable!  See mom……men do notice when you change your hair! Haha

Lunch Box Blues

Isn’t Wednesday, being midweek, suppose to be one of the days you’re most alert and have energy? …I was in lala land today. I took a salad for lunch, so when I got to school I put it in the fridge in the teachers room (in the cafeteria basically).

Come lunch time I couldn’t find my lunch. I searched through the pod closet where we all keep our belongings. I trampled through the classroom overturning my book bag….Nadda…Darnit...I was really looking forward to that salad too!

… I thought :
1. I forgot my lunch, but remembered bringing it.
2. Could I have left it in my car?
3. That I misplaced it….doubtful. It’s in the same place everyday.
4. Someone accidentally took it.

I took the babies to the cafeteria while Mrs. Cade was heating up her lunch in the room. Very quickly I might add. She was worried I wouldn’t have time to find my lunch and eat. All the while, I was still completely unaware of where the heck my lunch was. As I was standing there watching the class file through the lunch line it finally hit me….DUH MORGAN, you put it in the fridge! I don’t know what was going on…I am so off this week. It’s going to take me some time to get back on track and used to my new schedule.

At lunch I sat by the same group of girls I had yesterday. I just listen to them giggle and ask each other silly questions. The topic today: Middle School. Where each would end up? (It is so hard looking at these little girls imagining them in middle school. It blows my mind….I’m sure I looked the same though! Scrawny!) One of the girls, Rachel, began telling the other three girls she was going to be attending a private middle school. She didn’t want to go, but her mother was making her. Amanda, very petite, country, full of freckles, and known for her giant wide-mouthed smile, said “That’s expensive! It’s like sixty dollars a month!”…..I laughed on the inside…LISA WISHES!

I’m going to have to start getting strict with the students. Not something I am looking forward to, but I am having trouble getting them to see me as their teacher and not a friend. They don’t listen to me at all when we are in the hallway. As soon as Mrs. Cade enters they are quiet as can be….Me, not so much! It's difficult going from a methods student whose job is to act as a helper/friend for the students, to the role of a teacher who not only teaches, but enforces rules. Completely different.

We had our second student teacher meeting after school with our supervisor at Houston Elementary. The woman, while very sweet and probably means well, about drove me nuts. Confused the heck out of all of us! It’s done with though and I have, to an extent, a clear picture of how the semester will play out. 12 total weeks. Weeks 6-7 and 10-11 I will take on full responsibility. Between weeks 10 and 11 falls spring break. Until then I will teach one to two subjects per week. Mrs. Cade and I planned out next week….I will focus on science and social studies. This weekend will keep me busy planning those!