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